The recent announcement that eBooks now outsell printed volumes has been interpreted as a pessimistic outlook for the publishing industry¹. But rather than a “death knell”, this is a signal that consumers are ringing in changes to which publishers must rapidly respond; to accept the significant role eBooks play within their offering. Yesterday, Bloomsbury chief executive, Nigel Newton, said: “We have continued to grasp the opportunities offered by the digital revolution to build a growing profitable, sustainable and balanced twenty-first century publishing business.” as part of announcing 11% growth in revenue over the year².

Kindle book sales are estimated by Forbes to bring annual revenues of $620M-$1.2B to Publishers³, with 25% of titles at the start of this year produced by independent publishers⁴. It seems the eBook revolution has brought more opportunity to self- and smaller publishers, further highlighting the urgency for the mega-publishers to adapt if they wish to retain their current market share.
Publishing consultancy is at the heart of Influential Software; we have primarily served this industry since company inception 21 years ago, covering M&A, distribution, publishing ERP systems, contract/rights/royalties and more recently the shift from print to digital. We can guide both large and small publishers in making the right decisions around the shift to digital, also to be equipped with reporting and predictive analytics capabilities that informs how to optimise sales. For further information, please contact us.