Digital Publishing

Information wants to be free! Yeah. So do I but I still have to work for a living!

If there is one twisted, misused, ridiculous statement about information in the publisher content context its the rhetoric that can be frequently read in various blogs (usually in the comments) about digital content: "Information wants to be free".

This is an absurd statement at any level. It is a truth distorting phrase disguising an attitude that intellectual property theft is OK. The fact is information doesn't want anything, but in the interest of balance I am coining a new phrase "Information wants to be paid." That is probably more accurate and we need to see that all over the Internet. 

What the creepy IW2BFRE mob are actually saying is "Your content is no better than all the other free stuff on the Internet so we don't want to pay for your labour | experience | effort | brilliant | witty | wise | informative | life enriching | entertaining | empowering content". The wide range of twisted arguments used by the IW2BFRE set are rationally debunked here at The Family Guide to Digital Freedom.

The semi-parallel claim that e-books should be cheaper because there is no paper or distribution costs is just as stupid, except for the books that are purposely designed and marketed to be a cheap volume commodity where business success is volume sales through marketing and promotion (which is information that is not free). Not all published content fits this model. Let's not compare onions with a meal.

Having got that off my chest, the subject of this post is about the word that is characterized by many as the most filthy, dirty word in digital publishing...DRM. Damn! I love that dirty talk. 

Cloud computing for SM Publishers

The challenges for Small and Medium publishers needing new digital publishing strategies are a business model, developing or licensing appropriate software and providing the supply service infrastructure.

The alternatives are develop it yourself,  take on some Software as a Service option if something appropriate is available,  a fully outsourced services to a third party, or license software and do it yourself.

Here at Infogrid Pacific are firmly of the belief that publishers need to retain control of their digital content. This empowers the publisher to exploit all content instantly for new business opportunities as they arise, or are created. All of our products and licenses promote and reinforce that position.

We are aware that there are still many publishers who just want the digital distribution, or digital fulfilment problem to "go away" and are prepared to have the job of looking after their digital assets managed by a service provider. We therefore provide SaaS licenses to other organizations so they can operate these services, but we ourselves do not buy into the publisher's business model so there is no conflict. Our risk management licensing model addresses the software cost issue, so that leaves the final problem, how does an SM publisher deliver the services.

A new option that is now very real, affordable and is really a game changer for SM publishers is cloud hosting. It's a game changer because a relatively small operation can project very large Internet solutions and presence very affordably. "The Cloud" for Small and Medium publishers is the subject of this post. It includes practical implementation examples with real budgets.

Digital Publishing 2011

I had an enforced sabbatical from my ePub and XML blogs from October 2010 until present due to work commitments. The two old blogs are technically oriented and have ended their natural life. Using ePub and Publishing with XML are now put out to the bottom pasture, and they will be sent to the Knacker's yard later this year.

So assuming the publishing industry is getting its head around the coarse weaving of ePubs and Kindle e-books for device limitations, and starting to play with the embroidery of enhanced ePubs; the publisher problem for 2011 is what next? Is digital publishing just sending these "digital assets" to some e-retailer?

For me the subject for 2011 is digital publishing strategies; with the focus on practical implementation of the digital content fulfilment strategies the visionaries espouse. That means getting digital content under control and delivered to consumers with the required business model; whether it is selling, lending, subscribing or some other permission map. In the context of this blog, it also means doing that with the IGP digital publishing products.

2010 was the year that digital publishing became a painful reality for trade publishers. Sales volumes are big enough to matter, and like all things IT, confusion, opinions, options and maybe opportunities, are everywhere. Digital content is old hat in academic and education publishing in various forms, but going through a revival.

The publishing noise of 2010 was definitely about trade books, ePub and devices.2011 is shaping up as the year publishers need to get real digital content business strategies up and running. That means more than just shipping an e-book to Amazon or Google books where all content of any quality is relegated to the $9.99 e-book proletariat.

Currently there are very few usable and affordable digital business strategy options available for publishers, especially Small and Medium size publishers. Digital publishing choices, options and strategies is the focus of this blog. It just so happens to be the exact point of the plot where Infogrid Pacific rides in on a white horse.