InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
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June 11, 2001 |
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Book Publishing
Tech Readers Take Charge With Online Book Publishing
Custom-designed computer books have arrived, but are businesses ready for them?
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he Geek's Guide To XML, SQL, And Windows 2000 looks and feels like a typical Microsoft Press computer trade book. But it isn't.
Like many computer books, it's long--354 pages--and costs $54. But unlike other computer books, this one was created by me, online at the Microsoft Press Web site, by picking and choosing chapters from various Microsoft Press titles. The resulting book, with a title selected by yours truly, could be shipped in a week or downloaded the same day in Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Reader format. The benefits of this custom book-creation process are clear. I get more of the information I need, spend less, and Microsoft doesn't kill as many trees.
Along with the growth of Internet technology in the last six years, the need for targeted technical information has exploded. Computer books generated $568 million in revenue in the United States for publishers last year, up more than 30% from 1996, says Simba Information Inc., publishers of Computer Publishing Market Forecast. In contrast, total consumer book sales grew 11.5% during that period.
"In a world where there's so much choice, many publishers are looking at ways to get at the audience in a more focused fashion," says John Pierce, marketing director for Pierson Technology Group, which oversees the New Riders, Que, and SAMS imprints.
Pierson offers companies and academic institutions electronic access to technical books via a network-mountable subscription service, the Electronic Resource Library, but has yet to offer access to the book-buying public or to offer a custom book-building site.
"Just taking individual chapters and customizing them into a new volume isn't going to answer the fundamental need for content specifically designed for an electronic or totally customizable format," Pierce says.
It's true. A custom-built book lacks a cohesive table of contents, index, and accompanying CD-ROM. Says Tim Freehill, director of wireless development for Metrowerks, which purchases as many as 100 computer books a year, "One concern is loss of continuity."
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