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Information
Systems / Electronic Publishing
The
Information Matrix
Until
recently, most publishers only dealt with computers to manage
their order processing, financials and, to a lesser extent, to
support their marketing efforts. Today, publishers face a bewildering
set of system alternatives for every department of their organization.
Some
of the directions being taken include:
Automating
the field sales force with portable PC's;
Providing
computer support for telemarketing departments;
Providing
direct link financial reporting from subsidiaries to home offices;
Developing
an integrated, relational marketing database with substantial
history on customers, products, prices and ordering patterns.
Automating
page layout and other production activities;
Providing
real-time modeling and budgeting for all departments.
Lexicon
has been at the forefront of publishing technology since its
inception. With each new wave of automation, Lexicon has provided
its clients with a focal point for deciding not only what processes
to automate, but how.
Our
trained staff of publishing technology experts has had experience
in every form of computing and communication technology, from
large order processing systems running on a mainframe to simple
design and layout programs running on a micro. In addition to
our technical expertise, we also provide our clients with in-depth
financial analysis which demonstrates exactly what benefits
can be derived from each level of expenditure.
Selection
and Implementation Methodology
Lexicon
employs a methodology geared to the successful selection and
implementation of computer-based technology. Our methodology
can be summarized as follows:
Complete
review of all department needs and requirements;
Careful
selection of a wide range of possible system suppliers;
Development
of weighted selection critieria;
Final system
selection;
Contract
development;
Development
of implementation plans;
Project
management;
System sign-offs.
Lexicon
provides its clients with progress reports whenever major milestones
are reached. These reports provide updates on project status
and an opportunity to add or subtract elements from projects.
The
benefits to be derived from Lexicon involvement in your system
and implementation program include the following:
The highest
level of technical and managerial expertise in all areas of publishing
technology.
A proven
methodology derived from 20 years of corporate publishing experience.
Techniques
for using technology that are pragmatic and immediately results-oriented.
A clear-sighted
view of the relative merits of technologies from one vendor to
another.
A total
understanding of costs and benefits.
Lexicon
has built its reputation on developing information systems recommendations
that work. We have no prejudices for one technology versus another.
Everything we do is geared towards your needs with the most
appropriate technology available, giving you the flexibility
to make your investments last well into the future.
Magazine
and Book Publishing Synergies
The
constant need for, and development of, editorial material provides
magazine publishers with a unique advantage that can often be
leveraged into new products: an editorial and art database that
is usually owned by, and accessible to, the magazine company.
With
these databases in hand, and with the demographic research that
most magazine companies do on a regular basis, these companies
can significantly augment their revenue streams by setting up
book publishing programs and re-using material from their magazines
in book form. They can then begin to branch out, and create
new books that can expand and enhance the visibility and the
readership of the magazine program itself.
Lexicon
consultants are experts in determining the synergistic elements
between magazine and book publishing. Whether a one-time special
or a long-term program; a one-shot or a continuity series, Lexicon
can help magazine companies leverage their strengths and turn
them into additional products that can become profit centers
in their own right.
Lexicon
can help magazine companies:
Research
the proper editorial program to capitalize on the strengths of
both magazine and book markets.
Organize
a book program whether in house or through the use of outside
freelancers.
Determine
the best way to market new products, whether through use of the
house file, through separate distribution, through synergistic
licensing of the product to another publisher, or through a combination
of these means and others.
Set up book
distribution, once the methodology has been determined.
Analyze
results and determine future direction of continued book development.
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