I don't work in a publishing company nor I could claim that I'm thoroughly knowledgeable about the industry. I just know that ever since I was a kid together with the thought of being an archaeologist, librarian and a forensic scientist (yes working with dead people), I'd always dream of working in a publishing house. It's funny that even though I love books so much, I've never really pictured myself as the writer. Writing is something that I just would like to do but not as a full time career. I also like to own a bookstore and a library, but for a more corporate hunter and for a person who likes structure and schedules, working in an industry is more appealing to me.
For years of collecting and reading books I've become familiar with Random House, Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon Shuster just to name a few. I always see their imprints before I start on Chapter 1 and I could just imagine the power they bring to terrorize and snob the new writers. Selling good books are their business and these well known publishers only get the best. You have to rely on them for meticulous research, study and reviews on the books they print out. Of course there are smaller, independent publishing houses out there that hit remarkable wonders, but for these big publishing houses, it's where every career-writer's wish to be published.
Publishing now has to take on a new phase even for these global companies. E-Books now are harder to ignore. Even for a traditional book collector like myself who will never tire of reading and buying books, I've already succumbed to the e-book phenomena. Why not? It took me years to realize that I should at least try a new medium. Ultimately there's nothing wrong with it. I previously felt I was being a traitor to books but I figured I'm more for the stories anyway however they are presented. It may be in print or electronic, but I am a reader because I love stories and information. I would always love to go in a bookstore, smell and buy books and actually put a physical copy in my shelf. It won't change, but at the same time I should recognize other media as a more practical and modern move that would benefit me as a reader. I strike that collector and reader balance. But for more tech-savvy netizens out there, I know they wouldn't pay so much for a printed copy.
As a consumer, together with technology and connectivity, e-books are admittedly cheaper. I have 1000 ebooks in my laptop and 40 stored in my IPAD for less than 100 dollars shared and bought from different sources. The gadgets and together with the e-copies are available to take advantage of. Imagine having 1000 titles at your disposal at minimal cost.
Also, E-books are very practical. If you love to read and have no inclinations to collect because of minimal space, E-Books are perfect. While I was in Hong Kong, I witnessed how their bookstores are not that sophisticated and grand compared to Manila. They love to shop, but I got a feeling that bookstores are not as patronized and accessible as in the Philippines. It's not that Hong Kong folks do not love to read, but Hong Kong is a small country with a high-tech society. Everyone there has the most recent gadgets but with limited living space like in a condo. So why would they buy books when they could read it in their units? E-books are also easier to share which gives more reason for people to read. It may not nourish my desires in the area of book collecting, but it would definitely give me more access to books. It took me a while to get used to reading in IPAD, but I now I think I'm well adjusted.
In general as a consumer, e-books give us another option to read wonderful stories and get our hands on information. It's cheaper, lighter and accessible. As a consumer, e-books gave birth to gadgets or it's the other way around, either way we both enjoy the benefits. The only party that I see who would get down to the boardroom and strategize would be the publishing industry.
With technology and the industries that go with it, the search engines, the gadget makers and the e-commerce businesses, publishing industry has to accept the fact that they have to answer to the changing times and they would need to answer fast. According to Wallstreet Online, the market of E-Books are growing based on consumer-book revenue of 14.8% last year from 6% in 2010. Obviously with book publishing, they need to buy warehouses, raw materials and other physical costs as a business prerequisite. But with e-books, they could cut down costs. With limited copies to print, warehouse and distribution costs will definitely get trimmed down.
With Publishers, bookstores would also have to follow the tide. If there is a good market of e-book readers out there and with a good sense of transformation from the publishers, bookstores would have to take advantage of the online businesses to cut down cost in shelves space and take advantage of the rising market. They could now have the option to downsize to smaller and more effective stores that still cater to print and e-book lovers. Barnes and Noble, an American book retail company had already efficiently followed the trend.
Generally the publishing changes are good for consumers. Certain electronic moves by publishers give more accessible, effective and cheaper options. But there's a more precarious side to the business holders. something we consumers do not really see. Until revenues start to pick up and grand best sellers are hit, some publishing houses that are being eaten up by online book sellers like Amazon, would have to merge to survive and at some extent would have to throw in the towel and close shop. Publishers are at the bridge of strategizing and changing how they do business so it's in a really sensitive position based on my personal opinion.
Here is what merging sets in. I don't claim to know the core benefits of certain mergers of big publishers, but just like any mergers and acquisitions, I suppose it's a survival move. Merging will bring more funds, reach and centralized operations. Plain and simple, they consolidate to create a stronger force in the industry. As a consumer, it's not entirely an alarming move for me so as long as they keep on producing good books. But as a writer, would it matter?
