Consulting

For expert witness work see this page.

My bio is here.

I am an electronic publishing consultant, analyst and author, and principal of The Future of Publishing. Since 1988, I’ve provided consulting services to book publishers and other media companies, as well as printers, prepress organizations, design and advertising agencies, as well as vendors serving the publishing industry.

In 2018 I became a founding partner in Publishing Technology Partners, a consulting group that offers a broad range of experience and expertise from a single source to clients in all segments of the publishing industry and to suppliers of technology solutions for publishing. My partners include Bill Kasdorf, Bill Rosenblatt, Ken Brooks, Linda Secondari and Lettie Conrad.

I think that what sets me apart as a consultant to the broad publishing industry is:

VPL
Vancouver Public Library © Thad McIlroy
  • My in-depth knowledge of the most important technologies impacting the varied book publishing industries, including artificial intelligence. This in conjunction with…
  • A deep expertise in metadata for books, including ONIX for ecommerce…
  • A strong focus on business and market issues. Combined with…
  • Over 40 years of experience in the publishing industry. But unlike many consultants and analysts…
  • My focus includes the broad spectrum of publishing activities and industries from document origination, through publishing production and the particulars of most forms of publishing today. Although my background is in print publishing…
  • I’m established as a leading analyst of the impact of online technologies on the full spectrum of publishing sectors.

My consulting assignments involve a broad range of challenges:

• In-depth consultation on book publishing technology and its many related issues, including metadata for books, ONIX, EPUB & Kindle ebook formats, supply chain challenges, XML-based workflows, and online distribution and marketing for books.
• Explore the impact of artificial intelligence within the book publishing industry, from authoring to editorial, to production, and through to marketing and distribution.
• Serve as an expert witness on book publishing and printing, in patent litigation and as an expert on publishing business development and on author relations. (More information here.)
• Advise book publishers on mergers and acquisitions.

Selected clients:

I’m on the advisory board of Johns Hopkins University Press and am a Visiting Scholar in the Publishing Master of Professional Studies program at the George Washington University.

I’ve been on the editorial board of Learned Publishing and of Geist magazine and on the board of the People’s Co-op Bookstore in Vancouver, Canada.

Does your company or organization have questions about the future of publishing? Concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence on book publishing? Or how technologies will impact publishing, media, print firms and advertisers? For more information on how I can help, please fill out the contact form, or write directly to thad@thefutureofpublishing.com.

Statement of Ethics

As a consultant, an analyst, and as a journalist, I support the International Federation of Journalists’ Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists.

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Questions about the future of publishing? Or how technology will impact publishing, media, print firms and advertisers?

Contact Me