The New Publishing SkillsetChange Management in a Creative Industry

Robert Wheaton SVP, Digital @rjwheaton !

Penguin Random House Canada

publishing: we’re doing it wrong(apparently)

The New Publishing SkillsetChange Management in a Creative Industry

– approaches to change –

– two strategic problems –

(3 pretty* charts)

* mostly

– resume design –

!One Toronto Street, #300, Toronto ON M5C 2V6!(416) 957 1504!rwheaton@randomhouse.com!

!! EDUCATION! !University of London! !! 2000-2001! !!!!University of Oxford! !! 1999-2000! !!!! EXPERIENCE! ! ! ! Random House! ! of Canada! ! 2011-Present! ! ! !!!!!!!!!! Indigo Books! ! & Music! ! ! 2004-2011! !!!!!!!!! SKILLS! !!!! REFERENCES!

Name of degree!❖ Specialization!❖ Key areas, courses, or awards!❖ GPA!!Name of degree!❖ Specialization!❖ Key areas, courses, or awards!❖ GPA!!!!!VP, Director Strategic Digital Business Development!❖ e-Book sales (including responsibility for achieving e-book sales

targets; retailer account management; pricing strategy; and merchandising and positioning plans)!

❖ Digital product development (including app development; digital tools and services; and coordination with international Random House companies for product launch support in Canada)!

❖ Digital publishing initiatives (including facilitating cross-departmental projects; as well as flagship online/digital publishing initiatives including Hazlitt and Hazlitt Originals)!

❖ Digital business development (including contract negotiation with e-book retailers and establishing strategic partnerships)!!

Director, Inventory Management!❖ Managed core replenishment buying and returns processes in book

product group to maximize product availability to customers, maintain inventory within budget, reduce operational costs, and maximize margin against vendor discount structures.* With direct reports (team managers and process improvers) managed a team collectively responsible for inventory requirements against 75% of business revenue, across 160,000 unique SKUs at over 5 million active article/sites.

!❖ Some skills. Probably technical skills.!❖ More skills. Excel, Word, Powerpoint.!❖ Even more. HTML, CSS, whatever!!!Upon request

Robert Wheaton

!One Toronto Street, #300, Toronto ON M5C 2V6!

(416) 957 1504!rwheaton@randomhouse.com!

!

“Robert was a great colleague! He always made sure that all of his colleagues knew what work he was doing

and comforted people who left meetings in tears!” - Alan Smithee

!!!!Random House of Canada, Limited!2011-Present!VP, Director Strategic Digital Business Development!!

e-Book sales (including responsibility for achieving e-book sales targets; retailer account management; pricing strategy; and merchandising and positioning plans)!Digital product development (including app development; digital tools and services; and coordination with international Random House companies for product launch support in Canada)!Digital publishing initiatives (including facilitating cross-departmental projects; as well as flagship online/digital publishing initiatives including Hazlitt and Hazlitt Originals)!Digital business development (including contract negotiation with e-book retailers and establishing strategic partnerships)!!!!

Robert Wheaton

Objective!Have an interview with you which will lead to you being impressed by my dynamic change management skill set that can be used by your business to drive KPI business metrics and consumer engagement by a dynamic best-in-class customer relationship manager whose skills have been endorsed as an independent self-starter and creative change management evangelist!by many professional business colleagues and at the end of the interview you will

offer me a job in the role of THE JOB at THE COMPANY.

Creativity Excellenc

DIGITAL ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK & MEDIA MARKETING SPECIALIST

self-starter!

analytics

workplace safety!

strategy :)

ePub

ePub3

iBA

KF8

epub.js

HTML

CSS

javascript

jquery

Objective C

Java

ONIX

UX design

API design

CRM

SQL

data visualization

analytics

ePub

ePub3

iBA

KF8

epub.js

HTML

CSS

javascript

jquery

Objective C

Java

ONIX

UX design

API design

CRM

SQL

data visualization

analytics

hire train

integrate

strategy !

tactics !

work !

skills !

people

strategy !

time !

impasse !

tasks !

people

Underlying Assumptions

Espoused values

Underlying Assumptions

Artifacts

Espoused values

Underlying Assumptions

Artifacts

Espoused values

Underlying Assumptions

– first problem –

big data!

big data?

vlookups pivot tables

standard deviation

R SQL

Tableau Hadoop

cluster analysis Fourier transform

multivariate regression analysis

http://www.asymco.com/2014/02/10/fortune-130/

http://www.asymco.com/2013/02/22/bits-v-bytes-follow-the-money/

http://www.asymco.com/2013/02/22/bits-v-bytes-follow-the-money/

http://www.asymco.com/2013/02/22/bits-v-bytes-follow-the-money/

http://www.asymco.com/2013/02/22/bits-v-bytes-follow-the-money/

http://www.asymco.com/2013/02/22/bits-v-bytes-follow-the-money/

Experimental Study of Inequality and Unpredictability in an Artificial Cultural Market Matthew J. Salganik, Peter Sheridan Dodds, Duncan J. Watts !

!

!

