Behind the Books: How a Publishing Power Play Could Shape the Future of Industrial Automation

In the high-stakes world of industrial automation, knowledge isn’t just power - it’s currency, and the right information can mean the difference between catastrophe and competitive edge. Now, two industry heavyweights are joining forces in a move that could redraw the boundaries of who controls, distributes, and profits from this vital expertise. Welcome to the unlikely partnership between Wiley, a publishing giant, and the International Society of Automation (ISA), the guardians of automation’s intellectual goldmine.

The Power Behind the Partnership

For decades, ISA has operated as the gatekeeper of industrial automation wisdom, serving its 18,000+ global members with rigorously vetted technical content. But as automation becomes the backbone of everything from manufacturing to cybersecurity, demand for trusted knowledge is exploding - and so is competition for market share in technical publishing.

Enter Wiley, a 200-year-old publishing powerhouse with the distribution muscle and digital savvy needed to push ISA’s content onto the world stage. Under the new agreement, Wiley absorbs ISA’s back-catalogue - about 70 titles - while promising to publish five new books this year alone, including a fresh edition of ISA’s flagship guide. The plan? Release five to eight new or updated titles annually, each aligned with ISA’s technical priorities.

The stakes are high. For automation professionals, expanded access to critical standards and guidance could mean safer factories, more resilient infrastructure, and fewer costly errors. For Wiley, it’s a strategic leap into a high-growth market, leveraging ISA’s credibility to capture a hungry audience.

Who Holds the Pen - and the Power?

ISA is quick to assure its members that editorial independence remains intact. “We are gaining access to global distribution channels and digital platforms that will make ISA’s authoritative guidance available to automation professionals everywhere, while maintaining the editorial integrity and technical rigor our members expect,” says Rick Zabel, ISA’s publishing chief. But some industry watchers wonder how long that firewall will hold when commercial interests and global ambitions collide.

Wiley, meanwhile, sees the partnership as a model for how niche technical societies can scale up without selling out. Amanda Miller, Wiley’s VP of Advanced Content, notes, “This collaboration truly demonstrates how specialized technical societies can achieve scale and sustainability while preserving their editorial mission.”

At its core, this alliance is a test case: Can the guardians of industrial know-how expand their influence without diluting their authority? And as automation continues to transform every corner of the global economy, who gets to write - and rewrite - the rules?

Conclusion: Turning Pages, Shaping Futures

The Wiley-ISA partnership isn’t just a publishing deal - it’s a strategic realignment that could influence how automation knowledge is created, sold, and safeguarded for years to come. As the ink dries, the world will watch to see whether this union produces a new chapter in industrial excellence - or a cautionary tale about the cost of going global.

WIKICROOK

• Industrial Automation: Industrial automation uses machines, robotics, and control systems to perform manufacturing tasks efficiently, reducing the need for human intervention.
• Editorial Independence: Editorial independence allows cybersecurity publications to make unbiased content decisions, free from external or commercial pressures, ensuring objective and trustworthy information.
• Backlist: Backlist refers to older published titles still for sale. In cybersecurity, the correct term is 'blacklist,' used to block malicious entities.
• Distribution Channels: Distribution channels are the pathways or networks used to deliver digital products, content, or software to end users, often targeted by cyber threats.
• Technical Society: A technical society advances a technical field like cybersecurity by setting standards, sharing research, and supporting professional growth through events and publications.