According to various news websites, taking cue on one of the biggest merges in the history of publishing with Random House and Penguin's, writers would essentially be more affected by this move than the consumers. Surely being top players, their consolidation would allow them to be so huge in terms of funding, presence and investments that they could take on the digital projects. With the merge, they will definitely cut costs by making operations centralized plus with their names and reach they will have stronger market share. With a stronger pool, they can at least fight back Amazon and make competition more interesting especially if they can have the leverage to negotiate for better options. That's good for us consumers. But if I were a writer or an agent, what gives?
With the rise rise of technology, writers often have more avenues to self-publish. Technology disregards geography and distance so they could easily be picked up. Since going digital staves off extra costs, they could expand their reach. But writing for huge returns and being picked up by the big publishing companies, their options would be more stringent. For every 4 books, Random House-Penguin would account for 1 according to PBS.org. Imagine, if you're a writer with no recognizable market and name, your options just became a bit limited.
In the recent mergers and acquisitions of publishing houses to answer to the rising times of the digital phase, there would always be areas that are left in the dark, needing to be studied and mastered. Literary authors, agents and editors might taste the downside of merging. Generally, they would have to face extra challenging negotiations to claim their ultimate returns from limited players. But they must also recognize that rising times that led to that move by their beloved publishers. Authors are maybe there to share their creations to the world, but publishers aside from the noble task of distribution of good works, would have some revenues to think of. Literary authors might feel the backlash of the new publication landscape, but with the same digital phase, they could think of having more reach and more avenues for publishing due cheaper costs.
But from a reader's perspective, it's a more win-win situation. I love books regardless of how it's published and regardless of the publisher. Trusted publishers who have the bandwidth to publish diverse books are welcome, publishing it in cheaper costs is even better. Not only do the publishers get to be extra competitive with each other by giving more effective materials but at the same time they would develop more practical and modified medium to get the works across. The world of publishing and books are still in the transition phase, but the changes are already happening. It's about time that the reader, the author, the agents, the bookstores and the publishers recognize that fact.
As a reader, I really have this noble thought of books being shared. Excuse the best selling authors, but if I were to write a book, I couldn't care less if it sells or not. It would hurt my ego for sure, but the purpose of writing a book is probably more personal and artistic on my end. And I think it should always be always the case. It's one of the oldest form of art that should be shared across the whatever the circumstances. That's just me. Regardless, the times are changing, the market is changing and the business that cater to the market should answer to the times. In the end, they all have to move heaven and earth to give the modern consumer what he wants. And the consumer of this age wants more access to materials at cheaper costs at a multiple mediums.
Sources: PBS.org, WSJ Online, India times.
For years of collecting and reading books I've become familiar with Random House, Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon Shuster just to name a few. I always see their imprints before I start on Chapter 1 and I could just imagine the power they bring to terrorize and snob the new writers. Selling good books are their business and these well known publishers only get the best. You have to rely on them for meticulous research, study and reviews on the books they print out. Of course there are smaller, independent publishing houses out there that hit remarkable wonders, but for these big publishing houses, it's where every career-writer's wish to be published.
Publishing now has to take on a new phase even for these global companies. E-Books now are harder to ignore. Even for a traditional book collector like myself who will never tire of reading and buying books, I've already succumbed to the e-book phenomena. Why not? It took me years to realize that I should at least try a new medium. Ultimately there's nothing wrong with it. I previously felt I was being a traitor to books but I figured I'm more for the stories anyway however they are presented. It may be in print or electronic, but I am a reader because I love stories and information. I would always love to go in a bookstore, smell and buy books and actually put a physical copy in my shelf. It won't change, but at the same time I should recognize other media as a more practical and modern move that would benefit me as a reader. I strike that collector and reader balance. But for more tech-savvy netizens out there, I know they wouldn't pay so much for a printed copy.
As a consumer, together with technology and connectivity, e-books are admittedly cheaper. I have 1000 ebooks in my laptop and 40 stored in my IPAD for less than 100 dollars shared and bought from different sources. The gadgets and together with the e-copies are available to take advantage of. Imagine having 1000 titles at your disposal at minimal cost.
Also, E-books are very practical. If you love to read and have no inclinations to collect because of minimal space, E-Books are perfect. While I was in Hong Kong, I witnessed how their bookstores are not that sophisticated and grand compared to Manila. They love to shop, but I got a feeling that bookstores are not as patronized and accessible as in the Philippines. It's not that Hong Kong folks do not love to read, but Hong Kong is a small country with a high-tech society. Everyone there has the most recent gadgets but with limited living space like in a condo. So why would they buy books when they could read it in their units? E-books are also easier to share which gives more reason for people to read. It may not nourish my desires in the area of book collecting, but it would definitely give me more access to books. It took me a while to get used to reading in IPAD, but I now I think I'm well adjusted.
