Frank Ladd and the E-Future

Frank Ladd started on Feb. 1 as the new chief information officer for Bonnier Media Deutschland, the German publishing group that includes BuchVertrieb Blank, Carlsen Verlag, Hörbuch Hamburg HHV, Piper Verlag, Thienemann Verlag, Ullstein Buchverlage and arsEdition. Ladd comes from Langenscheidt Publishing Group in Munich where he most recently served as head of content management and prepress. At Bonnier Media Deutschland, he will be focusing on digitalization and IT projects. We talked with him about what digitalization, the German book market and what he sees for the future.

What does digitalization and the web mean for the book publishing industry?
As book publishers, we are doing an excellent job creating and selling books. Editorial development, production, distribution and marketing are well-defined and processes that run well. For new media, we will have to set up similar ways to create, produce and distribute e-products. Regardless of which channel and market - online, iPhone, iPad, Android devices or any coming tablet pcs. This all must come along with online marketing measures, such as social media activities. These are the issues we are facing as book publishers. The main tasks will be to create e-products people are willing to spend money for.

Is there anything that sets Germany and other German-speaking countries apart as a book market?
Let me answer by quoting an interesting fact mentioned in "Reason Prevails for Christmas 2010" from analyst company Deloitte: "Books are No. 2 on the hit list of Christmas gifts in Germany." To me, this is a good indication of our strong book market.

What are the biggest challenges and opportunities you see?
Customers will soon demand more digital products. To provide interactive, multimedia and mobile offers will be the greatest challenge for us book publishers! We need to follow the fast- moving and growing online and mobile markets. There are highly skilled people in all companies and it will also be a challenge for us to find qualified people for the digitalization.

Do you have any predictions for the future about the book publishing industry?
I don't have to be a fortune-teller to see that the digital market is growing fast. But, I am convinced that we'll still have strong book sales in the future. On the other hand, there will be a greater demand for electronic products. My thesis: A book publisher will probably become more and more a content provider.