At the recently-concluded 2010 IFRRO AGM, which gathered hundreds of author and publication associations and their RRO partners to Boston, publishing pundit Mike Shatzkin moderated a panel discussion, Licensing Business Models for the Future. He gave Chris Kenneally a preview, explaining what happens when “books are no longer required” in publishing.
“The form factor [of the book] protected content because it wasn’t simple to create or distribute,” Shatkzin said. “When we go to a more digital world, it makes it much easier for people who have the information.
Yet a new challenge looms, forcing publishers and other to deliver far more than text and images. “Content alone is not going to make the sale, but the solution, which includes software and applications. In education publishing, for example, [this now means] not only content but the entire environment of learning, including the testing and how to address problems people have.”