Earlier this month, Dennis Abrams of Publishing Perspectives posted a profile of Bookigee, which is “developing services and analytics to help the publishing industry”.
In the article, Bookigee founder Kristen McLean previewed the talk she was about to give at O’Reilly Media’s one-day Tools of Change conference in Bologna, Italy. Echoing a common and growing theme, McLean noted …
“… the use of hand-held devices overseas is going to leapfrog over our use of home computers – that’s an rapidly growing trend which means that emerging markets are not going to be interested in normal publishing routes.”
She goes on to ask, “How do you meet the challenge?”
Part of the answer involves outfitting writers with the tools they need to understand where and how their books are being sold. Bookigee’s launch product, WriterCube, will provide data-driven insights to authors who are increasingly expected to manage their own marketing.
Abrams does ask McLean “Why not start with publishers?”; she explains that writers need the help, and now. There’s a question hanging in the air, though: If tools like WriterCube take off, where can publishers continue to add value?
