E-Book Market is Expanding at the Expense of Print

Higher Ways Publishing reports on the findings of a new study, which shows that the US e-book market is expanding at the expense of its print publication sector.

Transformative effect

E-book technology has had a transformation effect on the global book market. With digital publications, consumers can engage with books at their own convenience, allowing them to peruse multiple publications via one device. E-reader technology is advancing rapidly, for instance Amazon recently released the Kindle Oasis, which it calls the lightest and thinnest Kindle in history.

With these technologies evolving constantly, e-books are continuing to prove popular with consumers worldwide. This was corroborated by a study which was recently carried out by UK-based accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). This research found that American e-book sales are expanding steadily and at roughly the same pace as print and audio works.

Expanding e-book market

Industry portal Good Reader writes that US e-book sales are growing at the expense of print. Commenting, PwC said: “E-books are driving growth in the books business, more than offsetting the declines in print. The growth of traditionally-published e-books has slowed, while independently and self-published e-books are seeing faster uptake due to their typically lower unit price.

Continuing, the UK-based accountancy firm explained: “The professional books sector is the most heavily-digitized area of the book publishing market, with e-books and other digital products proving to be much more practical for professional users than the print alternatives. The growth of professional e-books (11.7%) more than makes up for the decline in print (-2.8%).”

Going further, PwC noted: “Total book publishing revenue will see growth of 1.7% CAGR [compound annual growth rate] over the next five years. Within this overall increase, educational books will experience the fastest growth (1.9%), but slower-growing consumer books (1.5%) make up half of the market. Consumer book revenues are heavily influenced by best-sellers – last year’s revenues were driven by Grey [written by E.L. James] and Go Set a Watchman [written by Maya Angelou].”

Market for books

As an aspiring author, you may want to take note of PwC’s findings. The firm suggests that e-books, especially those compiled by independent authors, are continuing to prove attractive to US consumers. Furthermore with total US book publishing revenue set to expand significantly over the next five years, it is clear that American consumers still have a passion for the written word.

Higher Ways Publishing

Higher Ways Publishing was established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, it helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

Nielsen Releases Annual Book Industry Review

Insights agency Nielsen recently released its Book Industry Year in Review Report, which highlights the key trends which shaped the US publishing sector in 2015. Higher Ways Publishing comments.

Examining trends

As an aspiring author, it is key that you learn about your target readers, so you can ascertain how to market your book effectively. Therefore, it is vital that you analyse emerging publishing sector trend reports, so you can create targeted marketing strategies and raise e-book sales.

For example, a recent report from The Association of American Publishers, an industry body, provided key insights on the US book market. This report showed that overall US book sales climbed in 2015. It also suggested that audio books are increasingly becoming popular, suggesting that as an e-book author you may want to ensure your work is available in this format too going forward.

Year in Review

If you are looking to market to American readers, you should also take note of Nielsen’s recent Book Industry Year in Review Report. Industry body Good Readers notes that this study provides key insights on which non-fiction and fiction genres are proving popular with American consumers right now.

Non-fiction saw significant growth in 2015, there was a 12% expansion in children’s non-fiction and a 7% growth in adult non-fiction. In terms of fiction, the science fiction (44%), classics (32%) and graphic novel (22%) genres all saw significant expansion last year.

Devices trends

The report provided some compelling insights on how American consumers are reading e-books. We should first note that e-books’ share of the overall market declined from 27% in 2014 to 24% this year, while print books’ share of the overall market rose by nearly 3% in the same time frame. But what was interesting is that American consumers are changing the way they consume e-book content.

Smartphones are fast becoming a preferred device for e-books. Nielsen found that e-book consumption through smartphone vaulted from 7.6% in 2014 to 14.3% in 2015, illustrating just how important these devices are to digital book writers. E-reader devices such as Kindles and iPads are still important, but desktop, as well as smartphone, e-book reading is also becoming more popular with consumers.

Target your work

In other words, this latest report from Nielsen suggests that it is vital that you ensure your e-book can be viewed via smartphone. As digital technology advances, people are increasingly using these devices to view content at their own convenience on the go. This explains why they are becoming the more popular e-book viewing platforms with American readers. Therefore if you ensure your e-book can be viewed via smartphone, you have a greater chance of becoming a successful author in 2016.

