VISTA, a division of Publishing Technology plc, and the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), which supports and connects independent information providers, have launched a pilot scheme to enable selected IPG members to explore the benefits and evaluate the revenue generation potential of digital publishing initiatives such as virtual catalogues and online book samples. The project covers a cross-section of IPG members, enabling VISTA and IPG to assess the different ways in which publishers, distributors and others in the supply chain can incorporate such technologies into their strategies, and the effectiveness of respective applications.
Participating members were randomly selected during the recent IPG conference in March. Three publishers - Cicerone Press, Galore Park, and How To Books - will trial catalogue digitisation, which will replicate their print editions with an easy-to-use online facsimile designed to increase visibility and facilitate browsing of the publishers' products. A further five IPG members - Anova Books, Brahma Kumaris, Eurospan Group, Ovolo Books and Yale University Press - were given the opportunity to select up to 10 books for 'view inside' book sampling, which digitises small excerpts and allows them to be embedded into online marketing materials. Potential customers are therefore better able to assess the book's content prior to making a purchase.
VISTA and IPG will report back on progress of the pilot throughout 2008, and will follow up with case studies to advise other publishers on successful techniques for incorporating technology into sales and marketing strategies.
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