E-Bookseminar2 2

Strategies for eBooks, apps
and other digital content products
Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Agenda
• Digital Publishing Business Models
• Digital Products and Formats
• Devices for eReading
• How to create Digital Products

Challenges & opportunities
“The big global eBook players haven’t arrived in Arabia – yet.
Digital reading is on the rise. And it won’t go away. As the internet won’t.
The North American players like Amazon and Kobo are not here yet. That’s your
chance of building your own market!”
Peter Schmid-Meil
Digitalization as a chance:
 Distribution over the internet – the whole world is your audience
 With eBook and internet technologies it would be possible to create
different versions of your books without the big financial risks comparing to
a print run

Digital publishing business models
• Pay per Download
• Subscription
• Lending
• Services

Pay per download
The classic approach of buying a product

Pay per download
The classic approach of buying a product
 Online payment only: credit cards, PayPal etc.

 Similar payment to physical products
 Instant delivery und usage
 Important difference to physical books: You just buy
the right to read a book, you don’t own it

Subscription
Getting many books for a certain time or amount of money

Subscription
Getting many books for a certain time or amount of money
 Regular fees or Pre-Paid

 Access to wide range of books
 Complex provision models for authors and publishers
 Examples for vendors: scribd.com, safaribooksonline.com,
skoobe.de, Kindle Unlimited
 Examples for publishers: millsandboon.co.uk,
packtlib.packtpub.com

Lending
eBooks for libraries

Lending
eBooks for libraries
 Borrowing eBooks for a certain time

 Important for academic and public libraries
 Different license models:
- per title (single download only),
- contingent per title (multiple and parallel download),
- PDA (Patron driven acquisition, users decide the titles)
 Examples: onleihe.net, eblib.com, ebsco.com, proquest.co.uk
 Private lending on the rise: amazon Kindle, ebookfling.com,
booklending.com

Services
Publishing platforms

Services
Publishing platforms
Corporate publishing:
 Enabling publishers, companies and authors to publish (e)Books
 The whole publishing business as an online Software as a Service
 Low set-up fee & revenue share
Selfpublishing:
 Enabling everyone to publish his/her (e)Book
 Production costs, Provision per sale
 Examples: lulu.com, bookbaby.com, epubli.de

Services
Distribution platforms

Services
Distribution platforms
 One partner who delivers your eBooks to every store

 Single-source reporting
 One partner to talk to if something goes wrong
 Low set-up fee & provision per sale
 Marketing competence
 Examples: readbox.net, bookwire.de, ingramcontent.com

Services
Local eBook platforms
Kotobi.com

Services
Local eBook platforms
 kotobi.com (Egypt)
 ektab.com (Amman, Jordania)
 neelwafurat.com (Beirut, Lebanon)
 Complete ebook fulfillment
 Platforms have there own reading apps
 Support of Arabic font

eBooks now and in future

The first ebook was the Declaration of
Independence which came in 1971 when
Michael Hart launched Poject Gutenberg.
The site aims to bring over a million books to
consumers world-wide for free.

Digital products and formats
Advantages and disadvantages
• PDF
• EPUB
• Comparison to Print

PDF (Portable Document Format)
Advantages
 Accurate layout
 Quotable like print (important for academic usage)
 Looks identical on every reading device
 Readable on every platform with the free software Acrobat
Reader
 Easy to produce with a wide range of software known from
print production
 Specific standards for special use cases: e.g. PDF/A (digital
archiving), PDF/E (technical documentation), PDF/X and
PDF/VT (print)
 Password protection, Interactivity (links, forms, signatures)

PDF (Portable Document Format)
Disadvantages
 Static layout
 Difficult to read on devices with small screens
 PDF is vector- and not content-based
 semantically “dead”, you can’t work with the
content
 Isn’t available on most important eBook marketplaces
(e. g. Amazon, iBooks)

EPUB (Electronic Publication)
Advantages
 Works on all kinds of eReaders
 Fluid layout: You can change font, font size, color of
background any time
 Small file size
 Content is structured in (X)HTML  semantically usable,
perfect for social enrichment, e. g. quotation in facebook and
twitter
 Layout of the content can easily be changed in the whole
document through CSS style sheets
 Range of free software for EPUB conversion (e. g. Calibre)

EPUB (Electronic Publication)
Disadvantages
 No accurate layout possible

 Limited quotability, because page numbers depend
on device and device settings
 Looks different on almost every device  often not
very pretty
 Special know-how for EPUB conversion necessary
 EPUB 3: The standard is still evolving and
implementation of EPUB 3 features depends on
marketplaces and reading device – both changing
constantly

ePub means:
An ebook is much more a

website than a book, and so
are the standards much more
web standards!

