A Letter from BISG Board Chair Matt Kennell

Dear BISG Members and Members of the Book Supply Chain,

As the newly appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of the Book Industry Study Group, it is with enthusiasm and purpose that I write to you. We just had our first meeting of the new Board of Directors, and I know I speak for the full board when I say that it is truly an honor to lead an association committed to creating collaborative solutions, developing and improving industry-wide standards, and driving forward-looking innovation.

What We Are Working On: Book Publishing Next

At the center of our current agenda lies Book Publishing Next, a bold, strategic initiative designed to elevate the future of publishing through targeted, high-impact projects. Today, I want to invite all of you and your companies to take a seat at the table and play a role in supporting the work that BISG will lead to help equip our industry with a 21st century supply chain. This is not a BISG effort alone. It’s an industry-wide effort that requires industry-wide support to be as successful as we know it would be for our industry. We welcome and encourage other book industry associations to explore ways that we can partner together to help us drive these various projects forward in to completion. 

In early August, several BISG members and the Book Publishing Next Working Group gathered to discuss these efforts. We reviewed a more detailed, comprehensive framework and project plan for how BISG and the industry can pool its resources and create a path forward to begin the transformative work that we touched on at the 2025 Annual Meeting. 

Book Publishing Next includes six core initiatives aimed at supporting the next-generation book industry supply chain:

1. Improving Supply Chain Transparency
   Mapping the modern supply chain with clarity, accompanied by a draft statement of benefits, cost estimates, pilot testing, and ROI modeling—already propelled by collaboration from over 25 industry organizations  

2. Enabling Smarter, Real-Time Decision-Making
   Equipping industry players with actionable, timely data to increase agility and reduce friction in operations  

3. Monetizing Rights Opportunities
   Emphasizing rights as a key engine of revenue growth and enhancing how those opportunities are identified, managed, and capitalized.  

4. Simplifying Metadata Access
   Streamlining access to and use of industry metadata, improving discoverability, accuracy, and efficiency

5. Reducing Friction in Purchasing and Payments
   Lowering operational barriers for buying and transacting across the industry  

6. Mitigating Returns Impact
   Addressing return-related inefficiencies to help members manage financial and environmental costs 

The work on these initiatives will be getting underway this fall, and we are committed to transparency, collaboration, and ensuring measurable impact as we move forward.

Strategic Foundations Guiding Our Work

The Book Publishing Next initiative supports all of BISG’s four interlocking strategic pillars—the “virtuous circle” that defines our approach:

• Inclusion: Ensuring that all industry voices—from publishers and distributors to authors and agents to printers and retailers—have a seat at the table  
• Research: Producing and sharing independent, actionable insights to navigate emerging trends and challenges  
• Standards: Developing, refining, and promoting best practices—particularly in metadata, supply chain, and rights—to maximize sales and improve efficiency across the book ecosystem  
• Education: Empowering members through guidance, webinars, tools, and events that drive adoption and innovation  

Your Value, Our Commitment

Through Book Publishing Next, we aim to deliver tangible, meaningful value to our members by:

• Providing practical infrastructure enhancements across publishing operations

• Helping publishers better monetize rights and metadata assets

• Creating shared platforms for transparency, data, and processes

• Strengthening the industry’s ability to adapt, innovate, and grow

We want all segments of the supply chain to be represented in the work that we will be doing over the next 5+ years, and we welcome and encourage any company that is connected to the book industry to consider BISG membership. If you or your company is already a member of BISG, please accept my deepest gratitude for all the time and effort you put into making BISG a driving force for adapting to a changing industry.

I am humbled by the work done by those leaders who came before me and the legacy of this organization. As the youngest chair in the 50-year history of BISG, I am truly honored to have this opportunity to help lead this organization during a time of great change and uncertainty. I have great hope for the future because of all the people I see throughout our industry and the new generation of book industry leaders that are eager to have an impact on these beloved objects (both physical and digital) that we call a book. 

We invite each member organization to actively engage—through committees, working groups, pilot programs, and events and to co-create solutions that move the industry forward. If you are not involved yet in BISG, then I hope you will reach out to us and consider what is possible if all of us take a seat at the table.  

Thank you for your continued support and collaboration. Together, we are shaping a stronger, smarter, and more sustainable future for the book publishing supply chain.

Warm regards,

Matt Kennell

Chair, Board of Directors

Book Industry Study Group