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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Robert Boston's take on Publishing today


(Note: Rob was unable to access the blog, so he asked me to publish this on his behalf)

Publishing is changing! Be it through technological innovation, socio-cultural changes within society, economic factors or through political ramifications of the prior mentioned elements, the basic business model of the publishing industry is becoming as outdated and exhibited so, as the Caxton press or even Guttenberg’s pioneering creation.
                But where is the new markets and profit to be made in this creative industry? Failure to innovate leads to stagnation and eventual collapse, whilst pioneering new and uncharted grounds can lead to investment in ideas and technology, which, despite initial successes can fail to appeal to the majority of the primary audience, resulting in all charted ground lost, or at the mercy of those following in ones footsteps. The current thorn in the side of publishers appears to be that of E-book publishing and the spectrum of follow up questions which come thick and fast at the mentioning of this touchy subject. What format? Where to sell them? Sharing rights? Cost? User generated content? Book or game?
                Through looking at the available data, it is impossible to hypothesise a definitive and profit making business model, yet the time has come for publishers to begin the steady transition into the brave new world of the 21st century and the technological updates and lifestyles which have revolutionised various other sectors of the entertainment industry.

 - Robert Boston

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