The Future of eBooks

Past standard: epub 2
ePub 2.0.1 – eBook after
the website-model of the
web 1.0:
• Document inclusion
with xhtml and css 2
• Complemented with
TOC as directory
• Sampled in a zip file
with other document
types
• Ebook-reader is a
hmtl-browser
New standard: epub 3
HTML5 as document language
• Introducing new <article> <header>

structure
<figure>
elements for
documents
• Identification of
text-parts
• Adaptive layouts
for different
devices
improved user <section>
guidance
<figcaption>

CSS 3.0 as new shaping language for epub 3
Sophisticated
layouts and
web typography
get standard

Media Queries
Different layouts for every
device

Audio/Video:
Enhancement of
plain text with
multimedia
elements
Media Overlays:
Synchronization of
text with audio

Javascript: New possibilities
simple <-> complex
Trigger for visual effects Visualization of informations

SVG: New Content in browsers
Scalable vector graphics, dynamic with javascript

MathML: dynamic, reflowable formula
Dynamic scalable
Fashionable with CSS
operated with Javascript

So many possibilities – so much to do?
The necessary adaptation of a epub 2.0.1 file

to a correct epub3 file is simple and clear
Most new features are optional possibilities,

only used when bringing more value for the
reader

IDPF EPUB3 example files project
http://code.google.com/p/epub-samples/

Epub 3 and platforms
Amazon und EPUB3 • Since 2012 update from
mobi to KF8
• Private format, import
interface for epub 3
• Audio/video embedding
and layout features are
supported
• At the moment no support
for javascript, planned at
medium term

Apple und EPUB3
Since 2012 full support of epub 3 with
layout features, audio/video and
javascript
Apple has own development

environment called iBooks Author

Google und EPUB3
Native browser based and
platform neutral
Epub 3 throughout Readium

E-Ink-Reader and EPUB3
Nearly all E-Ink-Reader are

unsuitable for epub 3
Maybe E-Ink will be a

discontuined model with epub 3

New developments: Books in Browsers
Penguin (HarperCollins) Hatches A Cloud Reader
For Pelican Books

Think!
The publishing workflows supports primarily digital

copies of the printed source (= book), useful enhanced
ebooks are new products!
Publishers have to think of ebooks as websites, not as

books!
Publishers need new workflows, right & licence

agreements and maybe new authors for these new
products!
At the moment a great amount of devices doesn’t

support the new standard epub 3!

Challenges for publishers
HTML5 + CSS3 + Javascript
Added value with suitable

offers for customer needs:
Protection of investments
Open standards through open standards
Flexible and agile

Web 3.0 paradigms reactions on the needs of
the market
 everywhere
 everytime
 On every device Use of network dynamism
 Shareable with social networks for new revenue models

Modularization of content
Multiple usage for

different output formats
Atomization and modular

storage
Rulebase, adaptive
layouts
Dynamization of content
representation

Layer model for the digital portfolio
CMS
Export
eBook App Enhanced eBook Web
Channels Database Augmented Reality Blog Microsite
Ecosystem
Customer
Comparing eBook and Print
Features & emotions
 Display instead of paper, boring and haptic-free file

instead of a nice book, shopping at amazon instead of a
book store
 Print: You can lend it, give it away as a present, resell it;
you control the layout, the font, the paper, the cover. But
it’s expensive to produce, heavy and has no functions
 eBook: It has no weight, it’s cheap and fast to produce,
you can buy it anytime and anywhere (if you’re online);
it’s interactive, can have sounds and film clips. But it’s
difficult to layout and you have no precise control how it
looks like.

