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…

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.

We’re really chuffed that we’ve been invited to speak at the Galley Club this Wednesday. The Galley club is a social organisation for all involved in publishing and book production.

So what are we going to talk about? Well, there’s so much more to your online presence than simply running a Twitter account, setting up a Linkedin page and building a Website.

@Miss_PrinceyC (AKA Camilla Prince) graduated in 2010 after studying English and Classical Studies at the University of Reading. She now works in the digital team at Macmillan and is part of the social committee. Sophie O’Rourke interviews her about working in digital, hosting the next BookMachine Oxford event and publishing in general.

BookMachine Oxford is on 6th September at 6pm in the Ashmolean rooftop bar , you can sign up here:

BookMachine is coming to Oxford! If you work in publishing and live in Oxford, we’re pleased to say that the social committee at Macmillan Education will be hosting the second ever BookMachine Oxford shindig.

This month hosted by

and sponsored by:

You can sign up here!

Friday, August 17, 2012 at 6:00 PM

Carter’s Bar, 185 Morrison Street, EH3 8DZ, Edinburgh

BookMachine is a regular drinks social for publishing folks and book lovers. This month we’re hosting a publishing meet-up to coincide with the Book Festival over in Charlotte Square.

Amble along to the fine establishment that is Carter’s Bar on Morrison Street, from 6pm on 17th August and join us for drinks, chat and other such things.

You can sign up below!

BookMachine London

Thursday, July 26, 2012 at 6:30 PM

Porter’s Basement Bar (The Green Man), 383 Euston Rd, NW1 3AU, London

BookMachine is back! This month the event for folks in and around the publishing industry returns to The Green Man, for another Thursday evening of drinks and mingling.

You can sign up below!

Charly Ford and Emily Holmes work at Osprey Group in Oxford and will be hosts of the next BookMachine shindig in Oxford. We thought you might like to get to know these two lovely ladies, and find out what they’re in to ahead of the event…