Earned Relevance

The Kindle WILL Be Part of Your Business Strategy!

Amazon’s Kindle electronic reader and publishing system are slated to be the “talk” of 2009.  The book selling titan, with more than 240,000 available Kindle book titles and 50 million visitors to its website monthly, has launched a very easy-to-use platform to distribute electronic books.  The wireless device, which allows users to download electronic books directly, can hold up to 200 books and even displays graphics.  Though a few small pockets of detractors openly challenge industry insiders’ predictions, the Kindle is poised to be a real boon to the publishing business.

Kindle unit sales are estimated to be about 500,000 since launching in 2007, this despite the hefty $399 price tag. (the price was recently reduced to $359.)

A major plus side for existing authors is that, through Kindle, Amazon has established yet another channel to distribute their books.  Self-publishers also get a crack at being published using Kindle’s simple system by essentially uploading their electronic books, setting the prices, and marketing them to the public.  The process is that simple. The Kindle’s technical aspects and the book formats it reads have been covered  ad nauseam, so I do not plan to get into those items here.  Beyond core publishing, though, the Kindle phenomenon does present unique opportunities for individuals and businesses to enhance their marketing strategies while adding revenue streams, if they look beyond the book seller-buyer relationship.

Marketing Channel

Kindle publishing gives you a marketing edge.

Kindle books can be published in the form of traditional full-length books, just as most people are familiar with, or as shorter report-like versions.  They can be whatever the authors want, basically.  Regardless of the length, Kindle books show up in Amazon’s search results like any other book it publishes.  This means that a self-publisher of a short how-to article can be found on Amazon just as easily as an author published by a major house.

Even if you do not consider yourself to be an “author”, you have the opportunity through Kindle’s electronic publishing to publish your thoughts and knowledge to establish yourself as an authority in your field, on top of potentially generating significant sales.  You get to go to market saying, “I’m a published author.” and mean it.  Positioning like that can give you more credibility with potential business partners or clients.  The cost to you is little to nothing to get started.  Odds are you won’t make a mint publishing one title; however, if you create a series of short titles covering information that distinguishes you from the masses, you can create a real niche for yourself.

Revenue Channel

An influx of authors and publishers inevitably will flood the Kindle system.  Visionary business leaders will see the Kindle as a way to establish unique revenue channels and business industries to complement the publishing model.  Here are select areas that will benefit from Kindle’s platform:

Kindle Konsultants-The Kindle will become ubiquitous among book readers, as more of them turn to the new electronic format.  As they do, and more self-publishers migrate to the platform, those authors who have found success publishing through Kindle will be able to provide a consulting service to those authors who are new to the platform.  The number of Kindle consultants is already multiplying rapidly and will continue to do so.

Non-Profit & Associations Revenue Generator-Executives at non-profits and associations are constantly challenged to raise operating funds.  Through Kindle, leadership will be able to publish research and proprietary papers to earn revenues beyond contributed funds.  Again, publishing one title will not likely generate enough revenues to sustain an organization; however, publishing several titles consistently will add an additional stream.  Most organizations already produce significant content that can be repurposed for sale. For example, each year the National Fair Housing Alliance publishes housing related discrimination statistics.  In part, the report outlines the number of times (by percentage) that property owners show bias towards someone attempting to buy or rent a home in a specific community.  Some property owners show double digit negative bias t. That’s information that individuals who are seeking a home would want to know and would probably pay to have.

Digital Illustrators/Graphic Designers-As it stands, the Kindle only displays images in black and white.  The capacity to display color images is coming; it’s the natural evolution of technology.  When it does, an entire industry will open-up for digital illustrators, animators, and graphic designers.  Graphic novels, comics, pornographic content, calendars, and other image intensive products will explode on the Kindle.

Tourism Bureaus & City Promotions-Instead of only selling outdated tourism guides that are costly to print, tourism associations will be able to offer dynamic reports and profile sheets about their cities.  Imagine being on vacation and being able to purchase and download on-the-go a one-sheet promotion guide for $2.00 that contains all the latest city promotions and highlights.  That’s the kind of content that continually changes and would be of great value to tourists and visitors.

Ancillary Kindle Product Makers-Kindle owners will be in a special club just through ownership.  Owners will be able to further distinguish themselves and their Kindles by personalizing them or carrying them in “special” stylish cases.  Kindles may become the newest fashion accessory.  Companies that specialize in making Kindle skins already exist, but expect even more to begin design and production on Kindle products that will run the gamut from Donna Karan Ostrich skin carrying cases to Stephen King licensed skins.  It’s coming.

Colleges & High Schools-The potential for colleges and high schools is great.  Downloadable course books. Special lecture series from outside guests.  Licensed skins and carrying cases.  The Kindle market will be endless for these groups.

Realtors-Beyond the side of their businesses that includes showing and listing real estate properties, realtors can create a niche for themselves by publishing concise reports about cities and neighborhoods that provide information that is not openly revealed during the normal property showing process.  This will be especially valuable for people who are relocating from another state and do not have the time to fully investigate an area.

Future businesses:

Advertising on Kindles-Amazon has not yet included this aspect, but I’d bet that it has been discussed.  If publishers are ever allowed to sell advertising that could be embedded in their electronic books, there would be a need for specialists that can help sell or place the ad space.  There will be Kindle owners that will not like seeing the ads inside the books they download, but others will not mind.  The latter will be the voices that Amazon will hear if the potential revenues are significant enough.

Video-Again, Kindles cannot yet display video; however, when the technology catches up with the application you will see video producers tapping into the format.  Innovators will benefit by producing short compelling series that keep Kindle owners coming back for each installment.  Instead of direct to DVD, you’ll see direct to Kindle video production.  The big movie studios will license their content just like they do with other portable video devices.

The Kindle revolution is coming. Are you prepared?