Future Think: What Will Shape Publishing in 2014?

"The most significant publishing trend I expect to see in 2014 is the widespread adoption of Retina iPad Mini devices, which will further accelerate the growth of ebooks. This growth, coupled with the App Store-style demand for instant gratification, will help the notion of buying an in-progress ebook go from a niche idea to an idea which will start to gain traction in the broader non-fiction and fiction spaces."

– Peter Armstrong, Co-founder of Leanpub

"Things are moving so quickly in the area in which our outfit operates—the intersection of technology and publishing—that it's generally a fool's errand to make trend predictions. Either they are so obvious as to already be happening, or revolutionary enough that almost no one will see them coming."

– Evan Ratliff Co-founder, CEO, Editor of Atavist

"I think we have an obligation, as an industry, to continue to provide quality content to our customers even as their preferred media and consumption patterns change. As such, we will need to begin to explore APIs, robust database-backed systems and truly digital-native workflows."

– Brett Sandusky, Founder and Principal bdigitl Media Labs"

At Slicebooks we're betting on three corresponding trends for the coming year: mobile discoverability, niche content and instant mobile payments. Market research shows that consumers are increasingly relying on their mobile devices for consuming media, including e-content."

– Jill Tomich, Co-founder of Slicebooks

"This is going to sound a bit anachronistic, but the big trend in 2014 is going to be companies trying to find the best way to satisfy readers, figuring out how to put just the right book in front of a reader at the perfect moment. Whatever the methodology, though, the trend next year will be to move past typical search-and-shopping-cart experiences and toward products that get readers actually reading with as little friction as possible."