The Future of Publishing

by Victoria Southgate, VixenUK

 

For the past 2 days I have been processing and contemplating the myriad of information I received at this year’s FutureBook Conference and deciding what I think it means to the future of publishing.

Having only worked in the industry since 2008 (and having had first hand experience of the uncertainty that has shrouded the publishers due to the obvious strides being made in new technology) I was hoping to gain an insight and understanding into how the publishing world’s landscape is changing and how this change affects businesses, freelancers and readers.

There was a consensus of the speakers that ‘Publishers’ are now ‘Publishing’ and to progress in the digital age, publishing businesses have to ‘Add Value’. 

I have spent the last 3 years learning and observing the way in which the industry is having to adjust. The shift from the printed book to the eBook. It is an inevitability that everybody in the publishing industry has to embrace this change, or not survive. What I have experienced over the past 3 years is the uncertainty of all publishers, especially those businesses that have trodden the print path for centuries and know of little else. 

The FutureBook conference speakers, who varied from companies that have been at the forefront of the industry for centuries, to some which have been officially trading for less than six months. Gave me hope that the shift I have been experiencing has reached a turning point. The industry as a whole seems to be more positive that it is a change for the better and I heard very little negativity (but then it was a ‘FutureBook’ conference). 

The companies that are embracing change and adapting to becoming fully digital were very enthusiastic about the positive changes – mostly with regards to the quantity of consumers and the different ways in which consumers will buy and read. However, they did not seem to be interested in what could be lost if there is a complete shift to solely embracing eBooks at the expense of physical books. 

‘I was on the tube and the lady opposite me was reading a physical book. I was able to see what she was reading, read the summary on the back cover and by being able to do so, it inspired me to research the book with a view to purchasing it. I was also sitting opposite a young man with an eReader. The screen was full of text and facing away from me, it could have been any book. I had no similar interest or inspiration.’

This eBook vs Physical book experience was reinforced during the conference when one speaker told of the books he has read this year on his eReader, but he could not name them He could not always remember the name or author of the book whilst reading.

So, not only have we already lost the visual advertising opportunities, the eReader has also lost the visual reminder that an illustrated front cover provides. This is not seen as a negative, however, rather – a potential issue that has to be resolved. (I have some great ideas how – which I will discuss in future posts!)

This, for me as a children’s author and illustrator, is an essential and important part of the reading process! – I agree that, for holidays and the heavy reader, the eReader is invaluable and, in my opinion, is a fantastic replacement for the throw away paperbacks and will save the planets forests, but I would like to see more of an effort made to maintain the physical book.

 

My conclusion:

Nobody knows where digital technology is going to take publishing, so it is up to the individual companies to carve their own path. I think it will be the innovations of the reading experience, coupled with flexibility and choice, that will win the support of the consumers.

It is a very exciting time to be a new start-up in this industry. Even the large established companies are having to rethink their business models if they are going to survive, and therefore we are all on an even playing field.

I am passionate that Physical books and eBooks MUST be developed as a ‘package’ for the reading ‘experience’ to survive!

 

My vision of the future of publishing:

eBooks will replace paperbacks and I envision that well-bound hardbacks will be in the homes as bedtime reading, bought as gifts (with the option to download the eBook for free) and as ‘show’ pieces. The quality of the physical book will increase and the eBook will create the flexibility our busy lives require.

Thank you for reading – comments and discussions encouraged!

VixenUK

 

 

Tags: book, eBook, future, futurebook, physical, Publishing