RSuite CMS, a content management system for publishers, recently joined the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) as an affiliate member. The AEP serves the diverse needs of the entire educational resource community, including publishers, content developers, IT professionals, service providers, researchers, instructors, and communication experts from around the world.

RSuite CMS is the software of choice for many of the world’s leading publishers. Publishing organizations of all sizes use RSuite CMS to search, store, manage, and transform content into print and digital products. Higher education publishers, such as Macmillan Higher Education, and K-12 publishers, such as Triumph Learning, have licensed RSuite CMS to manage complex content and provide quality products and courses to students and instructors.

“The AEP’s vision is to support our thriving educational publishing industry,” explained Jo-Ann McDevitt, vice president, sales, marketing and business development at The Association of Educational Publishers. “Affiliate members provide outstanding services and products to support our community.”

“The educational publishing market faces unique challenges,” stated David Saracco, vice president of business development at RSI Content Solutions.  “Textbook pricing expectations, ancillary materials, customers’ digital demands, learning management systems---all of these situations necessitate that educational publishers manage, produce, and deliver products in an affordable and sustainable way. RSuite CMS is akin to the factory line that provides great efficiencies in content management.”

For more than a decade, RSI Content Solutions (makers of RSuite CMS) has been a trusted content management services and solution provider to the publishing industry. Learn how organizations like Oxford University Press, Macmillan Higher Education, Elsevier Health Science, LexisNexis Pacific, and many others use RSuite CMS and see the latest features of the software at www.rsicms.com.

RSuite CMS is an enterprise content management system for publishers and is used by some of the world's largest publishers such as Elsevier Health Sciences, LexisNexis Pacific, and Macmillan Higher Education to create, store, manage, transform, and deliver content.

"I look forward to this year's PSP Annual Conference and think the theme of building collaboration, innovation, and sustainability is particularly important in today's publishing environment," stated Jeff Wood, vice president of business development at RSI Content Solutions. "I welcome the opportunity to speak with any attendees about how content management is a key component to securing value in the professional publishing industry."

For more than a decade, RSI Content Solutions (makers of RSuite CMS) has been a trusted content management services and solution provider to the publishing industry. Learn how organizations like Oxford University Press, Elsevier Health Science, LexisNexis Pacific, and many others use RSuite CMS and see the latest features of the software at www.rsicms.com.

RSI Content Solutions, a leading content management software provider, was recognized by Philadelphia SmartCEO magazine as a winner of the 2013 Philadelphia SmartCEO Future 50 award. The Future 50 Awards program recognizes 50 of the area’s fastest-growing companies based on employee and revenue growth over the past 3 years. The 2013 Future 50 winners collectively generate $1.23 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 12,000 individuals in greater Philadelphia.

The Future 50 Awards program, now in its 3rd year of celebration in Philadelphia, kicked off with an application process in September 2012. More than 650 local business executives and guests attended a gala on January 17th, 2013 at the Drexelbrook to celebrate the winners and their achievements.

“The companies we are honoring this year are growing in spite of the economic hardships we have all been facing. These companies are investing in themselves, and investing in their people and are rising above the rest. They deserve to be recognized and celebrated because they are moving our economy and this region forward,” says Jaime Nespor, group publisher of SmartCEO magazine, “We are proud to recognize them for their achievements and growth.”

“We are honored to receive this recognition for the second year in a row,” stated Barry Bealer, CEO and co-founder at RSI Content Solutions.  “But it's worth stating that RSI Content Solutions is only as successful as its customers. If our publishing clients can increase revenue and growth through better content management, then we have done our job.”

For more than a decade, RSI Content Solutions has been a trusted content management services and solution provider to the publishing industry. Learn how organizations like Oxford University Press, Elsevier Health Sciences, LexisNexis Pacific, Texas Instruments and many others use RSuite CMS and DocZone and see the latest features of the software at www.rsicms.com.

RSI Content Solutions, providers of two award winning content management products---RSuite CMS and DocZone, has announced today at Digital Book World Conference and Expo that it is expanding engineering operations in South America.  The expanded operations are anticipated to triple the size of the current development team by the end of 2013.

