Westchester Publishing Services

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Westchester Publishing Services 2021 Year in Review

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compiled by Nicole Tomassi, Marketing & Conference Manager

During the past year, Westchester has been fortunate to support a growing number of publishers with a wide variety of project requirements, from manuscript editing to digital file conversion updates and everything in between.

Read on to learn about several of the ways we have stayed connected throughout 2021, keeping our publishing industry colleagues informed and able to respond effectively to ensure content continues to reach your readers wherever they are and in the formats that they desire.

Westchester UK acquires River Editorial
In March, we announced the acquisition of River Editorial by Westchester Publishing Services UK. This provided an additional array of customizable and cost-effective project management capabilities for our publisher clients based in the United Kingdom and Europe.

 

The Westchester Words podcast launches
Westchester Words podcast logoAlso happening in March was the debut of the Westchester Words podcast. To date, we have produced more than two dozen episodes covering topics of interest to the fields of education, ed tech, and publishing. All of our episodes are available to stream on your favorite platform or you can find them at our websites, where we have posted additional content that some of our guests have been kind enough to share.
Is there a topic you think we should cover in the year ahead? Get in touch and let us know!

 

Westchester’s Webinars Continue

Image of webinar panelistsWestchester hosted several webinars throughout the year to explore topics that were important to our colleagues in the publishing industry and offer helpful strategies for navigating around the challenges many businesses have been faced with during these interesting times. Presentations included our annual Publishing Now event in April 2021 in partnership with Publishers Weekly, The State of K-12 Education in May, the Publishing Industry Supply Chain Challenges webinar in October, and our webinar in partnership with Supadü about How to Make 2022 Your Best Year for Book Sales, at the end of November. Visit our YouTube channel to catch any of the webinars you may have missed, and be sure to subscribe while you’re there so you can be notified about the new webinars we will be conducting in 2022!

Stationers Shortlist 2021
It is an honor to be nominated
In May, we were delighted to receive news that Westchester Education Services had been shortlisted by The Stationers’ Company in the service development category for our Culturally Responsive Education Rubric Review process. While we didn’t ultimately win in the category, to receive this recognition from our industry peers in the UK’s livery company that has represented the needs and interests of publishing and media professionals for more than six centuries was extremely meaningful.

 

Benetech GCA Vendor logo
Westchester Receives Benetech Accreditation

During the summer, Westchester Publishing Services completed the accreditation process to become a Benetech Certified Accessible Vendor. This certification provides assurance for publishers that we have demonstrated the level of proficiency required to produce ePub content with a full range of accessibility features to support the needs of all readers, including those with physical impairments and learning differences.

An Initial Return to In-Person Events
Over the course of the summer and fall, with vaccinations and safety measures in place, we had the opportunity to attend conferences in-person for the first time in more than eighteen months. Westchester Education Services was in California for the ASU-GSV Summit, and the Westchester UK team sponsored and attended the IPG International Publishers Association Awards, and the IPG Autumn Conference. We also conducted business meetings in person where all participants felt comfortable doing so. It was a welcome change to be in the same location with our current or prospective clients to share how we could work together.

 

A Star Watch Honoree in our Midst
We were delighted to learn this October that Westchester Education Services’ Samantha Tucker had received a nomination for Publishers Weekly‘s 2021 Star Watch Awards. Sam was recognized for the Culturally Responsive Education review service she leads with a diverse editorial review team who come from a wide array of backgrounds and lived experiences. Educational publishers can utilize the CRE review to ensure their current learning materials are inclusive and free of any bias, as well as incorporate recommendations into the development process for new education content they are creating.

 

Welcoming new members to the Westchester team

Throughout the year we have welcomed several new people to the Westchester teams, including Amanda Robb and Sandra Colmenares at Westchester Education Services, Rebecca Durose-Croft and Marquita Celestine for Westchester Education UK, and Deb Taylor and Hugh Shiebler at Westchester Publishing Services. We’re thrilled to have all of these talented professionals as part of the team to support our growing client base on their projects.