Higher Ways Publishing

Higher Ways Publishing was established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, it helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

 

What is the State of Digital Publishing in Canada?

Industry non-profit organisation Book Net Canada recently released its The State of Digital Publishing in Canada 2015 report. This paper illustrates the key trends which shaped the North American nation’s digital book publishing industry throughout the previous year. Examining this report, Higher Ways Publishing asks; what is the state of digital publishing in Canada?

Book Net Canada surveyed publishers across the North American nation to compile the necessary data required for this report, which is now in its third year. Publishing portal Good Reader writes that “with three years of data to compare, this report looks at the size, scope, and production processes of the Canadian digital publishing market.”

Attitudes to e-books

Book Net Canada questioned the study’s respondents on their goals for publishing e-books. The primary aim of practically all of those surveyed, with 88% of publishers questioned citing this answer, was increasing sales. Other popular answers included allowing for greater accessibility and fulfilling customer demand, at 72% and 70% respectively.

Book Net Canada also found that 67% of respondents are releasing e-book formats in tandem with print copies of works. Meanwhile, more than 30% of Canadian publishers questioned have now converted over three quarters of their book backlist collection into digital form. Good Reader argued that this means that “now, more than ever before, publishers are demonstrating that they are committed to the development of digital formats in their publishing programs.”

Digital format development

The study shed further light on the above mentioned trend by exploring enhanced e-books, which are digital books with any form of multimedia in them. This format is becoming increasingly popular with Canadian consumers, and multimedia content is rapidly drawing the attention of internet users. The Guardian reports that video will account for 69% of all consumer traffic by 2017, illustrating that multimedia content is quickly becoming more prevalent online.

Notably, Book Net Canada suggested in this report that more than half (52%) of publishers questioned are either planning to, or investigating the possibility of, producing enhanced e-books. Out of those respondents who fell into this category, the vast majority (92%) involve or plan to involve audio in their enhanced e-books. Other forms of multimedia content cited by respondents included video (36%) interactive images, scripted animation (both at 18%) and slideshows (9%).

Book Net Canada noted that accessibility was a key topic at its most recent e-bookcraft and Tech Forum conferences. The report found that readers are increasingly requesting and valuing accessible e-books, which utilise navigational tools including embedded graphical, audio, and video media with alternate formats and textual descriptions. Over half (51%) of publishers questioned by Book Net Canada admitted that they are currently adding these accessibility features to their works.

Evolving e-book market

With this report, Book Net Canada have suggested that the Canadian publishing sector is finding key solutions to address serious challenges. With digital technology advancing so rapidly within the past few years, it is vital that publishers embrace multimedia in order to ensure that e-books continue to appeal to consumers who are increasingly turning to this kind of content.

We should note that here Canada is indicative of a key global trend, as consumers worldwide are increasingly utilising multimedia content. For instance, a recent report from the Association of American Publishers found that audio e-books are becoming popular with US readers. Therefore, it is clear that publishers across key book sectors are realising that thy must think outside the box and embrace new digital publishing formats to appeal to increasingly digitally-savvy consumers.

Higher Ways Publishing

Higher Ways Publishing was established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, it helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

Goodreads US Introduces E-Book Deals

Digital book platform Goodreads has recently launched it Goodreads deal programme in the US market, which could prove hugely beneficial to authors and publishers.

Explaining Goodreads

With rapidly evolving digital technology, there are an increasing number of online channels where readers can find book recommendations from other readers. One of the most popular of these platforms is Goodreads, which is owned by e-commerce portal Amazon. Founded in 2006, Goodreads has an audience of over 50 million book enthusiasts.

Goodreads’ mission is “to help people find and share books they love… [and] to improve the process of reading and learning throughout the world.” When users sign up to Goodreads, they can search its extensive books, reviews and annotations databases and make book suggestions. Goodreads has decided to enhance its consumer experience by launching the Goodreads deals programme in the US. This will alert users when publications on their ‘want to read’ list can be bought at a discount.

Goodreads deals

Publishing industry portal The Book Seller reports that these alerts will also apply to a user’s ‘followed authors.’ This will help to disseminate e-book promotions from US publishers to the readers who are most likely to take advantage of these deals. Goodreads has labelled this deals programme “unique,” adding that it will help its users receive more effective service.

