Borders Uk in going live with its new e-book service in the UK has taken a significant step into the Brave New World we reported on some two and half years ago. Some would say it is merely just another ebookstore and after all Waterstones has been selling ebooks for some 8 months and US retailers a lot longer. However, there is a difference and a significant one, for all the UK retailers who wish to sell digital books - it is powered by Gardners Books Digital Warehouse.
Gardners Books were the first to adopt an ‘inclusive’ technology that enables them to distribute not only the titles in its warehouse but titles in others digital warehouses and the resellers aren’t Gardners but any retailer with a connection. The same technology also underpins major digital publishers such as Taylor and Francis and the Danish library system eBog.dk.
No more does the publisher have to give even reseller, or even an aggregator their digital files. Everyone just agrees the messages to be exchanged and the files are held once, wherever and are only supplied direct to consumer when sold. Importantly it enables resellers to sell digital alongside physical books and have the books drop shipped direct to the consumer. No more is the customer handed over to another when they want an ebook. The retailer retains the transaction and the customer. This enables any retailer to sell ebooks on the internet, over the phone even in store and importantly continue to own the consumer relationship and their transaction.
Well done Borders for adopting an ‘inclusive’ not the ‘exclusive’ digital model of others.
Showing posts with label Taylor and Francis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taylor and Francis. Show all posts
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Supply Chain Thoughts 3 Digital Reality
Digital logistics presents opportunities that enable the book trade to remove the physical logistics constraints that caused so much waste. In principle a digital title should only be stored once, full stop, and rendered many times. Obviously there is often more than one format of the titles but again, store once applies to each format and render to many still applies.
Does this mean there is only one winner, one store and we simply adopt the flawed iTunes model – No. It means that we create an inclusive not exclusive framework that supports and distributed files on demand. Why should a publisher not retain their assets within their own repository and only let files out on an on demand basis? This is not a theory and is being adopted by the likes of Taylor and Francis and Elsevier today. The alternative is to hand assets over to an increasing number of digital aggregators, who end up effectively controlling the channel to market and restricting it to their reach and relationships. Ask any publisher today who has to deal with many aggregators; how they control or even know what is being sold, how they ensure that their total catalogue is available through all aggregators and how they reconcile sales with different reports, schedules and terms? Often they have little control on what are their assets. With physical goods the next person down the chain buys them at a discount off RRP and sells them again at an increased margin. With digital, the money doesn’t move until the sale happens, its effectively distributed consignment stock.
Drop ship logistics can provide the mechanism which if adapted for digital distribution can go one further removing the need to build huge repositories and the current bragging rites about ‘mine being bigger than yours’. All that matters is the ability to fulfil the demand for online or download, rental or purchase. For many this may be a central aggregation service, but for those who want control of their assets it can remain effectively in their own warehouse and and leave when its sold or rented. The model may be complex to grasp on first hearing, but it is what is being rolled out by Gardners Books in the UK, Danish library service eBog and adopted by publishers such as Taylor and Francis and Elsevier.
Ironically you will find this model described in concept on page 75 of the 2006 Brave New World report.
The digital offer should be fully integrated with the physical one enabling the consumer to have a ‘one stop shop’ transaction experience and not be handed over to a separate aggregator in order to buy digital books . Separating out the transaction and the customer relationship from the instructions and communication flows from the actual pick pack and dispatch of physical and digital or whatever makes consumer sense, publisher sense and supply chain sense.
Does this mean there is only one winner, one store and we simply adopt the flawed iTunes model – No. It means that we create an inclusive not exclusive framework that supports and distributed files on demand. Why should a publisher not retain their assets within their own repository and only let files out on an on demand basis? This is not a theory and is being adopted by the likes of Taylor and Francis and Elsevier today. The alternative is to hand assets over to an increasing number of digital aggregators, who end up effectively controlling the channel to market and restricting it to their reach and relationships. Ask any publisher today who has to deal with many aggregators; how they control or even know what is being sold, how they ensure that their total catalogue is available through all aggregators and how they reconcile sales with different reports, schedules and terms? Often they have little control on what are their assets. With physical goods the next person down the chain buys them at a discount off RRP and sells them again at an increased margin. With digital, the money doesn’t move until the sale happens, its effectively distributed consignment stock.