Our Intentions for 2022

In the coming year, we are making plans to remain connected with publishers in a variety of ways. We continue to monitor guidelines and regional data to ensure the in-person meetings we participate in will be handled appropriately, and we hope to have the opportunity to see you at an industry event when conditions safely allow for it. A few events that we are currently making plans to attend include BETT, PubWest, and the Association of University Presses annual meeting. We will also continue to conduct webinars in 2022 about topics that are top of mind for you. Follow our LinkedIn pages to stay up to date, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and follow our Westchester Words podcast to see and hear our content.

Westchester proudly supports nearly 400 publishers in all sectors of the publishing industry with their editorial, production, digital conversion, design, and content development requirements. Read and download our case studies about the efficient and cost-effective solutions we have provided your peer publishers, and talk with us about how we can develop customized workflow options that can help you expand capacity, condense timelines, and minimize budget creep for your publications.

 

by Tyler M. Carey, Chief Revenue Officer

Long time readers of the Westchester Publishing Services blog will know that prior to the pandemic, traveling into the market to meet with our clients and prospective partners was a key means of getting to know clients and their work, better understanding competitive gaps we needed to address, and also exploring new services that the market needed to help solve it workflow challenges. This blog was often filled with post-conference updates from the likes of the London Book Fair, BEA, Frankfurt, ASU+GSV, and more.

Over the course of the past year and a half, Westchester’s sales and marketing efforts have pivoted to better engage with our clients and partners via Zoom meetings with individual clients, webinars that were focused on meaningful content instead of commercials about our capabilities, and segmented email marketing messages to share updates on our efforts to continue expanding services to address the market’s rapidly evolving needs. Those needs pivoted during the lockdown and then further changed due to the ongoing pandemic’s impact on our industry’s staff, products, and supply chain.

Westchester still has all of its over 400 global staff working remotely, and at this point we have no plans to reopen our US-based offices in a “hybrid working model” capacity anytime before the beginning of 2022. We’ve successfully served our clients and grown our business quite a bit using a distributed working model, and can continue to do so as long as the situation requires.

But, on a recent warm, sunny New York City afternoon, I found myself sitting in Bryant Park, sipping a cup of coffee prior to my first in-person dinner meeting in over 18 months. A number of US-based members of London’s Stationers’ Company gathered for dinner to catch up and talk about the impacts of the supply chain and other factors on our industry. PW will be co-hosting a webinar on this subject with us in just a few days. [Updated 10/18 – You can now view the webinar on our YouTube Channel.]

Since that dinner, I’ve had the great fortune to head out into the field with Bill Foley, our longstanding Key Accounts Manager, and Deb Taylor, who recently joined us in the newly formed role of Director of Business Development and Marketing.  Bill, Deb, and I have started scheduling more field-based lunches and dinners to meet with publishers to learn more about what has changed in their organizations since the pandemic began, and how Westchester can best address their workflow needs. Topics like expanding our publishing technology solutions, providing standalone copyediting and permissions services, and more have been discussed already.

And we’re keen to pick up those lines of dialogue with you, whether it’s in person or via a Zoom or phone call. What things are impacting your publishing program? How can vendors like Westchester best help you navigate your editorial and production processes, taking as much burden off your team’s shoulders while they’re navigating all the manufacturing and supply chain factors that are taking up a lot of attention right now?  In other words, how can Westchester help you?  Contact us to schedule a meeting or call to explore things further.

 

compiled by Nicole Tomassi, Marketing & Conference Manager

2021 has been extremely productive for all of us here at Westchester, as the number of publishers we work with and the variety of project requirements we support for them continues to grow. Below are several of the highlights from the past few months:

Another successful publishing industry webinar with Publishers Weekly

Westchester and PW Publishing Now 21 panelistsApril began strongly, with our most highly attended webinar to date, hosted in partnership with Publishers Weekly. Jim Milliot, PW’s Editorial Director was the moderator for a wide-ranging discussion with four publishing industry thought leaders. The more than 500 attendees heard firsthand about how the panelists’ companies and their employees adapted to the multiple challenges 2020 created, including the supply chain issues we are all contending with in the industry, as well as what we might expect as we navigate through this year. We’ll be announcing details about our next event with PW soon, so stay tuned!

