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If you want to see a
traditional print publisher explode all you need to do is say
"Print publishing is dead; it's just old fashioned editors that
are keeping it on a life support system!"
I don't actually believe
print is dead, but its fun watching the reaction.
Indeed online publishing
should be a natural extension of traditional newsletter,
newspaper and magazine publishing, but many of the publishers
look at the web as it is persistent and unwanted veruca, which
they can't get rid of.
And they never will be able
to get rid of it!
The web is here to stay and
it will start eating more and more of the traditional publishers
lunch.....and here are some of the reasons why.
If you are a traditional
print publisher please take note.
·
Low cost of delivery at a time when postage and physical
distribution costs are rising
·
No typesetting and printing costs. Editors and contributors can
add articles and comments directly to the website as they are
written
·
Archives of content can easily be made available in a simple,
searchable format, adding great value for subscribers. Print
publication readers rarely archive old magazines and newsletter
as they are difficult to search, so the value of the information
is quickly lost
·
Ability to constantly update and refresh content. No need to be
restricted by publication dates. These opens up new areas of
content that would previously not been possible. E.g. breaking
news, investment advice, etc.
·
Online membership administration can be completely automated,
avoiding the need for costly manual processing of cheques,
standing orders, direct debits, etc.
·
Members can interact with each other through online discussion
forums; this interaction creates a sense of community and
engenders greater loyalty
·
Global reach enables niche subject areas to become commercially
viable at little extra cost
·
Content can be provided in multimedia formats including audio
and video. Podcasts are becoming an important way of
distributing information
·
Different membership offers can be easily tested, tracked and
tweaked
·
The publisher can observe in real-time what areas of the site
are most popular and use this market intelligence to continually
improve the offering. Print publishers have no idea what
articles subscribers read and value
·
A
website is always on and always available wherever a reader is
·
The cost of marketing will be reduced as the search engines
starting listing a site on the search results pages
·
New members get instant gratification. They can sign up and be
reading the very latest information within minutes
To
finish off with I will leave you with a quote from one of the
most powerful and influential publishers in the world, Rupert
Murdoch:
“I believe we are at the
dawn of a golden age of information – an empire of new
knowledge. It is difficult – indeed dangerous – to underestimate
the huge changes this revolution will bring to print media or
the power of developing technologies to build and destroy
companies”
“Companies that expect a
glorious past in print to shield them from the forces of change
driven by advancing technology will fail and fall.”
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Miles Galliford
is co-founder of SubHub
www.subhub.com .
SubHub provides individuals, publishers and organisations
with everything they need, from the technology platform to
the know-how, to build, run and grow a successful online
publishing business. For more articles about subscription
website publishing, please visit
www.subhub.com |
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