Drop ship logistics can provide the mechanism which if adapted for digital distribution can go one further removing the need to build huge repositories and the current bragging rites about ‘mine being bigger than yours’. All that matters is the ability to fulfil the demand for online or download, rental or purchase. For many this may be a central aggregation service, but for those who want control of their assets it can remain effectively in their own warehouse and and leave when its sold or rented. The model may be complex to grasp on first hearing, but it is what is being rolled out by Gardners Books in the UK, Danish library service eBog and adopted by publishers such as Taylor and Francis and Elsevier.
Ironically you will find this model described in concept on page 75 of the 2006 Brave New World report.
The digital offer should be fully integrated with the physical one enabling the consumer to have a ‘one stop shop’ transaction experience and not be handed over to a separate aggregator in order to buy digital books . Separating out the transaction and the customer relationship from the instructions and communication flows from the actual pick pack and dispatch of physical and digital or whatever makes consumer sense, publisher sense and supply chain sense.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
The Disipline of Market Leaders
Having worked for market leader organisations in various industries it is easy to distinguish them from the pack. Some believe that size counts and that this determines market leadership, the truth is that size often comes through market leadership but size alone is nothing but a statement at a given point in time.
Market leaders do what it says on the can ‘lead markets’. They are focused, proactive and although they recognise the short term are very much focused on the long term and creating a unique market position and differentiator. Do we have them in the publishing sector – yes but they are not who many would think of as market leaders. An interesting example is Taylor and Francis whose growth and digital strategies have been bold and delivered huge advantage when others have merely followed. The recent article in the Bookseller (25 July, ‘Jolly Rodger’) eludes to the vision and drive Rodger Horton and his team have given this publisher.
At times of fiscal constraint we often find that market leaders remain focused and plough forward, often bucking trends.
It is hard to find many examples of market leadership and easy to see many pretenders but one company clearly stands head and shoulders over the pack for the last decade – Amazon.
An industry ‘expert’ and colleague once told me that Bertelsmann and their Bol.com would crush Amazon and that their model was nor sustainable. Needless to say he didn’t understand their model, the power of positive cash flow, their relentless drive to capture market share and their global brand proposition. It was ’98 and obvious to many that they were going to dominate, but the manner in which they have set about it continues to demand respect.
They have:
Extended bibliographic record, making the book jacket obligatory on the net, introduced reader reviews. Remember where you first saw ‘Search Inside’?
Recognised that used , rare and front list are all books and that the publication date is not always top of the consumer’s agenda. Combining this and their marketplace offer was both logical and a breath of fresh air.
Captured the audiobook initiative through acquisition of first Brilliance and latterly Audible, they have taken the audio book market by the scruff of the neck. They already had the MP3 and DRM credentials but with Audible they now have both bases fully covered.
Established themselves as a digital player. Through their acquisition of Booksurge and their POD policy they have positioned themselves not only to supply POD but like others they can now also capture the bigger prize of the digital files themselves.
The Kindle may be an ugly duckling but it has many more titles than any of its competitors and more importantly belongs to a brand that is clearly associated with books. Adobe and Sony may all command trade attention today but this is not their market, is a trade only offer. In the case of Sony they can always leave as fast as Betamax or walk away like Microsoft Live Book Search or back the wrong horse as with their original BBeb ebook format.
