The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the east (Asia) with the west (Europe).  The network included both land-based and maritime connections.  The Silk Road is in the news again as China has made restoring the ancient network a strategic priority for economic and diplomatic regional development.

In NA Trade publishing, the network of EDI connections between publishers, booksellers and wholesalers has been robustly built, starting most significantly in North America with Pubnet in 1987.  Pubnet set the standard for EDI ordering between publishers and booksellers (first with college stores).  The electronic links between publishers and their customers now handle the great majority of the ordering volume.

Here’s a model of demand flows (orders) in NA Trade publishing. 

The yellow arrow [1-6] representing the order link between publishers and printers, is the link most lacking electronic connection .  This is true for the transmission of purchase orders (for print jobs), as well as for the transmission of the order fulfillment (ship to and packing requirements) (for bindery or drop-shipments).

Because it fills this gap, Piazza could become the new standard link between publishers and printers, completing the 21st century Silk Road for publishing.  The fast-movers and market leaders who leverage Piazza’s capabilities will be the market leaders in the future.  Piazza can be the vehicle for well-placed entities, whether printers, distributors, or others to capture market share and order volume.As impetus for publishers to create API’s to interface to Piazza, savvy market leaders will cultivate a network effect that will create a virtuous circle.

As more publishers and printers are connected through Piazza, the order volume through the network will increase significantly.  With that direct PTO order volume driving increased capacity for printing a book of one, publishers themselves will drive the offset to digital print conversion for all but the highest profile titles. Publishers then will carry significantly less inventory as print-to-order comprises a growing share of total book production.

 

The tri-brid supply chain model is a main feature of my new white paper.  Check this site soon to read or link to it.

I’m presenting my new white paper this week in London during the London Book Fair at the HP Piazza launch events.  I will have a pdf or link up soon.

Strategic management is a dynamic process that guides how successfully a business interacts with its internal and external environment.  At The Consulting Garage, we created the term “strategic arena” to describe the context each business operates in.  Focused strategic management assesses key factors in the strategic arena, then uses the insight gained to design actions that address the top priority issues.  As actions are implemented ongoing measurements create a feedback loop for management.

Success Is More Than Having a Priority

Having a priority and focus is not enough to succeed in the business world.  You must be able to design and implement effective actions that are aligned with the priority and focus.  It is only by pairing priority with action that one succeeds.

My strategic approach to management combines the urgency of action and the wisdom of planning.  By reviewing 20 key factors in your strategic arena with exercises sequenced to trigger insight, you build new clarity around the strategic priorities of your business.  Then you design and implement strategic actions intended to impact and influence your priorities.  Part of that design process is to understand how to measure and contextualize the impact of your action.

Using measurement to gauge the effectiveness of your actions provides a feedback loop that helps to inform your ongoing management process

Tim Cooper/The Consulting Garage