The latest webcast in the Publishers Weekly/Digital Book World series, New Workflows for Editorial and Production, took place on Tuesday, covering how to effectively design workflows that will open up new opportunities for print as well digital products. The panelists were Karen Cooper, publisher at Adams Media, Liz Kessler, digital managing editor, Hachette Book Group, and Laura Dawson, content chief at Firebrand Technologies. Digital Book World’s Matt Mullin moderated the discussion which attracted about 320 listeners.

Kessler began the discussion by talking about the expansion of ePub and the broadening range of titles now being converted. At Hachette, Kessler said, ePub for frontlist titles were the only ones being produced; now, they are looking at short-form and long-form originals, backlist titles, enhanced ePub, and mobile apps. Kessler said the most important aspect of digital workflow is quality. For every step of the way, she said, you must ensure that error-free, well-compressed files are being produced. This means that copyediting, proofreading, and quality assurance are essential.

Cooper cautioned against jumping right into digital publication, stressing the importance of patience and testing when developing the content. “Don’t do an enhanced e-book just because you have the capability,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to test things to see what works and what doesn’t.” She stated that it takes time to figure out what the right price point is, what format is right, and other key aspects before expecting to find a perfectly functioning system.

Dawson, for her part, stressed the importance of metadata, stating that it should be handled by everyone, the more people the better, beginning at acquisition.

Toward the end of the webcast, the question was posed to Dawson regarding integrating digital and print workflows. As it turned out, this was the point on which the panelists most agreed. “Integration is the way forward,” Dawson said, citing the benefits of parallel workflows every step of the way because employees have the same tasks on both print and digital sides, and, more often than not, the people who are familiar with a certain aspect of the print workflow will be the most qualified to work on the digital side.

The next webcast, Innovations in the Academic Business Model, is set for August 9.