Who needs a library anyway...?

Digital publishing is spreading to a library near you. Overdrive a leading global distributor of eBooks, children’s eBook, audiobooks and now the addition of downloadable video content of over 10,000 titles. With the expansion of this it continues to open up content to library users, having already supplying it services to over 10,000 libraries, retailers, and schools worldwide with the ability to support formats of PC, Appl, Mac, Sony Reader, Nook and Android.

The introduction of videos to libraries is a big plus from an education view point. The ability to have video downloads available 24/7 on the web along with eBooks and audiobooks is going to provide children with a number of tools including children’s books in developing reading skills and improve reading comprehension.

Children can access all the free digital content via their library log-on via an internet connection from anywhere. They can download it to their personal computer or iPhone creating versatility. The access to this content gives not only children different tools to aid literacy development but the content is free which a plus is for parents.

The days of going to a library just to read are fading, time management for today’s generation is all about ’now’. Will libraries fade away or expand their membership?

Universal App for content, will it really work?

Into the second week...which is typically a lot harder than the first. Im getting use to the idea of full-time work and loving the fact that when I get home I don’t have to think about uni assignments to do. The team at Kiwa are coming along nicely with the IT Department making good progress, the Design and Marketing team coming up with some wicked adverts and designs for our ‘QBook Newsletter’ to which you can subscribe to and win an iPod Touch. Last Friday Roger and I went to a meeting with the team at Penguin to discuss the PR campaigns and what strategies we are going to use.

It was a successful meeting and Penguin are very excited about QBooks and what it can offer, such as improving reading comprehension and developing reading skills. With the first week going by quickly it was finished with a game of Call of Duty in the office and a few beers at the end of the day!

I stumbled upon an article by a blogger on Zinio and its iPhone App and how it could pay off big for publishers looking into the digital world. The idea around a middleman for the publishers who create the content and emerging devices (mobile apps, e-readers, tablets) that can feature the product. Now this sounds like a great idea...the use of a middleman to serve as a distributor for publishers who then are able to have their content distributed on a wide range of devices.

However, I see one major problem with this, the devices themselves. Companies nowadays want exclusiveness; they want to be the one and the only one that particular content is on. If publishers have their content on every source it decreases the brand value of the major players in the market such as the iPhone. There would be no need to purchase an iPhone if they can get all their content on another device. Why would Apple and Windows want to share content? Automatically the pull towards one product over the other is gone.

Zinio have a great App but its vision of executive Vice president Philippe Guelton of being “in as many stores as possible and be on as many devices as possible.” Sounds good in theory, but they key will lie in the super powers of digital devices.

It's Just the Beginning!

Blogging...I never thought I would have ended up doing blogs! But here I am attempting my first ever blog. Why write a blog...?? Well as a marketer I want to explore social networking and one of those ways is through blogging getting your name out there. I will try to update this blog as often as I can containing my thoughts about digital publishing and the recent news and topics around that whilst also giving you an insight into my progress at Kiwa Media.

I guess first you want to know who is behind these blogs. Kaleb’s the name, I’m a 21 Year old....fresh out of university. I started my degree at Massey University in Auckland doing a Bachelor of Business in Sport Business Management and Marketing Communications. I loved the uni life and it was a great experience and I am sure going to miss the lifestyle. Late in 2009 after graduating I found out about an internship opportunity at Kiwa Media working with Roger Shakes the Vice President of Business Development. I got the opportunity to work for 3 months with Roger and the Team, headed by Rhonda Kite.

Kiwa Media is an exciting business that I feel has plenty of potential (Yes I know...of course I am going to say this...but really it does!). It’s a New Zealand based company that produces multiple digital language content, creates IT solutions and develops products and services for digital publishing and the entertainment industry. For me I will be working on the QBook and the online marketing side of things. It’s exciting times for me personally as well as I get to do something practical instead of the usual sitting in lectures learning about theory. The QBook is the world’s first touch enabled read-along for kids, allowing kids to read along with the story, have words spelt out to them and even record their own voices. Exciting I know...I can really see the potential with this. Imagine kids learning to spell and read through a hand held device, but for me I think the main thing is it being interactive. For me as a kid I was one of those people that would want to do it themselves and really get my teeth into it, rather than sit back and hear about the theory behind it. Kids don’t want to just read it, they want to hear it, see it and touch it helping bring a number of their sensors into play to develop, providing a great tool to enhance their education. Now to promote the product...was this degree helpful...I have a piece of paper but what does that mean? Well to be honest I believe it only gives me a look in with employers for a graduate’s position, however coupled with experience and you can go far. So im here at Kiwa Media looking to gain some valuable experience! So keep blogging and feel free to leave any comments and idea.

Catch you soon.

Kaleb

Appl iTablet - The Great Color Ebook

Is Apple’s iTablet a game changer for Publishers? The launch of the much anticipated iTablet is due for release in March/April 2010. It’s been suggested the Tablet will have a host of cool features including a camera at the back so the Tablet operates like a window. But what impact will it have on the publishing world?

Firstly, like all Apple devices, it’s full color allowing magazine publishers the opportunity to expand the market for paid content. Book publishers who have plenty of titles which include color pictures will now have a device that will enhance their offering. It also provides scope for publishers to treat their books more like media content by adding media rich content like audio and video within a publication. Publisher of children’s picture books can now enter the market and offer their titles on a platform that will certainly enhance the experience for both adults and young users.

Above all, Apple already have in place an elegant delivery system with their iTunes store. Enter your details once and simply click to buy content. With an expanded book store with royalty rates that benefits publishers and authors, Apple may well have all the elements in place to offer consumer the opportunity to make micro payments for specific chapters rather than purchasing the entire book. This model will appeal to the education sector who are always looking for the latest reference information and if that can be supported by enriched media, the purchase of an chapter could signal a change in behavior of both the consumer and the publisher.

What is certain is that children growing up today will experience a whole new way of accessing information. The Internet will never be far away and media rich content is likely to be a standard offering. How long before everyone on the planet has a device on which they can buy a book? Isn’t this one way to reduce climate change and save the planet? I bet there’s an ebook for that – in full color.