The list goes on but we now read of Amazon’s payment gateway offer to rival PayPal and more importantly their full acquisition of ABE. This later move is very interesting and starts to potentially tie many strings together. Some thought it good that they would continue run ABE as a separate brand and company. Some would say that there is no need to join them at the customer, but join them at the inventory and sales data. Think about what ABE offer Amazon? There is rich bibliographic on titles that often didn’t have any. There is 15 years of sales data of the long tail, not just of books in print but those gems that have long been lost and forgotten. Only Alibris has similar data and there is little chance of a new entrant today. Combine ABE’s information assets, market position, the Amazon services such as Booksurge and Kindle offer and a clearly focused market leader and you have a potential offer that is both unique, extremely interesting and one to watch.
Market leaders do what it says on the can ‘lead markets’. They are focused, proactive and although they recognise the short term are very much focused on the long term and creating a unique market position and differentiator. Do we have them in the publishing sector – yes but they are not who many would think of as market leaders. An interesting example is Taylor and Francis whose growth and digital strategies have been bold and delivered huge advantage when others have merely followed. The recent article in the Bookseller (25 July, ‘Jolly Rodger’) eludes to the vision and drive Rodger Horton and his team have given this publisher.
At times of fiscal constraint we often find that market leaders remain focused and plough forward, often bucking trends.
It is hard to find many examples of market leadership and easy to see many pretenders but one company clearly stands head and shoulders over the pack for the last decade – Amazon.
An industry ‘expert’ and colleague once told me that Bertelsmann and their Bol.com would crush Amazon and that their model was nor sustainable. Needless to say he didn’t understand their model, the power of positive cash flow, their relentless drive to capture market share and their global brand proposition. It was ’98 and obvious to many that they were going to dominate, but the manner in which they have set about it continues to demand respect.
They have:
Extended bibliographic record, making the book jacket obligatory on the net, introduced reader reviews. Remember where you first saw ‘Search Inside’?
Recognised that used , rare and front list are all books and that the publication date is not always top of the consumer’s agenda. Combining this and their marketplace offer was both logical and a breath of fresh air.
Captured the audiobook initiative through acquisition of first Brilliance and latterly Audible, they have taken the audio book market by the scruff of the neck. They already had the MP3 and DRM credentials but with Audible they now have both bases fully covered.
Established themselves as a digital player. Through their acquisition of Booksurge and their POD policy they have positioned themselves not only to supply POD but like others they can now also capture the bigger prize of the digital files themselves.
The Kindle may be an ugly duckling but it has many more titles than any of its competitors and more importantly belongs to a brand that is clearly associated with books. Adobe and Sony may all command trade attention today but this is not their market, is a trade only offer. In the case of Sony they can always leave as fast as Betamax or walk away like Microsoft Live Book Search or back the wrong horse as with their original BBeb ebook format.
The list goes on but we now read of Amazon’s payment gateway offer to rival PayPal and more importantly their full acquisition of ABE. This later move is very interesting and starts to potentially tie many strings together. Some thought it good that they would continue run ABE as a separate brand and company. Some would say that there is no need to join them at the customer, but join them at the inventory and sales data. Think about what ABE offer Amazon? There is rich bibliographic on titles that often didn’t have any. There is 15 years of sales data of the long tail, not just of books in print but those gems that have long been lost and forgotten. Only Alibris has similar data and there is little chance of a new entrant today. Combine ABE’s information assets, market position, the Amazon services such as Booksurge and Kindle offer and a clearly focused market leader and you have a potential offer that is both unique, extremely interesting and one to watch.
Friday, April 18, 2008
A Story that should be Heard
'In the world of the blind the one eyed monster is king'. The quote from H G Wells sums up what many believe about today’s digital arena. Understandably, there many confused and blinded by the ‘elights’ today. Every week some new experiment happens and in the confusion of deciphering what is news and what is noise is hard and many find themselves merely caught transfixed in the digital headlights. Some may also recognise the odd potential monster.
It is therefore refreshing to hear the digital experiences from someone who has real experience and results to tell the world of publishing and who importantly views the glass as half full.