Westchester Education Services Webinars

Westchester Education Services State of K-12 Education 2021 webinarIn May and June, Westchester Education Services hosted two informative webinars that were each moderated by Kevin J. Gray, President and Chief Content Officer. “The State of K-12 Education in 2021”, focused on the impacts of the last year-plus on education at the school district level and what would be required to support successful outcomes for students as they prepare for the upcoming school year.

Westchester Education Services Emerging Trends in K-12 Education webinarThe “Emerging Trends in K-12 Education” webinar showcased three areas of learning that have experienced significant interest over the last year as there is increased understanding about how social-emotional learning, culturally responsive education, and career and technical education are all important facets of meeting students where they are in their education journey and supporting their learning goals.

Westchester Education Services CTE worksheet sampleWestchester Education Services expands into CTE

Speaking of Career and Technical Education, this past spring Westchester Education Services appointed Debbie Allen as Content Director for Career and Technical Education. Debbie leads a team of subject matter experts who draw upon their extensive experience in teaching CTE to create effective supplemental materials to serve students and teachers in several career pathways. To the right is one of the career exploration worksheets we developed to introduce students to the different types of jobs that are available in various career clusters.

Stationers Shortlist 2021It truly is an honor to be nominated

This May, we received the thrilling news that Westchester Education Services was shortlisted by The Stationers’ Company in the service development category for our Culturally Responsive Education Rubric Review process. We felt like winners to receive recognition from our industry peers in the UK’s livery company that has represented the needs and interests of publishing and media professionals for more than six centuries. Learn more about all the shortlisted entries and watch the awards ceremony.

Westchester Words podcast logoWestchester Words’ first season springs forth

The Westchester Words podcast debuted in March and really hit its stride this spring, when yours truly had the pleasure of speaking with more than a dozen professionals in education, ed tech, and publishing about a variety of subjects that are impacting these industries. You can find all of the episodes on your favorite streaming platform or at our websites, where we have posted additional content that some of our guests have been kind enough to share.

The final episodes of the first season are being released in the coming weeks. We’re planning our second season of episodes, so if there’s a topic you want to hear more about, get in touch.

print to digital imageEnsuring Content Compliance on Digital Platforms

If your preferred reading mode is digital, you probably know that Amazon sunset the ability to load or update mobi files for new or previously published content on their platform last month. In early May, Scott Keeney, Westchester’s Senior Composition and Digital Production Manager, wrote this informative blog post explaining how this also impacted reflowable ePubs and outlined how Westchester is well-prepared to support publishers with ePub3 files that meet the updated platform requirements.

Summer Reading 2021

Summer reading imageWhile some kids get chills up their spine when told they will have to read several books during the summer break and turn in book reports on the first day of school, I wasn’t one of them and I suspect many of you weren’t, either. Now that we’re all adults and can skip doing book reports, each May I ask my colleagues to tell me what books they plan to read during the quieter days of summer and they always impress me with their title selections. See what they picked for this summer’s reading pile, and let us know what’s on your list.

Looking Ahead imageLooking Ahead

We are thinking about the time when we’ll be able to safely gather in an in-person setting. Until then, stay connected with us by following our LinkedIn pages, subscribing to our YouTube channel, and looking for our email messages in your inbox, filled with information about the services and knowledge-packed webinars we offer to help you understand and respond to the developments that are shaping the publishing industry.

Westchester proudly supports more than 300 publishers in all sectors of the publishing industry with their editorial, production, design, and content development requirements. Read and download our case studies about the efficient and cost-effective solutions we have provided your peer publishers, and talk with us about our customizable workflows that output printer and POD-ready content files in the formats you need for your customers.

Wishing you an enjoyable, relaxing second half of the summer.

digital reader contentThe past year and a half has presented its fair share of challenges for publishers, including how to repurpose existing content into the formats that your readers want to access it in.

