April 10, 2023

Managing Titles From Concept to Launch

Fran ToolanPresident/Chief Igniter

Doug LessingChief Uniter

ECPA Title Management Web Program

A partnership between ECPA, Member Publishers and Firebrand Technologies

• Objectives• Take Control – provide the essential tools for publishers to take

control of Title Metadata used to market and sell your titles• Deliver high quality enriched title information to your trading

partners via Firebrand Eloquence Metadata Solutions at a discounted price

• Whatever format is required - Onix, Title Cards and more• Lift the whole community through discussion and collaboration

on best practices for managing titles

Enable member publishers to focus on developing and selling great titles.

ECPA Title Management Web

Onix

PublisherOptions

ECPA Title Management WebPowered by Firebrand Eloquence Metadata Solution

Trading Partner

Over 100 Partners

Trading Partner

Trading Partner

Trading Partner

Title Entry via ECPA

Web

Firebrand Title

Management Enterprise

Your Own Title System-

Export to TMW

ECPA/Eloquence DatabaseTitle Card

Other Outputs

Title Management Web Demonstration

Insights on Best Practices

Title Management Workflow

Best Practice – Eliminate Redundancy

What’s Your Number? 10, 20, 50, More?• How many data sources of title information do you

maintain? Excel spreadsheets, Filemaker databases, Access databases, Word Documents

• Eliminate them with Bird-dog persistence!• Centralize into a common, centralized database

Strive for One Version Of The Truth

Best Practice – Keep it Creative

No Staff Member Enjoys Creating Yet Another Spreadsheet

• Publishing, and people in publishing, are creative• Efficient workflow should liberate your staff to

focus on creative endeavors – find the best photo, design the best page, maximize special sales, book author events

• Reducing menial labor reduces anxiety and stress

Best Practice - Start at the beginning

A lot of information is known at Acquisition• Collect it early, by those people that know it best –

Acquisition Editors• Descriptive Copy, Categories, Author information,

competitive/comparative titles• Don’t let this valuable asset get lost in transient

documents and emails.• Information constantly evolves from Concept to

Reader

Best Practices - Visibility

The higher the visibility of your title database, the higher the quality of title information

• Maximize the outputs of your title database • Information is constantly reviewed and improved from

many perspectives and many staff members• Be persistent in finding new ways to use the same

information

Best Practices – Acquisition Planning

Best Practices – Production Scheduling

Best Practices – Marketing Planning

Best Practices – Catalogs

Best Practices – Buy Sheets/Title Cards

Best Practices – Websites

Best Practices – Take Home Points

Your Title Information is a valuable asset…

Collect it… from the people who know it best, when they know it best

Protect it… in a centralized, industrial database

Communicate it… in every way possible!

Thank You!

Managing Titles From Concept to Launch

ECPA Executive Leadership Summit 2008

Fran ToolanPresident/Chief Igniter

Fran@FirebrandTech.com978-465-7755

Doug LessingChief Uniter

Doug@FirebrandTech.com516-356-6633