Trip Adler, CEO, Scribd; Ryan Charles, Mobile Product Leader, Zagat Survey; Mark Coker, CEO, Smashwords; Brad Inman, CEO, Vook; Josh Koppel, Founder, ScrollMotion; Kevin Kelleher, Blogger, The Big Money

Adler: Scribd: social publishing and reading. Over 50 million monthly users. iPad changes the concept of what a newspaper or magazine really is. This is first time that publishing has changed significantly. Role of publisher is to distribute books to where people are reading. That’s why they have gone to HTML5. Publishers need to get content to search engines and social sites. With Warren Buffet issue on Scribd publisher took content that was around for years and repackaged it into something new and useful. Think about selling in new way: rental, page by page, etc.

Charles: Zagat: been in mobile space for 10 years. Started on Palm and Handspring. Will be on the Kindle when the Kindle app store launches. Had to scrap iPhone and other mobile designs and start from the ground up. iPad is about the consumption of content not the creation of it. Real challenge for publishers is to get content to so many different platforms. For iPhone app it’s a two way street as encourage reader to submit reviews. Will be doing it to iPad as well.

Coker: Smashwords: founded 2 years ago. Working with 400 small independent publishers. Adding 2,000 new titles a month. iPad is a true second generation ereading device. As a multifunction device it lets readers access your content even if they aren’t really looking for it. Tablets open up the opportunity for long form content. Average length at Smashwords is 40,000 words. Publishers are in for a world of hurt, but is a very exciting time. Concerned that publishers may not react fast enough to save their businesses. With ebooks distribution is democratized. Some of their authors are sharing the best seller lists with traditional authors. Publishers need to think about networking their content with breadcrumbs that link back to you. Give customer an incentive to link back to you.

Inman: Vook: soon will have ecommerce and advertising in their stuff. iPad pulls together media in a way that nothing else can right now. Big dirty secret of publishing is that they don’t have distribution, gave it away a long time ago to Amazon. Publishers have a real problem with a very expensive cost structure. Publishers need to act quickly or they will loose the opportunity to innovate. Anne Rice piece was an old piece updated and brought to life, same with Seth Goden vook.

Koppel: ScrollMotion: has fully interactive kids book application and a textbook platform. Will be on iPad this summer. This is first device to integrate touch into interacting with the machine. It’s a leisure device – the first one. Engenders a kind of relaxation. A pleasure device rather than a work device. Beginning of a great new type of world for media, still trying to define those forms. Publishers have an amazing library of content that they can mind. Is a fantastic asset. Publishers are sitting on the cornerstone of civilization and the opportunity now is to reinvent that experience with all these new toys. Are new ways of distribution and of engagement which publishers can tap.

NO COMMENTS

The TeleRead community values your civil and thoughtful comments. We use a cache, so expect a delay. Problems? E-mail newteleread@gmail.com.