There is no question that 2020 was quite the year. The pandemic gripping the world forced people and businesses to transform the way they do business regularly. While practically everyone is yearning for a return to the pre-pandemic status quo, the fact is that all bets are off. So, this leaves most people thinking, will 2021 bring more of the same?
In this article, we will explore this question. In particular, we’ll focus on the implications that 2021 has in store for the publishing industry and consumers.
More of the Same
The general consensus is that 2021 will start out with more of the same. At this point, it might seem like wishful thinking to believe that things will go back to the way they were prior to 2020. As such, we can expect the publishing industry to continue its trend toward digitalization. Now, should we expect 2021 to drastically change the current landscape? Not really.
2021 will continue to show a slow morph from a predominantly print market to a more digitalized one. Ebooks will continue to be on the rise, particularly if stay at home orders continue throughout the world.
This is a huge point to consider.
We are talking about a truly global trend. Thus, we shouldn’t necessarily assume that this trend will be applicable to North America. This is a trend that we can expect to see throughout the world.
More Cross-Selling
Cross-selling is a big deal at the moment. In short, cross-selling consists of using various channels to sell one or more products. In the publishing world, this means selling more than just books. In fact, you’d be surprised to find that lots of publishers use books as a hook to pique their followers’ interest. From there, publishers can open the door to a myriad of products like courses, seminars, and even one-on-one coaching sessions.
It’s worth noting that cross-selling is a huge cash cow for a lot of publishers. So, don’t be surprised to find that publishers use books as loss leaders to attract new customers. Ultimately, their main target may not be to sell books. Instead, their target may be to sell other highly profitable products.
More Social Media
It seems like the world simply cannot get enough of social media. Yet, social media is the place to be if you want to position yourself and your brand. So, 2021 will naturally figure to usher in more of the same. You ought to expect more and more activity on social media from publishers and authors. Additionally, authors need to make themselves approachable to their readers. Fortunately, social media allows authors to do this easily and effectively. Indeed, publishers will have to find new and clever ways to engage their followers through social media. While the same, tried and true tactics apply, it’s definitely a good idea to find new ways to spin customer engagement. So, don’t be shy to try something new. The worst thing you can do is nothing at all.
