Publishing, branding and the transformation of hard-copies to eBooks

As the impact of eBooks hits hard on the publishing industries, thought leader Brian Altounian shared his insights on the changing sales environment at 2012 South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, TX.

Using his creative capabilities and experience as CEO of eBook branding firm WOWIO, Brian Altounian outlined the future of the industry and explained business models that package content in ways that boosts sales. Tips from his talk, “Publishing Models Transforming the Book”

Publishing and branding go hand-in-hand

• Authors and titles are brands. It’s OK to give for free if publishers are making some money
• Publishers have to do something different, but no one knows what exactly, true for movies, music
• Aim to create content as a brand & learn so when you get deals you don’t negotiate your rights a la movie rights

Traditional publishers mining nontraditional

• Traditional publishers are increasingly going to transmedia … Books are made into TV and movies
• Need more ethnic diversity in authors and audiences to be served
• Creative people are in constant pursuit for an outlet
•  Traditional publishers now investing in eBook, print & audio search sites. Bookish focuses on findability

Multimedia  fully under way

• Why change? People under 40 want content on any device, how and when they want it, and for free
• Traditional publications ARE changing the way they do things! Free seeds interest for future work but is not sustainable long-term
• Content creators thinking multiplatform, cross-strategy, toys & merchandise, how to get everyone onboard & protect assets
• Merchandise deals can take pressure off publishers

What about authors?

• Marketing, discoverability need to be considered
• Content creator needs to self-finance to build interest
• Largest cost to publishers is for talent: paying author and promoting that author
• How are you using analytics and consumer profiling to create content that fits a ready audience?
• Retailers getting into book promotion … All about lifestyle, no?

Thanks for sharing highlights @brianjdixon, @Mollybbarton, @swannamac, @DeahlsDeals, @KeithArsenault, @BrianAltounian