Publishers Turn to Digital Printing

"Ninety seven percent of people who read ebooks are still wedded to the printed book," revealed Romano. For print to continue to thrive, publishers and printers need to work together. "The relationships between printers and publishers are crucial. Both need to understand the complete supply chain."

To capture the point of view of the retail end of the supply chain, Peter Glassman, president of children's bookstore Books of Wonder and Michael Norris, book industry research consultant, fielded questions on how the industry is and should be responding to ground shifts caused by Amazon, ebooks and the like. Both panelists spoke to the "experiential buying" that customers enjoy when shopping in a brick-and-mortar store—something that can't be replaced by Amazon and which publishers should embrace.