[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #295: Data-driven publishing

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4Cast #295: Data-driven publishing
August 15th, 2012

Ebook reading devices are basically specialized computers, which means 
they can do more than just display words on a screen. If you use an 
ebook reader, you know that you can highlight portions of books, share 
some parts with friends, organize your books into collections, and other 
computer-type activities. These are all nice features that make an ebook 
reader more useful. You may not know, however, that your reader/computer 
could be quietly gathering data about your reading habits. Such data is 
beginning to be used by some publishers for "data-driven" book 
publishing, which may be the wave of the future.

  * Your e-book is reading you
    <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304870304577490950051438304.html>
    (Wall Street Journal/Alexandra Alter) "The major new players in
    e-book publishing-Amazon, Apple and Google-can easily track how far
    readers are getting in books, how long they spend reading them and
    which search terms they use to find books. Book apps for tablets
    like the iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook record how many times readers
    open the app and how much time they spend reading. Retailers and
    some publishers are beginning to sift through the data, gaining
    unprecedented insight into how people engage with books."
  * Do books need a beta version? Analytics for books pave the way
    <http://www.fastcompany.com/1844304/do-books-need-beta-version-analytics-books-pave-way>
    (Fast Company/Sarah Kessler) "For many publishers, it will be worth
    the $19 or $99 monthly fee per book, depending on number of readers,
    that Hiptype charges. Hiptype's tool also acts on the information it
    collects. After it pinpoints what type of people are buying a book,
    it offers an option to buy Facebook ads that specifically target
    those demographics. Then, it uses click-through data from those ads
    to narrow down even more specifically what type of person is most
    likely to buy the book."
  * Hiptype wants to be the Google Analytics for ebooks
    <http://paidcontent.org/2012/07/31/hiptype-wants-to-be-the-google-analytics-for-ebooks/>
    (paidContent/Laura Hazard Owen) "One possible concern is privacy.
    'We don't want to discourage the conversation about privacy,'
    [Hiptype CEO James] Levy said, noting that while all of the data
    Hiptype collects is anonymous, users can opt out completely. The
    company is also looking for ways it can improve its service for
    readers. In beta, end users have requested that Hiptype make its
    data available to them. For example, Levy said, a teacher could
    track how students are interacting with the books they've been
    assigned to read."
  * Fifty shades of data
    <http://www.infomart.com/2012/08/01/fifty-shades-of-data-hiptype-guest-blogger-james-levy/>
    (Infomart/James Levy guest blog) "Publishing needs a little bit of
    that same DNA that encourages a 'hacker' culture, where data wins
    arguments. The publishers that figure this out will be tremendously
    successful and profitable, and the ones who don't will go away. If
    book publishers had a way to capture relevant data about who is
    reading their books, how they interact with the books, and what
    persuades readers to buy a book or talk about a book to their
    friends, they'd be able to produce successful books instead of
    rolling the dice when they publish."

*/Reading fact:/*

Here's a sample of the kind of data ebook publishers are gathering: 
About a third of readers abandon an ebook by page 50, but 85% of those 
that make it that far will go on to read the next 50 pages. (So maybe 
ebook free samples should be 50 pages long?)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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