While information technology has exploded over the past decade, getting the most business value out of these investments has become increasingly complicated. Because of the ad-hoc way in which elements of systems have been acquired and installed in different areas, publishers are struggling with software programs that are old, incompatible with one another or otherwise inadequate to meet changing conditions.

"We all perceived how difficult it was to locate timely, accurate, information," says Carolyn Reidy, president of Simon & Schuster. "Those of us on the publishing side had to go to a number of different people and places just to try to locate the information we needed. Even so, the frustration remained high. No "number" has value unless you understand how it was built, what it means, and every source and system had its own peculiarities that you had to factor in."

With low visibility into their own businesses and systems that don't well work together, publishing executives are not unlike Goldilocks in the house of the three bears: they find themselves at a disadvantage in choosing what is just right for their company.

This is not an inconsequential decision. Efficient technology systems are essential, especially as book publishing has been challenged by new market demands, digitization and new content delivery modes like search, podcasting and print on demand. In fact, assuring software and information system efficiency is an urgent task now that publishers' responsibilities no longer end once a physical product is produced and sent out into traditional distribution and retailing channels.

Fortunately, a wide range of providers offer software that streamlines operations and can, in many cases, be tailored to a particular publisher's way of doing business. Depending on the size and nature of a company, somewhere among the spectrum of offerings there is a solution that is just right—a system that makes it possible to more accurately estimate the viability of a book, easily create a publishing plan, tightly control production processes and expenses, analyze the profitability of channels and products, and effectively manage resources.

Like publishing houses, software solutions come in a variety of sizes, from giants like SAP and Oracle to small-publisher solutions like Cats Pajamas and Publishers Assistant. The software package alone can cost large companies between $500,000 and $5 million, and the full price of implementation—including customization and consulting fees—can significantly increase even the most expensive packages. Still, the smallest programs for the smallest publishers start at about $100.

Here are snapshots of 10 software providers, from companies whose packages were designed to meet the needs of any large corporation to those that were made just for book publishing.

SAP

www.sap.com/

The mother of all enterprise software companies, German giant SAP was created to address the management, production and supply-chain needs of major manufacturing and retail products companies. Global publishers like Random House (starting in 1995), Pearson and, more recently, Houghton Mifflin have the resources (often exceeding $100 million) to adopt such mega-solutions. SAP's extensive Web site demonstrates the level of complexity and functions that this software—which has been specifically adapted for "premium content publishers"—can provide. These systems are organized around primary functions like idea-to-product, order-to-cash and supply-chain management. Not for the faint of heart, or wallet, SAP software claims to be able to support any aspect of a publisher's operations, though occasionally this might require significant changes in nomenclature and business procedures.

Oracle

www.oracle.com

Renowned for its database software, with the acquisition of PeopleSoft (which had previously acquired JD Edwards), Oracle is now going head-to-head with its German competitor SAP. The management of content assets, intellectual property rights, customer performance, and enterprise and IT infrastructure is the focus of Oracle's offerings. Given the ubiquity of its data products, a number of other book industry software providers incorporate or link to Oracle databases as part of their systems.

Oracle's new subsidiary JD Edwards has provided systems that have been used with success by publishers like Thomson Education, where the integrated package continues to bring measurable impact to the bottom line, supporting the business operations of a $3-billion business.

Klopotek

www.klopotek.de

Based in Berlin (with offices in New York, London and Amsterdam), Klopotek combines a focus on book and journal publishers with services based on Oracle databases. More than 270 publishers from all industry segments use Klopotek international standard software and consulting services.

Klopotek offers a comprehensive product planning and management system that allows publishers to deal quickly and simply with the heavy demands of frequently changing product portfolios. PPM includes contracts, rights & royalties; production; address management and marketing; product management; publicity; sales statistics; and customer and product information.

Developed in 1992 as a publishing solution from the outset, Klopotek's software combines typical ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) functionality with web server application technology and covers a wide range of applications, from traditional printing businesses to e-commerce, in a standardized and user-friendly interface. Based on publishing-specific functionality, Klopotek systems provide customers with a means of organizing their business in all planning and distribution phases—editing, rights and licenses, royalties, production, marketing, distribution and delivery. It incorporates current publishing standards such as ISBN 13, EAN, EDI and ONIX.

Over the course of hundreds of projects, Klopotek has developed a reproducible method with which to implement standardized products, giving customers complete transparency at any time over what has already been completed and what still needs to be done.

Vista International

www.vistacomp.com

For almost 30 years, Vista International has provided a complete array of systems for both the front and back office—with particular expertise in enterprise-wide solutions—to all types of publishers in 14 countries on four continents. Clients are served by offices in the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

Author2reader, Vista's flagship suite, uses a modular approach that allows individual publishers to choose software components that meet their specific needs—editorial, production, sales and marketing, fulfillment, warehouse and inventory, customer service, finance, business intelligence—from a standard menu of applications. Web services, customer self-service applications and title information management solutions needed to keep pace with e-commerce represent some of Vista's newer offerings.

