This session was focused on several dimensions of discoverability, from the challenges to the solutions that now are put in place. Arantza Larrauri offered several information and moderated the conversation with José Manuel Anta, and Searsha Sadek. Therefore session underscored the multifaceted nature of book discoverability, blending traditional methods with advanced AI technologies. As the industry evolves, integrating both analogue and digital strategies, and leveraging AI for personalized experiences, will be key to ensuring that books find their readers effectively.
The insights from Larrauri, Anta, and Sadek highlight the importance of collaboration, data-driven strategies, and innovative technologies in enhancing the discoverability of books.
In this video there is the whole conversation and here we offer a text with a summary of the ideas shared inn Readmagine.
The focus of the discussion is on the discoverability of books, an essential precursor to book purchasing. The speakers, provided a comprehensive overview of the different facets and strategies involved in book discovery.
Overview of discoverability by Arantza Larrauri
Arantza Larrauri introduced the topic by highlighting the importance of book discoverability, distinguishing it from the act of selling.
Discoverability is crucial as it precedes the purchasing action and can significantly influence a reader’s future interests and growth.
- Fragmented discoverability methods.
– Word of Mouth:The most significant method, as people often rely on friends’ recommendations.
– Familiar Authors: Readers tend to explore more books by authors they already know.
– Family Recommendations: Family suggestions play a crucial role in book discovery.
– Media Influence:TV shows, series, or movies adapted from books also drive discoverability, particularly among Gen Z and millennials.
- Age-dependent discoverability.
– Younger audiences lean towards social media for discovery.
– Older audiences prefer traditional mediums like print, magazines, and newspapers.
- Analogue vs. digital discoverability.
– Larrauri presented a two-axis map categorizing discoverability methods: Analogical (physical) vs. Digital, and Generic vs. Personalized.
– The transition towards more personalized digital discoverability is closely tied to advancements in AI.
Industry perspective and examples by Jose Manuel Anta
José Manuel Anta elaborated on the practical implications and strategies for fostering book discoverability, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and adaptation within the industry.
- Physical and digital spaces.
– Physical Spaces: Bookshops and libraries remain crucial for book discovery. Examples include Feltrinelli’s hybrid bookshop model and Talia’s omnichannel strategy, which combine physical and digital experiences.
– Digital Spaces: The influence of screens (smartphones, computers, TVs) has grown significantly, offering new avenues for book discovery.
- Collaboration and data utilization.
– Collaboration between booksellers, publishers, and libraries can enhance discoverability.
– Initiatives like Spain’s «Todos tus libros» (All Your Books) platform exemplify how collaboration among bookshops can create effective e-commerce solutions.
- Small and medium-sized publishers.
– These publishers need to select the right partners and utilize services like Jellybooks and Beat Technology to enhance discoverability.
- Direct relationships with readers.
– Publishers can benefit from direct sales and CRM systems to gather reader data and build communities.
AI and personalization in discoverability by Searhsa Sadek
Searsha Sadek discussed how AI can revolutionize book discoverability by offering highly personalized experiences.
- Organic vs. Paid discoverability.
– Organic Discoverability: This occurs naturally as a book gains momentum in culture.
– Paid Discoverability: AI enables targeted and efficient marketing strategies, allowing publishers to reach specific audiences more effectively.
- AI-Driven discoverability.
– AI can analyze and predict reader preferences, enabling personalized recommendations.
– A/B Testing: AI allows for extensive A/B testing to determine the most effective marketing strategies, significantly increasing the likelihood of a book reaching its audience.
- Shimmr’s approach.
– Shimmr uses both analytical and generative AI to facilitate book discovery.
– The platform emphasizes personalized recommendations by tailoring metadata, book covers, and synopses based on individual reader profiles.
From this point Searsha Sadek made also a presentation of the main characteristics and functionalities of Shimmr.
Overview of Shimmer
–Purpose: Shimmer automates the process of creating and deploying ads to sell books.
- Process
– Analyzer. Reads the book to extract psychological themes, settings, characters (for fiction), and skills or emotional benefits (for non-fiction).
– Generator. Creates images and headlines for marketing campaigns, experimenting with different angles to see what resonates best.
– Deployer. Matches the book with the most likely audiences to convert to buyers, deploying ads through platforms like Google, Meta, Instagram, and Facebook.
