The publishing and literary ecosystem are facing an intense transformation.
Without a doubt, the Internet has transformed society and its habits. The way we produce and consume content has changed, and the publishing world is no exception.
As the profession of writers has expanded beyond writing, new actors have exploded into the realm of literary composition, offering new ways of understanding authorship. At the same time, printed books are no longer the primary means of reading, and new digital windows are being consolidated. Faced with this, the publishing sector is forced to adapt to a new scenario that has yet to be determined.
The technological advances of recent decades, which began with the industrial revolution, have brought about substantial changes in humanity. We have witnessed a qualitative and quantitative changes in the economic, social, and cultural spheres.
However, one more revolution was yet to come: the Internet, its popularization, and interconnection. Many barriers ceased to exist, communication expanded and multiplied, and information began to circulate much faster than before.
The production capacity of texts, videos, images, music, and other formats for communication has become unstoppable and some industries begin to falter or, at least, their business model has come as obsolete in the face of the new reality.
This is the case for the publishing industry if it does not change course now. The publishing industry is becoming outdated, as is its business. The conception of copyright from the last century and the way of producing and circulating its product, the book needs major and urgent adjustments to continue to be profitable.
Reading Media
In the face of multiple and varied productions, we also find that the consumption of texts, photographs, and audiovisual material is multifaceted. Today we read more than ever, but not necessarily books. Within our reach, and at practically zero cost, are a multitude of websites, repositories, and blogs with interesting and valuable content, some even equal or superior to that of a book.
We can read news on our cell phones moments after an event has occurred; we can also read it in any online newspaper or social network such as Facebook or Twitter. Usually, we can send and receive information at the click of a button via a tablet. We consult works online, take a course, and give a webinar on a desktop computer.
New Media
Reading transcends the printed book, reading is an act that goes beyond the format, the support, and the publishing industry. Today we read through different windows; a printed book is just one of them. Generated in a blog or a course; conversely, a book can be the trigger for a workshop or a seminar that, in turn, can be delivered both online and face-to-face.
We are witnessing an era in which people read a great deal, due to the circulation of information, the reach of different media -including social networks-, the high degree of literacy of the population, etc. Therefore, reading is neither in crisis nor in decline; the publishing industry and the way it understands the creation and consumption of content is.
Here lies the challenge for the publishing sector: how to digitize, not just the book, but the company itself; how to take advantage of the content it generates and works with to offer new forms and windows of consumption; how to decode the habits of readers in this century and offer them a product that meets their expectations.