The Reader Experience The changes in the book industry Viewed from a consumer perspective Frankfurt Book Fair 2009 Thomas van der Zijden These slides were part of a pecha-kucha event: 6min presentations based on visuals. INCLUDING TEXT FROM PRESENTATION

The book industry is changing rapidly and we have some stormy weather ahead of us. What we see happening today is just the beginning. Think about the music industry where new entrants like Apple took over power.

Think about newspapers in the US, where newspaper titles and companies that have existed for more than a 100 years collapse one after another. This is not a change just from paper book to digital book this is about disrupting changes that will shake up a whole industry. Now that may sound threatening to some of us but it may also sound like lots of opportunities to others.

The question is of course where are those opportunities and how should we change our activities in order to survive and be successful in the digital future.

To me the book, the physical product, is just an element of an experience consumers like to go through. So rather than to look at the book only and focus on how it may change into an e-reader,

The Reader Experience Orientate Buy Read/Experience Talk it is more important to look at the Reader Experience as I like to call it: all the activities that consumers are involved in and excited about before, during and after reading a book. It is a continuous process from orientation, selection, purchase, reading to communication and again orientation.

If we understand what changes the Reader Experience and in which direction the Reader Experience is changing over time we will have a better chance of understanding the consumer wishes in the future. Having that understanding we will be more successful in carving out our role in the future digital value chain.

Currently in the media industry the media companies decide when and what consumers can hear, watch or read. However consumers are changing quickly and this is a situation which more and more consumers are not willing to accept.

So what are the forces and trends that have a big impact on this consumer behavior? The ones most important for the media industry including the book industry are : Increased mobility of consumers The desire of the consumers to be in control, being able to fulfill their wishes instantly Progress in digital technology, enabling the previous 2 trends.

These 3 forces together create a mobile consumer that can be anywhere and wherever he or she is he wants to be in control of his own environment. The future consumer does not want to be told by a big corporation what, when or where or how to “consume” content, he wants to decide that for himself at the time and the place that suits him, via the means that fit him best.

For the orientation consumers no longer need physical bookstores in the future. This can be easily done on the internet. Via blogs, book forums, ratings by fellow readers, online interactions with authors and suggestions from internet stores consumers will be able to make a choice out of millions of digital books. On line marketing and cooperation with on line partners will be key to reach out the consumer.

Purchase: Business models around books will completely change into directions where the consumer may no longer pay for the book. Advertisement will play a role but also models whereby the consumer does not pay for the story but for the experience and events around the story. Regardless of payment with 2 mouse clicks a book is chosen and delivered to the customers favorite reading device: PC, smartphone or dedicated ereader.

Reading; of course a key element of the Reader Experience. It is not just a matter of digitizing the paperbook and making it available on a reading device. The future of the book will be much more interactive and a multimedia experience affecting all human senses: a to z reading will still be part of it but also click thru for further information, images/sounds/movies to show the surroundings or scenes described in the story. On top of the story we will be able to follow tours on our navigation devices along points of interest from the book you just read, or augmented reality scenes on your mobile phone camera depicting scenes from the book.

Communication will shift from discussing a book with your inner circle friends to global communication via the internet. Discussing and rating books and thus influencing the orientation process of others. But also interaction with the author and other readers will allow for the creation of new stories, creating story lines not just in a single direction but in multiple directions.

Orientate Buy Read/Experience Talk The Reader Experience As a result of these changes in the Reader Experience consumers will finally become king in the reading domain. In the future the consumer will decide where and when to buy and what to read or experience via his or her favorite reading platform.

The future is difficult to predict but predicting becomes easier if we understand the forces behind the changes and when we recognize that the future has already started. Many companies are already working on the digital future and in many cases these companies have no experience with paper books!

Others are waiting and hesitating, uncertain what to do. However the changes will affect all of us, whether we like it or not. If we ignore them they will threaten our future.

On the other hand if we adapt to the changes and keep an eye on what the consumer wants we’ll be able to play an important role in the future Reading Experience and have a very exciting future ahead of us.

Vielen Dank! Fur Ihre Aufmerksamkeit