Industry News
SELECTED ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE MEDIA COMMUNITY
Uncovering the Evolution of Romance Novel Covers
An analysis of romance novel cover design shows that the industry has moved from bodice-ripper illustration to a fun and light-hearted style that's currently popular. One result is that readers who might be embarrassed about being fans of romance novels can carry the books without their content being obvious. The trend of using more abstract designs and bright colors is also popular in the covers of other types of fiction. The romance cover review in "The Pudding" substack analyzed more than 1,400 covers featured in Publishers Weekly between 2011 and 2023. It also found that during that time period there was a significant decline in "raunchy" romance novel covers, and a large increase in racially diverse characters depicted in cover designs.
Read more of The Pudding story here.
#media #strategy #consulting
Potential Subscribers to Digital Publications Want an Easier Way Out
A study of 1,000 U.S. consumers found that almost two-thirds of respondents would be more likely to subscribe to digital publications if cancelling was an easier process. An even higher number -- 77 percent -- of participants would support a mandatory one-click cancellation law like the one currently proposed by the Federal Trade Commission. Other findings in the analysis by Toolkits and National Research Group include:
- Slightly more than half of those surveyed reported having some level of difficulty the last time they wanted to cancel a digital subscription.
- Easier cancellation procedures might help publishers increase conversions and revenue.
- Consumers increasingly value transparency, and complicated subscription cancellation policies may erode publishers' editorial credibility.
- Easier cancellation might give publishers more insight into who values their products and why, allowing better targeting of content to subscriber interests.
Read more about the Toolkits and National Research Group study here.
#media #strategy #consulting
How Competition with Google in Search Might Change the News Publishing Business
Search is the main pipeline for delivering audiences to news publishers, and Google is the major supplier. For decades, the rules governing search have been based on Google's market dominance, which has been established to a large degree by the company paying billions of dollars to companies including Apple to make Google the default search engine on their products. But if the trial currently underway in U.S. District Court results in a ruling that Google has operated in violation of antitrust laws, the search landscape may be significantly altered. According to an analysis by Nieman Lab, possible results include:
- Development of new models for platform monetization.
- Apple appears to be in the strongest position to become the biggest search company other than Google.
- Publisher relationships with AI are likely to get more complicated and will potentially become more profitable.
Read more of the NiemanLab story here.
#media #strategy #consulting
