[Keywords:] American digital publishing; Revelation; Industrial structure; asset management
China Library Classification G230
[Document ID ]A
[ArticleNo.]1007-1962 (2009) 24-0013-02
Digital publishing refers to the use of digital technology to engage in publishing activities.
Digital publishing in the United States has developed rapidly. In 2007, the annual sales of e-books in the United States reached $365,438 +0.8 million, or about RMB 220 million, an increase of 23.6% over 2006, while the sales of books in the United States decreased by 1.5% in 2008. By June 2009, the sales of e-books in the United States had reached140,000, an increase of 654.38+036% compared with the same period last year. The digitalization process of American publishing industry not only promoted the process of America's entry into the information society, but also played an important role in the monopoly position of the United States in the global information economy, which had a revolutionary impact on the traditional publishing industry. This influence is not only the replacement and innovation of traditional technology by a new technology, but also changes the traditional way of obtaining information, the format and business model of traditional publishing, and quietly sets off an industrial revolution.
First, the status and significance of digital publishing in the United States
1 The United States is a global leader in digital publishing and a weather vane for new reading methods.
With the rapid development of American economy, the wide application of IT technology and Internet, and the constant changes of American reading habits and reading environment, screen reading has become a common reading mode in the United States. From April to July, 2009, the number of digital book users who applied to read on smart phones increased by 300%, accounting for about L% of the total population in the United States. The invention of Amazon's KINDLE e-reader and Apple's IPHONE pushed reading to a new height. It combines fashionable and modern reading methods with low-cost and space-free access methods, which greatly attracts readers' attention and is called the new knowledge reading revolution by the industry. So far, the circulation of ??ndle has reached 500,000 copies. It is predicted that by the year of 20 12, the usage of KINDLE will reach 2.5 million, the operating income will reach/kloc-0.6 billion dollars, and the reading volume of IPHONE will be twice that of KINDLE. This paperless reading is spreading all over the world.
America is the founder of the new publishing profit model.
While traditional publishers are still studying how to occupy an inch position in the shrinking book sales space, smart Americans have provided publishers with unlimited free bookshelves and storage space in virtual space. They boldly break the limitation of time and space, and put books in virtual space, which is not limited by bookshelves and can be found by its demanders at any time. Moreover, this method has greatly promoted the sales of books. According to statistics, online sales of books on Google increased by 28%. At present, Google's "book search" system has more than 7 million kinds of books, and they have reached cooperation with 25,000 publishing houses in more than 70 countries, ranking first in the possession of publishing resources. It can be predicted that the revenue of publishing industry based on digital resources will continue to increase.
Digital publishing in the United States makes the publishing industry more service-oriented.
The United States has quietly changed books from ink-filled industrial products to service industries. Nowadays, American publishers are no longer only concerned about product content, they are more concerned about the needs of readers, and they always consider how to serve them more effectively. They not only sell content, but also sell passion, and they infinitely amplify the needs of readers. The United States combines publishing with services, training and information in the fields of education publishing, science and technology publishing and tourism book publishing, and online education and online services are surging. For example, Pearson Education Group in the United States, in order to make a new, stronger and bigger educational publication, bought an e-university website for distance education, and used the network to enhance the evaluation of learning effect, the tracking of learning interest and the grasp of learning process, making its educational function more powerful. According to statistics, Pearson's business income in 2007 was about $8 billion, of which 1 1 billion came from digital products and services. While selling human dreams, they have seized huge commercial interests.
Second, the publishing revolution and its enlightenment
The digital publishing process in the United States is bringing a revolution to the traditional publishing industry. We believe that paper books won't leave the stage of history immediately, but it is difficult for us to predict how far it will go. In today's world economic downturn and increasingly fierce competition in the publishing industry, we should calmly analyze the growth path of China's publishing industry.
