When it Comes to Books, Don’t Fear the Reaper
Eventually, this may have a massive effect on the industry. The business model for short run and digital printing has come to be called Long Tail, referring to a group of mathematical Cartesian graphs with a data “tail” of small y values. Long Tail Theory states that many low-volume items will outnumber a few high volume items. For example, all the B-2-B magazines currently in print have a higher circulation than Time or Newsweek, but either one of these publications has a much wider circulation than any one B-2-B. For digital and short-run markets, this means printing perhaps 10,000 low-volume titles could prove more profitable than printing a few New York Times bestsellers. This business model for printing is only feasible using the new digital press technologies. Brochure and annual report printing are prime examples of products that can utilize Long Tail business models.
- Companies:
- Muller Martini