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
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