China's digital publishing started late and developed rapidly. In 2006, the total revenue of digital publishing industry was about 20 billion yuan; In 2007, its overall market scale soared to 36 billion yuan; It reached 53 billion yuan in 2008 and is expected to reach 75 billion yuan in 2009, with an average growth rate of 56.2% in three years. China Academy of Social Sciences recently published the Blue Book of Culture in 2008. The potential market of digital publishing in China is huge. There are 649 million users in cmnet, accounting for 46% of netizens: in the next five years, more than 30% of mobile phone users will read e-books and digital newspapers through their mobile phones, and the sales scale of e-books and digital newspapers purchased by users in libraries and other institutions will reach 1 100 million yuan; It is estimated that by 20 12, the mobile phone reading market in China will have a revenue of 5 billion yuan; In 2020, China's online publishing sales will account for 50% of the publishing industry; In 2030, 90% of books will be published online. It can be said that digital publishing is a sunrise industry with the fastest growth, the shortest distance from the world and the greatest growth potential in China's future publishing. Can we seize the opportunity in the digital wave? Today, it is particularly important to realize the gorgeous turn from traditional publishing industry to digital publishing, make strategic adjustments and realize industrial leapfrogging. To this end, we must focus on solving the following problems:
First, we should understand digital publishing from the overall perspective of economic and social development and national security. At present, the concept of most domestic publishing houses is seriously lagging behind. Although digital survival has become a modern way of life, and the reading rate of paper media is declining all over the world, most publishers are not familiar with this modern mode of communication, know little about the concept of digital publishing and industrial development, and are not sufficiently prepared for the upcoming digital wave. On August 18, 2009, the 87-year-old American Reader's Digest filed for bankruptcy, marking the farewell of this world-famous magazine. This incredible reality reminds us once again that in the face of the impact of new media, the publishing industry should seriously study how to use high technology, conform to the "general trend" of media integration, and make the current content more dynamic.
Historical experience has proved countless times: which country is in a leading position in the possession of information such as science, education and culture, which country's economy will develop rapidly. In the information society, content providers, as the source of information, take an increasing share in economic development. The digitalization of publishing industry is the driving force of industrial development, and it is the social responsibility of publishing industry to speed up the digitalization process.
Second, take advantage of the opportunity of digitalization to adjust the industrial structure and realize industrial leapfrogging. Digital publishing omits not only ink, but all links of the traditional industrial chain from publishers to readers, authors and publishers, which subverts the traditional publishing industrial chain. It can be found from the digitalization process of large American publishing groups. They are all taking the information superhighway, extending the original publishing industry chain indefinitely, and taking advantage of this opportunity to adjust the industrial structure. They re-integrate the nature of the publishing industry, organically combine traditional publishing with more service-oriented contents such as online education, training and qualification examination, and integrate them into an organic "cultural package" for packaging and sales. This is more exemplary in the adjustment of publishing structure. Digital publishing transforms traditional publishing activities into a part of network information service industry. This is an opportunity for the traditional publishing industry to adjust and upgrade its industry. This will drive the structural adjustment of the publishing industry and accelerate the industrial upgrading.
Third, strengthen asset management and implement capital operation. The assets of publishing industry include two parts: one is content assets, and the other is capital assets. Digital publishing takes content as the center and technology as the support. Content is the long-term accumulated assets of traditional publishing industry, which occupies a very important position in the assets of the whole publishing industry. In the era of information economy, we should make full use of digital technology, so that original content products can be sold many times, produced once, distributed infinitely through multiple channels, multimedia and multiple objects, and the value of original content can be enlarged. We should carefully check the assets of the publishing unit. In order to establish a good digital content asset management system and create new profit space without increasing paper cost, printing cost and channel cost, it is necessary to shift from previous product management to capital management. At the same time, in the case of establishing publishing groups in various provinces, we should make good use of the institutional advantages of nationalization of China's publishing industry. Integrate the content assets within the group, so that these scattered content assets can gather together and play an aggregation effect. Make it have stronger bargaining power in the market competition. Besides. Publishers should master the skills of capital operation. Judging from the upsurge and development trend of global publishing industry in recent years, M&A is an important way for modern publishing enterprises to develop rapidly.
Fourth, increase the investment and application of digital technology to improve the digitalization level of the publishing industry. Digitalization is the beginning of modern publishing revolution. China's publishing industry is relatively low in informatization and lacks a digital resource management system. In the application of digital technology, it lags behind not only international counterparts, but also other domestic industries. At present, it is necessary to increase the hardware investment in digital publishing and strengthen the combination of products, technology and capital. Improve the application level of publishing information. It is necessary to increase the reserve and cultivation of high-tech talents, establish a business operation team including content editors, technicians and marketers, effectively graft knowledge and technology, and organically combine cultural ideals with business opportunities in the process of digitalization of publishing. Meet the challenges of the future.