This document outlines 7 lessons learned by a native digital publisher. [1] Save the best parts of traditional publishing like editing and proofreading, and focus on digital. [2] Going digital-only poses problems like lack of shelf space, but also opportunities with metadata, real-time data, and algorithms. [3] Digital publishing's "enemies" are not piracy or free content, but a lack of standards and obscurity. [4] Its "friends" are social platforms and tools that enable matching readers to relevant books. [5] Assumptions about pricing, value and perception of value may be wrong for digital. [6] Self-publishing experiments provide learning for understanding new rules. [7]

1. 7 Lessons
Learned by a
Native Digital
Publisher
Giuseppe Granieri
40kbooks.com
@40kbooks
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2. Prologue: 40k
* Contract: 3 years, renewable
* Author: partner in profit
* Rights: worldwide, every language
* Different languages, different markets
* Advance: never
* Payment: frequent in the year
* Readers: partners
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3. 1. Save the best, forget the rest
Digital only
The first lesson: save the best of the editorial
process (editing, proofreading, etc.). Then start
thinking digital.
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4. 2. Digital Only: Problems
* No shelf space
* Low noticeability
* Learning curve
* Adoption
* Price
* Perception of value
* ROI (e.g., translations)
* Augment of scale
* Role as a publisher
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5. 3. Digital Only: Enemies?
* Piracy: no
* Free: no
* DRM: yes
* Self-publishing: no
* Complexity: yes
* Obscurity: yes
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6. 4. Digital Only: Friends
* The ‘more-social-as-possible’ bookstore
* Metadata optimization
* Real-time data
* Algorithms
* Every single and effective matchmaking tool
* True fans
* Hype
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7. 5. Prices, value, perception of value
Everything we thought we knew about ‘Best
Practices’ is probably wrong
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8. 6. Opportunities: self-publishing
The self-publishing army is mapping the ‘new
world’. They’re experimenting for us. They’re
building a knowledge base that will help us to
understand the new rules.
We need to learn from them.
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9. Digital Publishing should be a non-zero sum game
7. As complexity rises...
* Mindset
* Learning (skills, practices, paradigms..)
* Fast reaction
* Innovation
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