Consonance - Microsoft 365 Integration and Automation

Common Integration Use Cases Between Consonance and Microsoft 365

1. Editorial project intake and task coordination in Microsoft Teams

Data flow: Consonance ? Microsoft 365

When a new manuscript is acquired or moved into editorial review in Consonance, the system can automatically create a Microsoft Teams channel for the title or project team, along with a shared SharePoint folder for working files. Editorial, production, marketing, and rights stakeholders can collaborate in Teams while Consonance remains the system of record for workflow status, milestones, and title metadata.

Business value: Reduces email fragmentation, speeds up cross-functional coordination, and gives every title a consistent collaboration space tied to the publishing workflow.

• Auto-create Teams channels for new titles, imprints, or seasonal lists
• Publish milestone updates from Consonance into Teams
• Store working manuscripts, cover drafts, and review files in SharePoint

2. Manuscript review and editorial markup using Word and OneDrive

Data flow: Bi-directional

Editorial teams can open manuscripts from Consonance in Word for review, track changes, and comments, then save revised versions back to OneDrive or SharePoint. Consonance can capture the latest approved version, update workflow status, and retain version history for production handoff.

Business value: Improves editorial productivity, preserves version control, and reduces the risk of working from outdated files.

• Launch manuscript documents from Consonance into Word Online or desktop Word
• Save approved revisions back to the title record
• Maintain a controlled audit trail of edits and approvals

3. Production schedule visibility through Outlook calendar integration

Data flow: Consonance ? Microsoft 365

Key publishing milestones such as copyedit due dates, proof delivery, jacket approval, and publication dates can be synchronized from Consonance into Outlook calendars for editors, designers, and production managers. Automated reminders help teams stay aligned on deadlines and reduce missed handoffs.

Business value: Increases schedule adherence and gives stakeholders a clear view of title deadlines in the calendar tools they already use.

• Push title milestones to individual or shared Outlook calendars
• Send deadline reminders and escalation notices
• Support workload planning across multiple active titles

4. Rights and royalty reporting with Excel and Power BI

Data flow: Consonance ? Microsoft 365

Rights and royalty data maintained in Consonance can be exported or synchronized to Excel for analysis and to Power BI for dashboards. Finance, rights, and executive teams can monitor royalty accruals, contract performance, format revenue, and title-level profitability without manually compiling reports from multiple sources.

Business value: Improves financial visibility, shortens reporting cycles, and supports better licensing and catalog decisions.

• Feed royalty and rights data into Excel models
• Build Power BI dashboards for title and imprint performance
• Track contract expirations, territory coverage, and revenue trends

5. Approval workflows for cover art, metadata, and marketing copy

Data flow: Consonance ? Microsoft 365

When cover designs, metadata updates, or jacket copy are ready for review in Consonance, the system can route approval requests through Outlook or Teams and link reviewers to the relevant files in SharePoint. Approvers can comment, approve, or request changes, while Consonance records the final decision and updates the title record.

Business value: Speeds up approval cycles, improves accountability, and ensures marketing and production assets are approved before release.

• Send approval notifications to editors, marketers, and legal reviewers
• Store review files and comments in SharePoint
• Capture approval status back in Consonance for auditability

6. Centralized title documentation and publishing assets in SharePoint

Data flow: Bi-directional

Consonance can link each title record to a structured SharePoint site or document library containing contracts, manuscripts, production files, metadata sheets, and launch materials. SharePoint becomes the collaborative document repository, while Consonance maintains the publishing workflow, title metadata, and status tracking.

Business value: Creates a single, governed document environment for each title and reduces time spent searching across shared drives and email attachments.

• Organize title-specific folders by stage or asset type
• Link contracts and supporting documents to rights records
• Use SharePoint permissions to control access by role or project

7. Publishing pipeline reporting and executive dashboards

Data flow: Consonance ? Microsoft 365

Pipeline data from Consonance, including manuscript counts, stage durations, on-time delivery rates, and format readiness, can be surfaced in Power BI for leadership reporting. Executives and operations managers can track bottlenecks by imprint, genre, or production stage and make data-driven decisions on staffing and release planning.

Business value: Improves operational oversight, highlights workflow bottlenecks, and supports more accurate forecasting across the publishing portfolio.

• Monitor title throughput by stage and team
• Identify delayed projects and recurring process issues
• Share dashboards securely with leadership and department heads

8. AI-assisted content preparation and metadata refinement with Copilot

Data flow: Consonance ? Microsoft 365

Title metadata, marketing copy, and internal summaries from Consonance can be used in Microsoft 365 Copilot-assisted workflows to draft launch emails, sales briefs, catalog copy, or internal status updates. Teams can then review and refine the output before publishing it back into Consonance or related Microsoft 365 documents.

Business value: Reduces manual drafting effort, accelerates content preparation, and helps teams reuse approved title data consistently across departments.

• Generate first drafts of sales sheets and launch communications
• Summarize title status for internal stakeholders
• Reuse structured metadata to improve content consistency