From: <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:22:18 +0000
Alex,
I don't think you will be wrong at all. Here's why. In 2001 we
switched our strategy to embrace 'e' building on our earlier efforts
to sell e-books (PDF) via our own online bookshop. Our strategy was to
offer e-books via as many channels as we could find, including
building our own platform that combined e-books with our few
e-journals. The business model for the platform is simple: in return
for an annual subscription fee, anyone at a subscribing institution
can download as many e-books as they want (if libraries also want
print, they pay an annual supplement to cover printing, handling,
postage etc). Subscribers own the e-books and have the right to
self-archive, we also provide continuing online access for lapsed
subscribers.
We found that libraries preferred to subscribe to our platform rather
than purchase via other channels and over the past decade we've seen
the balance of print-to-e income for books shift to today's 30:70, so
we're not too far from fulfilling Shatzkin's prediction. Librarians
clearly prefer e if the offer is right. Our client base has grown
significantly. In 2001 we had around 250 libraries worldwide buying
all our books on standing order. Today we have around 1,000 libraries
worldwide buying all our books on subscription (we've just signed up a
consortium of libraries in Algeria - a new market for us).
But the best news is reserved for our authors because more people are
reading their books than ever before. We still publish around 200-230
new books a year and whereas we distributed around 450,000 books in
2000 (frontlist and backlist) this year we're on track to record
around 4.5 million downloads and online readings of our books (via all
channels) alongside around 150,000 print copies distributed. We don't
use DRM, so I expect quite a few downloaded copies are shared,
boosting the total number of readings.
I hope this little case study will give other non-profit scholarly
publishers the confidence and belief that there is life after print!
Happy Christmas!
Toby Green
Head of Publishing
Public Affairs and Communications Directorate
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
-----Original Message-----
From: LibLicense-L Discussion Forum
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of LIBLICENSE
Sent: 16 December, 2011 4:23 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Reading on the train
From: Alex Holzman <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:31:13 -0500
Joe,
I think for university presses it's getting to be more like 5-10%
electronic now. I agree overall numbers will trail trade publishing
for a bit, but if UPCC and other efforts succeed to the degree I think
they may, then the scholarly monograph that sells only 300 copies (or
fewer, heaven help us) will be more like 75-80% electronic in pretty
short order. The monographs are overwhelmingly sold to libraries and
what we're hearing is a preference for electronic, Chuck's good points
about difficult archiving issues notwithstanding. PDA seems likely
only to accelerate the e-trend.
Of course I could be entirely wrong.....
Alex
Alex Holzman
Director
Temple University Press
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.temple.edu/tempress
On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 8:52 PM, LIBLICENSE <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> From: Joseph Esposito <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:45:31 -0800
>
> I also have been counting ereading devices on public transportation.
> Interesting as well are statistics from the AAP (publishers' group).
> Trade publishers are now reporting that 20% of total volume is ebooks.
> The number is lower for scholarly books, probably in the range of
> 2-3%, though some academic publishers are approaching double digits.
>
> Predictions for the trade go as high s 50% in just a few years. One
> prediction (by Mike Shatzkin, a prominent industry consultant) puts
> the figure at 80%. I think that academic titles will trail trade for
> some time. Oddly, whereas the trade was far behind scholarly
> publishers for many years, that situation is now reversing.
>
> Joe Esposito
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