CFP Open for TOC 2008, Feb. 11-13 in New York

The CFP (Call for Proposals) for O'Reilly's second Tools of Change for Publishing Conference (TOC) is now open. The conference will be held in New York this time, February 11-13, 2008. Proposals are due by October 1, 2007.

We're building on the success (coverage from Publishers Weekly, Medialoper, eContent, and Book Patrol) of TOC 2007 as we put together the program for an even bigger TOC 2008, and we want you to join the conversation.

We're looking for participants and proposals for three kinds of presentations: a 45-minute session or panel discussion; a 3-hour tutorial, giving practical, in-depth instruction and guidance in using new technologies critical to publishing; and 5-10 minute lightning demos (rapid-fire presentations that provide insight into new technologies that serve publishers). You can also review the tutorials and sessions from TOC 2007. before submitting your proposal.

• Book publishers trying new digital distribution methods and models
• Publishers successfully repurposing content across multiple media, including books, the Web, and videos
• Authors blogging and promoting their books (with or without help from your publisher)
• Authors who are going it alone, without a publisher
• Technologists at publishing companies driving new digital initiatives
• Technology companies with something new to offer in publishing technology
• Developers or vendors working on collaborative/distributed authoring/editing tools
• Magazine publishers succeeding in a digital world
• Project managers leading a major digitalization/conversion initiative
• Companies serving publishers looking for a platform to launch/announce a new product
• Entrepreneurial publishers/publishing companies
• Publishing services or technology vendors looking to connect with decision makers
• Publishing businesses that have figured out how to become (or remain) profitable in a digital world
• Business strategists navigating an industry upended by the Internet
• Libraries finding new ways to connect readers to the content and knowledge they care about
• Persons, organizations, or businesses that care about books and can articulate their visions for the future

By no means a complete or definitive list, these are some of the topics and issues we hope to include in the conference program:

• New business models for publishers and other players in the publishing value chain
• Case studies of successful (or unsuccessful) new publishing initiatives
• Case studies from implementing lessons learned at TOC 2007
• Why and how to digitize your content/backlist, and what to do with it once you've got it
• Strategies and tactics for incorporating Print-on-Demand into a supply chain
• Tools and challenges for an efficient all-digital workflow
• Best practices for working with Amazon, Google, Ingram, and other big players
• Creative web-based marketing strategies, including SEO for publishers
• Best new practices for working with and supporting authors during editorial, production and/or marketing phases
• How teens and youth are consuming and changing publishers' content
• How to capture and analyze web-metrics of interest to publishers
• Systems and devices for displaying digital copy -- demos welcome
• Business models for delivering and/or receiving material via new devices
• Emerging supply chain and distribution models
• Standards for metadata and for access
• Innovative DRM models
• New copyright clearing, assertion, and determination mechanisms
• How to do any of these neat things when you don't have or can't afford technical staff in-house

Feel free to suggest other topics that deal with the impact of technology on creation, production, distribution and consumption. We want conference attendees to come away with an understanding of the possibilities at their disposal, the knowledge to pick the best ones for their objectives, and practical strategies for making them work.