Conversion quality, formatting, and complexity are among top concerns.
FRESH MEADOWS, N.Y., July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Publishers are increasingly concerned with quality as they move towards digital productions, according to a new survey on trends in the digital publishing industry. Of the respondents, 84 percent are planning to publish digitally in 2014 (an increase of 21 percent over the prior year), and 52 percent of respondents said quality of digital conversion was the aspect of greatest concern. The survey was jointly conducted by Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), an industry leader in organizing and converting content into digital formats, and Bowker®, the world's leading provider of bibliographic information management solutions for publishers, booksellers, and libraries.
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"Books in digital formats are continuing to become the norm," said Laura Dawson, Product Manager at Bowker. "More and more publishers are planning to publish digitally. As a result, quality in conversion has become more important than ever, and cost is no longer as big a factor as it has been in the past. The challenge for publishers now is to ensure that all conversion and content quality is done with the greatest amount of care, especially to meet reader expectations."
"These results demonstrate how quickly eBooks and digital content have come of age, and as a result user expectations have risen," noted Mark Gross, DCL's CEO. "At the beginning, eBooks were given a pass when they weren't up to snuff, but we're happy to see that readers today expect the same quality and accuracy in a digital product as they have learned to expect from quality print books, and are vocal when their expectations aren't met."
Reader expectations are an important factor driving concerns around conversion quality. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said that quality affects eBook sales, stating that readers want the best quality possible, with 89 percent of respondents seeing quality editing being as important as it is for print. Significantly, respondents plan to publish digitally even in traditional print genres —non-fiction (37 percent), fiction (34 percent), technical content (30 percent), and even training information (13 percent).
The full results of the survey can be found here.
About Bowker
Bowker is the world's leading provider of bibliographic information and management solutions designed to help publishers, booksellers, and libraries better serve their customers. Creators of products and services that make books easier for people to discover, evaluate, order, and experience, the company also generates research and resources for publishers, helping them understand and meet the interests of readers worldwide. Bowker, a ProQuest affiliate, is the official ISBN Agency for the United States and its territories and is headquartered in New Providence, New Jersey with additional operations in England and Australia.
About Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc.
DCL (www.dclab.com) is a leader in creating high-quality digital product, helping organizations everywhere maximize the value of their content assets investment. DCL's process ensures that content quality meets the highest standards. With expertise across industries including life sciences, government, manufacturing, technology and professional organizations, DCL provides advanced technology and US-based project management teams to help solve the most complex conversion challenges securely, accurately and on time. Founded in 1981, DCL has been named to EContent's Top 100 Companies in the Digital Content Industry for three years running, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Contact: Linda Cassola, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing; (781)307-5728; email.