The Bookseller’s Digital Census results, published today, shows publishers believe ebooks will break down boundaries that demarcate territorial distribution.¹

Over three-quarters of respondents believe digital books will obsolesce territorial rights. “Publishers need to prepare for this”². How?

Opened-up markets open opportunities to expand sales for publishers suitably equipped. This means the ability to process incoming sales information in new formats – publishers will already sell via a variety of platforms within their region, but stand to benefit from readiness for different-cum-disparate systems in regions beyond familiar standardisations and best-practice.

Besides data formats/metadata, there’s the data itself: Publishers’ systems should accommodate that different information represents the same thing; payments in different currency; book titles in different languages.

The sooner publishers prepare to process new data streams, the sooner they will benefit from not only the opportunities opened by boundaryless digital sales, but also be able to adapt to new sales platforms closer to home.

Influential Software specialises in reporting systems for publishers because of the great potential for efficient operations through modernised, automated reporting. We have been implementing such technology within the publishing industry for 21 years.

To find out what would moving forwards with streamlined sales reporting solution would involve, please contact us.

To find out more about our work and offerings for the publishing industry, please click here.

Other findings from the survey:

Most publishers feel digital books will make up 10% of total sales within just 14 months

The biggest limitation publishers perceive is that customers expect free content. A quarter of publishers believe most consumers still aren’t ready for digital content. Also, e-book uptake has plateaued; new adoption slowing combined with the fact we’ve passed a peak of fad-factor.

With regard to estimating customer demand, and delivering digital books efficiently enough that prices can be minimised; the future of digital publishing is what publishers make it.

Endnotes

1. Bookseller’s Digital Census predicts end to territoriality, The Bookseller, 06.11.14
2. Quoting survey respondent, Ibid.