
#FutureChat recap: Your 2015 Digital Publishing Predictions
Join us for a live (and usually lively) #FutureChat with The FutureBook digital community, weekly on Fridays at 4 p.m. London (GMT), 5 p.m. Rome, 11 a.m. New York, 8 a.m. Los Angeles.
We asked, and we received.
We started with the excellent, provocative predictions of a group of invited guests. We'd asked them to give us around 50 words each on what they see ahead in digital publishing.
Among some of the strongest commentary we had was Philip Jones' estimation of the reader's place in the digital dynamic in publishing. He wrote:
What really interests me in 2015 is the reader...The reader has adapted particularly well to this new environment, showing that they are not put off by different forms, or formats, and are willing adopters of new business models, that they happily use alongside the old ones. As a sector it can often appear that we look to ourselves rather than to the end-user when we think about content creation, or the wider services we put alongside these pieces of work.
From Molly Barton, we heard about data-driven marketing.
From Piers Blofeld, about things becoming "predictable again." Odd how good that idea sounds, isn't it?
From Tom Bonnick, we heard about exploiting creative content across platforms; from Liza Daly about innovation from outside the industry. From Sara Lloyd, we heard about digital diversification and from Crystal Mahey-Morgan about YouTubers and impatient innovation-minded publishing employees jumping ship. Craig Mod had us think about Facebook as a "partial-platform for publishers."
Dave Morris prompted us to look for "an original novel (as opposed to a classic) where interactivity is integral and serves to deepend emotional involvement with the story." Richard Nash warned of Amazon's structure, its ready stack that can support new-product development. And Sophie Rochester wondered if we might see "a deceleration of digital R&D from publishers."
These and many more outlooks were followed by a strong brace of comments -- and then by our turn to #FutureChat to see what members of our digital publishing FutureBook community think might be ahead.
And even as the ghostwriting affair around Zoe Sugg's Girl Online played through, Lucy Broughton brought us a good question about whether in 2015 we could see standard celebrity memoir giving way to YouTube star turns:
Definitely agree- making way for a stream of youtuber books next year perhaps? #FutureChat pic.twitter.com/99zGFCLlGY
— Lucy Broughton (@lucyybroughton) December 19, 2014
I have to agree with Crystal Mahey that we will see a lot of Youtuber books coming in 2015 #FutureChat
— Dan Wood (@DanWoodOk) December 19, 2014
Here are some more highlights of our #FutureChat predictions -- with our thanks to everyone who dropped by to join in.
@Porter_Anderson @TheBookseller not a word about textbooks? every retailer is fighting to win the textbook war #FutureChat
— Tzviya Siegman (@TzviyaSiegman) December 19, 2014
@Porter_Anderson @thebookseller i don't think there will be 1 winner. many pubs are doing x-platform and their own. #FutureChat
— Tzviya Siegman (@TzviyaSiegman) December 19, 2014
.@porter_anderson One of the stories will be the staying power of the Bigs, making incremental changes and alliances. #FutureChat
— James Scott Bell (@jamesscottbell) December 19, 2014
I've been shocked, @jamesscottbell, at how slow the Bigs have been to change--and how small their changes seem. #FutureChat
— Judy Christie (@judypchristie) December 19, 2014
It's really hard for any major industry, used to one way for 100 years, to switch gears. @judypchristie #FutureChat
— James Scott Bell (@jamesscottbell) December 19, 2014
I just wrote an essay on indie publishing; it's high time for some kind of détente #FutureChat
— Simon Collinson (@Simon_Collinson) December 19, 2014
That's my hope, too @Simon_Collison--we're all in this together, we can all play in the same sandbox :) @Porter_Anderson #futurechat
— Dana Britt (@Dana_Britt) December 19, 2014
The biggest changes in 2015 will almost certainly be things that none of us could predict. I've always said that I feel 1/2 #futurechat
— Tim @ Stoneham Press (@StonehamPress) December 19, 2014
that this idea of Amazon's continued ebook dominance in publishing is by now means certain. 2/2 #futurechat
— Tim @ Stoneham Press (@StonehamPress) December 19, 2014
.@porter_anderson Don't bet heavily against Seattle. Bezos is the Russell Wilson of industry, finding ways to win. #futurechat
— James Scott Bell (@jamesscottbell) December 19, 2014
I'd love to see a reader-focused literary-performance-led indie festival run by @amandapalmer & @neilhimself #FutureChat
— Dan Holloway (@agnieszkasshoes) December 19, 2014
I'd also love to see the Vida count show all major literary media reviewing many more women, trans, PoC authors #futurechat
— Dan Holloway (@agnieszkasshoes) December 19, 2014
.@agnieszkasshoes @Porter_Anderson @thebookseller and an end to unpaid internships #FutureChat
