knk Software
Transforming the Publishing Industry with a Microsoft-Backed Solution

A publisher’s journey to effectively market their products involves managing complex supply chains spanning authors, agents, printers, distributors, and retailers that often use disparate systems. This drives the creation of large, fragmented datasets, making it tricky for publishers to manage their value chains.

Enter knk Software, a company that streamlines the entire publishing process through its end-to-end enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, knkPublishing. Recognizing the importance of efficient supply chain management, it allows publishers to easily track digital and print operations, sales and distribution channels, and royalty payments in real time.

knkPublishing also features advanced reporting and analytics tools that help clients gain deeper insights into their performance, identify improvement opportunities, and make well-informed decisions while delivering greater visibility and control over their publishing operations.

“We deploy a game-changing data layer to simplify analysis requirements and organize the different data storage tools deployed across a siloed publishing department,” says Sebastian Mayeres, CEO of knk Software.

Today’s media and publishing industry needs help to cope with the accelerated digitalization wave, which is increasing the number of online readers and creating the need for greater workflow efficiency. Compounding this is the complex and time-consuming content production process, which makes it tricky for publishers to meet tight deadlines and stay competitive. To mitigate these challenges, knk has developed targeted solutions and workflow automation tools that speed up publishing processes, from content planning and editing to production and distribution, reducing costs and increasing cash flow.

In one instance, knk assisted a publishing house in improving their content management, royalty tracking, and other publishing-specific processes, and improved workflow efficiency by implementing knkPublishing, as it typically does for many clients. Initially, this client had multiple siloed systems driving recurrent data duplication and time-consuming, errorprone manual processes. knkPublishing optimized their KPIs, inventory and stock management while reducing time to market new titles, manuscript submissions, and publications. Simultaneously, the solution enabled their editorial teamto self-manage the review and approval process and publish more titles each year, which increased revenue and cash flow. Through knkPublishing’s unmatched collaboration capabilities, the publisher could effectively manage author contracts and royalties, minimizing errors, workplace disputes, and legal costs.

The rise of cloud computing has increased customer demand for Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and its competency in reducing IT infrastructure costs while improving network flexibility and scalability. Another trend in this domain is AI and ML, which are gaining prominence by automating routine tasks and improving decision-making. Capitalizing on these developments, knk constantly explores new ways to employ AI and ML and future-proof its knkPublishing solution.

Backed by its comprehensive collaboration tools, knk simplifies a publisher’s interaction with partners and stakeholders, manages contracts, tracks production schedules, and enhances communication between authors, agents, contributors, and customers. With its marketing automation, CRM, and subscriber messaging systems, users can gather consumer behavior and intent data, all encompassed within a centralized data approach.

We deploy a game-changing data layer to simplify analysis requirements and organize the different data storage tools deployed across a siloed publishing department

knkPublishing’s O2C (Order To Cash) system for digital and physical products is powered by the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP product, and consequently can offer many add-on partner products that seamlessly integrate with the core system, enabling native data sharing across all applications.

Alternatively, publishers can use knkPublishing for direct-to-consumer (D2C) websites that capture order and customer data and integrate credit card processing, electronic data interchange (EDI) and print-on-demand, automated cash applications, and bank reconciliation.

One of the competencies that sets knk apart is its dedicated customer success department, which helps clients consistently achieve business goals and maximize the platform’s impact. When engaging with publishers, its experts leverage their in-depth publishing industry knowledge and experience to implement a consultative approach where they understand their business needs and workflows. From implementation to ongoing support and training, knk guides clients throughout the process to ensure a smooth and successful delivery. Above all, it constantly strives to build long-lasting client partnerships and equip them to manage their operations independently.

Committed to innovation and continuous improvement, knk aims to stay ahead of the curve, meet evolving publishing business needs, and revolutionize supply chain management.