PART 1 Because it’s PRWF week, I’m gonna post some throwback photos. From PLF (Philippine Literary Festival) in 2014 and 2015, to PRWF (Philippine Readers and Writes Festival) from 2016 to 2019, we created stories, shared experiences, built friendships, met some of the most iconic international and local authors. And of course, the bonding moments with officemates. Nakaka-stress, pero nakakataba ng puso. Sobrang fulfilling. Let’s go! #PLF2014 #PLF2015 #PRWF2016 #nationalbookstore #instagram #instagood #instatravel #adventure #authorfriends #bookstagram #Godisgood #happylife #live #love #life #dream #inspire #mood #feel #amytan #changraelee #rickylee #matthewquick #megwolitzer #adamjohnson #paulamclain #annatodd #piercebrown #markzdanielewski #memories https://www.instagram.com/p/CFpD8qWggTr/?igshid=kcjga7fks8in
5 Things I Learned from Buqo's "Publishing in the New Millennium" Talk at the Philippine Literary Festival
The 2014 Philippine Literary Festival at Raffles Makati ended yesterday. And while I'm pretty swamped with work and NaNoWriMo prep, I was able to take the afternoon off on Thursday to attend two of the panels organized for the event. One of the talks I attended was Buqo.ph's "Publishing in the New Millennium" by deputy general manager Chad Rosario, which was about the changing landscape of publishing and how digital publishing fits into it. It was definitely an engaging, interesting talk because I've heard a lot of people moaning about the issue from a "they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parking-lot" standpoint, but this might well be a false assumption. I'll get back to why that is in a bit.
Because I know a lot of writers who wanted to be there but couldn't, I thought I'd post a bit of a summary of what I learned at the Buqo seminar yesterday. So scroll down (yes, past the photo of a smiling Chad Rosario) and read up!
1. What makes a great read is still what makes a great read.
Chad listed his top six factors that go into a good read (and something that's therefore more likely to sell):
A compelling element: Is there something in the book that will spark a reader's curiosity? Curiosity ups influence, which translates into purchases.
Relevance: Is it timely? Does it tackle something that addresses the mindset and concerns of its readers at the time it is published?
Strong characters: Do you give your readers someone to root for? Someone to hate? Someone to be intrigued by?
Takeaway value: Is there something lasting that readers will remember after they've read the book? Something that will make the book memorable even years later?
Accessibility: Can the book be purchased easily by potential readers?
Whatever the medium—printed or digital books, graphic novels, magazines—these factors remain constant. Going digital is not going to change these things.
2. You need to start thinking of yourself as a brand and act accordingly.
When you think of yourself (as an author or publisher) as a brand, you'll be pushed to think about how you can market yourself and your content across multiple platforms so that you reach a greater number of people. Take this one step further, and this also means deciding on your career path right at the beginning. For example, you may want to use a pseudonym for different genres or series (the way Nora Roberts uses J.D. Robb for her Eve Dallas series and Michelle Sagara West uses Michelle Sagara for her Elantran series).
3. Adopt a progressive publisher mindset.
There are a few things you need to remember when you're a publisher (and if you're an author publishing your own work) in this day and age. The first is that content is king; as important as it is to be true to yourself and your style when writing, you won't sell many copies of your book if you don't know how to write for your audience too, how to bring them in with your compelling language and ideas. The second is that wide distribution is necessary for success; you should turn a profit or at least break even when it comes to your creative endeavors, and you'll need to find a formula that works, considering that printing costs go up every year. The third is that you need to learn to leverage social media, to use multiple platforms to get your content out there, to attract new readers and retain faithful fans.
4. Print books are here to stay—with an assist from digital.
Chad cited an article on HuffingtonPost.com that reported that print books outsold ebooks in the first half of 2014. The numbers from Nielsen Books & Consumer: paperbacks made up 42% of book unit sales, hardcovers 25%, and ebooks 23%. The point? Rather than representing competing markets, Chad argued that print sales will remain on top, thanks to an assist from digital. And that the two publishing formats can and will coexist with a sort of symbiotic rather than competitive relationship.
After all, in the Philippines, only 10% of the population have the credit cards and bank accounts needed for digital transactions through iTunes, Amazon, and similar ebook vendors. That means millions of people whose access to ebooks is curtailed, in contrast to the fact that anyone can walk into a local bookstore and buy a book if they've the money for it.
5. Digital publishing is an awesome platform for emerging writers.
Perhaps the best thing about digital publishing from a content creator's standpoint is that it has really opened up the options for new writers these days. Because reach is international, this opens up the authors' chances of discovery by the reading public. And because overhead costs are lower without the need for printed copies, publishing companies can afford to take more chances on new authors.
It has also blown the market wide open for self-published authors, especially since the absence of printing costs means much, much better margins, and the convenience of digital author services from companies like Buqo and Amazon keep the process of printing a book pretty darned speedy (think hours or days instead of months between the final draft and published stages!).
There were some other, more technical things he spoke of, as well as a summary of numbers in the market. But I felt these five were the best takeaway items from the talk! And if you want a copy of my notes for the rest, feel free to let me know as I snapped photos of most of the slides.
Chad Rosario is the deputy general manager of Buqo, the local brand for Thai-based digital bookstore Ookbee. Browse through their catalog at Buqo.ph, like them on Facebook at /BuqoApp, follow them on Twitter @Buqo, and download the Buqo app for free via Apple's App Store for iPads and iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.
The Philippine Literary Festival 2014 was presented by Raffles Makati and National Book Store. For more information about this event, visit PhilippineLiteraryFestival.com.
