What is your digital strategy? What does the future of books look like?
No one knows where they’re going, not really. Publishing is reacting to the same seismic shifts as other ents - music, gaming, TV. Stories aren’t changing, only how they are delivered, and that change hasn’t finished.
Predicting technologies isn’t our job, right? Well, no, but as the technology is transforming it is publishers’ role to experiment and take advantage of opportunities while they are available.
If you don’t have a digital strategy, don’t worry. No one does.
The fact that no one has a strategy means that the playing field is level. That won’t last long.
Already Amazon is trialling pilot shows – letting audiences decide which get made by voting via viewership – while buying up rights to broadcast older shows and movies. Penguin is hoping to earn on IP investments. Hachette and Walker Books are both driving forward with licensing, exploiting new L&M on books and shows – with Walker’s partnership with Aardman on distribution flourishing. Netflix have just signed on Dreamworks to create 300 hours of new animated television.
No matter how big/small the company, there are new start-ups and innovators, new thinkers and disruptive models appearing every week – take advantage of the dust in the air and run some new ideas.
Be creative, try something you would never have tried before. There thousands of potential, scalable ways to experiment – including partnerships with new start-ups, or simply offer some support or resources.
Watch Kickstarter, find a campaign you like, reach out and let them know you could support them. If there’s a service agency looking to launch a slate, row with them. A band that could make it, give them a voice. A short film, offer them hosting space on your server.
You get the idea. All of it is scalable to the size of the budget… but there are no limits.
Not really.