Reading has largely been a private affair, but with the advent of digital books there has been a paradigm shift in reading habits worldwide. Thanks to the development of book apps for popular eReaders such as iPad, Kindle and Nook, publishers can now record the number of times a book has been opened and the time spent on each page. This has given publishers unique insights into the reading habits of the digital audience.
For many years, authors and publishers could only rely on sales data and reviews to assess reader response to their books. However, both these methods did not indicate the choices and preferences of readers. The digital medium has now widened the net of data collection by reaching readers via multiple channels. Publishers are designing social media and email campaigns to track audience response right down to the last click. Email marketing campaigns are being used to track metrics and gather actionable insights such as clicks and open rates.
In case of specialized publications, data is being used to help publishers find the right audience. Information about audience preferences helps publishers to channelize their marketing spend on relevant and effective campaigns to reach their audience. Armed with this valuable information, they are customizing their offerings.
Publishers are learning to use data responsibly to understand the reader’s choices and offer contextually relevant content. Moreover, reading data can give publishers insights and feedback even before the book is published. This is done with the help of tracking software embedded in advance copies. This feedback can be used to gauge audience reaction to a book in advance giving authors and publishers the chance to alter content.
The power of data is tremendous. In the competitive and evolving world of digital books business, data collection has proved to be a game changer. Its helping stakeholders make informed decisions. As the digital revolution in publishing begins a new chapter, data collection is imperative to customize content for the correct audience. And thereby generate higher sales for the publishers.
Impelsys’ iPublishCentral is a powerful SaaS platform that offers a quick-to-build, road tested solution to content creators enabling them to offer their digital content online for sales and delivery to B2B and B2C consumers, analytics is one of its fortes.
