COVID-19 Helps Companies Go Officeless

Ori Idan of Helicon Books tells us about digital publishing and Covid-19.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times? 

Ori Idan: It did not really affect us, but we had to stay at home more, and we were Ok with that. 

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded Helicon Books.

Ori Idan: I am a programmer and software projects manager for the last 30 or more years. I started writing as a hobby in 2004 and looked for methods to publish my own books in digital format. I found out that there are many technological problems in publishing, starting from eBook production, eBook delivery solutions, and eBook reading applications, etc. So in 2012, I established Helicon Books with the aim to help publishers enter the world of digital books. Our company supplies services starting from eBook production, eBook delivery platforms, and building eCommerce systems.  

How does Helicon Books innovate? 

Ori Idan: Our main service is a cloud service that allows book stores or publishers to send eBooks directly to their customers.

Instead of building their own reading application and cloud system, they can use our system and start selling copy-protected eBooks for an affordable price. 

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Ori Idan: We did have some projects canceled or postponed; however, our customers sold more books, so we did not suffer any loss of finance. 

Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources, and what are the lessons learned?

Ori Idan: Fortunately not. We did learn that our current team works great from home, so we gave up our office space and now saving money by being an officeless company.

How did your customer relationship management evolve? Do you use any specific tools to be efficient?

Ori Idan: We did not have any change in customer relationships. 

Did you benefit from any government grants, and did that help keep your business afloat?

Ori Idan: No, we did not have any government grants as our income did not go down very much. 

Your website?

https://www.heliconbooks.com