10 th Jubilee Congress of Slovenian Publishers The evolution of bookselling Sheila Lambie Senior Lecturer, Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies
Outline of talk § § § Understanding the environment The marketing mix: old and new Tools of the trade The key role of publicity Discoverability – why is it important? Metadata in the publishing industry Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies
Understanding the competitive environment § “Any company that drives forward while looking out the rear view mirror will sooner or later run into a …. ” § Scan the environment § Google, Amazon, Apple, new rivals, new technologies, new markets § Gather information: constantly and from a wide range of sources § Make sense of the information § Analyse its implications § Use tools to help you act and differentiate yourself § PEST/PESTEL, SWOT analyses § Ansoff Matrix, Boston Matrix
How out of date is the traditional ‘marketing mix’? The famous 4 Ps = a promise § Product = Content in Context § Price = Customer value § Place = Convenience § Promotion = Communication, Conversation
The Product or Content in Context § Encyclopedia Britannica, from print-only to - CD-Roms - Internet licensing - Apps for the i. Pad - Chunks of content for partners
Enhanced Ebooks – where publishing meets marketing, and readers get more value
Price or Customer value Format Hardback Paperback Ebook Price £ 12. 99 rrp £ 8. 31 Amazon £ 7. 99 rrp £ 3. 92 Amazon £ 7. 99 rrp £ 7. 21 min from chains (Kobo, etc) £ 1. 99 Amazon Kindle (not to mention the audiobook; Amazon owns Audible!)
Place or Convenience Customer choice is everything now, but good service plays a part http: //chippingnortonbooks. tbpcontrol. co. uk Amazon has world domination in view; can it be controlled? But what happens when all the booksellers have gone? And what happens when the publishers’ profits are nil?
Promotion or Communication, conversation, and community
‘Prosumers’ (producers who are also consumers) can access and read content in so many different ways now § § § § Social media Blogs Instant messaging Email Mobile Discussion forums Video and music sites Ebooks that encourage you to talk to friends and even the author (eg Kobo)
We need to use these tools better: Fa. Bs, USPs, and AIDA § FAB = Feature and Benefit F: concrete, specific, measurable, “editorial” B: fuzzy, emotional, practical, “marketing” Ask: ‘So what? ’ Answer: ‘…which means…’ § USP = unique selling proposition § AIDA = Attract Attention → Gain Interest → Create Desire → Call to Action
So how can publishers and booksellers put themselves at the centre of these ‘conversations’? § Provide the tools and the places for interaction and communication § Add value to the experience of reading/sharing/discussing the content § Use the tried and tested tools we have § Focus on the quality that we as specialists can offer – but will the quantity follow? ! § Don’t allow Google and the other techie companies to take over access, search, and discovery, as these are the new ways of selling
The key role of publicity Publishers: do more of it! Booksellers: just do it! § § § To increase sales To raise profile To create word of mouth, recommendations Pivotal role – internally and externally Internally: with other departments Externally: author, agent, customers, influencers § Matching media with book and author, matching events with author Not just digital: twitter isn’t the answer to everything!
Why is ‘discoverability’ so important? § The information on Google and other search engines is only ‘good enough’ § If you don’t provide the right information for the right range of contexts, no one will find your content § People are starting to ‘try before they buy’, ie usage before purchase § Many people are looking at the topic before they look at the title § Google is hackable and corruptable (and messes up!); they, Apple, and Amazon have their own agendas
Metadata is critical to discoverability § The title of this book is “This is a Call ” § If you searched for “ Dave Grohl ” you wouldn’t find it. § If you searched for “ Kurt ” you wouldn’t find it. (“We’ve fixed that now”, say Harper Collins)
Metadata in the publishing industry § Not just author, title, a clear abstract, and key words § You need metadata elements such as - related editions - movie tie-ins - other titles in a series - prizes, rankings, awards § Publishers need to gather, structure, maintain it § Booksellers need to present it in an attractive and simple way Then people can discover, assess, and…buy!
Any questions? Hvala Thank you sheila. lambie@brookes. ac. uk
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