“We see the need to continue to build hybrid on- and offshore teams to provide cost competitive services to our client base,” stated Steve Quirke, vice president of operations at RSI Content Solutions.  “RSI Content Solutions has created a deeply integrated onshore and offshore development team who will deliver affordable development and product customizations.”

The expanded team will supply product engineering and support for both RSuite CMS and DocZone core products as well as specific implementation projects. 

“I am thrilled to be leading up the expansion of the RSI engineering team,” stated Gert Olie, director of engineering for the South American-based team.  “We have a strong team of engineers that have been providing high quality content management development for 15 years. Additionally, we are conveniently located in the Eastern Standard Time zone, facilitating daily communication between teams and customers.”

For more than a decade, RSI Content Solutions has been a trusted content management services and solution provider to the publishing industry. Learn how organizations like Oxford University Press, Elsevier Health Science, LexisNexis Pacific, Texas Instruments and many others use RSuite CMS and DocZone and see the latest features of the software at www.rsicms.com.

John Corkery and Michael Edson from DETI Group will be the panelists for our February 20 webinar entitled, Truth of Digital Content Transformation and Conversion. This webinar will be an hour long and will begin at 1:00pm.

Revenue from digital products is set to soar in 2013. A recent study from Pew Internet & American Life Project states that one-third of the US population 16 and older now owns an e-reader. Ownership of tablets and e-reading devices has grown from 18% in late 2011 to 33% in late 2012. For the publishing industry this means a sustainable strategy to support digital and print products is the only option. It’s imperative for publishers to support a workflow that automates content transformation to digital formats for all titles moving forward and develop consistent plans for conversion projects to better monetize backlist titles.

Join publishing consultants Mike Edson and John Corkery from DETI Group in this free webinar. Mike and John will present strategies they’ve helped publishers implement to ensure that an epub strategy is an ongoing success that meets customers’ expectations while increasing publishers’ bottom line. They will separate fact from fiction and answer all your questions around epub, ebook formats, content conversion, XML, and more.

Today, stresses on the publishing industry are more accelerated than most other industries. New expenses are added to reach publishing targets and those expenses don't always add to total revenue. A content management system (CMS) helps publishers manage, store, transform, and delivery content in a sustainable and economical way. A CMS is a publisher’s factory. 

Want to learn how your organization can benefit from RSuite CMS?

RSuite CMS is the software of choice for many of the world’s leading publishers. Publishing organizations of all sizes use RSuite CMS to search, store, manage, and transform content into digital products.

“According to a recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project one-third of the US population 16 and older now owns an e-reader,” stated Marianne Calilhanna, director of marketing at RSI Content Solutions. “In fact, the revenue from digital products are truly set to soar in 2013 with the number of tablet or e-book reading devices having grown from 18% in late 2011 to 33% in late 2012. This means that publishers need a long-term strategy to produce e-books for both the frontlist as well as the backlist.”

A content management system is a publisher’s factory. The factory must be able to meet new revenue opportunities quickly and affordably. It must be more efficient in operations, especially for delivery to digital and print, and the factory must protect assets.

The New York Times recently highlighted a topic that's been in debate for quite a while: bogus reviews. In this world where anyone can be a publisher or a reviewer and the loudest voice is sometimes heard over reason, my predominant thought is "caveat emptor." The story in The New York Times focuses on the situation with Amazon's book reviews. Look up any book on Amazon and then scroll down to read the vast amount of reviews. Even out-of-print books have a large number of reviews. There's the well read (?!) "hall of fame reviewer" Harriet Klausner who has more than 28,000 reviews logged on the site. Even as a self-proclaimed speed reader and former acquisitions librarian, that amount of reviews averages out to 6.5 reviews a day, everyday….for more than 12 years. With all due respect to Mrs. Klausner, I find it hard to take a review from her seriously.

Joe Wikert recently suggested an eloquent solution to this "slippery slope of bogus reviews." In yesterday's blog post he recommends that Amazon only allow reviews from customers who actually bought the book. Simple and logical. While this may mean I can no longer enjoy reviews of things like the Hutzler Banana Slicer or the BIC Crystal for Her Pen, I would prefer a fair analysis about an impending purchase rather than one contrived to falsely promote or slander.

