Is traditional publishing becoming extinct? Last Known Issue Volume I Issue 9

Last Known Issue Volume I Issue 9

Is traditional publishing becoming extinct ?

Have you ever dreamed of writing your own book? A classic adventure loosely based on your life? – or perhaps a romance, dramatised somewhat because the truth should never get in the way of a good yarn? Well forget about publishers and book stores. Welcome to the world of ‘print on demand’ and LuLu.com

With Lulu you can write your own book, upload it to a global website, avoid exorbitant publishing fees and only pay when your book is printed and shipped to a prospective reader. Pretty cool huh? This concept is catching on, not only because it’s a low cost way to publish your very own Da Vinci Code but because your thoughts, ideas and concepts can sit right next to best sellers on a virtual book shelf where technology matches your search up with books that interest you rather than those heavily promoted by publishing companies.

The same books that are often and placed on limited shelf space in your local book store are now competing with one of the fastest growing trends in the world – print on demand. The use of algorithms to determine similar niche books and place them next to yours on the Lulu site can potentially turn your idea into a global blockbuster.

Instead of the traditional method of printing millions of copies and distributing it to book stores all over the world your book is either printed on demand and couriered out as needed or delivered electronically by Ebook to devices like the iPad or Kindle. It’s smart, eco-friendly, economical and puts the author in the driving seat.

Publishers and book promoters will now have to focus heavily online to ensure the success of a book isn’t soley based on what’s available on the shelf. With that in mind, I haven’t been able to bring myself to read books on an iPad and prefer an old fashioned paperback – I look forward to your book debut and I’ll be sure to order it printed on demand and online.

Free iPad Consultation

Speaking of new technology like the iPad, it’s been a little over 2 months since I bought mine and now that many of my friends and associates have one, I don’t feel nearly as cool as I did before. Nonetheless I do feel far more productive and I often engage in discussions with business owners and team leaders on how they might make use of this new technology.

 So, until the end of October I’d like to offer any business owner, managing director or CEO a free one hour consultation on the iPad and its potential uses. It doesn’t matter whether you have one or you’re thinking about one – it’s an introduction to some of the features the guy at the Apple Store won’t tell you about by understanding how you work and what information you need access to on a regular basis.

If you’ve thought about ways of being more efficient, working away from the office or gaining access to corporate data while out of the office, this could be a valuable discussion.

Some of the uses of iPad I’ve experienced myself and with clients are:

 -Generating KPI and Financial Reports from line of business programs such as MYOB and Microsoft CRM

 -Starting a newsletter or blog or monitoring social media such as Facebook

 -Remote access to a work PC or Server -Checking email and managing appointments

-Breaking free of clunky laptops and desktops while travelling

To register for your free one hour iPad Consultation just simply shoot me an email before October 31st – you can even extend this to anybody you know in a senior role and I’ll be happy to talk to them.