– Key components. Utilizes various types of AI such as large language models, diffusion models, and other AI technologies.
- Discoverability Challenges and Solutions
– Finding audiences. Using large language models like Claude or ChatGPT to analyze the book and identify potential audiences, prioritizing channels where these audiences are most likely to be found.
– Engaging audiences. Creating compelling marketing hooks and imagery that evoke emotions, making the book appealing to targeted audiences.
- Tips for Using AI. In this part of her presentation Sadek shared some tips for using this kind of tools and avoid mistakes:
– Be specific in prompts when using generative AI to create images.
– Iterate and refine prompts for better results.
– Use a range of scenes to appeal to different aspects of the book’s themes.
- Client Concerns and Responses
– Intellectual property and safety. Ensures that books are not used to train models and that data is handled securely.
– Control over creativity. Clients have transparency and control over the output, although more control given to AI generally results in better sales performance.
- Trends and future directions
– Personalization. AI-driven personalization could lead to highly individualized marketing experiences, potentially affecting collective cultural experiences but also increasing empathy through cross-cultural understanding.
– Integration of digital channels. A future where digital marketing channels become more integrated, allowing for better attribution and collaboration between platforms like Amazon and Meta.
Arantza Larrauri, José Manuel Anta and Searsha Sadek also talked about other issues:
Client reactions and concerns.
– Main fears. Clients often worry about the safety of their books and the loss of creative control to AI.
– Addressing fears. Emphasizes the security measures in place and the control clients retain over the marketing output.
Personalization and collective experiences.
– Impact of personalization. Concerns about the fragmentation of collective experiences due to highly personalized marketing.
– AI as a tool. AI should be seen as a tool that can both enhance and potentially detract from empathy, depending on its use.
Dynamic metadata.
– Concept of Book DNA. Dynamic metadata that changes in real-time based on user interactions and preferences.
– Educational Applications. Similar technology is being used in educational platforms to personalize exercises for students based on their responses.
Future trends in discoverability.
– Balancing analog and digital channels. Importance of maintaining traditional channels like brick-and-mortar bookstores while embracing digital discoverability tools.
– Finding good partners. Especially crucial for small and medium publishers to find reliable partners in the digital space.
– Testing different models. Encourages experimentation with different marketing models and direct-to-consumer approaches.
Arantza Larrauri has been working in the book industry for nineteen years. In 2010 she joined Libranda as Managing Director, the leading international distributor of digital books in the Spanish language. Since the integration of Libranda in the Canadian digital services company, De Marque Group, she is also playing the role of Europe and LATAM market manager at De Marque. Previously, she worked in the commercial area of the publishing group Random House Mondadori (currently Penguin Random House) and in Círculo de Lectores, occupying various positions in the central offices that the book club had in Spain and Portugal.
At Libranda and at De Marque, Larrauri and the team work with publishers, stores, libraries and other agents with the aim of developing digital services for the book industry. She believes that it is an opportunity and a great challenge to participate in the evolution of a sector.
Managing Director of FANDE www.fande.es and the International Publishing Distribution Association (IPDA).
Graduate in Economics by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Master in Foreign Trade by CEOE and Postgraduate Course in Market Research at the Autonomous University of Madrid (1995).
Since 1997, performs the work of Managing Director of the Federation of National Associations of Distributors (FANDE), umbrella organization in Spain for about 200 companies engaged in the distribution of books, magazines, newspapers and digital contents.
Participation as speaker at various conferences and seminars on the field of books and print media trade. Is the coordinator, under the IPDA umbrella, of the European Press Distribution Round Table, The International Meeting of Booksellers and Distributors at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the International Digital Distributors Group.
Searsha Sadek is the Founder and Chief Product Officer of Shimmr, a company that ‘brings books to life’ through automated advertising campaigns. An expert in using AI for marketing and at the cutting edge of developments, Searsha gives tips on how every publisher and author can use technology to get their titles ahead. At Shimmr, she uses this capability to match books to new audiences to maximise
discoverability, while generate advertising faithful to each book’s DNA bringing its human genius to wider attention. Searsha trained as a psychologist, spent many years in leading advertising agencies, and was Chief Revenue Officer of an AI-brand management company.