It will be interesting to see how Amazon decides to handle this situation.

In the meantime, I think no matter the purchase---a book from Amazon, an expensive household appliance, or a major investment in enterprise software---the buyer needs to consider a few things and take the time to perform due diligence. Following are five tips I apply to validating any review and determining if the purchase is a worthy investment

1. Does the reviewer provide a pen name?
   I'm less likely to value someone's opinion who uses the moniker idle45neato rather than Marianne Calilhanna.
2. Is there a way to contact and engage in discussion?
   Even if I don't follow up with a reviewer, I like to see that there is the option to email or a web form where I can engage in further conversation.
3. Does the reviewer list credentials or is she/he affiliated with a valid company/organization?
   I want to know why I should trust someone's opinion. I often use LinkedIn to research additional information like education, company affiliation, work experience, and qualifications.
4. If the review is via a blog post, are comments allowed?
   When a blog post disables comments, I am immediately leery. One-way communication equates to a virtual shout and I can't see how that's helpful or believable.
5. Have I talked to other people who use the product?
   For big-ticket items, I think most people seek out other opinions. Both good reviews and poor reviews are valid in my book. Understanding why someone may provide a poor review is equally important because I recognize that what's important to me may be different from what's important to someone else.

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As a content management company, we sing the praises of our clients who have created tremendous efficiencies in publishing operations by implementing appropriate tools and technologies to reduce time to market and satisfy a multichannel publishing strategy.  The information industry is under tremendous pressure to deliver digital content in many forms to many channels.  However, some publishers are moving away from automated workflows and content transformations.  Why would an organization forgo automation in today’s complex publishing world?  Perhaps it is due to the following:

1. Managing offshore vendors – Holding a vendor responsible for meeting quality standards and publishing timelines requires a different set of skills than incorporating publishing tools into an organization. With automation, some of the vendor responsibilities are moved back to editorial and production departments. While an offshore vendor can apply brute force on a case-by-case basis; adhering to structured formats and implementing templates enable content transformations and delivery in a sustainable and automated manner.
2. Cutting jobs – Publishers who think that automating workflow is wonderful but equates to cutting jobs may benefit from another vantage point. Just as effective manager works with an individual to align skills with solutions, the same can be said for automated workflows. For example, technology is excellent at machine processing---XML validation, business rules validation, schematron validation.  Individuals outperfom on cognitive skills that automated technology is not equipped to tackle---content development, content curation, metadata management, new product sandboxing. Saving time with efficient workflow routines equates to realigning staff to work on value-add tasks.
3. Conserving culture – Some organizations don’t like technology that automates workflow.  Never have, never will.  It takes communication, dedication, and training to change an organization's culture in terms of new technology adoption. Working with older toolsets (eg, Word 2000, InDesign CS3, etc.) provides a comfort level to both in-house staff and external authors. But guarding a culture against change can result in antiquated processes and missed opportunities.  
4. Hiring vs investing – Increasing headcount is an easier sell than investing in technology. Investing in the right technology means changing the way individuals do their daily jobs but also means changing the way an organization approaches a publishing program that has worked consistently for decades.  It is no small task and investing in a new CMS is indeed a financial and organizational committment. Adding up the factors that instigate the pursuit of CMS need to be part of the investment equation---lack of automated content transformation, laborious manual workflow steps, inability to deliver to multichannels, ineffective content organization, dispersed assets, inconsistent metadata, etc.
   
   Rather than calculating ROI on a CMS investment try looking at the payback period when the pain points are resolved.  If you can justify an investment in automating workflow and have a payback period of a year or less this could be an easier sell to internal staff and management. 

There is little doubt that publishers have a multichannel publishing goal.  There is pressure from the consumer and the competition to produce more content, more efficiently, and to more channels than ever before. A balanced approach to making changes to people (ie, structuing teams according to skill sets), processes (ie, automating as much as possible), and technology (ie, implementing appropriate tools and technologies) results in success.  It is not just the technology that requires investment. Changing people, patterns, and culture usually requires a greater investment in time and education.

What approaches to workflow automation resulted in success at your organization? What pain points do you continue to face?