A Year of Practical Progress, Collaboration, and Connection
BISG 2025 Year in Review: A Year of Practical Progress, Collaboration, and Connection
As 2025 comes to a close, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) looks back on a year defined by practical progress, industry collaboration, and a renewed focus on building systems that work better for everyone in the publishing ecosystem. From standards development and supply-chain modernization to global engagement and community growth, 2025 was about moving from conversation to action.
Setting the Tone: From Ideas to Action
The tone for the year was set at BISG’s Annual Meeting, where the theme “Move Fast and Fix Things” captured a shared industry imperative: focus less on theoretical innovation and more on solving real, persistent problems.
Throughout the year, BISG’s work reflected that mindset, prioritizing clarity, interoperability, and solutions that publishers, retailers, libraries, and partners can implement today.
Key focus areas included:
- Real-world improvements to publishing workflows
- Clear, implementable standards
- Collaboration across the supply chain
Advancing Standards That Matter
Standards work remained central to BISG’s mission, with continued progress on initiatives designed to reduce friction and improve data quality. Small technical improvements, applied consistently, can deliver industry-wide impact.
Highlights include:
- Book Publishing Next, which outlines a long-term, future-focused roadmap designed to modernize supply-chain communication and reduce friction across workflows.
- Encouraging the industry’s transition from ONIX 2.1 to ONIX 3, emphasizing the importance of richer metadata to support discoverability, accessibility, and global commerce.
- Updated barcode price-extension guidance to reflect current retail and publisher needs.
Together, these efforts reinforced BISG’s role as a steward of standards that are not only technically sound, but also grounded in real-world publishing needs.
Committee Insights and Thought Leadership
Through webinars and blog posts, members of BISG's committees shared timely perspectives throughout the year, reinforcing the value of cross-functional collaboration.
Topics explored include:
- Improving coordination between editorial, production, and metadata teams
- The complementary roles of identifiers such as ORCID and ISNI
- Reflections on emerging regulatory and reporting considerations in global markets
Recognizing Innovation and Leadership
At the 2025 Annual Meeting, BISG honored Spotify with its Industry Innovator Award, recognizing the company's growing role in audiobooks and support for authors and new discovery models.
BISG's Industry Champion Award was awarded to Lee Wind, Chief Content Officer for the Independent Book Publishers Association, for his vital work with We Are Stronger Than Censorship. The incomparable Dominique Raccah, Founder and CEO of award-winning publisher Sourcebooks, received BISG's Sally Dedecker Award for Lifetime Service.
In November, BISG's Executive Director Brian O'Leary was inducted into BMI's prestigious Cased-In Club. In December, O'Leary was also awarded Publishers Weekly's Frederic G. Melcher Lifetime Achievement Award.
These recognitions underscored BISG’s commitment to engaging with both established and emerging players shaping the future of publishing.
Strengthening the BISG Community
In 2025, BISG continued to grow and evolve as an organization. Community milestones include:
- New membership tiers to welcome agents and students, reinforcing BISG’s commitment to inclusion and industry-wide participation.
- Welcoming several new member companies
- Leadership recognition and board engagement
- Seasonal initiatives celebrating reading, gratitude, and shared values
Engaging the Global Publishing Community
BISG maintained a strong international presence, including participation in the London Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair, where conversations centered on:
- Global metadata standards
- Sustainability
- Rights and royalty reporting
These engagements ensured BISG’s work remains aligned with international best practices.
Looking Ahead
As BISG approaches its 50th anniversary, the lessons of 2025 are clear: progress happens when collaboration is paired with action, using standards designed to serve the people who rely on them every day.
With strong momentum, an engaged community, and a clear focus on practical solutions, BISG enters the new year ready to continue supporting a more efficient, inclusive, and connected publishing industry.
Thank you to our members, volunteers, partners, and staff for making 2025 a year of meaningful impact. We look forward to building on this work together in the year ahead.