big publisher / small publisher

Big publisher / Small publisher

Reasons not to panic in the age of the digital megacorp

Strategy - Workflow- Systematisation - Market Clout - Recognition - Bargaining Power-

Budgets - Branding

Big Boys Toys ? Corporate Perks?

Yeah. Maybe.

But indies have...

Nimbleness – Bespoke service – Risk taking attitude – Commercial potential – Relationships – Lower

overheads – Management flexibility

We shouldn’t focus on just the big sales slots and big software deals

Doing that will get us nowhere and recreates the problems of print

We should make the most

of good relationships

• We should get in first• Big publishers have more scepticism but

good things start somewhere• In digital there is still room for the quick

win – new companies need books, ideas, help

• Sometimes action not rationalisation is needed

We need to fight hard for everything and work

together

• Everyone says get close to your readers, but what does this mean?

• Meet them• Chat to them on the internet• Ask them for feedback • Ask them for help• Most publishers pay this lip service, but

not many do it

Getting online real estate and attention is the biggest challenge

for indie ebooks

Sometimes we like to think we are more creative than the big corporates

This isn’t the case in digital They do have something we lack....

Bureaucracy

Five Practical Pointers

1. Do things in bursts

2. Speak to your authors

3. Make life easy from the beginning

4. Don’t let things get bogged down

5. Get fully involved

Things are changing:

IP – Formats – Platforms- Products – Consumers – Business models

Just remember: play to your strengths and don’t panic

Michael Bhaskar

Digital Publishing Manager

Profile Books

michael@profilebooks.com