!10 FEBRUARY 2006 VOL 311 SCIENCE www.sciencemag.org http://www.princeton.edu/~mjs3/salganik_dodds_watts06_full.pdf !!!More: http://www.princeton.edu/~mjs3/musiclab.shtml !Layperson's version: http://kieranhealy.org/blog/archives/2014/02/15/social-aspects-of-success-and-failure-in-cultural-markets/

– first problem –

the solution?

Hire some nerds

R SQL

Tableau Hadoop

cluster analysis Fourier transform

multivariate regression analysis

Yes

Hire some nerds

– Digression –

boolean integer float BLOB null

charaacter varchar datetime

Data type casting

DATA TYPE CASTING

DATA TYPE CASTINGwhen good data gets cast in bad roles

The HOBO

3 > 4

MB < ON > QC

The HOBO

The FLIRT

The FLIRTGiacomo, 25

“e-book sales increased 364% last year”

The PHANTOM

everyone was to scared to check

The SINGULARITY

– Antagonists –

DATA TYPE CASTINGwhen good data gets cast in bad roles

example

http://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2013/3/25/future-proofing-publishing.html

big number

The HOBO

big number

context narrative

unpacking discussion

transparency

“?”

new skills?

ePub

ePub3

iBA

KF8

epub.js

HTML

CSS

javascript

jquery

Objective C

Java

ONIX

UX design

API design

CRM

SQL

data visualization

analytics

context narrative

background comparison interpretation storytelling discussion

transparency

some suggestions

1. audit your reporting

do you read this report? beyond the first 10 lines?

which columns do you look at? what do you do as a result?

2. introduce a handful of tools and terms

3. talk about opportunity costs

context narrative

background comparison interpretation storytelling discussion

transparency

– second problem –

social

(sigh)

mobile

(that’s worse)

audiences

authors

physical retailers

audiences

broadcast & print media

authors

publishers

physical retailers

audiences

broadcast & print media

authors

physical retailers

audiences

e-commercebroadcast, online &

print mediasearch

authors

search engines

SEO AdWords

internet retailers

metadata assets

conversion

skills

physical retailers

audiences

e-commercebroadcast, online &

print mediasearch social

authors

physical retailers

audiences

e-commercebroadcast, online &

print mediasearch social

authors

http://www.asymco.com/2014/01/07/when-will-smartphones-saturate/

?

Pleasure/relaxation

Information

To give as a gift

Self-help/improvement

Other

To take on vacation

School/class

Work/career

Commuting

Non-business-related travel

Book club/group I belong to

Do-it-yourself

Business-related travel

0% 15% 30% 45% 60%

entertainment !

information !

participation !

aspiration

Time

Quality Incumbent

Consumer needs

Figure 5-1 The Innovator’s Solution, Christensen, Raynor

Time

Quality Incumbent

Consumer needs

New entrant

narrative is good enough?

entertainment !

information !

participation !

aspiration

– second problem –

the solution?

an approach

Time

Quality Incumbent

Consumer needs

New entrant

entertainment !

information !

participation !

aspiration

a cultural passport

entertainment !

information !

participation !

aspiration

design !

events !

IP management

design !

events !

IP management

design !

events !

IP management

opportunities?

– not so fast! –

image permissions authors’ calendars

serial rights systems contracts

events relationships

the hard problems are the ones we’re supposed to solve

image permissions authors’ calendars

serial rights systems contracts

events relationships

Artifacts

Espoused values

Underlying Assumptions

Artifacts

Espoused values

Underlying Assumptions

“Complaining is not a strategy”

Artifacts

Espoused values

Underlying Assumptions

some suggestions

1. find the breakpoints

ePub

ePub3

iBA

KF8

epub.js

HTML

CSS

javascript

jquery

Objective C

Java

ONIX

UX design

API design

CRM

SQL

data visualization

analytics

we have to let knowledge walk out the door

don’t let former employees train new employees

2. examine unexamined workflows

send out Monday reports to key stakeholders 4 hours

complain about that thing that happened last week 12 minutes

pick up the phone and negotiate with retailer contact 16 hours

respond passive-aggressively to retailer because of tone in automated emails 3 minutes

complain about person who complained about that thing that happened last week 14 minutes

aggregate multiple data sources in single database 6 hours

send csv report to accounting (do they still need this?) 45 minutes

3. tell stories about adapting

4. show the designers how to use Tumblr

5. find allies by disagreement

context narrative

background comparison interpretation storytelling discussion

transparency

context narrative

background comparison interpretation storytelling discussion

transparency

Shaul Schwarz/Cinedigm http://narcoculture.com/

publishing

a problem of change

(3 charts)

http://www.asymco.com/2014/02/10/fortune-130/

http://www.asymco.com/2014/01/07/when-will-smartphones-saturate/

ePub

ePub3

iBA

KF8

epub.js

HTML

CSS

javascript

jquery

Objective C

Java

ONIX

UX design

API design

CRM

SQL

data visualization

analytics

context narrative

background comparison interpretation storytelling discussion

transparency

process

mission

cultivating a public

change

thank you

everybody read this book