Today, many of us don't take up our reading up on a computer. E-readers have been widely available from around 2006' (Hall, F, p. 117) We divert to the e-reader, which is growing and developing everyday. The increasing digital market means publishers are being further challenged to keep up with the technical ability of a new eBook product.
Publishing expert Clay Shirky once said "Publishing is not a job anymore. That’s a button. There’s a button that says ‘publish,’ and when you press it, it’s done". A Business model such as an app has to be both affordable and straightforward for the consumer. For publishers, dealing with an app can be far less complicated than hardcopies themselves but exploring and structuring an eBook is only the starting point. Publishers need to not only be granted rights to this digital format but also distinguish the costs such as transferring the texts into the digital files or formats:
1. Paid for app – self explanatory, the app is paid for by the consumer and covers all areas of the book environment
2. The free app – this is usually used for marketing and to cover sale success over a period of time
3. An In-app subscription – a subscription to the eBook is made from an in app purchase and usually paid monthly. This helps publishers experiment with pricing and quality content.
'Whether to publish as open access or not, the whole debate is challenging as it considers different business models, different delivery mechanisms, changes in user expectations, leaving publishers to seek new ways to commercialise content' (Lossius, G. 2013). Most consumers are going to need to purchase any book through the app, however they are going to be more willing to pay for a variety of ways to engage in the topic than a hardcopy.
Publishers need to be confident with the quality of the content on the app so that customers would be highly persuaded to buy this over a hardcopy. Further things for publishers to consider with business models for the digital market would be updating the app or eBook regularly, making sure any glitches are fixed and increase sales by producing new updates for the consumer. Most of these apps wills also 'include ads, both in-text and display ads. A few will experiment with product placement strategies, marketing, and other ideas for cross-promoting products' (Frey, T. 2014).
Both these diagrams are taken from: http://seekingalpha.com/article/250074-e-book-sales-will-outpace-app-revenue-by-2013
Both show how ebook sales in the US are slowly evolving over a physical book, with sales to reach a staggering '$2.7 billion by 2013 with a compound annual growth rate of 72%' (Dignan, L. 2014).
Bibliography:
Clay Shirky, “How we will read: Clay Shirky" interview by Sonja Sarayia, Findings (blog). April 2012, http://blog.findings.com/post/20527246081/how-we-will-read-clay-shirky, accessed October 27th.
Dignan, L. (2014). E-Book Sales Will Outpace App Revenue by 2013. [online] Seekingalpha.com. Available at: http://seekingalpha.com/article/250074-e-book-sales-will-outpace-app-revenue-by-2013 [Accessed 30 Oct. 2014].
Hall, F (2013). The Business of Digital Publishing. London: Routledge. p117-118.
Frey, T. (2014). The Fall of Book Publishing: The Rise of New E-Book Business Models [online] Davinciinstitute.com. Available at: http://www.davinciinstitute.com/papers/the-fall-of-book-publishing-the-rise-of-new-e-book-business-models/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2014].
Lossius, G. (2013). Publishers should invest in skills, business models and new ideas in 2014. [online] Publishing Technology. Available at: http://www.publishingtechnology.com/2013/10/publishers-skills-business-models-2014/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2014].
Both show how ebook sales in the US are slowly evolving over a physical book, with sales to reach a staggering '$2.7 billion by 2013 with a compound annual growth rate of 72%' (Dignan, L. 2014).
Bibliography:
Clay Shirky, “How we will read: Clay Shirky" interview by Sonja Sarayia, Findings (blog). April 2012, http://blog.findings.com/post/20527246081/how-we-will-read-clay-shirky, accessed October 27th.
Dignan, L. (2014). E-Book Sales Will Outpace App Revenue by 2013. [online] Seekingalpha.com. Available at: http://seekingalpha.com/article/250074-e-book-sales-will-outpace-app-revenue-by-2013 [Accessed 30 Oct. 2014].
Hall, F (2013). The Business of Digital Publishing. London: Routledge. p117-118.
Frey, T. (2014). The Fall of Book Publishing: The Rise of New E-Book Business Models [online] Davinciinstitute.com. Available at: http://www.davinciinstitute.com/papers/the-fall-of-book-publishing-the-rise-of-new-e-book-business-models/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2014].
Lossius, G. (2013). Publishers should invest in skills, business models and new ideas in 2014. [online] Publishing Technology. Available at: http://www.publishingtechnology.com/2013/10/publishers-skills-business-models-2014/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2014].