Industry Survey March-May

There is continued focus upon how the industry can save money. As such the issues around distribution came under scrutiny in an extended section in Bookseller. The essence of which is that the majority or publishers have far too much warehouse space. There is also a growing trend for print on demand as opposed to printing in bulk in order to keep costs down.

Despite its usual position as a good performer academic books look set to be in decline. There is real animosity towards the government as funding cuts limit academic establishments and students spending power in this sector. As such Blackwells are trying out a new scheme where a student can rent a textbook instead of buying it outright. The final details have yet to be hammered out but in principal I think the idea could be a good one.

There is a lot of focus upon social media as a way for publishers to interact directly with their market. Which has leveled the playing field in some respects, as such there is a growing realization that smaller organizations can punch above their weight. With more are more success stories to show for it. Particularly as the agency model row continues and more authors begin to self publish. Penguin in particular has really taken up social media marketing, via twitter. The results of which have interestingly, now been published as a physical book. Perhaps pointing to the value of having something that perhaps feels more permanent? Twitter in particular has a fluid feel to it, which Penguin has tried to hold still and capture on paper.

There is a growing trend for publishers to team up with digital partners in order to fill the skills gaps. An interesting advert for a digital company offering such a service proffers ‘blended publishing’ as part of its package. A phrase I haven’t come across before but seems to refer to digital books being ‘much more than a digital version.’ They are however careful to stipulate that ‘they are cautious to ensure that interactivity is included for a purpose.’ Which is well in line with everyone else dipping his or her toe into digital. It is quite noticeable in the past few months that more of these digital partners are advertising in publishing magazines. It is probably something worth me following up in the next term in order to see what these partners are actually doing.

Now it seems that publishers have realized that apps can be good selling tools but they are wary to not push that too far. “How to be Brave in Business and Win” has just been promoted by a very nice looking app. This has led to them gaining a good amount of presales and is a good example of digital and analogue living in harmony. There are further examples dotted around of people using apps well. Ladybird has been particularly good at this with 14,000 of its first app having sold since January. However despite the good sales of Ladybirds app there are still some concerns that a book on a screen isn’t the same. With some people expressing concerns that the child would become too absorbed in pressing the buttons to truly be reading the book. On the other hand it is also soothing some parents, reading even on an electronic device is still a good thing. As such it is assuaging their guilt over their child spending so much time on electronic devices.