Hachette Book Group has a new chief marketing and sales officer, Evan Schnittman, who is bringing a greater appreciation for digital to one of the Big Six publishers.
When Schnittman was interviewed by Digital Book World staff at BookExpo America earlier this month, he elaborated on the place digital publishing has in the world of books, as well as where it should be headed. One aspect that he spoke of was what he termed “enhanced hardcovers;” when the reader purchases the print edition of a book, the ebook could quite easily be included in the purchase, allowing the reader to choose the format he reads at different times. Algonquin experimented with this concept last year with the dual release of Hilary Jordan’s title, When She Woke. When customers purchased the physical edition in bookstores, the booksellers association members lent their support to giving the customers a coupon code for a free download of the title in a compatible format.
This move will go a long way towards curing the ill that many experts seem to believe led to the death of the Borders chain of bookstores, namely, browsing in the brick-and-mortar location then heading home empty handed in order to purchase the book online, either in print or digital editions. This bundling of book formats could lead consumers to opt to make the purchase in-store in order to take advantage of the deal.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
