Whether it’s a debut author, a book with a fresh take on a familiar topic, or a trend that’s taking off, book publishers are always on the lookout for what’s new. At the forefront of the industry are those who go the extra step of seeking out—and acting on—innovations with the potential to benefit not just themselves but all publishers.

Innovation sounds easy enough: Find a need and fill it. But as experienced innovators will attest, the path to success is not necessarily easy or direct. Successful innovators study the market, determine the resources needed to bring an idea to fruition, and adjust as needed to fine-tune their designs.

Addressing a Marketing Quandary

For Kenney Myers, CEO of eBookFairs, problem-solving is second nature. “I have been a tech startup person for most of my career, heavily focused on solving problems that could make a difference in the world,” he says. Beyond software development, he tapped into his creative talents through acting, which in turn led him to write and direct his own TV series and then to write his Jon Bragg series of novels. In short order, he also acquired the assets of a traditional publishing company, Pen It Publications.

“Once I self-published the book, I discovered a major gap in book marketing,” he says. “There are so many services out there that fail to deliver on the promises they make to authors. I wanted something that was affordable and had a shot at providing a good ROI [return on investment] for authors.”

Having spent “thousands of dollars” trying out book marketing systems and talking with other authors about their book marketing frustrations, Myers came up with a concept that digitizes the book fair experience using “the latest and greatest technology stack from Microsoft.”

To refine his vision, Myers consulted with industry leaders such as self-publishing guru Dale Roberts. “They reviewed the concepts and ideas I was putting together and were a constant source of inspiration and feedback,” he says. “They helped me ramp up very quickly.”  

The result is a portal through which publishers can launch books in a way that engages authors socially and helps build their platforms. “This costs around $25 per book, so it should fit into any publisher’s budget for the marketing around book launches,” he says.

On the consumer end, eBookFairs facilitates the discovery of books that might otherwise be overlooked. “We have an exclusive technology that crawls the internet looking for books from indie authors and small publishing companies that have been published in the last 30 days,” Myers says. “This is a chance for new books to really stand out. As far as we know, this is a unique offering in the industry.”

One measure of success came when the first 1,000 authors enrolled in the eBookFairs system. “At that point, the platform became fully self-sufficient,” he says. “We no longer have to create book fairs and keep everything going. The authors in the system are making it happen, and we are there just to support them and add value in other ways. That truly was rewarding because it let us know that we did hit the mark.”

Since launching eBookFairs early in 2021, Myers says his market research has been ongoing, and he continues to make adjustments. “To say we are an agile shop is an understatement,” he says. “We are constantly rolling out new features and improving upon what is in place.”

Myers suggests that entrepreneurs contemplating an innovation ask themselves why it’s warranted. “Do others agree that it needs to exist?” he says. “Be honest with yourself, and be open to making pivots when you need to.”

Watching his innovation take hold, Myers counts himself fortunate to be pursuing his passion. “That is what I really wish for everyone,” he says. “If you truly love the idea you have and you are willing to work extremely hard to make it happen, then just do it.”

A Better Way to Manage Submissions

For Gary Anderson, publisher at Run Amok Books and creator of the Stack Submissions Manager, necessity was all the inspiration he needed. He got into publishing on the author end, placing three different books with three different independent presses. “Unfortunately, all three of them closed shop within a few years of publishing my books, so I was left to find new publishers or start my own press,” he says.

He opted to form his own company. “I quickly found out that owning and operating a small press comes with a steep learning curve,” he says. With the help of “generous and talented volunteers,” he was able to get a handle on the business.

But managing submissions became a source of frustration. “Prior to our eureka moment, we were using a very well-established but costly submissions manager,” he says. “Although it is an excellent tool and a good fit for large-scale presses, to us, it seemed a bit like cracking walnuts with a sledgehammer. There were so many features that we did not need or use but were paying for.”

Though Run Amok had only two three-month submission periods a year, the press had to pay for a full year of submission services. That was money that Anderson thought could be better spent on expenses more directly related to producing and promoting books.

“We were not ready or willing to go back to email submissions and the many organizational headaches that come with that process,” he says. “So, we decided that we would create our own tool—a submissions manager that was inexpensive but efficient.”

