Digital innovation has literally taken over the roles of traditional publishing and brought the once secretive service, to the full thrust of the general public. Writers have become more liberal in their choice of publishers and the once established traditional publishers have had to contend with the ever-growing and aggressive start-up publishing companies.
This new breed of online publishers has totally changed the equation about publishing in this age of technological innovation. Simply, online publishing can neither be wished away nor ignored.
Online Book Publishing Business Idea
Online book publishing involves the use of computer software that can quickly format, print and publish books at very affordable prices. This method of publishing offers great flexibility in handling the entire process required to publish an article or a book.
A text or copy of a book can easily be converted into an e-book which can be ordered online and reproduced according to demand. This eliminates traditional method’s constraint where books are printed in bulk regardless of the market forces.
Online books are demand-driven.
Marketing Online Books
Publishers have a wide range of options to market their books using modern technologies available. As a publisher, you need to look out for options out there, compare results and find what best works for you. You can use your own online bookstore or simply upload a copy to big online stores such as Amazon, iBookstore, the Barnes & Noble website among others.
Other methods of online marketing would include “Product placing” which involves attaching excerpts from the book to social sites like facebook, Flickr, Instagram in order to generate discussions about the book and creating interest. There are no limits as to how far marketing online published books can go.
Challenges from Online publishing
Online publishing, however, is a rough road to take. Challenges abound and some of the most quoted challenges include:
The low entry barrier- there are so many channels existing and hence the publisher does not control the proliferation of book copies in the market.
- Outdated online tools for publishing and marketing
- Declining advertisement revenue
- Constant change in search engine algorithms complicating the reliance on the keyword optimization mechanisms
- Short-attention-span of online readers
Overcoming Challenges as a publisher
Despite these challenges, publishers need to establish strategies on how to remain in the market and to provide leverage to their writers. At the back of the mind, every publisher wants to create a niche for a highly segmented society and establish loyal consumers.
At the same time, they also strategise on growing the audience while maintaining the loyal ones. This is a kind of dilemma that all publishers face. All these can be overcome however by laying strategies like:
- Churn out compelling and unique articles that will keep readers coming back for more
- Diversify your source of revenue rather than depend on one source of the advertisement clicks
- Aesthetic touch to online books should be top notch making sure that someone will quickly pay attention to your books
- Publishers should pay attention to the design of their product and make it more appealing to their targeted audience
Conclusion
As an online publisher, you should expect all the challenges, disruptions, and the dynamic online market. The key to survival and success is building a winning strategy to keep you afloat and on the edge of profitability.
Author Bio
Dominic Ngalo is a Kenyan expert in matters of online publishing. He can be reached on otienodominic[at]gmail[dot]com.
