Dan Balow’s 5 Steps to Begin Publishing for a Digital Market

By Joanne Kim, MAI intern

1. Learn… about digital trends
First, learn and be aware of what kinds of digital trends are working in your region/country. Different countries are on different tracks. For instance, has Amazon moved into your area yet? If so, take note that it is a major turning point in the region’s digital market.

2. Focus… on the principle of 80/20
The principle of 80/20 refers to how most publishers gain 80 percent of their sales from about 20 percent of their products. Focus your efforts on this 20 percent.

3. Prioritize… make best products available first
Consider these beginning steps to digital publishing as a gradual process. Try not to worry too much about turning everything digital at once. Instead, most importantly, get started today.

4. Publish… two current and important products
A short product only takes about 1 to 2 months in an aggressive approach to be created and distributed. Take risks and try your hand at publishing a short product or two. This experience will help you gain perspective on how to change your processes in your company.

5. Look ahead… 1-2 years
Reflect and consider how you can create more short, topical titles to address specific needs. Continue to publish more books on a regular basis.

This article was excerpted from Dan Balow and Carlo Carrenho’s webinar for MAI, “Thinking and Doing Digital Publishing.” Listen to the webinar archive.

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Photo above courtesy of Freedigitalphotos