Vista also offers publishers the capability to use offshore resources with a goal of reducing costs and increasing IT quality. The service, V2 (pronounced "V-squared") is a joint initiative of Vista International and offshore partners. Vista actively sponsors industry research and regularly provides a forum for client executives to exchange ideas.

Acumen

www.acumenbook.com

Growth is the goal of the Acumen Book System, which provides sales, marketing and communication features, along with seamless integration of functions that simplify workflow. Its graphical interface enhances productivity, and built-in reporting tools support decision making.

Most business operations—including accounts payable and receivable, back orders, general ledger, job costing, order entry and purchase orders—can be managed via one centralized system, providing easier access to information, lower operating costs and improved customer service.

Instead of a typical separate spreadsheet-based royalties process, in the centralized Acumen system, royalties are accrued as sales occur. Royalty checks are generated automatically. Statements include both earnings and payments. Optional modules include EDI Interchange, e-mail list management, foreign currency and remote fulfillment.

Bookmaster

www.ibsus.com/bookmaster.html

Used by publishers and distributors in 16 countries, Bookmaster is a fully integrated ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system for publishers with distribution and warehouse management capabilities developed by TMS Tailor Made Systems. All modules have a standard look and feel, and are delivered as a business rule—driven, customizable solution. Most publishers require little or no modifications to use Bookmaster, and 95% of all Bookmaster customers worldwide—including trade, academic subscription and Christian publishers—use the same standard core system.

In addition to the usual ERP functions, Bookmaster also incorporates a fully integrated e-commerce solution, CRM, advanced warehouse management and integrated business intelligence. Bookmaster has many functions and can become complex if all are used. While most of Bookmaster's clients have IT departments, a number do not; many smaller customers use a subset of the system that can be managed without an IT staff.

Cats Pajamas

www.tcpj.com/

Cats Pajamas offers a suite of customized modules with solutions for issues specific to the publishing industry: invoicing and returns, accounts/receivable, inventory, sales commissions and royalties.

Unlike applications designed for large manufacturing companies, Cat's Pajamas provides up-to-the-minute data about customers, books, backorders, order activity and shipment history for viewing, reporting and exporting.

The company has no separate sales function. Acting in the manner of independent consultants, all senior people participate in sales dialogs, seeking to analyze a prospective client's needs and assess key issues. The company rates an installation successful if "client productivity goes up and clients are 'sated' with marketing and sales information." Continuing in the consultant mode, the company assists with requirements definition, provides extensive training, works closely with clients to revamp workflow and procedures, and occasionally suggests changes to policy.

Upper Access

www.upperaccess.com/

In 1989, finding no industry-specific software for small publishers, Upper Access (itself a small publishing company) created what has become a full-featured business management system called Publishers Assistant. Currently the software comes in three flavors with expanding functionality: Sonnet, priced at $495; Lyric at $1,495; and Epic at $2,245.

Areas of functionality include mail list, invoices and returns, receipts, financial accounting, inventory and system maintenance. The company recently announced its newest offering: Couplet, offered at a one-time fee of $99. This information management and communication solution software allows even very small publishers to easily access, manage and update all information about titles and promotion; transmit accurate, up-to-date data to sales and marketing partners electronically via the ONIX standard; track all contacts; and market titles quickly with Couplet's e-mail wizard.

Trilogy

www.trilogypublishing.com

Developed through close working partnerships with a number of publishers and multi-channel companies, Trilogy Enterprise Systems provides a range of software and services to meet the complex demands of the publishing and related book industries.

Trilogy's Title Management manages the development of a book from concept through production. The system covers contributor management, editorial, product, production costing/scheduling, rights and royalties. In addition, acquisitions, author contracts, rights and royalties are controlled from a single database. Other functions include marketing, campaign management, list management, customer relations management, sales management, distribution, multichannel operations and business intelligence.

The Trilogy Title and Production Management software interfaces with most other programs on the market to provide a central source of ONIX-compliant title information, along with production management tools. The program is written in VB and .Net, and Trilogy's partnership with Microsoft ensures the product stays current with the industry software standards.

Quality Solutions

www.qsolution.com

Quality Solutions offers software for title management and data delivery. The system permits tracking of book titles from acquisition through editorial, marketing, production and other processes. QSI's Eloquence service provides electronic data transmission of title information in multiple formats (including ONIX, XML and XLS). Using this system, publishers can communicate with trading partners like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Ingram, Baker & Taylor and Bowker.

Managing publisher resources and business information, the software is packaged and priced to meet the evolving needs of rapidly growing mid-market publishers.

Along with comprehensive title tracking, from pre-acquisition through post-production, the system offers modules that cover contracts, scheduling, catalogues, Web sites, publicity and production. While powerful enough to fulfill the needs of large international publishers, QSI's solutions are accessible for smaller publishers in "off the shelf" versions of the software.

Other strategic opportunities available with QSI include business process reengineering, knowledge management, workflow integration, change management, ERP integration, CRM integration, supply chain management, ONIX+ implementation, business intelligence reporting, performance analysis, e-commerce and EDI.