How Technology is Changing

Craft & Audience

Thad McIlroy

WUC OnWords Conference Vancouver, BC

May 25, 2012

Our Session

Technology is changing how we think and read.

Is it also changing how we write and access our audience?

Our Speakers

Cynara Geissler, Marketing Manager, Arsenal Pulp Press

Rachel Zolf, Poet & Professor, University of Calgary

Thad McIlroy, The Future of Publishing

A Bit About Thad

Started in publishing in Canada in 1977. Founded Virgo Press and Beatty &

Church. Consulting for 25 years on publishing

and technology. 18 books; 300+ articles.

Understanding Technology

Black + white thinking is anathema to appreciating change. Change is not either/or. It’s and.

Technology is a process; it’s not an event.

Don’t be defensive; it attracts predators.

What’s Changed?

More The Same Fewer Books Libraries Bookstores Authors Grants Old publishers Publishers Readers Alternatives

The challenge lies in the abundance of media competing for readers’ attention.

Leisure Time

Canada, 2005

Media Consumption

Microsoft, 2012

It’s Not Just About Bookstores

Canadian Outlets

And Many Motivations

Ebook Sales are Exploding

Yet Just a Fraction of the Total

New Tablets Demand Content

Fiction is Hot!

Literary Fiction is Hotter!

While Ad Spend Plummets

Be Thankful You’re Not on TV

Large Publisher Sales Reduced by $70m ̶ $120m

Self-Published Authors Winning

Thank you