Goodreads further explained that the initiative will act as a discovery tool. This is because Goodreads will ensure that the latest book deal are promoted to both users with specific ‘want to read’ lists and those who have opted to receive daily emails on their preferred book genres. Commenting, Goodreads’ CEO, Otis Chandler, said:

“This program is also a powerful new marketing tool for authors and publishers; being able to reach the size of audience we have with personalised price promotions is a great new opportunity for them.” A  Goodreads spokesperson added that for a fee, publishers will be able to nominate deals, which the platform will curate as part of its promotion. Goodreads has not yet established prices for publishers.

Valuable publisher tool

This Goodreads promotion offer could serve as a valuable tool for US publishers. To succeed, publishers need to find their readers in the most direct manner possible. Goodreads has millions of readers, providing publishers with the data necessary to develop effective book promotion strategies. With the Goodreads deal programme, American publishers will be able to capitalise on this data more effectively, ensuring they reach the readers necessary to improve e-book sales going forward.

Higher Ways Publishing

Higher Ways Publishing was established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, it helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

How to Write a Book Blurb

More often than not, your book’s blurb will serve as a reader’s first impression of your work. If you craft a compelling blurb, you can entice your target consumer to purchase your book so they can read further. Higher Ways Publishing explains how to write a book blurb.

Conduct extensive research

Before you write your blurb, look at existing examples so you can learn from the experts what works well. We would suggest that you head to Amazon’s Best Seller List and click onto your chosen genre, so you can determine how to construct a blurb which caters to your specific audience.

Adopt a structure

Writing blog The Author Society advises you to adopt a certain structure in order to craft a winning blurb. Start by introducing the situation of your book, then bring in a problem, follow it up with a twist to whet the reader’s appetite and finish by summing up the overall mood of your work. By adopting this approach, you can interest readers without giving away too much of your plot.

Use certain key words

The key to writing a good blurb is making sure it speaks to readers. Include specific words which have been proven to appeal to readers within your chosen genre e.g. if you are writing a spy novel, phrases such as “dangerous escape” may be apt. Learn how to write a marketing email so you can conduct market research and question potential readers on which key words could prove most effective.

Introduce your characters

Well written characters are key to success, as they provide readers with a window within which to engage with the narrative your book. Hook readers in by introducing them to your book’s protagonist, as well as any important secondary characters, in your blurb. This will provide your audience with someone they can identify with, enticing them to read your book to see what happens to these characters.

End on a cliffhanger

A good blurb persuades the reader that they have to buy your book to find out what happens. Leave your readers wanting more by ending your blurb with a compelling cliffhanger. For instance, epic fantasy novel An Ember in the Ashes, released by Sabaa Tahir in 2015, includes the phrase “Laia and Elias will soon discover that their fates are intertwined.” The reader is compelled to open An Ember in the Ashes to find out just how these characters fates are linked.

Sales pitch

Your book’s blurb is basically a sales pitch. Use these paragraphs to explain to consumers why they should read your book, out of the multitude of others they could buy. Put yourself in the shoes of your target reader and ask yourself “what would make me want to read this book” to write an effective blurb for your work.

Higher Ways Publishing

Higher Ways Publishing was established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, it helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

Amazon Launches Reading Tool for the Visually Impaired

New reports suggest that Amazon has launched a new programme which will allow the visually impaired to read e-books via the Kindle e-reader device. Higher Ways Publishing investigates.

Engaging with content

Figures from the Association of American Book Publishers suggest that US book sales were impressive in 2015. Notably, downloaded audio books are becoming increasingly popular with American consumers. Sales of downloaded adult audio books rose by a staggering 38.9% throughout last year.

With these figures, we see that there is a strong market for digital audio books. One of the advantages of theses releases is that they allow the visually impaired to engage with literary content, without physically reading words on a page. Increasingly, technology is providing the visually impaired with a number of ways to consume content. For instance, Amazon has just released a new device that will make it even easier for this demographic to read books.