At LBF on Wednesday afternoon Mark Majurey, Digital Development Director , Taylor and Francis Group delivered a presentation ‘From Books to Bytes’. Unfortunately the many who attended the morning session on the state of American digitisation will have missed this. It appears the press also missed it, but I urge you to read it. Yes I have a vested interest in that Value Chain works very closely with Taylor and Francis and supports much of their programme but this presentation provides real experience. When many talk about 1% of sales, Mark brings home the reality of their significant achievements which today is 10% of total global revenue.
Interestingly Mark widens the digital debate and talks about the work they are doing in Editorial, Marketing, Production, Distribution and Sales. How it has changed their processes and how they are now able to switch on not a few hundred or thousand widgets but close to twenty thousand. How they are starting take control of their digital assets and use drop ship models to distribute them. The impact in their editorial processes and that their digital programme is clearly from the author to the reader.
Finally, many predict the future but fail to deal with today but when Taylor and Francis talk about the futures and their thinking they are doing so from a position of experience and knowledge that is worth listening too.
http://www.value-chain.biz/Publishiing%20Tand%20Francis%20MM%20LBF%20paper%200408.htm
It is therefore refreshing to hear the digital experiences from someone who has real experience and results to tell the world of publishing and who importantly views the glass as half full.
At LBF on Wednesday afternoon Mark Majurey, Digital Development Director , Taylor and Francis Group delivered a presentation ‘From Books to Bytes’. Unfortunately the many who attended the morning session on the state of American digitisation will have missed this. It appears the press also missed it, but I urge you to read it. Yes I have a vested interest in that Value Chain works very closely with Taylor and Francis and supports much of their programme but this presentation provides real experience. When many talk about 1% of sales, Mark brings home the reality of their significant achievements which today is 10% of total global revenue.
Interestingly Mark widens the digital debate and talks about the work they are doing in Editorial, Marketing, Production, Distribution and Sales. How it has changed their processes and how they are now able to switch on not a few hundred or thousand widgets but close to twenty thousand. How they are starting take control of their digital assets and use drop ship models to distribute them. The impact in their editorial processes and that their digital programme is clearly from the author to the reader.
Finally, many predict the future but fail to deal with today but when Taylor and Francis talk about the futures and their thinking they are doing so from a position of experience and knowledge that is worth listening too.
http://www.value-chain.biz/Publishiing%20Tand%20Francis%20MM%20LBF%20paper%200408.htm
Friday, June 29, 2007
Taylor and Francis Continue to Grow Digitally
Whilst many edge their bets and make much noise, some take action. Both strategies may be right, but it is interesting to see the continued rise of Taylor & Francis in the digital world. This week it’s parent Informa, announced that its publishing divisions are all continuing to grow from the move to electronic delivery of information and services. Taylor and Francis is an example of a publisher who has fully embraced the digital environment and its opportunities.
In a statement they say, "The increased utility and customer value from digital delivery has provided extra pricing power and market penetration. Digital archives, data services and daily information provision have all contributed to good growth further enhanced by cross leveraging event brands and publishing PI intellectual property."
Taylor and Francis was one of the first to take bold steps into the digital world and now has some 17,000 book titles fully available in all formats, some 150 plus web sites and this is not the only digital programme that they have successfully achieved. Their foresight and ability to read opportunities and move quickly to capture growth is an example of recognising that Digital Publishing is now Publishing.
In a statement they say, "The increased utility and customer value from digital delivery has provided extra pricing power and market penetration. Digital archives, data services and daily information provision have all contributed to good growth further enhanced by cross leveraging event brands and publishing PI intellectual property."
Taylor and Francis was one of the first to take bold steps into the digital world and now has some 17,000 book titles fully available in all formats, some 150 plus web sites and this is not the only digital programme that they have successfully achieved. Their foresight and ability to read opportunities and move quickly to capture growth is an example of recognising that Digital Publishing is now Publishing.
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