Scholastic Inc. and Bonnier Corp. Named Publishing Innovators of the Year
PHILADELPHIA, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Publishing Executive and Book Business magazines, producers of the Publishing Business Conference & Expo, have named Bonnier Corp. and Scholastic Inc. as the Publishing Innovators of the Year. Bonnier Corp., recognized by Publishing Executive magazine for its innovation in magazine publishing, and Scholastic Inc., recognized by Book Business magazine for its innovation in book publishing, were presented with the awards at a special reception on April 4, during the 2011 Publishing Business Conference and Expo at the New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square. Approximately 70 VIP guests from the publishing industry—including executives from Esquire, The Onion, U.S. News & World Report, Merriam-Webster, Wolters Kluwer and Fierce Markets, were in attendance at the private reception, sponsored by Mirasol display technology by Qualcomm.
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Scholastic Inc.
Global children's publishing, education and media company Scholastic Inc. was selected as Publishing Innovator of the Year in book publishing for its leadership in multimedia publishing, such as the best-selling series "The 39 Clues®," which incorporates collectible cards, an online game, webcasts and more. It also has been a pioneer in developing educational technology with its READ 180®, the technology-based reading intervention program that is used by more than 1 million students in U.S. schools everyday and helps struggling readers in grades 4 through 12 "do a 180" turnaround from failure to success. Scholastic also has been leading in the mobile space with its highly rated "Touch & Tilt™" apps for young children: "Clifford the Big Red Dog," "I Love You Through and Through," and "The Magic School Bus."
The company also is making significant digital investments this year that will lead to its launch of its kid-friendly e-reader software and an e-bookstore for kids timed to launch this fall for back-to-school.
In addition to its business leadership, Scholastic was recognized for its global literacy campaign, "Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life." The campaign's social networking site, "You Are What You Read" (http://youarewhatyouread.scholastic.com/), celebrates the "great reads of our lives." This worldwide online book community lets readers connect by sharing the five books that most influenced their life involving publishers the world over in the site, not just Scholastic. Nearly 200 noted celebrities, authors, business leaders and academics, including Bill Gates, Daniel Radcliffe, Oprah Winfrey, and even 2 former U.S. Presidents have contributed their "great reads" to the site.
Scholastic also commissioned a literacy study, "The 2010 Kids & Family Reading Report™," examining kids' reading behaviors in the digital world in which they're growing up.
In the awards presentation, Book Business and Publishing Executive Editorial Director Noelle Skodzinski explained, "Scholastic is a company that has long been admired by many, and for reasons that are too many to cite. This past year, however, Scholastic seemed to go above and beyond its usual standards of leadership and forward-thinking business strategy. It also has reached beyond the borders of business, and launched impressive and noble efforts to improve literacy worldwide."
Accepting the award on behalf of Scholastic, among a number of Scholastic executives in attendance at the reception, was Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic Inc.
"Scholastic is honored to be chosen Publishing Innovator of the Year, especially because the staff and the advisory board of Book Business recognized us not only for our business innovations, but also for our global literacy campaign, 'Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life,'" says Robinson. "The message of our campaign is that, in this technology-driven age, the ability to read well, analyze and interpret texts, and draw information and inspiration from books and literature has never been more important not only to succeed, but to survive in the 21st Century. We thank Book Business for this important honor."
Bonnier Corp.
Bonnier Corp.—one of the largest consumer-publishing groups in America, with 50 magazines and related multimedia projects and events—was selected as Publishing Innovator of the Year in magazine publishing for a variety of reasons. The company has been a leader and example for the industry in digital publishing. Well before most, in 2009, the company launched the PopSci Genius Guide, a series of four fully interactive, special interest publications with entirely unique new content, to help lead and define the future of digital publishing.
Bonnier was exploring and testing ideas for the digital "magazine of the future," creating its Mag+ prototype before the iPad even launched last year. The Mag+ platform will be enhanced with a feature set that will allow users to socialize and use content in new ways. A new ad platform, created in partnership with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, will facilitate the creation of highly interactive ads that are designed to be both entertaining and service-oriented.
The company also was one of the first to launch a magazine title on the iPad (Popular Science) last May, and has followed that up with aggressive R&D work on tablets of all kinds, apps and the launch of its iPad-only magazine, Roadtrip. The first major digital-only iPad publication is fully devoted to the joy and freedom of a great road trip, according to Roadtrip's editor in chief.
This year, Bonnier will launch more titles for tablets, bringing the total to more than 20 by the year's end.
The company also launched the PopSci School Inventors Challenge for elementary, middle and high school students with the support of several sponsors. This has enabled Bonnier, and in particular its Popular Science brand, to support science in classrooms.
"Bonnier has been taking a leadership position in a time of significant industry transition, and setting the industry up to learn from its efforts," says Skodzinski. "This is a great achievement, especially considering that today it can be difficult enough to keep up with industry changes, let alone to be a leader amidst them."
Among many Bonnier executives at the awards reception who were involved in the company's recent achievements was Gregg Hano, Vice President and Group Publisher of Bonnier's Technology Group, who accepted the award on behalf of the company.
"We are in the early stages of what is certainly one of the most exciting, transformative times in the publishing industry, and Bonnier was thrilled to be recognized by Publishing Executive magazine as pioneers in this space," says Hano.
About the Publishing Innovator of the Year Awards
This is the third year that Publishing Executive and Book Business magazines, published by North American Publishing Co., have recognized Publishing Innovators of the Year in book and magazine publishing. Previous award recipients include Esquire magazine, Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., Time Inc., and HarperCollins Publishers. Recipients often are nominated by readers of Publishing Executive and Book Business, and are selected by each magazine's editorial staff and editorial advisory board.
Publishing Executive (http://www.pubexec.com) and Book Business (http://www.bookbusinessmag.com) are leading magazines serving U.S. magazine and book publishers, respectively.
The Publishing Business Conference & Expo (http://www.publishingbusiness.com) is the nation's largest conference and exposition for book and magazine publishers, held annually in New York City.
SOURCE North American Publishing Co.
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