— Julia Garvey (@marketingjulia) December 19, 2014
@marketingjulia @agnieszkasshoes @Porter_Anderson @thebookseller #FutureChat Absolutely:expectations of free interning = a diversity barrier
— Amy Davies (@amy_davies) December 19, 2014
@amy_davies @agnieszkasshoes @Porter_Anderson @thebookseller and in some cases just plain slave labour #FutureChat
— Julia Garvey (@marketingjulia) December 19, 2014
@marketingjulia @agnieszkasshoes @Porter_Anderson @thebookseller Though don't see that it'll change? 'Mutual benefit' too strong #FutureChat
— Amy Davies (@amy_davies) December 19, 2014
.@Porter_Anderson @thebookseller I'd like to see all big publishing corps pay living wage and full taxes. Not a hope! #FutureChat
— Dan Holloway (@agnieszkasshoes) December 19, 2014
Reading should be thrilling, communal and an event not to be missed. That's our vision. #futurechat
— The Pigeonhole (@ThePigeonholeHQ) December 19, 2014
@Porter_Anderson @Jeff_Shear @StonehamPress We are still in the infancy of eBooks, much will change and radically and quickly. #FutureChat
— David Neal (@WalrusWinks) December 19, 2014
One thing we'll watch closely, and that should become clearer in 2015 is the viability of the subscription model #KU #FutureChat
— Ricardo Fayet (@RicardoFayet) December 19, 2014
@RicardoFayet not viable, but it might take until 2016 for that to become clear #FutureChat
— Andrew Rhomberg (@arhomberg) December 19, 2014
@RicardoFayet @Dana_Britt Yes: can any subscription service survive long-term without Hachette & PRH? My money's on no #futurechat
— Simon Collinson (@Simon_Collinson) December 19, 2014
How do you see the business model evolving in 2015? Less advances & longer contracts? More royalties? #FutureChat
— Ricardo Fayet (@RicardoFayet) December 19, 2014
@RicardoFayet who knows, nothing is ever clear in book publishing, sigh #FutureChat
— Andrew Rhomberg (@arhomberg) December 19, 2014
.@arhomberg Was that an exasperation sigh or an excited one? ;) #FutureChat
— Ricardo Fayet (@RicardoFayet) December 19, 2014
#FutureChat In the spirit of less us/them conflict, will more trad pub authors explore what self-pubs can teach them re platform, marketing?
— Carla Douglas (@CarlaJDouglas) December 19, 2014
.@CarlaJDouglas I agree and think that's already happening. Trad colleagues are VERY curious. #FutureChat
— JJ Marsh (@JJMarsh1) December 19, 2014
@Jeff_Shear Would sure love to see better contracts for authors butI think they will get more draconian @Porter_Anderson #Futurechat
— Dan Wood (@DanWoodOk) December 19, 2014
@Porter_Anderson on the topic of the power of agents, just saw a posting on RWA forums and most respondents were very pro agent
— Tracey Sorel Lyons (@TraceyJLyons) December 19, 2014
Further fracturing of old industry models means more opportunities for services like editing to go independent. #predictions #FutureChat
— AuthorRise (@AuthorRise) December 19, 2014
.@AuthorRise I think more staff are looking to go independent & enjoy greater control/freedom over their work #FutureChat
— Julia Garvey (@marketingjulia) December 19, 2014
@CarlaJDouglas @AuthorRise I suspect Author finance solutions may appear (and having nothing to do with Author Solutions!) #futurechat
— Tim @ Stoneham Press (@StonehamPress) December 19, 2014
@WalrusWinks well I can see iBooks dying. #futurechat
— Tim @ Stoneham Press (@StonehamPress) December 19, 2014
@StonehamPress they've spent millions this year making it better @WalrusWinks
— Andrew Rhomberg (@arhomberg) December 19, 2014
@arhomberg @WalrusWinks But still a very closed format. Most things with apple are too Apple-centric.
— Tim @ Stoneham Press (@StonehamPress) December 19, 2014
@StonehamPress @WalrusWinks that's the Apple way, always has
— Andrew Rhomberg (@arhomberg) December 19, 2014
.@CarlaJDouglas @AuthorRise perhaps freelance editors/marketers cld work for sales %? #FutureChat
— Julia Garvey (@marketingjulia) December 19, 2014
@marketingjulia Why isn't that happening. It would create virtual teams: virtual publishers. All win. #futurechat
— jlshear (@Jeff_Shear) December 19, 2014
@Porter_Anderson @marketingjulia @Jeff_Shear Yes,too risky if sales are low; if bestseller, au. would rather pay a flat fee. #FutureChat
— Carla Douglas (@CarlaJDouglas) December 19, 2014
Lines between trad publishers and indie authors will blur considerably as publishers adapt @Porter_Anderson #FutureChat
— AuthorRise (@AuthorRise) December 19, 2014
And optimism from Los Angeles:
.@porter_anderson Writers who are corks on the roiling sea of change will continue to float toward real income. #futurechat
— James Scott Bell (@jamesscottbell) December 19, 2014
Plus:
#futurechat Oh, Merry Christmas to all and to all a Happy New Year!
— jlshear (@Jeff_Shear) December 19, 2014
Join us for a live (and usually lively) #FutureChat with The FutureBook digital community, weekly on Fridays at 4 p.m. London (GMT), 5 p.m. Rome, 11 a.m. New York, 8 a.m. Los Angeles. Main image - Shutterstock: Francesca Scalena