It has been a very busy year. Read an update I wrote for my company on our first 10 months.
CPS – Providing Automation Operations through the use of Applied AI
It has been a very busy year. Read an update I wrote for my company on our first 10 months.
CPS – Providing Automation Operations through the use of Applied AI
Custom Publishing Solutions hosted a fantastic gathering of industry experts speaking on the hot topic of Technology in Publishing.
Guest speakers from Iptor Supply Chain Systems, Typefi, Custom Publishing Solutions, Frost Collective / The Nest and Google all shared with Publishing professionals from around Sydney, the current and future developments in technology and the way it is revolutionising how Publishing businesses operate.
Custom Publishing Solutions (CPS), launching this month, will provide new solutions to help the Australian Publishing Industry overcome the technological and operational challenges it is currently facing, by using the tools of the next industrial revolution.
In an age of ever-changing technological advancements, the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is no longer the subject of sci-fi movies. Globally, business is taking advantage of AI and Automation to such an extent that experts are calling it the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The publishing sector is no exception and with the launch of CPS, the industry will be able to experience the full force of AI Automation technology and its operational application.
It is a timely arrival for the publishing industry, which is under increasing pressure to reduce costs in the face of the current copyright review, increased international competition and the increasing diversity of formats and business models.
Media and technology expert Spiros Kotsialos, Founder of CPS, is a respected publishing operations and technology guru with more than 20 years experience in systems management and digital innovation for publishers such as Random House, HarperCollins, News Limited and Allen and Unwin.
The 2015 McKinsey Quarterly report (Four Fundamentals of Workplace Automation) suggests that Automation and AI will ‘redefine jobs and business processes’, providing vast opportunities for professional growth of the current workforce. According to the January 2016 World Economic Forum (WEF) (Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution) report, automation technology and AI are key contributors to the fourth industrial revolution.
Based on this and other research, Kotsialos believes that “CPS will assist publishing businesses that may be struggling to free up resource to take advantage of technological advancements” Kotsialos said “As a mature industry, publishing has endured many changes and is challenged by significant movement in its customer base and an increased cost of doing business. AI can really help, if you know what you are doing. By directly taking on a publisher’s existing challenges and costs, CPS will help businesses move forward with new confidence and security, whilst reducing the cost of book production and distribution.”
About Custom Publishing Solutions:
Custom Publishing Solutions is an AI led technology company providing solutions to the technological and operational challenges of book publishers.
For more information on what Custom Publishing Solutions is doing to move into the fourth industrial revolution contact;
Spiros Kotsialos
www.custompublishingsolutions.com
It’s great to tell you about a project I’m passionate about. My background is in publishing and technology, so to build an app that combines these two areas in such a practical way is a great opportunity to make a meaningful difference.
I am talking about ILF Books, a project where Chatty Kidz and The Indigenous Literary Foundation have teamed up to launch a simple, yet powerful app for reading with children.
The first book featured on the app is a compelling story, Bangs 2 Jurrukuk, written by senior girls from Tiwi Island and is a captivating tale which shares traditional Tiwi culture and values of love, courage and ‘One People’.
You can download it from Apple via this link https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/ilf-books/id844832111?mt=8 or search for “ILF BOOKS” in the Apple store.
Those who download the app will see that it has a number of strong educational advantages for children. These include helping to develop early reading skills plus exposure to print and reading behaviors, as well as building children’s confidence to read aloud and developing important oral language skills.
The app also offers a very real way for communities and families to connect. For instance younger siblings will be able to bond with their older brother or sister through shared story time or perhaps a grandparent living far away will read to their grandchild.
Karen Williams from the Indigenous Literary Foundation says the initiative brings them one step closer to their goal.
“We believe that Australia’s Indigenous children and families living in remote communities across Australia should have access to the same opportunities as other citizens.
Yet the big barrier is not only distance but literacy levels. Providing access to quality books at the same time as sharing stories and creating a pleasurable reading experience is essential. This app is a fun way to not only connect isolated communities through reading, but also to enjoy the experience of combining books with technology. This should appeal to young children in particular.”
The App is free, available nationally from the Apple App Store and I hope you will see it as a fun, enjoyable way for children and adults of all ages to engage in and share the joy of reading, no matter where they are located.
Two people using the App to connect through video, a story is then shared and comes to life as pages are turned in real-time by both readers. Words, colours and pictures are all sensitive to touch and highlighted when activated. This widens the scope and educational opportunities for readers to interact and learn.
A bit about Chatty Kidz
Started in 2013 by Ken Taggart, it was born out of the need to create a meaningful connection with his family spread throughout the world, The result is an app that effectively turns iPad time into family time by giving a platform for families and communities to stay connected through content, education and video. In February 2014, Chatty Kidz was selected to be part of the Telstra incubator Muru-D. http://www.chattykidz.com
A bit about Indigenous Literary Foundation
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) was founded by Suzy Wilson and set up by members of the Australian Book Industry in 2005 with the core aim of drawing upon the skills and expertise of the Australian book industry to address literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities. From 2006-2010 the project worked in partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation who delivered the programs and administered funds.