With the increased interest in backlist titles, Amazon-compatible ePub3 files, and print-on-demand opportunities, publishers are looking at their archives on content and exploring ways to generate more revenue from their backlist. How can you make sure you’re getting the most revenue you can from your backlist titles?

Westchester can help you cost-effectively produce your existing content in the digital formats that are currently supported in the marketplace. Over the past year and a half, US employee-owned Westchester Publishing Services has helped many of the 300 publishers we support to address the many ways they can produce and repurpose their content, including the following tasks:

  • OCR and Keyboarding of physical books that do not exist in a digital format in your archive, so that you can have a clean Word manuscript for typesetting
  • Working with older PDF’s, Quark files, older InDesign files, and more, to generate newer printer files – including printer files for POD needs
  • Generating accessible, Amazon-compatible ePub3 files and fixed-format ePub3 files from backlist assets
  • Creating XML, HTML5, and other digital assets for use in platforms you may be using for content distribution

Talk to us about how we can serve as a release valve, taking tasks like these off the plates of your busy staff, and helping you maximize revenue opportunities with your valuable content.

Nicole Tomassi, Marketing and Conference Manager

Compiled by Nicole Tomassi, Marketing and Conference Manager

This is the fourth annual edition of this blog post, where I ask my colleagues to share with me (and all of you) what books are at the top of their reading pile for the upcoming summer season. They consistently come through with titles across all genres, whether new releases or beloved favorites, and this list is no exception in that regard. Perhaps your next favorite read is within the list below. Scroll down below these selections to find more information about additional titles that you may be interested in.

To purchase any of the titles shown along with thousands of others while also supporting the efforts of local, independent bookstores, click on the cover image to open up the Indiebound website. I also invite you to drop us a note and tell us what book(s) you will be reading this summer.

How it All Blew UpHow It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi

Publisher: Viking (Penguin Random House imprint)

Why I can’t wait to read this book: When messy interpersonal drama meets adventure (and it’s not my own!) how could I resist? Plus I love the representation in this one, it’s a Muslim family, an LGBTQ+ main character, and Rome, Italy for the setting. There’s nothing predictable in that combination, love this fresh POV.

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Why I can’t wait to read this book: This year, and the last especially, have been one trauma after another for someone who looks like me as history continues to repeat itself. The Hate You Give was a powerful and cathartic tribute to this lived experience. So I am eager to give myself time to read the prequel here. Angie Thomas just has a way with words, a way of making you feel seen.

India BarnesSubmitted by: India Barnes, Project Coordinator, Westchester Education Services

The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

Why I can’t wait to read this book: I loved the original Hunger Games trilogy but President Snow was always a character I wanted to learn more about. What made him the person he became in the trilogy? So with this book, I’ll see if I’ll get some answers.

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Why I can’t wait to read this book: I was obsessed with the Twilight series and always wanted to know more about Edward’s past since we only got small glimpses from the books and movies. Now with the story being told from his perspective all that is out in the open to explore.

Submitted by: Kenia Gonzalez, Customer Service Representative

Keep Sharp by Dr. Sanjay GuptaKeep Sharp by Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Why I can’t wait to read this book: This book is about brain health and how we can build a better brain at any age. It is a science-driven guide from a neurosurgeon. He engages with scientists around the world as they discover the secrets to cognitive longevity. Sounds very interesting!

MonaSubmitted by: Mona Tiwary, Director of Publishing Services, Westchester Publishing Services India

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Why I can’t wait to read this book: Recently, I was talking with one of our clients about our non-work volunteer roles in small communities. When I shared that I had recently become a trustee of my local library, she said “Have you read The Library Book?!?” I’m glad I took her advice and added this fantastic bit of literary journalism to my next book order. Using the story of a fire in 1986 in Los Angeles’ Central Library as a backdrop, the New Yorker‘s Susan Orlean writes a paean to libraries and their impact on communities, weaving in personal anecdotes, character studies, and more. I’ve started this and am looking forward to finishing it as the Summer gets underway.