In general as a consumer, e-books give us another option to read wonderful stories and get our hands on information. It's cheaper, lighter and accessible. As a consumer, e-books gave birth to gadgets or it's the other way around, either way we both enjoy the benefits. The only party that I see who would get down to the boardroom and strategize would be the publishing industry.
With technology and the industries that go with it, the search engines, the gadget makers and the e-commerce businesses, publishing industry has to accept the fact that they have to answer to the changing times and they would need to answer fast. According to Wallstreet Online, the market of E-Books are growing based on consumer-book revenue of 14.8% last year from 6% in 2010. Obviously with book publishing, they need to buy warehouses, raw materials and other physical costs as a business prerequisite. But with e-books, they could cut down costs. With limited copies to print, warehouse and distribution costs will definitely get trimmed down.
With Publishers, bookstores would also have to follow the tide. If there is a good market of e-book readers out there and with a good sense of transformation from the publishers, bookstores would have to take advantage of the online businesses to cut down cost in shelves space and take advantage of the rising market. They could now have the option to downsize to smaller and more effective stores that still cater to print and e-book lovers. Barnes and Noble, an American book retail company had already efficiently followed the trend.
Generally the publishing changes are good for consumers. Certain electronic moves by publishers give more accessible, effective and cheaper options. But there's a more precarious side to the business holders. something we consumers do not really see. Until revenues start to pick up and grand best sellers are hit, some publishing houses that are being eaten up by online book sellers like Amazon, would have to merge to survive and at some extent would have to throw in the towel and close shop. Publishers are at the bridge of strategizing and changing how they do business so it's in a really sensitive position based on my personal opinion.
Here is what merging sets in. I don't claim to know the core benefits of certain mergers of big publishers, but just like any mergers and acquisitions, I suppose it's a survival move. Merging will bring more funds, reach and centralized operations. Plain and simple, they consolidate to create a stronger force in the industry. As a consumer, it's not entirely an alarming move for me so as long as they keep on producing good books. But as a writer, would it matter?
According to various news websites, taking cue on one of the biggest merges in the history of publishing with Random House and Penguin's, writers would essentially be more affected by this move than the consumers. Surely being top players, their consolidation would allow them to be so huge in terms of funding, presence and investments that they could take on the digital projects. With the merge, they will definitely cut costs by making operations centralized plus with their names and reach they will have stronger market share. With a stronger pool, they can at least fight back Amazon and make competition more interesting especially if they can have the leverage to negotiate for better options. That's good for us consumers. But if I were a writer or an agent, what gives?
With the rise rise of technology, writers often have more avenues to self-publish. Technology disregards geography and distance so they could easily be picked up. Since going digital staves off extra costs, they could expand their reach. But writing for huge returns and being picked up by the big publishing companies, their options would be more stringent. For every 4 books, Random House-Penguin would account for 1 according to PBS.org. Imagine, if you're a writer with no recognizable market and name, your options just became a bit limited.
In the recent mergers and acquisitions of publishing houses to answer to the rising times of the digital phase, there would always be areas that are left in the dark, needing to be studied and mastered. Literary authors, agents and editors might taste the downside of merging. Generally, they would have to face extra challenging negotiations to claim their ultimate returns from limited players. But they must also recognize that rising times that led to that move by their beloved publishers. Authors are maybe there to share their creations to the world, but publishers aside from the noble task of distribution of good works, would have some revenues to think of. Literary authors might feel the backlash of the new publication landscape, but with the same digital phase, they could think of having more reach and more avenues for publishing due cheaper costs.
But from a reader's perspective, it's a more win-win situation. I love books regardless of how it's published and regardless of the publisher. Trusted publishers who have the bandwidth to publish diverse books are welcome, publishing it in cheaper costs is even better. Not only do the publishers get to be extra competitive with each other by giving more effective materials but at the same time they would develop more practical and modified medium to get the works across. The world of publishing and books are still in the transition phase, but the changes are already happening. It's about time that the reader, the author, the agents, the bookstores and the publishers recognize that fact.
As a reader, I really have this noble thought of books being shared. Excuse the best selling authors, but if I were to write a book, I couldn't care less if it sells or not. It would hurt my ego for sure, but the purpose of writing a book is probably more personal and artistic on my end. And I think it should always be always the case. It's one of the oldest form of art that should be shared across the whatever the circumstances. That's just me. Regardless, the times are changing, the market is changing and the business that cater to the market should answer to the times. In the end, they all have to move heaven and earth to give the modern consumer what he wants. And the consumer of this age wants more access to materials at cheaper costs at a multiple mediums.
Sources: PBS.org, WSJ Online, India times.
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