Kindle Voice View

Tech portal Slash Gear writes that Amazon has just released its Voice View for Kindle software. This converts text to speech, with an adapter and headphones and allows the visually impaired to listen to e-book content. Initially, this device will be bundled with the Kindle Paperweight and it will include a software update which both allows e-book content to be read out and gives users the chance to navigate the device’s interface via audio prompts for ease of useability.

The dongle used to enable Voice View, called the Kindle Audio Adapter, was designed by Amazon exclusively for its e-readers. It will initially work with just the Paperweight but the company has admitted that later down the line, it will bundle the programme with other Kindle devices. The company will offer Voice View in eight different speeds. Users can also take advantage of UI feedback prompts.

Using the programme

The Voice View bundle will initially retail at US$139.98. This package includes the Paperweight, which usually retails at US$119.99 as well as the Audio Adapter, which the company is selling for US$19.99.Amazon will credit US$19.99 to the account of anyone who buys the Voice View bundle, so these consumers are not overpaying to take advantage of its accessibility features.

The programme is fairly easy to use. On completion of purchase, the user just needs to plug speakers or headphones into their Kindle. All they need to do is charge the Kindle once and Voice View should provide them with as much as six hours of text-to-speech e-book content. The Paperweight recharges via the same micro-USB portal which fits the Audio Adapter dongle, so it cannot be used when the device is in charge mode.

With the release of Voice View, Amazon has provided visually impaired consumers with a great opportunity. By utilising this software, along with the accompanying Audio Adapter dongle, these consumers will be able to engage with e-book content more easily than ever before. Considering the fact that Amazon is one of the largest e-book retailers on earth, this will allow visually impaired consumers to access a vast library of texts for their audio-reading pleasure.

About Higher Ways Publishing

Higher Ways Publishing was established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, it helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

Chinese Consumers Are Embracing E-Books

According to state-owned news outlet Xinhua, Chinese consumers prefer e-books to traditional print books, boosting the considerable Chinese reading market to new heights.

E-reading trends

News portal China Topix revealed the methodology behind Xinhua’s study. The state news outlet polled over 11,000 people from around 500 cities to determine Chinese reading behaviours and preferences. Xinhua found that 84% of readers preferred e-books, rising by 6% year-on-year.

The study suggested that with the number of e-book readers expanding, Chinese consumers are coming to appreciate the convenience provided by e-reader devices more with every year. Xinhua found that 56% said that digital reading is less costly than the print alternative, also agreeing that normal books are harder to carry around than e-reading devices.

Reading trends

The Xinhua research also looked at general reading trends among the Chinese populace. The state-owned news agency found that more than 80% of those surveyed read for over 30 minutes every single day, while 40% said they read for more than an hour per day, rising by 4% from the year before.

The study further broke Chinese reading patterns down by gender. According to Xinhua, women showed a preference for light reading, while men preferred deep reading. Notably, 32% of men questioned said they read to widen their knowledge base and ultimately develop their career, while Chinese women admitted they read books according to their specific interests.

Finally, Xinhua also looked at Chinese reading patterns according to age. China Topix notes that the research suggests that print reading is fast losing ground among younger consumers, as they are fast moving towards visual-heavy publications. Xinhua found that those born in the 80s and 90s prefer shallow reading i.e. those laced with visuals, while consumers born in the 60s and 70s prefer deep reading i.e. books which are more text-heavy.

Tapping the market

Publishers and aspiring writers would be well advised to target their book promotion efforts towards the Chinese market. The People’s Republic is the most populous nation on earth, with 1.3 billion people and literacy rates which eclipse the 95% mark. Furthermore, it possesses the largest book market in the world by volume and the second largest in terms of purchasing power parity, according to The Publisher’s Association, a UK publishing industry body.

In the 2013/2014 fiscal year, the Chinese Book market recorded an estimated worth of US$18.7 billion; nearly 13% of the global total. Meanwhile, the Chinese e-book market was worth US$20 billion in 2014. In other words, the Chinese book market holds incredible sales potential to publishers and aspiring book writers, so it vital that these parties capitalise on the results of Xinhua’s latest study to ensure they tap into this lucrative reader base effectively.

Higher Ways Publishing

Higher Ways Publishing was established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, it helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

US Book Sales Impress In 2015

Industry body The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has released its final report for 2015, indicating that overall US book sales climbed in 2015. Higher Ways Publishing reports.

