Digital Book World 2011

Publishers and industry-types alike came out in droves for the Digital Book World conference at the end of January. Attendance was nearly double that of the 2010 conference (which attracted approximately 700 attendees). This large increase clearly demonstrates that digital issues are of great concern among our colleagues across the globe. As a first-time attendee in 2011, I can also say that it is largely due to the great amount of care, effort and thought put forth by organizer Mike Shatzkin and his team.

From an export standpoint, rights—and who owns them—were a central issue at the conference. In his opening address, Shatzkin suggested that publishers need to take action by:

1. Engaging with their conumers and communities

2. Getting rights in order

3. Exploring new markets and partners beyond Amazon and Google.

The Digital Book World program highlighted these issues. One the most talked-about presentations covered the creation of vertical communities. Speakers from F+W Media, Sterling Publishing and Frommers along with Ed Nawotka from Publishing Perspectives, discussed what they’re doing to create new business from their publishing programs. Essentially, verticals open up new markets and areas of opportunity for publishers and their content by maximizing the discoverability of content in distinct subject areas. The premise is that if a publisher gets involved with different communities and or groups that are interested in particular areas where the publisher has established expertise, there is potential for new revenue streams.
To quote Sara Domville of F+W Media,

“Ultimately, “verticals” are about becoming synonymous with a given subject in the same way that Amazon has become synonymous with online shopping.”

From a rights perspective, agents and publishers extolled the virtues of knowing who owns rights to backlist titles, getting those rights in order, and securing rights for digital and new media content where possible, particulary as related to frontlist publications. The keyword was ‘transmedia,’ and it’s clear that publishers need to think about leveraging their content across all media, not just in the traditional print arena.  According to Scott Walker of Brain Candy,

“There’s so much potential with transmedia storytelling it’s difficult to say where we’ll be even 12 months from now. We are experimenting at all levels, trying to discover how much content will work across how many platforms.”

Finally, publishers were encouraged to explore new business models through partnerships with companies like Ingram and Overdrive. While Canadian publishers may very well choose to work with Ingram on digital or print-on-demand initiatives, it’s likely that other options will emerge for partnership in digital asset distribution; eBound Canada is an example. The sentiment, however, is that business is changing. Publishers cannot rely solely on old ways of doing business. The mandate offered by Digital Book World was, Experiment and have no fear!
 
Some of the presentations from the DBW 2011 conference are available here, and more will surely come.  Content is posted regularly throughout the year. And if you’re not already following Mike Shatzkin’s blog, it’s well worth the read.

Tricia McCraney | 02/28/2011 |

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