"Chunking" Content: Disaggregation by Market Channel
Michael CairnsAAUP Meeting – Chicago 2012
2
Real or Hype?
• Chunking educational content is inexorable• Large textbook publishers may be disadvantaged• Potential for price erosion• Many media examples
o Musico Newspaperso Televisiono Journals
• COPE:o Create Once Publish Everywhere
3
Firstly, the Educational Content in Market Context
Ref: Bowker Pubtrack BISG Making Information Pay Conference
4
Pricing Always Slopes Up
Ref: Bowker Pubtrack BISG Making Information Pay Conference
5
Individual Books Are Big Business
Ref: Bowker Pubtrack BISG Making Information Pay Conference
6
The Franchise Textbook
Ref: Bowker Pubtrack BISG Making Information Pay Conference
7
Custom Small but Growing
Ref: Bowker Pubtrack BISG Making Information Pay Conference
8
Addressing the Changes in Education
• Managing the cost of education & materials• Faculty and educators demand more choice• Seeking intuitive and flexible content creation
processes• Expect to share content and collaborate across
‘networks’• Migration to electronic delivery of content• Growth of open-access and ‘free’ content• Growing expectation for highly customizable
solutions for publishers and institutions
9
Thoughts and Trends
• ‘Traditional’ content structured linearly• Books/Textbooks all inclusive monoliths
o Generally to a set formula
• Movement from ‘Creamy’ to ‘Chunky’: Digital componentso Chapters, summaries, tests, supplemental material, etc.
• Higher Ed leading progression seemingly inexorableo Cost driverso Open sourceo Foundations and government
• Technology enabling this transition
10
Some Examples
• Indiana Universityo Digital platformo Content agreements with publishers
• California State Universityo Publisher agreements: Cengage
• MIT Open Coursewareo Web-based publication of virtually all MIT course contento Students and ‘self-learners’ account for 85% of access
• University of Minnesota
11
Publisher Value Challenges
Custom and disaggregated content distribution models are inevitable so how will publishers benefit?
• Permissions revenues considered incremental will become a primary revenue source
• Participating on/in platforms to for broad distribution
• Improve metadata at the ‘unit’ level• Offer your own custom publishing solution• Link content across library: Leverage the
principles of cross and upselling
12
Bookstore Value Proposition
Custom solutions help college bookstores to take advantage of real tangible benefits from a custom publishing program.
Opportunity:• Exclusive content for the bookstore: Single source for
student• Implement a flexible, specific business model for each
bookstore• Custom content drives student demand*
o Higher sell-through: 91-99% o Lower (none) custom returnso Increased foot traffic: Students buy more
• Students more satisfied with content’s higher utility• No product substitution available: custom by definition• Presents opportunities to reduce labor & production costs* Research: NACS, Pearson Education
13
Last word on Protecting Content and Copyright
• Georgia Case;o Making content easily available and priced reasonably
• Fact: Users want to pay for contento Apple experience with music
• Clearing copyright – either via CCC or directly with a publisher – has been cumbersomeo Users give-up and/or steelo Technology enables better solutionso More policing – specifically LMS restraints.
• Easier access to appropriate permissions will drive revenue
• Permissions models will become more simple & transparent
14
In the end we all try to “COPE”