The ILF aims to raise literacy levels and improve the lives and opportunities of Indigenous children living in remote and isolated regions. This is done by through the delivery of books and literacy resources, publishing and visits out to remote communities. In addition, the Foundation advocates to raise community awareness of Indigenous literacy issues. http://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au
I am really excited to announce my involvement in XisHere.Com, a project that I have been working on for some time with the Ben Allan and Clara Chong from the Film Bakery.
We were inspired to create XisHere after we started talking about X was Here, a feature film script written by Clara about the journey of one Xer who was in danger of becoming obsolete – to becoming a reluctant hero to inspire a generation.
We are already underway in producing the proof of concept for what we believe will be a unique digital destination for Generation X.
There are 4.4 million Australians are in Generation X which is 21% of the population, born between 1965-1979. Surveys show two-thirds want to be thinner, 57 per cent live from week-to-week financially and 40 per cent worry about their families.
Those in Generation X are ageing, financially-aware, have young families, are the mainstay of the present workforce, consolidating position, worth and families, having grown beyond their opportunistic years, Y![1]
More will be announced over the coming months but in the meantime if the following sounds true to you, and you want to be involved in making a difference, please let me know!
I am Generation X- an Xer – and I’m skeptical, right? I’m reluctant to say ‘I want people to be inspired’, but I do.
I grew up as part of the original latch-key generation, with both parents working and widespread divorce – the most under-parented generation in history. I embraced grunge, good coffee and alternative music as a student, only to graduate during a time of corporate ‘downsizing’ and ‘restructuring’. I am now part of the highest educated generation by age bloc to earn less than my parents at the same age – reversing a historical trend. I’ve been called a cynical slacker, a grungy no-hoper…a baby busting McJobber – but I’m not.
In less than a decade, I’ve been hit with the boom then bust of the dot-com, two downturns, this latest one of the worst on record. I’m scrambling to catch up after each downturn, but have never been able to get a firm foothold so whenever the upswing comes, I’m so far behind because they hit at such critical moments in my financial development that yet again Boomers and Generation Y profit, while I scramble back from the brink once more.
Now, in my 30s and 40s, I beat myself up for not having made it. I’m at an age where I should be in the prime of my life and career, stepping into crucial leadership roles and starting families. Instead, I’m stressed, exhausted, and overwhelmed by debt. Meanwhile, my government boasts about a booming economy – even though I can see for myself the reality is far from the truth by the sheer magnitude of my local shops and restaurants closing down or being shut down around me.
There’s an order to things. Every generation is supposed to have their time. Baby Boomers are supposed to be retired to make way for me. They bought houses in their 20s because they bought 40 years ago. Today, the average house price costs about seven years’ earning for the average worker. Now Generation Y are nipping at my heels. Y’ers who have a strong sense of entitlement, a need for instant gratification and an apparent lack of any kind of filter – yet they live rent-free at home with their Boomer parents, so they can just buy…stuff and live out their reality TV lives.
Generations are to Xers what gender was to the Boomer, and race was to the Builders. I’m fighting for equal rights. I’ve had to work twice as hard as Boomers yet I’m constantly getting downsized and have to work double-time to prove myself. I just want my due. Google. YouTube. Yahoo. Wikipedia. Amazon. MySpace. I’ve done things that helped keep the world from sucking.
Unlike Boomers and Yers, I’ve never had much interest in the limelight and I resist the collective, but I don’t want to be treated like the forgotten middle child. I want to connect and relate with the people around me. I want to feel I am not invisible, that I am not alone in dealing with middle age, children, divorce, career-improving / career going backwards, dealing with older parents etc….
I want to know that I’m real and that I do in fact exist. Success isn’t just defined by money. True success can be gained by the legacy you leave behind. I want to be successful. And I want to leave behind a legacy of who I was and how I lived, so that my children will know and remember me.
[1] Referenced from changedrivers http://www.changedrivers.com.au/Articles/generational-change.htm
“The value of social media comes down to people, relationships, and the meaningful actions between them”
I came across this interesting article that talks about the Pillars of Social Commerce. I think essential reading for those looking to understand that social media is more than a marketing billboard.
The challenge of marketing direct to the consumer is a conversation that often comes up a lot in media, especially in book publishing. The reality is that although it gets a lot of voice there are very few examples of it actually happening.
I have just finished reading a short book from Larry Dignan the editor in chief at ZDNet and thought the following extract was a very interesting insight.
“Direct Marketing isn’t glamorous. Chasing leads is difficult. And you need reach and a lot of information systems – that can talk to each other – to make it work. Direct marketing is really on big math question. Let’s face it: Media people suck at math. Direct marketing is also a big information technology problem. Guess what? Media people generally stink at technology too.” The Business of Media
I think that this is becoming more and more obvious with the need for people to be effective in marketing to have comprehensive understanding of SEO, SGO and CRM (search engine optimisation, Social Graph Optimisation, Customer relationship Management)
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