Sybex's Keynote Is Innovation
Paul Hilts -- 5/1/00
Anticipating the needs of the market keeps this veteran in the front rank of computer publishers
In a world of giant publicly owned media corporations, and "Internet time" which seems, like dog years, measured at about seven-to-one, Sybex Inc. of Alameda, Calif., is truly an oddity. Founded in 1976 by Rodnay Zaks, who is still president and CEO, Sybex was one of the first publishers to concentrate on computer how-to books, and is one of the few privately held publishers in this market today.
And the company remains one of the top five computer publishers by continuing to innovate. "Anticipating the next developments of the PC industry, we have regularly pioneered new fields in publishing," Zaks noted. "As a result, we have enjoyed a high rate of growth and have remained independent and keenly focused on our mission."
An example of this innovation is the certification boom. The Certified Novell Engineer Exam Guide by James Chellis three years ago was one of the first certification books to make the bestseller lists, even though its cover price was twice what most computer books cost. Since then, Sybex's certification guides have sold 1.5 million copies, and every major publisher has entries in the certification market.
Jordan Gold, v-p, and publisher, describes other innovative products: "Our interactive study guide software, called e-trainers, have been available since January. Sybex Network+ Study Guide and Sybex A+ Study Guide, include specialized training for adaptive tests [which get harder as the candidate d s better] and pre-assessment, to help judge how far along readers are in the text, and assess what things they need to study most."
A third new interactive product is the CCNA Virtual Lab, a simulator that includes an emulation of a network with three routers and one switch; gives all the CCNA commands; and teaches all the router and switch functions needed to pass the Cisco certification exam. At $99, it's a certified bargain.
Knowing the market is a key to success, Zaks claimed. "One of our key challenges is constantly to assess the computer market. We must provide the right skills to the anticipated users at the same time new software or hardware become available. We need to focus accurately on the perceived needs of future users and deliver on the day and date of the software release."
Certification Central
According to Alan Hanrahan, v-p sales and marketing, this sort of consumer products approach has helped Sybex double its sales in just three years. And in 1999 the CCNA Study Guide Cisco certification guide by Todd Lammle was the number one bestselling computer book at Amazon.com.
Hanrahan said, "It's all about building a relationship, a partnership with the bookseller. You figure out what's best for both of you, then develop the type of program that will help reach that goal based on perceived needs in the market."
One of these programs is called "Certification Central," a four-foot shelf of Sybex books currently placed in Crown, Hastings and Books-a- Million stores. Sybex takes pictures of a well-stocked Certification Central shelf, and distributes them to the bookstores as a guide to what's important to have on hand at a given time. It's not exactly vendor-managed inventory, but Hanrahan asserted that CC shelves build a relationship that helps both parties. The evidence that it works: Books-a-Million named Sybex the Publisher of the Year, while BAM is Sybex's top-performing chain outlet.
What d s Hanrahan see as the next category for growth?
"Graphics: Dreamweaver and Maya, programs that allow users to add 3-D and a virtual reality feel to their Web sites. More bandwidth on the Internet means that sites will get much more sophisticated, and the software to help users produce them will be huge," he replied. And Sybex will be right there with the guides.
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