Partnering with Meae Software, Run Amok delivered a features wish list for a system tailored to the needs of small presses. After what Anderson describes as “a lot of back-and-forth with Meae and a lot of adjusting and tweaking,” the Stack Submissions Manager went into beta testing in June 2022, with 15 small presses testing the tool and offering feedback.

“The suggestions were invaluable,” Anderson says. “They helped us refine the existing features of the tool while adding others that we had not thought of.” For instance, Stack added a screen reader function for a test-press editor who is visually impaired. Stack also added a filtering feature and a collaboration area where publishing team members can share comments.

Anderson leaned on his authorial experience to refine the functionality with automated author messages. “As an author, I remember waiting and waiting to hear back about my submissions from publishers,” he says. “To help alleviate the angst, we added a dashboard for authors, where they can track all status changes to their submissions. They also receive automatic email messages when a submission’s status changes.” 

The customizable submissions tool went public in September. “In Stack, you create projects that typically correspond to submission periods, and you create review teams for those projects,” Anderson says. “You also create a workflow for each project, which consists of steps in the review process.”

Instead of a fixed monthly subscription fee, publishers pay according to submission numbers, with what Anderson calls “a low monthly fee cap.” Any press getting more than 50 submissions a month should benefit, he says.

“I don’t want to call it revolutionary, but I will say that this innovative pricing model allows small presses that might otherwise not be able to enjoy the convenience of a submissions manager the ability to leverage those organizational tools,” he says.

Anderson’s advice for those wanting to explore their own innovations? Don’t wait. “If you have an idea, find someone to partner with, someone who can help you, someone who will share your vision,” he says. “You may have only a small piece of the puzzle, but there are others out there who have the remaining pieces needed to make your vision a reality.”

Tech to Keep Print Relevant

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Sumi Printing co-founder Roland Sumi knew he needed to reimagine his business. Having built his printing business from the ground up beginning in 1986, he has made a daily habit of reading and researching in his field. He pays attention to what clients are asking for and figures out ways to meet their needs. “We’ve always tried to stay ahead of the curve,” he says.

The fundamental question, he realized during the pandemic, was how to keep print alive. “The best solution is hybrid, incorporating print with the internet,” he says. By incorporating video into print products, he realized he could make books interactive.

Near-field communication, or NFC, chips were the way to make this happen, Sumi decided. More refined than QR codes, the chips are pre-programmed to point to a website. To make his vision a reality, he first had to source the purchase and programming of the chips. The programmer incorporates a client-provided URL into the chips.

As part of the printing process, Sumi finds places to hide the chips—under the wrap, between pages, within the cover or liners. He expects the technology will soon allow him to print chips directly on sheets of paper. “It’s crazy how fast this is changing,” he says. A few words in the print product tell readers where to tap their smartphones. The web link can even be set up to deliver analytics that shows publishers where readers are most engaged.

The applications are varied. Wedding books that link to videos of the wedding. Real estate memorandums that link to virtual property tours. Blurbs that link to video of an author speaking to readers about a book.

“We have used technology also to win new business, often competing against the older, bigger printers,” Sumi says. One example is a large college that switched their printing to Sumi because he was willing to design tech solutions customized to their needs. Among the products he has designed for them is a pamphlet for basketball VIPs. A chip embedded in the college logo takes users to a highlights reel from the previous season.

Incorporating this technology into traditional printed projects isn’t cost-prohibitive, Sumi says, and it’s not all that difficult. Yet surprisingly few of his competitors have jumped on board.  “Hybrid to me is the answer,” Sumi says.

Sumi continues to innovate. Recently, he has been finetuning job production with artificial intelligence-enhanced workflows. “A lot of this is so new,” he says. “I don’t want to retire because this stuff is so exciting to me. I want to be involved in it for a while. It’s a challenge, and there’s a financial investment. But you have to do it.”

For those who want to pursue innovation, his advice is simple. “Don’t be afraid,” he says. “Give it a little time. Investigate what’s out there.”

Inherent Rewards

Change may not be easy, but it can be exciting, especially when it involves an innovation that improves the ways we do business.

It all starts with recognizing a need, and then following through with the research, evaluation, and help-at-hand resources needed to turn an idea into reality. The rewards are many, not only for the innovator but also for the industry.

Who knows? The next innovator in publishing might be you.

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