Book sales

Publishing portal Good Reader reports that US print book sales rose by 0.8% to hit US$7.2 billion (bn) in 2015, increasing from US$7.1bn the year before. However overall publisher revenue, tracked by the AAP via net monthly revenue from over 1,200 publishers, slipped by 2.6% to US$15.4bn.

AAP also revealed key publisher trends for 2015. Throughout the year, e-book sales dipped, mostly due to a 43.3% decline in the children’s and young adult (CYA) category. Trade publishers saw more success than those in the educational and scholarly fields, while adult books flourished in comparison to other trade publication categories. Furthermore, downloaded audio books appeared to increase in popularity, mostly due to a 38.9% rise in the adult books category from 2014 to 2015.

Trade figures

Looking deeper, publisher sales of trade books rose by 0.8% during 2015, specifically increasing 0.3% in December alone. Trade CYA sales declined by 3.2% last year, but rose by 7.3% in December, while trade adult sales sunk by 2.6% in December but climbed by 2.2% throughout the year overall.

Furthermore, religious trade presses rose by 1.2% last year, after enjoying several months of expansion. Commenting on these figures, AAP Vice President Tina Jordan said: “For trade publishers, 2014 was a blockbuster year – especially in the CYA Books category; so despite the challenging comps, increased sales in Adult Books helped the industry post gains in 2015.”

Industry trends

The industry body also looked at trade format performance. When comparing 2015 against 2014, paperback and downloaded audio books grew every month. Looking at the adult category, paperback climbed by 16.2% and downloaded audio rose by 38.9%, while hardback declined by 0.5% and e-books went down by 9.5% in 2015. Meanwhile in the CYA category, hardback dipped by 7.7% and e-books sunk by 43.3%, while board books rose by 12.6% and paperback increased by 9.5% last year.

AAP also looked at educational materials, as well as scholarly publishing. The industry body found that revenue from PreK-12 materials declined by 4.1% last year, decreasing by 6.5% in December alone. Meanwhile, revenue from higher education course materials dipped by 7.2% in 2015, declining by 6.5% in the last month of the year alone. Professional publishing (business, medical, law, scientific and technical books and journals) went down by 0.8% in 2015, but did rise by 4.2% in December.

With this report, the AAP has provided the US publishing industry with a raft of key insights. They have highlighted trends which suggest that trade and audio books are proving particularly popular with American book consumers at present, highlighting how publishers can capitalise on reading patterns to create new streams of revenue. It also shed light the challenges that the US publishing industry must address in order to bolster sales volumes throughout the latter half of this decade.

About Higher Ways Publishing

Established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, Higher Ways Publishing helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

Amazon Announces “Flagship” E-Reader

International online marketplace Amazon has announced its new Kindle, a device which the firm has labelled its “flagship” e-reader. Higher Ways Publishing examines what the release of this new technology could mean for consumers who engage with published content via digital technologies.

Transforming publishing

Since it was established in 1994, Amazon has radically transformed the publishing industry. Statistics quoted by DMR, an online technology industry portal, suggest that as of 2014, there an estimated 3.4 million books available via Amazon. Furthermore, Amazon adds an average of 12 books per hour, highlighting how the online marketplace has aided the evolution of digital publishing.

One of Amazon’s most significant contributions to the global publishing sector is the Kindle series of e-readers. With the first device released in 2007, Amazon’s Kindles popularised the practise of using e-readers to peruse digital book content, aiding the rise of an entire global e-reader market. As e-books have become more pervasive throughout society, Amazon has gone on to release newer, more dynamic generations of Kindle technology.

Kindle Oasis

UK telecoms company BT reports that recently, Amazon announced that it will release a new e-reader; the Kindle Oasis. According to the firm, this re-designed device is the lightest and thinnest Kindle in history. Amazon suggests that the Oasis is 30% thinner than previous Kindles, with the processor and battery now placed on one side of its rear. Amazon argues that this was intentional, as it allows for a ridge that serves as an ergonomic grip, providing users with a better reading position.

