I realize that a book genome is neither a new idea, nor is it a trivial undertaking. Pandora’s team started working on the idea back in 2000 and it still is not automated. Every song is listened to by a music analyst who outlines 300-500 musical characteristics/genes, giving each song an in-depth profile. This takes about 20-30 minutes per song. Add to that the fact that 10% of songs are then analyzed a second time by another technician to ensure consistency across the collection. No wonder it works so well. If you consider the complexity of a song versus the complexity of a book, as well as how long it would take to read each book, it’s clear that this is not going to happen in short order. So until someone has the gumption and the resources to undertake this massive project, we have to find more manageable solutions for improving discoverability now. Here are two very doable ideas.

1. Give readers the reigns – Every reader has their own unique set of interests that cannot be defined by the pages they have clicked on or the books they have purchased (ie. data and code alone will not solve this challenge). Although there are some things one can glean from this data, it does not give a complete picture of that user’s ever evolving interests. So why not give them the controls? Let readers outline what categories, sub categories, and topics interest them most, so online booksellers have a shot at serving up titles on a personalized homepage and digital newsletters that will peak their interest. Think of it like walking into a bookstore and all the books on the front tables are from the categories and on the subjects that interest you most. Think of the time you’d save and the titles you’d discover.

2. Handselling online – We all lament the loss of independent bookstores. As a reader they are magical places that can make one completely loose track of time, and very often result in discovering an exciting work because of the carefully curated collection, or because of a recommendation from another customer or shop employee. As a publisher, these shops are a vital part of getting lesser-known titles in front of readers so their loss has had a deep impact on a their bottom line. Replicating this environment online is difficult to say the least.

One way to introduce a handselling element would be to ask publishers to provide a 1-2 minute script/pitch about a book that can be produced in a short video, similar to what Zappos is doing (click here). To be clear, this is not a trailer. For most of their products, Zappos employees show viewers a product and talk about its features. In the first year they implemented these videos (2009) they saw a 6-30% increase in sales!

There are no silver bullets here; improving discoverability requires a collection of tools that readers can use to filter the hundreds of thousands of titles (and growing) online. Not only does each reader have a unique collection of interests, but how they search is a fluid process that takes unexpected turns. Having a variety of tools in which to sort the collection is an essential component of being able to lead readers to unexpected delights!

1. In the US, 30K new grocery stores products are introduced each year with a 90% failure rate.
2. The average person in the US experiences 5,000 advertisements each day.
3. In 2010 there were 5.3 billion mobile subscribers worldwide.
4. Only 25% of cell phones in the US are smart phones.
5. 6.1 trillion texts were sent worldwide in 2010.
6. Android now has 25% of the market with 250K new phones activated each day.
7. Data use has passed phone use on mobile devices.
8. There are 2 billion people searching on Google each day.

The importance of mobile cannot be underestimated. Companies of all shapes and sizes (especially those in publishing) need to look at their business and think critically about how they can use mobile to engage and energize their current customer base, while reaching a new audience. So how does one do this? Brian Schmidt from Google explained that for them, mobile is the future of everything they develop and they use the “4 B’s” to help guide their innovation.

1. Be Relevant – One example of this is Google’s focus on locality. More and more users are turning to their phones to find information about the world immediately around them. This includes store hours, directions, movie times, or locating their friends via apps like foursquare. Think about a mobile solution your business can provide that acts as a tool on the go such as the Whole Foods Recipe app. The key is to get the right information, to the right person, at the right location and time. For me, having a recipe book and shopping list on my phone means I make more delicious food so that app hits all the essentials (me, at the store, in need of some inspiration)!

2. Be Found – The world is getting increasingly congested with chatter, clutter, ads, blogs, videos, clips, blips, and texts. How can you rise above, stand out, and capture your part of the market? Google realized they were missing an opportunity when it came to display advertising, so that is now a huge push for them. Sometimes the answers are so obvious they are hard to see. What are you possible missing that may be right in front of you?

3. Be Engaging – Who hasn’t received a digital laugh that they just couldn’t wait to pass on? One of my current favorites is “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”. Clearly I am late to the game on that one, but that’s the beauty of these little gems. These things get a life of their own and can go on for years. It seems there is always someone who hasn’t come across it yet and for them, it’s as fresh as it was day one. Whether it’s an ad campaign like “Subservient Chicken” or it’s just a clever bit that someone pushed out into the digital ecosystem, its power is in its ability to engage and inform. Think about how your advertising can both engage and educate.

4. Be Accountable – Lance Armstrong has been referred to as “Millimeter Man” because he is always looking at all the variables (his diet, his training, his bike, his gear). He is constantly making tiny adjustments that shave off fractions of a second. Fractions add up! For example, Google looked at the blue they were using in their links. They tested 42 shades of blue to see what was going to attract the most clicks. Sounds silly right? WRONG!!! The blue they found to be most effective has a bit more red and has resulted in a $250 million increase in revenue from clicks. Perhaps it’s time to revaluate the little things. How’s your corporate identity? Has it been a while since it was designed? Perhaps it’s time to freshen it up. What about your website, sales approach, packaging, or mission statement? Look at everything and challenge it. If you cannot honestly say why it’s exactly as it should be, try to tweak it so it becomes more relevant (and effective) for today’s swiftly changing world.

As a closer, Brian shared with us some of Google’s predictions for 2016. Keep these in mind when considering your 5-year plan.

1. The big screens we are all introducing to our homes will be streaming digital content 80% of the time.
2. Mobile devices will enable 2/3 of all purchases.
3. Our phones will become our wallet.
4. Currently advertising is pushed 80% of the time. In 5 years 80% of it will be opted in.

