Ten Secrets of Digital Publishing No One Will Tell You

• Findings of Fall 2009 proprietary survey of 200+ independent publishers fielded by the Perseus Books Group (Perseus’ client base of approx. 330 gives it unique access to the independent publisher universe)
• Focused entirely on digital practices, process changes, unmet needs and looming concerns of independent publishers in this tipping point moment
• Participants screened and qualified, but results anonymous to encourage honesty
• Survey open to all independent publishers of greater than $50K gross sales in calendar 2009
• Perseus clients and non-clients in the results
• Survey in development, will be in the field 4 weeks in October/November 2009, publicized for broad participation
• Results to be released at TOC conference
• Presentation will include topline summary of findings, analysis and Q&A with the survey team…

In keeping with the focused, meaningful, analytic and actually-happening spirit of the TOC conference, survey asks new questions, hones in on practices, behaviors, and real unmet needs

Perseus is fielding this study for several important reasons. Among them, we’re:

• Testing and validating our own publishing process and tool discoveries on the spectrum from pure experiment–to-implemented changes
• Actively seeking independent publishers’ digital best practices at this tipping-point moment (knowing we will need to ask again soon, and again soon after that, as we are in an unpredictable and accelerating cycle of change)
• Identify whats missing and critical for independent publishers – more “we need” than “how to”

We propose sharing the findings at TOC because the best ideas cross the value chain and require smart, moving, aligned, and communicating partners to succeed. This is something we experienced in spades this summer with Book: The Sequel, our crowdsourced, 48-hour book crashed to all formats at BEA (bookthesequel.com/participants)

Survey areas to be addressed include…

• What 5 things have publishers always done that they are no longer going to do in the next 12 months?
• What 5 things have moved from experiment to This Is The New Normal in the last 6 months?
• What tool is missing from independent publishers’ arsenals? Why do they need it?
• The 3 trends/changes “I’m fighting with everything I’ve got”
• The 3 “everybody’s talking but I’m still waiting” changes that can’t get here soon enough

Who is this for?

• Independent publishers who want some solid, new and relevant information about what other independent publishers are actually doing now digitally (vs. thinking about, talking about, or experimenting with), in order to prioritize new efforts, identify current best practices, swim with new, important and fast-changing currents rather than against them
• Publishing partners looking for insight into independent publisher’s current priorities, unmet needs and receptivity to change