I’ve been thinking about the topic of the value of books a lot. Not for days. Not for months. Years. However, recently I’ve been angered by the implication that readers are cheap, that they won’t pay a proper price for books, that they don’t get it. Whatever it is.
These assertions are not untrue.
They are also not entirely accurate. Perspective is everything, nuance matters, and I have thoughts. Of course.
Read more…
File Under: The Future of Publishing
Today’s links of interest:
The shifts in today’s publishing business are happening lightening fast and iceberg slow. Epiphanies strike at odd moments. Brett Sandusky had one. Below is where he ended up; read his entire post (linked below) to see how he got there.
In the end, no amount of market research, anecdotal evidence, kaffee klatsches, or cocktail parties can ever replace actual and real interaction with our customers. Recently, I attended a conference where a panelist kept repeating throughout her presentation, “The reader is the consumer who is your customer. I openly admit that, at the time, I begrudged this panelist for stating the obvious. Of course the reader is our customer.
It wasn’t until much later that I realized what she was really saying: in an age of digital books, in an age where many of this industry’s institutions are, one by one, going away or becoming irrelevant, we are no longer the industry we thought we were. And, the reality is this: we can no longer afford to act as a B-to-B business. The future, if we have one, depends on our ability to reconfigure as a B-to-C business and start interacting with readers directly free of buffers and intermediaries. From product development, to consumer feedback, to buyer-less sell-in for digital products, to direct to consumer sales, to verticality, to providing readers with what they want, a new wave of customer interaction needs to guide us along our paths to the future.
Now, do you remember that money which we took from marketing budgets slated for BEA? What if we funneled that money into establishing direct consumer contact? Think of the awesome changes we could make in place of printing thousands upon thousands of galleys that end up in the hands of someone who could get the book for free regardless.
I can only repeat these wise words, something I didn’t fully understand just a few months ago, “The reader is the consumer who is your customer.”
Quote Of The Week Archive
It thrills me that the book community is actively participating in the South by Southwest Interactive festival. For some, it’s an opportunity to explore the latest and greatest in technologies and trends; for others, it’s a chance to discover how others fit into the publishing ecosystem; and, for all, it’s a chance to connect with [...]
In yesterday’s post, Gina Frangello talked life as an indie author. Or, more specifically, life as an indie author who is also an indie publisher. She toured, she was paid (sort of), she got great press. She learned lessons. What happened next. As she says:
One of the best parts of my job is discovering what goes on in all corners of publishing. If you look beyond Manhattan, you see innovation, experimentation, and, yes, consternation as changes to the industry seem to happen every day. I am asking those who are involved in these ventures to share successes, failures, ideas, [...]
If you are contract, royalties, or publishing geek, today (yesterday?) was an exciting day. Sort of like the bully saying “I’m gonna beat you up” every day until the scrawny kid picks a fight. All concepts relative. As promised, agent Andrew Wylie did what he said he would: “We will take our 700 clients, see [...]
I’ve spent the past month listening and reading. I reminded myself of all the positive, cool, exciting projects happening in publishing today — and there are many (I’ve been asking those involved to post here to share what they are doing). I’ve considered what happens next, and focused a lot on what readers are saying, [...]
Browse Older Articles
Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism.
Why not let us send Booksquare right to your inbox? It's free and we promise not to share your email address with anyone else.
A mostly true story.
I focus on the importance of getting basics right before leaping into the magical world of enhanced ebooks.
At Advent Books, I offer up a recommendation.
A look at the piracy numbers released by the AAP.
Guesting at Lauren Dane's site, I offer thoughts on publishing, especially as they relate to authors.
More worrisome numbers from Borders. Here's hoping the teddy bears do the trick.
From Jennifer Weiner: Instead of asking which books and which authors deserve the Times' coverage, maybe we should think about what kind of book review section readers deserve. Not a crazy idea at all.
Stieg Larsson, who will not likely be producing more books, drives huge dollars to Random House. His ebook sales are phenomenal. Which leads to the question: does the lack of an iBookstore agreement hurt RH in any way?
And there you have it. An ereader below $100. Oh, wow, the world is still turning.
Possibly the most interesting part of this story -- seriously, of course the chances of a print edition were diminish, especially if the next version is 20 years away -- is that the dictionary has never made a profit. Love that Oxford University (Press) is focused on the big picture.