In the run up to BookMachine Oxford, we’re compiling some interviews with publishing-type folk who will be going to the event.

Richard Sullivan (who is our key speaker) is the MD of Osprey Publishing which is a leading publisher of military history, amongst other things and part of Osprey Group – the destination for enthusiasts. Richard has a particular interest in seeking new partnerships to develop print and digital products for niche audiences across the globe. He was previously Marketing Director of Osprey and is currently reading some gritty crime noir alongside a history of Dreadnought battleships. You can hear him talk at BookMachine Oxford.

Robin Wood is Chairman of Anova Books, one of the UK’s larger independent publishers, which he co-founded in 2005. He is also Chairman of the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG). He is one of our top speakers at BookMachine Unplugged, so we thought we’d find out more:

This is a guest post from Ellen Jacob, who is a long-time children’s publishing veteran. She now heads up jacob packaged goods/bookerella creating children’s book-apps and transmedia projects.

Digital: that was the topic of conversation at BookMachine’s inaugural New York event as more than 70 publishing folks gathered at The Iguana, club on W 54th St.

I always wonder what book folks mean when they say “digital.” It’s so broad.

Do they mean publishing on an electronic platform? Making pdfs of existing books? Or exploring the limits? The technology allows so much, but, sadly, few publishers are able to financially support the exploration.

And while I’m a big proponent of the democratization of publishing which digital allows, I worry about the erosion of our aesthetic standards. I love that anyone can publish, but if work isn’t good—and, lets face it, lots of mediocre and bad work is published—the audience has no guide to what is truly good and we, as a society, can lose our collective sense of what is considered great. We all need good editors.

(Full disclosure, I come from traditional publishing, am and also am an app creator, having published Bats! Furry Fliers of the Night, the first 3D book app for kids.)

So, with all this in mind, I was delighted to have an event where traditional publishing folks and non-traditional disrupters could mingle.

Here are some of voices I heard…

Helen is a ‘Teen fiction fiend’. She works as a  Sales and Marketing Assistant for McGraw-Hill Education by day and is a rugby player and all-round dreamer by night. She has strong ideas on tea and civil rights! This was her third Bookmachine event.

“Overdue a BookMachine fix, it was time I headed to an event outside of London.  I’d been missing out – £5 cocktails and space at the bar? Oxford, we’ll get along fine. As usual, an intriguing mix of people and a welcoming atmosphere made for absorbing conversation. The time flew and I left full of radical digital possibilities, clutching a proudly customised Santa hat.

Katie Stileman has recently graduated from Jesus College, Oxford, where she studied Medieval History. She has worked in schools since the summer teaching study skills and is now looking to pursue a career in publishing. Last week she attended BookMachine Oxford. Here is her review.