If you aren’t subscribing to Publishers Lunch, you missed Michael Cader’s look at how Amazon.com is basically trying to fit every hot web trend of the last few years, from del.icio.us-style tagging to wikis and podcasts, into its online offerings. You might think it looks like a mess, Cader tells publishing insiders, but “the company that sells exponentially more of your product on the Internet than anyone else thinks this works.”
“It’s time—or rather way past time—for publishers to look at getting out of the controlled, static web page mode and into the visitor-focused, information and interaction driven world that defines today’s Internet.”
Right on: I’ve been beating a similar drum behind the scenes for some time; my give-away idea is for publishers to convert their new releases lists into RSS feeds the way Netflix does. “If you’re not the primary open-source source for readers,” Cader warns, “someone else will be.” And that’s not a threat, it’s a warning…but tell us what you think.
Sarah adds: and a big “right on” from me as well. Think of it this way: if the publishing industry wants to appeal to the next generation of readers, those who are instant experts at multitasking with instant messaging, downloading music, blogging, researching and the like, a one way, one-at-a-time philosophy simply isn’t going to cut it anymore. Having every tool possible all at once to hook readers is the way it must be – so the big question is, who’ll be listening first?
