Wanted: Content Producers

Bob Edington and I spent several days this week in San Jose, California (aka The Silicon Valley) and Seattle, Washington. We met with some very smart people that have access to the people and companies driving the newest technologies and how those devices will impact content. The implications to Thomas Nelson will be substantial over time.

While there were many insights learned, two really stood out: Three Screens and Media Rich Content.

Three Screens
Many device and software makers are focused on the same thing - maximizing a media rich content experience on the three screens that are/will be wired to the web 24/7:

1. Computer
2. Smart Phone
3. Television

Content in the future must be portable and presentable on any device 24/7; in whatever format the consumer wants it. There will be a major proliferation of these devices in the next 18 months and we can expect to see prices drop tremendously. Compared to the new devices in development, the Kindle will seem like those large cream-colored cell phones of the 80s.

Media Rich Content
What does media rich content mean? - Content presentation formats seamlessly integrated appropriately for the three screens. These are some of the content presentation formats:

1. Text
2. Video
3. Audio
4. Web links (Blogs, communities, author sites)

Text will seem so boring; already is to our kids. Combining these content formats in different ways for different devices will allow the customer to consume the product the best way for them.

100% web enabled devices are going to have a huge impact on what we do. Content is quickly portable among the three screens. Oh, and wait till you see what Google can do with all of this in my next blog.

How many of our authors and publishers are thinking about making media rich products? We could continue to publish just text, but text-only will limit the audience and the message’s impact; especially with consumers under 30 years-old. I am not saying books will go away, but more and more there are more interesting ways to present the content.

As one very smart person said, book publishers need to start thinking more like content producers and less like book editors. What do you think?