Monday, July 21, 2008
Content Providers Will Survive. Will Authors?
Posted by Jane

In one of my posts last month, I discussed how writers can sabotage their careers by treating online/multimedia activities as optional. In the comments section, Christina Katz (a Writer's Digest author), said:
Whoa, there Nelly!

I've been on the horse for a very long time and you're galloping a bit to far ... ahead.

Don't like this kind of talk. Don't like my work being called "content."

I can't imagine any writer I know who would thrill at the sound of that word.

Easy does it, there. S-l-o-w. D-o-w-n. You know I'm forward-minded ... but this is a bit too forward for me.

I have a feeling most book authors will not warm up right away to this idea of being a "content provider" rather than an author. (And let's not exempt editors from this thinking, either. Meredith has talked about hiring "content strategists" rather than "editors." See this article.)

There is a great deal of romance, authority, and credibility tied up in this idea of being an author. And it sounds distinctly less sexy (and even less beneficial) to be a "content provider." And while I think we should keep playing with the words until it sounds desirable for everyone involved, the sooner we can shift our thinking here, the more viable we will all remain.

Last week my company, F+W Publications, officially changed its name to F+W Media. Read the press release here. CEO David Nussbaum says:
As a Company, our mission is to strive to offer the highest quality content in a wide variety of formats – from print to digital to video – to highly passionate enthusiast communities. We provide compelling content engaging communities and most importantly consumer satisfaction. We are a media company with enormous potential for future growth through excellence and innovation.

So what's the takeaway?

  • Method of delivery (or format) is irrelevant. Book, DVD, Web site, podcast? It doesn't really matter. What will do the best job of delivering useful, engaging content or community?
  • While some people (or some audiences/consumers) may be enthusiasts specifically of the book format, first and foremost (at least when we're talking about the majority of the nonfiction audience), people are looking for an interaction, experience, or information. 
  • I love this Seth Godin quote from an article in The Futurist, "The 21st Century Writer": "The book is a souvenir." What does that mean? It means that the book is becoming the ancillary product in a much larger experience, that people want more than information. Read "The 21st Century Writer" to fully explore this idea.
Media companies, formerly known as book & magazine publishers, have to create or support products/content/experiences so unique and personal that they can't be easily duplicated elsewhere for free. Books are only one aspect of the bigger picture.

(Apologies to Christina Katz for setting her up! As she says, she's very forward thinking.)


Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Industry News & Trends
7/21/2008 3:46:28 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #  Comments [1] Trackback
7/23/2008 4:02:51 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
Well, this was some great reading, that's for sure. And I highly recommend it to everyone whether they are writers, publishers, authors, editors or...content providers. :)

What I came out with in the end was, even though we are all content providers to a certain extent, is that we are all content strategists and content managers, as well.

Though I don't operate anywhere near the level that my publisher operates at (or with anywhere near the annual budget) and I don't treat online/multimedia as optional, I do consider myself to be a content creator, a content manager, and a content strategist, just like my publisher.

It's just that I don't use those words.

So, yes, I think we need better, and perhaps, more flexible words. Perhaps words that reflect that we are essentially in the same boat, doing a lot of the same kinds of work, only on a spectrum of scale...and profit.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy the limited amount of time I have to enjoy being an author, writing books, which I definitely don't consider souvenirs. (With all due apologies to Seth Godin.)

But check back in a few years, one never knows what will happen next. And it's always good in today's climate not to get too locked in and, as you always say, Jane, to keeping evolving.
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