How the Digital Publishing Industry Found A Way to Thrive Without Putting the Physical Out of Business
By: Kimberly Grant
It’s hard to recall a time before ebooks, but that time did exist. There once was a time when you only read books when they were in your hands. You dealt with dust, the smell of the paper, the crease of the spine, and the ability to turn the corner down (dog ear) or use a book mark. Those days aren’t ended. You can still purchase or borrow physical books, but the advent of digital books have permeated the publishing industry from books to newspapers to magazines.
At first, the main way to get a digital book was to buy it from Amazon and use their Kindle or an electronic tablet to read it. Then, the ebook industry expanded to being able to borrow an ebook from your local library. You can even borrow a textbook for the life of a semester from your school’s bookstore, Amazon, and (in some cases) the local library.
Changes
These changes in the publishing industry came at a time when people seemed to not be interested in reading. At least, that’s what the newspapers were saying. Incidentally, newspapers were also considered to be dying off because people weren’t reading their news on actual paper. In that sense, digital has changed the way we read everything. We’ve been consuming our publishing via tablets, mobile, and desktop.
In my article, “Reaching for the Global Marketplace”, I discussed how using Amazon as a distribution channel to self-publish my novels has allowed me to get my books all over the world. The same holds true for other self-published novelists, newspapers, magazines, and news outlets. You can now read about news in the Middle East, the United Kingdom, and your own city on one platform, like the AP News app. You can be as informed as you want. You can also practically read any book that you want.
Anyway You Want It, That’s the Way You Need It
When the book publishing industry pivoted to digital, there was still a down shift in people reading books. Then, something magical happened. Literally. J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series became hugely popular with middle school age children and adults. Then, people who rediscovered their love of reading decided to indulge their guilty pleasures for reading romance novels.
Enter the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, which is the basis for the Fifty Shades of Grey series by E. L .James. These two series became widely popular film franchises that launched careers and helped the book publishing industry reinvigorate…digitally. To date, women’s literature (annoyingly known as “chick lit”) novels are still the most popular genre of fiction in the book publishing industry today. And, many women still love the idea of secretly reading these romance novels on their Kindles. Some men, too.
The More Digital The Better
When digital came onto the seen many critics lamented that it was the end of the book and the newspaper, and eventually the magazine. But those industries learned how to enter the digital age without sacrificing their origins. And, the book industry could not be more thriving.
Having the option to purchase or rent a book as a digital download or paperback or hard cover has made the entertainment industry better than ever. To expand on the idea of digital and physical working hand-in-hand, the movie and TV industries have been able to find that happy medium, as well. Many of the movies and shows we love are based on movies. As long everyone gets their royalties for all versions, the digital and physical can continue to thrive and entertain the masses; whether it’s a book, a magazine, or a newspaper.
Interested in more on book publishing? You can read my post on the marketing potential of book clubs here.
Don’t forget! Sharing is entertainment. See below.
