TOC Publishing Conference Takeaways

Here, in random order, are a few quotes worth contemplating —often paraphrased—from various speakers at the O’Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference. My apologies to the speakers for not attributing these, all were brilliant and many said basically the same things in different and enlightening ways.

• Mobile publishing does not equal digital publishing.

• Mobile is more like print than digital.

• Engagement is on the user’s terms.

• Mobile users are acceptive of ads.

• Usage is in short bursts of 3.5 to 4 minutes.

• Monetary exchange answers aren’t clear yet.

• In 2005, Apple’s first attempt at cell, the ROKR, held 100 songs.

• 2010 will be “The Year of the Mobile.”

• Consumers are trained now.

• The pieces are finally in place: Content, distribution substructure, devices.

• No buginess is accepted by users.

• Apps run from $3,000 to $100,000. Sourcebooks spends $3,000 to $7,000 for an app.

• Collect and analyze data: Metrics, metrics, metrics.

• Mobile devices are “super measurable.”

• Apple’s app store: 200,000 plus apps with 2 billion downloads.

• $4.99 is the pricing “sweet spot” for an app right now.

• No gatekeepers, but no quality controls.

• 75% of apps are paid, 25% are free.

• Symbian is the most-used cell phone operating system, but not popular in the U.S.

• Vendors (set up to assist you in making apps) make money by confusing you.

• One app sold for $800 and just returned an image of a ruby. Three were sold before Apple took it down.

• Plan your app’s launch day like you would with a book.

• Tuesdays and Wednesdays are best for launches.

• If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

• Fail quickly, iterate rapidly.

• For wirelesss downloads mentions on Mashable and TechCrunch are better than regular media.

• There’s a free Stanford course on iPhones available from Apple’s iUniversity.

• Most success stories are without a marketing budget.

• Learn XML.

• Your website is the hub of a social media strategy.

• Choose team members passionate about your topic for social media marketing.

• Offer tools so your audience can promote your content.

• Content is king.

• Sales are driven by instant gratification.

• Embed links generously.

• Don’t be a commercial.

• Your high quality content is a targeted sales pitch.

• Stay focused.

• Start slow and build.

• Think long-term.

• Be consistent and persistent.

• A sign in Einstein’s office: Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.

• Macmillan’s Dynamic Books: Text books that can be changed by the professor are an effort to curb used book sales.

• The speed of innovation is accelerating.

• Generational shifts are coming into play in big ways.

• The 8 to 18 crowd spend average of 7.5 hours on digital device a day.

• Simplify, connect, conquer.

• Watch the periphery.

• Limit the variables.

• Leave your comfort zone.

• Publishing was B2B is now B2C.

• Golden Age of Engagement.

• Self-expression is the new entertainment.

• Moore’s law (Google if you aren’t familiar with it) applies.

• Information technology has a 50% deflation rate annually.

Attending conferences like this is expensive, but it repays you over the year many times over.

 Just a write thought.