Furthermore, the Kindle Oasis weighs just 131 grams, making it lighter than an iPhone 6S. Also at its thinnest point (behind its screen), the Kindle Oasis will be just 3.4 millimetres wide. The device comes with a cover that through the use of magnets, slots together with the rear-grip to present users with a flat surface. These cases, which are available in three colours, will also hold a battery which according to Amazon, can be teamed up with the Kindle Oasis’ built-in power to provide users with “months” of battery life.

“Most advanced Kindle”

The Amazon Kindle Oasis will retail at US$290 (£269.99), making it the company’s most expensive e-reader to date. Labelled by Amazon as its “flagship” Kindle, the Oasis will provide users with 4.4 million titles in digital form. Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said that the aim of the Oasis is to “reach the gold standard of paper,” when it comes to both weight and size, allowing it to be almost invisible to users.

Elaborating, Bezos explained: “We want Kindle to disappear, and Kindle Oasis is the next big step in that mission… It’s [the Kindle Oasis] the most advanced Kindle we’ve ever built – thin and ultra-lightweight, it gets out of the way so you can lose yourself in the author’s world.”

Estimates suggest that since 2007, Amazon have sold more than 30 million Kindles worldwide, suggesting that this brand of e-readers has proved incredibly popular with consumers. With the announcement of the Kindle Oasis, Amazon have provided Kindle enthusiasts with a revolutionary new device. By making the Kindle Oasis thinner and lighter than its predecessors, Amazon have potentially come one step closer to their goal of making an e-reader which provides users with a reading experience which compares with printed books.

About Higher Ways Publishing

Established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, Higher Ways Publishing helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.

Content Marketers Believe Brands Should Invest in Video

Results of a new survey indicate that senior content marketing professionals believe brands need to invest more in video, in order to create effective content marketing strategies.

Rising role of video

At its core, content marketing involves the creation and distribution of valuable, relevant and consistent content via online platforms such as social media. This is designed to attract and retain a target audience, who engage with the brand in question because they find the content said brand posts online useful. With the rise of platforms such as Periscope on the social networking site Twitter, videos are becoming an increasingly important element of content marketing.

Statistics quoted by the Guardian suggest that by 2017, video will account for a staggering 69% of all consumer internet traffic. Meanwhile video on demand traffic will have nearly trebled within the same period. A study from Nielsen, a global information and measurement company, suggests that 64% of marketers surveyed believe that video will come to dominate their marketing strategies in the near future, meaning they are currently upping their video marketing budgets.

Industry perceptions of video

UK content industry body The Content Marketing Association (CMA) has recently released the results of its Video Content for Engagement study. This poll of senior content marketers at more than one hundred global brands, such as Nikon and McDonalds, was designed to explore industry perceptions of video content marketing. Tellingly, the report showed that 71% of respondents believe that brands are not investing enough capital in video content marketing.

The CMA found that in the next year, 58% of those questioned will up the proportion of their marketing budgets devoted to video content. However, 78% spend under a quarter of their budgets on video content. When asked about the biggest growth areas for video, a third said mobile, a platform which more than half of respondents admitted is their primary channel for video content. Other big growth areas cited by those questioned included social media (29%) and short-form content (24%).

Video content explosion

Speaking out on this research, CMA Managing Director Claire Hill was quoted by Campaign Live, a media news outlet, saying: “There’s been an explosion in branded video content as the platform gives an unparalleled opportunity for brands to deliver value to customers through engaging content.

“With content marketers currently spending on average up to a quarter of budgets on video content, the exponential growth that this budget is set to see over the next year as video continues to excel in importance and value for brands is extremely exciting.” But you do not have to work for a big brand to create an effective video content marketing strategy. With advancing smartphone technology and the rise of video sharing platforms such as YouTube, video could serve as a valuable opportunity for aspiring authors. It could provide another means through which writers could market books on social media, in order to capture the attention of target readers and become successful.

About Higher Ways Publishing

Established in 2003 by Hayim Oshky and Mike Walden, Higher Ways Publishing helps authors and publishers transform brilliant ideas into commercial success. Headquartered in Tel Aviv Israel and California, they are a market leader in digital and hard-cover publishing for the health, fitness and relationship industries. Higher Ways Publishing have assisted many authors in expanding their online presence in the growing digital marketing world.