A Plea: Let Some Ebook Data Flow (1)

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A Plea Let Some Ebook Data Flow

• Ebooks at Dyman Associates Publishing Inc

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Ebooks at Dyman Associates Publishing Inc
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Historically, when all others are concentrating
on lowering costs, quality wins.   Publishers
with a laser focus on improving the reader
experience win over those focused on saving
pennies per page. There is an appetite for
quality enhanced ebooks at a premium (e.g. audio
books, companions).   But its not necessarily
about simply improving the multimedia experience.
The best way to improve revenues, stickiness, and
loyalty has always been to ask the customer.
Customer data is the best indicator of what does
and doesnt work.
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Ebooks at Dyman Associates Publishing Inc
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Imagine being able to factor in the subtleties of
your readers experience. What parts of the book
did they like and at what parts did they struggle
to keep reading? Which sample of the book led to
more sales? Did they finish the book? If so, how
long did it take and what were the sticking
points? Who is my audience?   The problem with
surveying customers is that the sample size of
data is typically too small to warrant rewrites.
But ebooks afford us the opportunity to capture
this data automatically. In fact, the EPUB3
format allows for embedded JavaScript, so we can
leverage some of the same type of detailed
analytics we get from web pages (that have been
optimized and improved for years) for ebooks.
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Ebooks at Dyman Associates Publishing Inc
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Yes, there are privacy concerns. Yes, there are
data-ownership questions. Yes, there are platform
wars. These are strong forces that have brought
down laudable efforts to bring this data to
authors, such as Hiptype (a short-lived startup
that cracked the problem but was strategically
blocked by larger forces).   Platforms are not to
be blamed, nor are privacy activists. Their
assertions and efforts on behalf of the data and
readers are valid. But there is a common
understanding that our written word could be
improved by what is effectively the best possible
peer review system available a mass contingency
of actual consumers. And that little e in
ebooks allows us to dynamically make changes.
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Ebooks at Dyman Associates Publishing Inc
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So whats the answer?   There is common ground
between data-driven publishing geeks (such as
myself), privacy activists, authors, and platform
owners. For example, we can all agree that if
most students are incorrectly answering the
questions at the end of a lesson, changes likely
need to be made. Customer data does not have to
include personal information, nor does it have
any particular value by itself. However, an
author/editor would find it invaluable. The ebook
could be improved, the lesson would be more
valuable, and scores of students would understand
trigonometry better than I.
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Ebooks at Dyman Associates Publishing Inc
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If we can all agree on sharing some of the most
basic data elements (perhaps just with the
Publisher and Author for the express use of
improving quality and conversion), all parties
win. Readers will have a better experience,
authors will have created a better product, and
publishers will increase sales. Best of all,
platforms that make such data available would
attract more authors and publishers.   The
data-driven publishing movement is a strong
current that we can control by defining what data
is shared, with whom and for what purpose.
Building a dam to stop all data is a detriment to
readers, students, publishers, authors, and
platform owners.   Its time to open the flood
gates and let some data flow. See other book
reviews at Dyman Associates Publishing Inc.
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