Digital Directions: Transformation's End

Most significant for the growth of the industry will be the new entrants: the "born digital" publishing organizations, with a publishing mission –– as opposed to technology companies like Apple or Inkling — focused on the creation and delivery of information and media services but unburdened by legacy business models and processes, companies like Knovel and Atavist. While they face the same challenges any new company will, they need not concern themselves with transitioning from the past. They can hit the ground running with new modes of delivery.

The Transformation Era will be followed by the Consolidation Era. This consolidation will not only consist of the acquisition of small publishers by large ones, but also the acquisition of publishers unprepared to engage in a vastly different publishing landscape by those that are.

Andrew Brenneman is founder of Finitiv, a provider of publishing strategy and delivery solutions.