Apps for mobile devices

Challenges for publishers in the mobile market
• Development: native app or web app

• Costs: it’s more difficult to build mobile
workflows instead ebook workflows
• Pricing: freemium instead one prize per
product
• Competitors: brands and software
companies
The core is service, not content like ebooks!

Strictly think as customer, not as publisher!

Apps
Advantages
 Full multimedia integration

 Usage of smartphone or tablet device features like
built-in cameras, GPS, etc
 Free programming of functions that allow much more
than just reading
 In-App purchasing is possible

Apps
Disadvantages
 Programming can be very expensive

 No standard formats
 Very few marketplaces (e. g. Apple AppStore, Google
Play, Windows Phone Store)
 Customers are used to low prices

Building an app in 12 steps

How to build your first mobile app in 12 steps
(Instructions form Forbes)
Step 1: Define your goal

Step 2: Start sketching

(Forbes)
Step 3: Research
This research has four main purposes:
• Find out whether there are other apps doing the same thing
• Find design inspiration for your app
• Find information on the technical requirements for your app
• Find out how you can market and monetize your app

(Forbes)
Step 4: Create a wireframe and storyboard

(Forbes)
Step 5: Define the backend of your app

Step 6: Test your prototype
Step 7: Build the back end of your app
Step 8: Design the app skins
Step 9: Test again
Step 10: Revise and continue to build
Step 11: Refine each detail
Step 12: Release time

Pricing of apps Never buyed apps!

70% of Apps Do Not get Downloaded
Adjust found that in June 2014 79.6% of apps went
undownloaded
Importance of a good product and excellent marketing!

So many apps, so little time
Importance of a good product and excellent marketing!

Devices for e-reading

Devices for e-reading
Advantages, disadvantages & vendors
• eInk-Readers
• Tablets, Smartphones & Computers
• Vendors

eInk-Readers
amazon Kindle Tolino shine

eInk-Readers
Advantages & Disadvantages
 Almost no weight
 Long battery live
 Display is readable in the sun, no disturbing reflections
 Almost only black & white content
 No complete multimedia implementation so far
 Just reading devices, nothing more
 Price range: From 29 € / 50 $ to 189 € / 289 $

Reading Tablets
amazon Kindle Fire kobo arc

Tablets, Smartphones & Computers
Advantages & Disadvantages
 Smartphones: small displays, very short battery live

 Tablets: heavy, short battery life
 Display shows disturbing reflections in direct sunlight
 Reading is just one feature of many
 Reading apps are for free (e. g. iBooks, Kindle, Kobo)
 Display shows colors and multimedia
 Implementation of EPUB 3 is more advanced than on eInk-
Readers

Vendors
 Market is dominated by only a few players based in North
America and Asia
 Most of the e-readers are produced and sold by the owners of
the eBook marketplaces
 Almost every big player has it’s own and closed ecosystem of
devices and eBooks
 The biggest players are: amazon (USA), Apple (USA), Kobo
(Canada/Japan)

Creating digital products

Creating Digital products
• Thinking in projects – not in pages
• Legal Stuff & Pricing
• New ways of production
• Different costs and calculations

Thinking in projects – not in pages
The classical way of making a book
1.Idea:
From an author or the publisher
2.Concept:
Positioning in the publishers program, definition of
audience and USP, calculation & pricing (depending of
pagecount, size of print run, book design etc.),
marketing
3.Production:
Editing, proofreading, layout, print, binding,
distribution, delivery
New options through digital products
 Splitting big contents into several small

products
 Publishing worldwide in different languages
 Enhancing content with internet links, audio
and video elements
 Creating additional content for marketing
purposes
 Revive your backlist !!!

