The Book Unbound: Disruption and Disintermediation in the Digital Age

The human experience of how we produce, disseminate and perceive text is being irrevocably transformed by the advent of digital technologies. The project focuses on how publishing as both a business and a cultural activity is reacting to this constantly changing relationship as we move from print and paper to digital ink and screen. Such seisimic shifts have resulted in a plethora of new business models that challenge the prevailing hierarchies of cultural gatekeeping as well as new modes of authorship, and have also reshaped perceptions of the book as cultural artefact. These alternative business models are growing in popularity. One example is the lean start-up model which, by moving away from author payment by advance to income generated by royalties, has been particularly influential in stimulating entrepreneurial activity in the publishing sector.

The model of the traditional publishing value chain traces the trajectory of intellectual property from the author to the end consumer, where publishing activities such as editorial, marketing and design are all performed by the single entity of the publisher. However, this process has now been disrupted and disintermediated at every stage by the intervention of digital technologies and consequent infrastructural changes. Authors and non-traditional publishers can now publish, market and distribute their work without the aid of a publisher or conventional business practices.

The project uses two different modes of inquiry to demonstrate the ramifications of this disintermediation on the publishing industry. Its specific focus is on how 21st century modes of creation, production, distribution and consumption destabilise received notions of cultural authority, and redistributes cultural, social and economic capital. The first mode of inquiry entails the creation of five case studies (of Faber Factory, Unbound, Canongate TV, Bloomsbury Academic, Bloody Scotland/Blasted Heath) which will each describe an emergent business model that has been created in response to technological change. The second mode will involve creating a digital artefact using recently released desktop publishing software in order to analyse and assess the processes involved in creating a textual object, which also has the capacity to incorporate sound, video and social media. This approach will facilitate an examination of how narrative and genre changes when moving from print to convergent digital form. These outputs will be made available on the project website, which will demonstrate how every aspect of the publishing process is in transition. Users will be able to interact with the website infographic to explore each element further.

The project's potential benefits derive from the publishing industry's state of constant flux brought about by the rapid development of electronic formats and devices. As new standards and devices are released on an almost weekly basis, there is a need to evaluate and test these technologies before investing in them. This requires a significant investment of both time and money, which publishers are reluctant to undertake in a precarious economic climate. The project is informed by the environment of emerging digital toolkits and devices for publishing. The research will identify new learning needs and skillsets required by entrants into the publishing industry, enabling more focussed pedagogy in this area. The project's overview of the changing literary marketplace will be useful to those instrumental in creating cultural policy, as it allows for greater understanding of the needs of individual writers and artists, and SMEs who are involved in publishing and disseminating content and their economic needs.

Publishers of all sizes have been affected by the drastic changes to their industry and are consequently constantly seeking more information and opportunities to grow their business. In order to do so, they need to stay constantly abreast of developments both in terms of digital publishing models, and new technologies. However, market research, product testing and analysing existing business models are all time-consuming and consequently costly activities that publishers are hesitant to undertake despite the stimulus it might provide to their business. This research will be a resource that publishers can use to conceive of digital strategies, based on the case studies provided, as these will be analysed in terms of sustainability and achievability, which is valuable information for an industry that is traditionally risk-averse. The experimental digital publications using new software will showcase the cost-efficiency, ease of access, and uptake of these products which will allow publishers to make more informed decisions both with regards to expenditure and forms of content dissemination. By isolating the skillsets demonstrated in both the case studies and the publishing research and development, publishers can ensure they are placing focus on the right areas for staff development. This research thus encourages more diverse publishing models that ensure more varied publishing output, which are valuable outcomes in an environment that is in constant threat of becoming homogenous due to the increased dominance of technology companies in the literary marketplace.

Authors are more empowered than they ever have been in the last five hundred years as they are now equipped with the means to produce, market and distribute their own work should they choose. This research will enable authors to explore self-publishing possibilities and the implications of such courses of action.

One of the hallmarks of a healthy creative economy is the investment made by its government in its cultural future. To this end, this research can facilitate policy makers in the cultural sector to make better informed decisions regarding the levels of funding and support they should offer authors and SMEs to facilitate content creation and dissemination. There is a paucity of organised documentation that compares and evaluates different business models and publishing technologies, and this resource will address that gap.

Digital advancement has brought about epochal change, and inevitably anxiety regarding the future of publishing and literary culture. Publishers are at the mercy of digital distributors such as Amazon who impose deep discounts on their products in exchange for safeguarding their digital goods with digital rights management technology. By showcasing different business possibilities the project will demonstrates alternative routes to market, and how SMEs and individuals can benefit by reconceiving their role and value in the disintermediated value chain. In a time of financial recession, this encourages entrepreneurial activity and less reliance on employment possibilities in a difficult job market. Readers benefit from increased publishing activity that does not rely on single route to market, as it increases consumer choice, and has the potential therefore to enrich literary culture as a whole.