Last week, we hosted CMPTO’s very first retail edition. It was about time we got down to business with the fascinating new avenues of retail that are being introduced or re-introduced in the book market. We had three amazing speakers from vastly different backgrounds and organizations who each brought their own take on what retail means to them and their work.
Making a Bundle
When publishers talk about bundles, they’re usually referring to is multiple formats of the same work sold as a package—usually a print version together with a digital version for download. The success of DVDs with digital download means this is definitely a worthwhile conversation to be having, but remember that bundling can also refer to bundles of different titles—and this model is looking more and more promising.
Pack Your Books We're Going on a Field Trip
Mobile Payments: Enabling Community Outreach
Should Indies Sell E-Books?
Chris Tabor, Michael Neill, and Christoph Kapp entertained an audience of about 40 on Monday at the Store2012 conference. I had the pleasure of moderating this opinionated panel and I think—bias well in place—that it was a very good panel discussion on how independent retailers can participate in the conversation around digital books.
Turning a Paywall into a Bridge: Is It the Right Time to Sell Content Online?
The book industry’s digital toolbox is still relatively underused, and there are some truly powerful gizmos in there. At Tech Forum 2012 we heard how eager readers tweeted favourite chapters of PressBooks’ Book: A Futurist’s Manifesto. At the most recent CMPTO we learned how Small Demons is changing browsing forever by hooking books into the web of things. And that’s just to name two. With more and more readers carrying tablets and smartphones around with ever-improving data plans, maybe the time ia ripe to look at new models for selling books in browsers.
Penguin Canada's Groupon Reconnaissance
This week, Penguin Group (Canada) ran a Groupon offer offer for one of their most popular series, the Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. But as bestseller lists attest, the Millenium Trilogy is not having any difficulty selling. So, why run a Groupon?Bundle Up: It’s Cold Outside
Put the pumpkins away. It’s time to bring out snow pants and tinsel. As the weather gets colder we’re faced with the daunting task of buying presents for the holidays. Not surprisingly many of us will be giving and receiving e-books or gadgets on which to read them.
Now to find the perfect e-books for the readers on your list. Many are planning on sticking to their tradition of gifting award shortlisted books. So why don’t e-book retailers capitalize on that with, for example, a Giller shortlist bundle of e-books? The answer is they can’t.
Canada Buys then Canada Reads
The Giller Shortlist: What Can Publishers Expect?
Each year since 2005 BookNet Canada has been actively tracking and comparing the performance of the Giller nominees and winners. On the day that the shortlist announces we send a Giller Report to all nominated publishing firms who are subscribers to BNC SalesData. This report is created in order to give publishers a sense of what to expect during the award season, and to help nominees with stock and demand planning. What did we find? In a nutshell: the Giller effect is alive and well.