The digital way of creating content
1.Idea:
Needs to contain all possible media formats, maybe
new authors are necessary
2.Concept:
Definition of USPs for ALL products, calculation &
pricing for all products, closer coordination with
marketing
3.Production:
Pure digital editing & proofreading, layout for PDF,
conversion into EPUB
New tasks through digital products
 Publishers, editors and authors need new

media competences (internet, audio, video,
functions for apps)
 Knowledge about the media and device usage
of the target group is essential

Legal Stuff
Do you have all necessary rights to produce and
market eBooks?
 eBooks are immaterial assets

 eBook rights need to be clarified (backlist!)
 All necessary rights have to be obtained
 Standard contracts have to be updated
 Royalties have to be re-negotiated

Pricing of digital Products
Lower prices than the physical book, but not too low
 eBooks in Germany: 20-30% off the physical book

 Serials: Low price for part 1, higher price for the other
parts
 eBook only projects:
price depends on the classical assets like genre,
author etc.
 Apps: People are used to pay low prices for apps (or
nothing: Freemium!). But In-App-Purchase in a free
bookstore App makes higher prices possible

New ways of production
The print-based way of making a book
1.Content:
Author writes, editor edits  text file ready for layout
2.Layout:
Layouting the content, choice of font, arranging of
pictures, tables, illustrations etc.  check &
proofreading by editor  PDF file ready for print
3.Print run & Binding:
Printing  paper ready for binding, adding cover and
accessories  book ready for sale

The most important changes with digital products
 There’s no printing and binding any more

 Classical layout exits for PDF eBooks only
 EPUB: No precise control about fonts, indents,
paragraphs.
Basic optics can be defined with CSS style sheets.
 “Proofreading” (Testing!) happens not only on paper,
but also on reading devices

The digital way
1. Content:
Product manager provides all necessary media files  data ready
for layout/conversion/app programming
2. Product design:
Layouting PDFs, styling EPUBs, designing apps  check &
proofreading by editor  project files ready for production
3. Production:
Finalizing PDFs, converting EPUBs, programming apps  ready
for sale

New tasks for the production department
 Knowledge about paper, typography & physical cover

design becomes less significant
 Knowledge about content & data structures, technical
devices and media formats becomes more important
 You may need new service providers, e. g. layouters
who can produce PDFs and EPUBs
 Ability to adapt is essential, because devices and
formats are constantly evolving

Separating content from layout
An EPUB eBook is nothing but a website
An EPUB consists of:

 (X)HTML files  Text
 Media files  Pictures, audio, video
 CSS files  Layout
 Font files  Typography (not available on all readers)

You want an app?
You need programming!
More than text and multimedia
An app can do things an EPUB can’t:

 Integrate online content
 Use tablet and smartphone functions, e. g. camera,
GPS
 You need more functions, e. g. calculations, games?

Digital business is a management task

Emotional challenges for the management
 Let the clear identification with the physical product

behind you
 Accept that you have only limited control about the
appearance of your product
 Accept eBooks and apps as equivalent products
 Embrace new technologies as something your
audience demands
(even and especially if you don’t like them)
 Cooperate with start-up companies and learn from
them!

Structural challenges for the management
 Showing strategically commitment to digital products

to the whole company
 Developing and implementing of new workflows
 Building up knowledge for digital production,
conception, media competence, marketing &
distribution
 Training the staff, hire new employers

Ok! And what shall we do now?
1. Don’t panic and run away!

2. Do the easy things first
3. Gain experience and learn
4. Improve your products and marketing

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Strategies for eBooks, apps

and other digital content products

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

 Online payment only: credit cards, PayPal etc.

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

 Regular fees or Pre-Paid

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

 Borrowing eBooks for a certain time

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

 One partner who delivers your eBooks to every store

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

 No accurate layout possible

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

An ebook is much more a

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

• Introducing new <article> <header>

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

simple <-> complex

Trigger for visual effects Visualization of informations

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Scalable vector graphics, dynamic with javascript

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

So many possibilities – so much to do?

The necessary adaptation of a epub 2.0.1 file

Most new features are optional possibilities,

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

IDPF EPUB3 example files project

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Apple has own development

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Epub 3 throughout Readium

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Nearly all E-Ink-Reader are

Maybe E-Ink will be a

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

Steffen Meier Workshop Alexandria November 2016

The publishing workflows supports primarily digital

Publishers have to think of ebooks as websites, not as

Publishers need new workflows, right & licence