First published on http://www.internationalpublishers.org/
03.03.2015 | With smartphone penetration rates soaring, what can publishers do to kickstart mobile commerce for books? It’s one of the questions we asked digital expert Marcello Vena, who also assessed the retail landscape, the prospects for e-readers and the Long Tail theory’s application to books.
Marcello Vena founded and ran RCS Mediagroup’s digital trade book business before setting up media consultancy All Brain.
How do you see the digital book market changing in 2015?
Marcello Vena: Consolidation and international expansion will be two key drivers of change. Penguin Random House, after its post-merger consolidation, should be able to gather some significant synergies and pursue a tighter integration. HarperCollins now has direct access to many non-English speaking countries thanks to the acquisition of Harlequin. With the US and UK markets maturing, international markets will constitute an important source of digital growth.
Each national book market is unique. They will face local challenges and undergo very specific developments, Tolino’s success in Germany being just one example. Mondadori’s latest bid to take over RCS Mediagroup’s book business is another example, of potential consolidation at local level…
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