Comparing eTextbooks with Print Textbooks
Academic Publishers in the form of Print Textbooks are facing a paradigm shift with the emergence of digital content and its beneficial distribution. While most of the Publishers are still apprehensive about going digital, they however have a limited choice, as competition is pushing Publishers to adapt to and offer reduced costs, customized learning experiences and continuous product development, improvement and innovation.
While we have already discussed “The Role of eTextbooks” in understanding the best features and its associated benefits, assisting the Educational Institutions, let us now look at “how can Publishers benefit from eTextbooks?”
With relevant, digital rich and impactful Content and its forms, Publishers have now started capitalizing on MONEY via utilizing this opportunity in being DIGITAL.
Here are a few aspects to look into in saying that eTextbooks are:
Any minor/major changes in the traditional Print Textbooks are tedious and time-consuming. eTextbooks on the other hand are cheaper, easy-to-update and enable quick edits.
Whilst with the Print textbooks, releasing the revised print edition only is the option, with eTextbooks, adding new information and editing the Content is instantaneous.
Digital Textbooks have greater accessibility, but, in the traditional print textbooks, Students/Learners are bound to either keep the outdated books or buy new expensive textbooks.
The cost of printing and henceforth distribution of textbooks is reduced with eTextbooks in place thus making the green planet more eco-friendly and preserving nature.
Going Green is now more of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Consumers prefer such friendly sustainable business practices.
More learners are active via mobile and smart devices these days and it’s imperative that the online learning resources are made available in a portable digital rich environment so that Publishers can leverage on the same.
With Print Textbooks, Printing Costs were high and also incurred high wastage of Paper.
eTextbooks and Virtual BookShelves allow Publishers to offer Customized Content adapting to the learning style of the learners for better learning outcomes. eTextbooks can both be ordered in meagre and in bulk quantities based on the requisite.
Further, eTextbooks with Cross References (internal and external) marking current changing trends as Subject Matter Expertise, with a revised edition can be facilitated by Publishers.
To add new value and streamline the supply chain, Publishers could always include value-added services such as geo-tagging, authenticity confirmation, DRM (with Unique ID generation) and anti-counterfeiting aspects in digital textbooks.
This way, the right people will get reach of the right digital rich content in its content forms.
Textbook Publishing is a costly affair and also involves large storage spaces.
Virtual Textbooks are more affordable in terms of cost and space. Further, eTextbooks can be ordered, on a say, per need basis. Hence the lifetime cost and maintenance are reduced forever.
Publishers can leverage in experimenting and innovating with the new formats, content ideas and evolving authors.
Digital textbooks can be converted into virtual Internet of Things (IoT) books, with an amalgamation of relevant content, apt visuals, stunning videos and usage of other rich media attributes within the content correlating to the context.
Options such as Augmented and Virtual Realities could be put into use in further adapting to the narrative storytelling form in leveraging the Content.
Traditional Print Textbooks are static and are a past thing that has now become irrelevant as they have become obsolete, outdated and do not cater to the unique needs of the learner and hence usually produces ineffective learning outcomes.
With Virtual Textbooks, Publishers have an awesome opportunity to create digital rich, dynamic, cross-referencing, interactive learning experiences (with eTextbooks) which makes Online Learning more engaging and fun, for better outcomes. For Publishers, this will also boost revenue per book.
If Publishers are able to provide and expedite a holistic learning experience fostering best-in-class technology and Software Methodology, then there will be effective ROI generated with the best learning outcomes.
Publishers being digital with Virtual Textbooks will need not have to think about just the Content Preparation. Instead, they can focus on bringing improved outcomes, thus providing optimal competitive advantage and making significant improvements with the release of each eTextbook.
Thus, the Secret of offering the best eTextbooks that produce real and encouraging academic results can be facilitated by the Publisher.
Conclusion:
Working in tandem, and in continuous collaboration with eLearning Platforms/Solutions to create/innovative academic Content for educational institutions is the most profitable choice for academic publishers in the positive happening of digital transformation, in the right way.
While gradually increasing the focus on digital publications is a must, for now, taking a hybrid approach in opting/leveraging on both Print/Digital Textbooks, to gain competitive advantage is more effective and productive.
Talk to the team of mPowerO experts to leverage on the prospects for Publishers, as Product Offering.
Write to us at info@mpowero.com to get your queries duly answered and enable/switch to the revenue generation model of the Publishers’ Segment.
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