Publishing Digital Books

Publishing Digital Books (And Beyond):

The Future is NOW but also mostly later

Digital-First Publishing

Operations: Downsize or outsource printing, distribution, overhead or integrate digital and print

divisions. Operational and Psychological investment.

Culture: Top-down leadership: clearly communicate benefits, strategy

Products: Broader portfolio of products across multiple platforms requires significant investments.

Huge marketing implications: No longer just banners and buttons, but full service multi-platform

marketing services.

http://www.emediavitals.com/content/what-does-digital-first-really-mean

Enhanced Books

Some Facts (as of January 2012)

Number of Enhanced Books is Growing:

(BUT only 432 listed yesterday!)

Not supporting significant price increases:

On average, the enhanced edition of title is priced $2.00 higher 48% of the top 50 enhanced in

iBookstore are free

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/enhanced-projects-best-practices/

The 2012 Enhanced Strategy

Pick the right projects

Version, not conversion

What are you going to be great at?

Pick the right partners

Organic, essential enhancements

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/enhanced-projects-best-practices/

Organic, Essential Enhancements

Audio/Video/Animation

Tools http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/enhanced-projects-best-practices/

Architectural Constraints

iBooks

Up to 2 GB ePub file

500 MB recommended video size

Video window always 300px x

150px

Media files non-DRM

Video: MP4 or H.264

Barnes & Noble

Video file size max: 600 MB

Audeo file size max: 600 MB

Video: MP4 or H.264

Audio: MP4/AAC or MP3

Amazon

Video only supported in Kindle for

iPad

Must create separate A/V TOC

Video file size max: 600 MB

Video: MP4 or H.264

Audio: MP3

Audio: MP4/AAC

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/enhanced-projects-best-practices/

Read Aloud Capabilities

Nook Colour/Tablet

Narration tied to text sections

Can play each section

independently

No word highlighting

No interactivity

Kindle Fire

Text-to-speech enabled by default,

but publishers can opt out

Control reading speed, male or

female voice

iBooks

Narration tied to each word

Can set it up to highlight words as

they are read

Other great features and

interactivity

Siri reading bedtime stories from

iPad iPhone?

Althoughhttp://joanganzcooneycenter.org/upload_kits/jgcc_ebooks_quickreport.pdf

So hot right now

Red Lemonade

Prints books from Cursor,

social network platform.

Free to read on site.

www.redlemona.de

Interview with Richard Nash:

http://www.bostonreview.net/BR36.5/richard_nash_cursor_red_lemonade_book_publishing_business.php