Ebooks are Growing, but the Printed Page Isn’t Dead

On November 27, 2013, Rüdiger Wischenbart will speak at the HSE Faculty of Media Communications. Dr. Rüdiger Wischenbart is founder of Rüdiger Wischenbart Content and Consulting (RWCC), Vienna, Austria, a leading expert in international book market development, culture, global book markets and innovations in book publishing.

— Could you please tell us about some of the latest trends in the international book market?

— We can see that ebooks are becoming more and more popular in a growing number of countries. As well as accounting for over 20 % of the market share in the US and the United Kingdom, sales of ebooks have are now taking off in Germany and in Spain, and their impact is growing in Italy and France. In terms of distribution, several platforms launched by large publishers or retailers in cooperation with telecommunication companies are creating platforms for literature, like Tolino in Germany or Nubico in Spain. In Europe. a critical debate has emerged about the growing dominance of the ebook market by Amazon, so that now globalization and global players are being challenged by local initiatives. 

— Do you personally believe in a bright future for traditional book publishing?

— I see many strong opportunities for traditional publishers to make new and direct contact with their customers, and to bring their books in very targeted ways to their audiences. But at the same time, they have to face serious challenges from new global players who compete by taking over the role of the traditional publisher, and also from piracy. I think that we will see many new companies who will bring innovation to the conservative business of book publishing.

— What's your position in the dispute on the battle between traditional books and digital ones? Which one is winning?

— We need to remember that we are currently only at the very beginning of a long journey. The founder of Kobo, a global ebook platform, has said that he expects this transition to take at least 20 years, and that it will completely transform the way in which authors publish their books, and how we read them. So it is probably not a question of who will win, but rather how best to organize this transformation, how to maintain a wide diversity of books, how to guarantee that authors can earn money from their work, and how to make sure readers can find the titles that they want.

— What are the needs of international book market? What experts are needed?

— The international dimension is very central to the ebook revolution. Readers, who are mostly well educated, will easily have access to books regardless of where they are published, or in what language. And publishers can reach their audience without worrying about geographical restrictions. Readers and reading communities will be at the centre of this new landscape, regardless of where they are physically located.

— You are coming to Moscow during the 15th International Book Fair of High-Quality Non-Fiction. Are you going to attend it? What do you recommend seeing there?

— I am particularly interested in meeting with both large and small, independent Russian publishers, to learn about their ideas and views.

— What's your personal choice of reading? Do you remain loyal to traditional paper books or have you switched to digital formats already?

 — I often read ebooks, because I travel a lot, and they are simply more convenient. But I would not turn this into a doctrine, and obviously I also read printed books. I think that this mixture will be fairly typical for most readers.

You can find more about his work at www.global-ebook.com

 

Anna Chernyakhovskaya, specially for the HSE news service