Gibbs Smith Education a publisher specializing secondary school social studies textbooks, needed to find a way to move to digital publishing quickly to meet the requirements of school districts, while ensuring they met the curriculum standards set by each state.
“We needed to meet the needs of schools who want the option of print or digital,” said education sales and marketing director Corine Sayler. “We knew schools were not buying as many printed texts as they used to.”
As a company that prides itself on Pulitzer nominated authors and meticulous attention to grade level-appropriate content, Gibbs Smith wanted to move to digital publishing in a way that preserved the levels of quality editorial and graphic design that had been so successful in print. Gibbs Smith also recognized that selling material in a digital format would open up new sales opportunities and revenue models, and was determined that any digital effort should be carried out on their own terms and to their own standards, to maintain control over their content and audience relationships.
But with a thinly stretched staff, the risk of developing ebook publishing software in house was too high so they began a search for a digital publishing platform partner. Tizra was the platform of choice based on factors including:
- Tizra’s ability to achieve the digital transition quickly
- Gibbs Smith’s ability to maintain direct control over development, both before and after launch
- Tizra’s proven track record of successful deployments
“Tizra helped us transition to digital content in a timeframe others said was ludicrous,” stated Sayler. “Tizra never said no, they were flexible, adaptable and responded positively to our needs.”
In a matter of months, Gibbs Smith went from a print-centered company to one with a vital and growing new digital product line, which is every bit as much a part of their identity and mission as the books they’ve been publishing for 40 years.
To learn more, read the entire Gibbs Smith case study here.
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