Are ad dollars the future of ebooks? The question sparked debate Tuesday during a session moderated by TeleRead’s own Paul Biba.
Opinions differed widely among the four-person panel and members of the audience, who questioned whether advertisers would want to sponsor titles and why readers would put up with having commercial messages inserted into books. Panelists talked about institutional hurdles, including book publishers’ lack of experience in dealing with advertisers.
But panelist Susan Danziger, founder and CEO of DailyLit, which caters to time-strapped readers who want books delivered to them digitally in chunks, said that her customers would rather get sponsored content for free than pay for a book.
Panelists Josh Koppel, co-founder of ScrollMotion, and Andrew Malkin, VP of book content for Zinio, were enthusiastic about the potential of book publishers to make money from advertising. Koppel hinted heavily about ScrollMotion’s plans. “I think that you’re going to see some real movement in that space and I think you’re going to see it from us.” Asked later for details, Koppel said he couldn’t reveal specifics yet.
(The subject also came up at a session earlier that morning, when veteran publishing executive Jane Friedman, now CEO and co-founder of Open Road Integrated Media, said digital publishing will create advertising opportunities for publishers.)
Panelist Richard Rhorer, director of digital business development for Macmillan, was more skeptical about the marriage of ebooks and advertising. He pointed out that book publishers already have something most media industries envy—consumers who are willing to pay the full cost of sustaining the business. “I think other industries would say, ‘why in the world would you give that up for an advertising-based model?’”