TMCSubmitted by: Tyler M. Carey, Chief Revenue Officer

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Publisher: Celadon Books

Why I can’t wait to read this book: Summer reading requires a good page-turner, and I’m hopeful this is the one for me. A novelist-turned-professor who is struggling steals a previous (now deceased) student’s sure-thing book plot for a bestseller—massive success results, and then the threatening emails arrive. Who could possibly know that the plot is stolen?

Kim GSubmitted by: Kim Giambattisto, Senior Production Editor

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn

Publisher: William Morrow, An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Why I can’t wait to read this book: After receiving a copy of The Woman in the Window last Christmas, I am finally getting around to reading it. I saw the end of the trailer for the new film on Netflix and would like to read the story before seeing the adaptation. It sounds as if it will be a fast-paced psychological thriller with many plot twists. I enjoy reading stories centered around mysterious predicaments that will keep the reader guessing.

Submitted by: Darryl Keck, Layout Specialist

The Federalist Papers by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Edited by Clinton Rossiter

Publisher: Signet Classic

Why I can’t wait to read this book: I am excited to revisit the thoughts behind the founding documents, especially concerning the presidency.

Tim YetzinaSubmitted by: Tim Yetzina, Senior Supervising Editor for Science and Social Studies, Westchester Education Services

Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy

Publisher: Timber Press

Why I can’t wait to read this book: The North American bird population has declined by almost 3 billion since 1970*. Three billion birds. Gone. When I learned this, I vowed to reduce my lawn and replace the useless turf with native plants that provide shelter, nesting, and food for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. While tuning in to our local public radio station, I heard Professor Tallamy speaking about his newest book. “Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats.”

 * Bird population declines by nearly 3 billion

Submitted by: Rosemary Dannin, Project Manager, Westchester Education Services

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Publisher: Atria Books

Why I can’t wait to read this book: Buzz for this book has been circulating in my writing groups. It combines two of my favorite things—horror and publishing—and the author says Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” was one of the inspirations behind the book’s flavor of horror. I have no doubt it will be a page-turner!

Submitted by: Megan Overman, Senior Supervising Editor for Literacy and SEL, Westchester Education Services

Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan

Publisher: Random House

Why I can’t wait to read this book: A political science professor friend who was a founding team member of University of Dayton’s Human Rights Center recommended this book. He explained that in it, MacMillan deftly probes and reveals how the decisions made during the 1919 Paris peace talks that ended WWI directly set the stage for many of the world’s most enduring and complicated foreign policy challenges, including the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

KevinSubmitted by: Kevin J. Gray, President and Chief Content Officer, Westchester Education Services

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Publisher: Viking

Why I can’t wait to read this book: Ah…summer reading. I have a few books on my radar for this summer. I was intrigued by The Midnight Library by Matt Haig that I believe came out in the fall.  I love the idea of a mystical library with curated books just for you that let you see what that path may have looked like if you took it at some point. It sounds like it’s a twist on A Christmas Carol without the ghosts, but perhaps still with some of the regrets.  A little mystical wishful thinking can be a fun read for the summer.

The Sagas of Icelanders edited by Örnólfur Thorsson

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Why I can’t wait to read this book: Also on my list is a large tome that isn’t meant to be read from cover to cover, The Sagas of Icelanders.  Ancient tales of Vikings! Kings! Explorers!  I received this as a gift and I’m looking forward to transporting to times of old.

A Good Horse Has No Color by Nancy Marie Brown

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Why I can’t wait to read this book: Lastly, also related to Iceland, but more contemporary is A Good Horse Has No Color by Nancy Marie Brown.  Here, she shares her personal journey to Iceland in search of the perfect horse to bring back home.  There’s more to it than that of course – but this sounds like a wonderful book for the summer.

Submitted by: Deb Taylor, Director of Market Research

Here are a few additional resources for new titles you may want to add to your reading list during the next few months:

Publishers Weekly Staff Picks – Summer 2021 and for the children in your life, PW’s selection of the best titles for pre-readers, middle grade, and young adults releasing this summer

Vulture – Summer Books Preview 2021

Chicago Tribune – Best Summer Reads 2021

SheReads – The Best Beach Reads of Summer 2021