Next Steps for One Voice and Industry Forum Initiatives

One Voice, a new industry initiative to consolidate magazine/book category retail performance data and communicate it to retailers, is expected to launch by July, according to Periodical & Book Association of America (PBAA) and IPDA, which are spearheading the effort.

The initial draft of a comprehensive presentation, presented at this year’s Retail Conference, has now been circulated among the publishing and distribution communities for input. (Click here for Newsstand Forum’s summary of the presentation; click here for audio of the presentation). The feedback will be discussed during the upcoming PBAA annual conference (June 22-24), and the presentation will be subsequently finalized.

“We’re all anxious to build off of the work done to date and the momentum from the Retail Conference to finalize the presentation and launch it into the marketplace,” said Jay Wysong, EVP/COO of DSI, one of the executives coordinating the effort.

The Industry Forum, a separate initiative to engage all segments of the supply chain in fostering positive change in the magazine and book industries, held its first meeting of publishers, national distributors and wholesalers on March 25th. The next meeting is scheduled for May 22nd.

“The group had an open, constructive discussion at its first meeting, and several new efforts, including a category marketing coalition, are being considered,” said IPDA president Jerry Lynch, adding that more announcements will be forthcoming as plans take shape.