The Bookseller.com

7th September 2008

Philip Jones is the managing editor of theBookseller.com. He will blog with links and comment about the book business.

A digital mash-up

13.02.08

It was no coincidence that both HarperCollins and Random House chose to unveil their new digital initiatives on the eve of the second O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing conference. The conference is likely to set the agenda for publishers' digital conversations for the remainder of the year. Publishers are rarely regarded as being at the vanguard of the digital whatever (witness Nick Clee's piece on the Guardian, with the giveaway title "Publishers are lost online"), so full marks to both houses for giving it a go.

But if the blogs from "TOC" attendees Macmillan's Sara Lloyd and Little, Brown's George Walkley are anything to go by these "promotions" (as we may as well call them), are not nearly radical enough. As Harper's c.e.o. Jane Friedman admitted, their free book offer was still all about selling printed books, NOT pushing the online reading experience. "The best way to sell books is to have the consumer be able to read some of that content."

Too true, but if the digital pioneers are to be believed they are flogging a dead press. Witness tech advocate Peter Collingridge at a recent Bookseller seminar. "My favourite bit was telling an industry what we thought was the future of their business whilst showing a slide of a mushroom cloud. Apologies for the hyperbole…"

Or O'Reilly speaker Kirk Biglione, from Medialoper, as reported by George:

• The future of all media is digital.
• At some point, there’ll be an iPod moment for the book trade.

There is more from both Sara and George, and I commend both sites for their balanced reporting of an event that must at times be uncomfortable listening for people whose expenses are no doubt paid, still, by the sale of printed books (to real consumers)--more often than not through actual bookshops.

In fact, it was through reading these blogs, as well as the reports from The Bookseller seminar, as well as my daily interactions with digital heads, that led me to wonder if the advocates of the digital dream shouldn't take better care when dealing with their sponsors.

I wonder if telling book publishers that they are going out of business is always the best strategy.

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