HarperCollins Publishers has announced plans to launch a viral mobile initiative using 2-D barcodes, a new technology that links the print world to mobile. The codes, located on the back of book jackets and on marketing materials, will connect to a mobile site, with exclusive content about the authors and book.
To access the content, users download a free application (http://m.harpercollins.com) to their smart phone, take a picture of the 2-D barcode with the phone, and then the content appears on the phone.
The promotion kicked off June 16 in the United States, Canada and Australia, with the release of the teen novel "L.A. Candy," by Lauren Conrad. Users of the application can access video of Conrad, a Q&A with her, or share the new site with their friends via SMS (short message service). The site also can be accessed directly at http://lacandy.mobi.
HarperCollins will create a unique Web site, powered by mobile-marketing company QMCodes, for each book in the pilot program. The code for the paperback version of "Freakonomics," on sale Aug. 25, will connect readers to exclusive content related to the book and to the fall publication of "Superfreakonomics." Additionally, HarperTeen's "The Amanda Project," a collaborative, interactive series that consists of both printed books and online adventures, will incorporate the codes.
"We are excited about the potential of 2-D barcodes for the teen market. Teens use their mobile phones for everything from texting to updating their Facebook pages; this is one more way we can offer them content to share with their friends," says Susan Katz, president and publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books. "HarperCollins is committed to reaching readers where they are, regardless of the device or platform, and a mobile marketing platform is a natural next step.
"It is early days for 2-D barcodes in the U.S., so there will be an education process. But, there's no doubt that mobile entertainment is growing by leaps and bounds, and book content should be part of that shift," adds Katz.
Following the completion of a pilot program, Springer Science+Business Media has extended its MyCopy e-book service to all academic libraries in the United States and Canada that have purchased Springer eBook Collections. All registered patrons of those libraries will be able to order soft-cover copies of Springer e-books for their personal use by clicking on a button on the Springer platform (http://www.springerlink.com). All books will be sold at the same price, $24.95, which includes shipping and handling within the United States and Canada.
The MyCopy offer is currently valid for more than 11,000 electronic Springer books published since 2005. The new soft-cover format is branded as a MyCopy book with a color cover and black-and-white book content. MyCopy books can only be ordered by registered patrons of those academic libraries that have purchased the corresponding Springer eBook Collection. The ordering and shipping process will be handled by Springer in cooperation with print-on-demand provider Lightning Source.
“We tested and evaluated market acceptance. The test phase was a complete success, as the libraries and their patrons confirmed,” says Dr. Olaf Ernst, president of eProduct management and innovation at Springer. “The order processing, rapid delivery and attractive price of the books convinced library users that this is a good deal. The logical decision for Springer was to offer MyCopy as an extended service for our library customers and their users. It makes the steadily growing e-book range even more attractive to the science and research market.”
Thirty selected libraries and other research institutions in the United States and Canada took part in the MyCopy pilot project, which launched in November 2008.
“This project represents a very innovative way in which to look at both publisher and library services for electronic content in the future, and MyCopy is a great value-add to our site license for these e-books,” says Wendy Allen Shelburne, electronic resources librarian at the library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The creditors of Quebecor World announced in a court filing this week the names of the company's new independent directors. Former RR Donnelley CEO Mark Angelson will be chairman. He will be joined by Tom Ryder, former chairman and CEO of Reader's Digest, and Jack Kliger, former president and CEO of Hachette Filipacchi. Ryder and Kliger are past chairmen of the Magazine Publishers Association. Ryder also sits on the boards of Amazon.com, Virgin Mobile and Starwood Hotels.
Raymond Bromark, chairman of the audit committee of CA Inc. and a retired senior partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, also was named to the board, along with turnaround specialist James Gaffney; printing industry veteran Michael Allen; Canadian lawyer and former senior officer of Alcan Inc. David McAusland; and Gabriel de Alba, managing director and partner of Catalyst Capital Group of Toronto.
"The highly fragmented printing industry must undergo further consolidation, and this company will be an important part of that process. We look forward to providing overall strategic guidance, best governance practices and oversight," says a spokesman for the director designees.
Jacques Mallette, Quebecor's chief executive, will be the only continuing member of the board. The new board members will be seated upon the company's emergence from its insolvency proceedings, which is expected to occur in July.
At 4:27 a.m. on April 23, Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt "tweeted" on Twitter.com: “We have just put [Senior Vice President and Group Publisher] Tod Shuttleworth in charge of our digital strategy.” Hyatt directed those who wanted to learn more to ObservationsOnceRemoved.blogspot.com, the blog Shuttleworth writes about “observations on publishing, digital strategy, youth baseball and life.”
And so Shuttleworth is off to the races, trying to figure out how he can—as he stated in an April 20 blog post—stop being a “digital armchair quarterback” and get on the field.
In that same blog post, which is a reposted company memo, Shuttleworth wrote to his colleagues about how he will formulate Thomas Nelson's digital strategy: He plans to listen to his digital team. Then, he will meet with other colleagues to hear their ideas before turning an ear to outside “world-class leaders and companies” interested in contributing. Next, he will “build an executable strategy,” and the final step will be to execute said strategy, which will continue to be revised and adapted.
Shuttleworth recently spoke with Book Business Extra about the transition and Thomas Nelson's unfolding digital strategy.
Book Business Extra: How's it going so far in your new position? What are you finding to be Thomas Nelson's biggest digital strategy challenges?
Tod Shuttleworth: It's going great. … Our internal folks in charge of our digital strategies have done an amazing job. Outside folks are helpful with their many opinions. Everyone has ideas, but no one really knows where this adventure will take us. ... We don't really know what [the challenges] are yet. [But] I suspect, like any change, it's educating the current employees [on] how things will be changing and execution of [those] changes. ...
Book Business Extra: You outlined your strategy in a memo to your colleagues, which included seeking input from your digital team, colleagues and others. What kind of responses have you gotten so far? How are you integrating the responses into your plans?
Shuttleworth: … We're talking to thought leaders in content distribution. We're talking to thought leaders in traditional publishing, technology firms. But it's really not about the technology. It's really about consumer behavior. So we're talking to people that have interesting things to say about how consumer behavior is changing—especially relative to content acquisition.
We are, however, in an information-gathering stage, so there are not any defined plans in addition to what we are already doing with e-books, etc. It will take time to define the larger plan.
Book Business Extra: Was the decision to consult with outside companies and leaders a foreign way of thinking at Nelson?
Shuttleworth: [No,] this is pretty standard practice at Nelson. We search out the best, do a lot of listening, ask a bunch of questions, engage in internal debate, arrive at a strategy and then execute it, knowing that we will have to make course corrections. My gut says that there will be more course corrections in a world that always seems to be changing … . And, failing is OK. We will experiment with more things on a small scale. ...
Book Business Extra: You noted that the way people are consuming books is changing; therefore, digital strategy must change. How is Thomas Nelson reacting to this societal shift?
Shuttleworth: I am still learning. One observation is that consumers want their information now. Even a drive to the bookstore is sometimes too long to wait. I have a Kindle, for example, and I love to be able to download a book the second I get the impulse to do so.
I suspect the Kindle is an example of how to leverage consumers' evolving habits and needs. Consumers want their information at their fingertips in whatever format they desire the information. ... Our e-book business is growing very quickly, as is audio downloads.
And, today, it's common knowledge that the second-most common form of book awareness is online media, such as online communities [and] anything that has to do with the online world–everything from book widgets to Web sites to blogs. ... Still, the most important is displays in the bookstores. But things like print, television and radio have virtually completely gone away. So, obviously … anything on the marketing side of book publishing now has to have the social media and online component.