What have you’ve done lately that has given your business an edge? If you’d like to share, please drop me a line.

“We were inspired by a video created by an Argentinian agency, Savaglio/TBWA entitled Truth“

Kevin Rose (click to watch 6 min. video)

Once again my good friend Gary passed along this great video from Kevin Rose, founder of digg.com, wefollow.com, co-founder of revision3.com, and pownce.com. In this piece Kevin outlines some thoughtful ways of making the act of reading an eBook a richer and more social experience. By simply enabling the reader to access a deeper level of information about characters and items in the book, the level of engagement and enjoyment increases. Additionally, adding functionalities that allow readers to connect with, annotate, and lend their eBook would not only deepen the connection to the title, but it would ultimately widen the audience benefiting both the author and Publisher.

It is these kinds of advancements that get me and my colleagues at WOWIO excited about this incredible new space. Are these earth shattering ideas? No, in fact they’re small steps forward, but so few publishers are taking active steps to make their eBooks more that just an electronic version of the print version. I know resources are limited and that this kind of tagging is no small job, but it would be wonderful to see publishers choosing a title or two to push a bit further. It could be as easy as imbedding a video in the PDF, any movement in this direction is great. We at WOWIO have one publisher (Scott Christian Sava of Blue Dream Studios) who has animated cells in his comic book The Dreamland Chronicles 28. Check it out!

Published by Blue Dream Studios

Our goal at WOWIO is to celebrate and push this new medium as much as we can. If you have titles you’d like to push a bit further down the digital path, let us know!

Bob Miller, group publisher of Workman Publishing (formerly of HarperStudio) is a fresh voice in the sea fear. So many are consumed by the idea that every pirated digital copy means a lost sale, but what they fail to accept is that the pirated files are most often taken by readers who would never have purchased the book in the first place. What’s really going on is a form of promotion that is happening out of the hands, and control, of publishers, but which still has the potential to drive sales when the numbers are within reason. Miller likened it to one of the most common forms of promotion in the industry. “Certainly, if we saw our business being pirated completely, it would be terrible. However, we give away 2,000 copies at BookExpo, and we’re upset if we can’t give them all away!” he said. “So I think 2,000 copies being pirated is good news. It shows they will read it, tell their friends, and go buy the author’s next book.” Richard Nash, an independent publishing consultant and entrepreneur agreed. “Two thousand pirated e-books is a good sign – it means somebody wants the damn things,” Nash went on to explain that stagnation is where real risk lies. “It is too risky not to completely reconceive our business. The risk lies in remaining siloed, remaining in the manufacturing business.”

Piracy is something that we all need to keep on top of so that as Miller suggested, the entire business is not pirated. That clearly is not a sustainable business model for anyone. But the fact is that pirates are extremely good at breaking systems so we have to accept that there will always be a little bit of this going on. Additionally, many houses are finding that the majority of the pirated copies are coming from in-house (late stage manuscripts) or from advance copies (scans made from the printed version). Two of the big six stated that this was more often the case than their eBooks getting cracked and shared. So what is the lesson here? Don’t ignore piracy but keep the ball moving forward. What is gained from the digital form far outweighs what is perceived to be lost. There is still a lot to be ironed out and innovated in this new landscape, but the future will be bright for those brave enough to venture forth and smart enough to see where opportunity lies.

Also from Scholastic is The 39 Clues series, each of which are written by a different author. This wonderful mystery comes with cards containing clues (more cards can also be purchased separately) so readers can play The 39 Clues game online where over a $100,000 in prizes are up for grabs.

But these were not the first, back in 2006 Cathy’s Book by Running Press sent readers to phone recordings and URLs. Readers could explore a little packet of assorted papers tucked into the book and there were, and probably still are, blogs and fascinating links that helped answer the many questions related to uncovering the mystery.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Like Penenberg, I firmly believe our books will one day be highly dynamic worlds with many rich layers of information for us to digest and even interact with. To read his article, click here.

Last week Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, was a guest at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Orlando 2009 and discussed some of the changes/advances we can all expect. Although we are in the midst of a monumental shift, which is requiring everyone to keep their eyes trained forward and be open to dramatically new ways of doing business, his projections seem to say that we ain’t seen nothing yet. Like Google, publishers are in the information business so lend your ear. This 6 minute clip is a fascinating peek at what’s to come.

To watch the entire 45 minute interview, click here.

- Synchronized bookmarks and last page read between owner’s Kindles and PCs

- Finger-pinch page scaling

- Finger-swipe page turning

B&N's Nook eReader

Yet another player has been added to the eReader game and it looks as though B&N has crafted quite a nice contender. Does it look drastically different from the other 30+ eReaders currently out there? No, but the addition of the touch screen at the bottom really steps up the game a bit. The devices until this time have felt so mechanical, in a calculator type way, which no longer resonates with today’s interactive hungry market. So many of us spend countless hours dashing back and forth from email to photos to web pages on our touchscreen mobile devices, so having that tactile flexibility makes the Nook feel more efficient, familiar, and somehow more personal.

On that note of personalization, B&N lets readers upload thier own photos and images to create a customized screen saver, as opposed to the pre-set images found on Kindle. They have also cleverly enlisted A-list designers Kate Spade, Jack Spade, and Jonathan Adler to create high-end covers for the Nook. Just another way of bringing readers a “touch” closer to being one with their eReader.

Designer covers (left to right: Kate Spade New York, Jack Spade, Jonathan Adler)

For a Nook/Kindle product comparison, click here.