Finding doors to dollars

Much of the discussion around digital publishing seems to center on the loss of revenue and the erosion of publisher control in many of the new markets. ebook vendors are looking for a cut of the publishers’ income, and readers are looking for what they believe should be savings because they don’t receive a hard copy. What consumers often fail to realize is publishing, not just printing and distributing costs money. To cope, publishers are exploring new ways to be profitable in these new business models. Part of the complication in this search is continuing to think inside the ereader box.

 

Tablets, particularly the introduction of newer models running varying operating systems are opening the markets for consumers and publishers. Tablet browsers remove the restrictions to app-only viewing of content. The beauty of the internet is its diversity and its lack of reliance on specific software to perform to reach the masses. This makes web-based publishing options more appealing in these evolving spaces. Creating more interactive publications that allow readers to control their experience lets publishers be more expressive in how they present their message. This also lets publishers, especially in the magazine space find new ways to monetize ads and sponsorships using rich media and reader response mechanisms to generate leads for advertisers.

 

Publishers who actively pursue multi-channel publishing using apps, browser presentations, ereader formats, and print have more options for monetizing content than do those who restrict their distribution models. Making each of the different channels attractive to different types of users will take not only smart marketing, but also technology partners who can be flexible and leverage publisher content into these channels efficiently. Interestingly enough, there are a number of these partners available. Publishers simply need to be open to the idea of generating multiple outputs from their publication content and seek out solid partners to get their goals met.

Posted in Digital Media, Mobile Publishing, Online Publishing, Reader Engagement
Tagged custom pub, digital publishing, ereader, tablets