Newsbooks — Testing paid content
One of the biggest challenges for news publishers is to find ways to get readers to pay for content on the Web. The Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri is testing a new product -- newsbooks -- and is selling them for $4.95 each through an online merchant selling electronic books.
People are buying them. Not by the thousands, as 118 were sold in 2009 with very little marketing or promotion. The newsbooks are typically re-packaged series of investigative reporting that had been first published in newspapers or magazines. The stories may have been available for free on news organizations' Web sites, as well.
"What we found is that people are willing to pay for well-presented, packaged content that is easy to read on a notebook or computer," said Roger Fidler, program director for digital publishing at the Reynolds Journalism Institute. "People said they found it more readable and easier to get to than finding a series of stories on a newspaper Website."
The titles that drew the most interest were published by the Center for Public Integrity and the St. Petersburg Times. The Review-Journal has one newsbook -- "Las Vegas -- Half a World Away" -- in the e-store at www.ereaderoutfitters.com. The newsbook is a collection of stories and photos featuring some of Nevada’s largest gaming companies expansion into Macau.
Why would readers choose to pay for something they can get for free? Fidler said he believes customers are willing to pay for the convenience. "It's the same as people buying subscriptions on the Kindle or other eReaders. The reading experience is more like print," Fidler said.
You can see all the newsbooks and make purchases at the EReaderOutfitters.com site. Look for the "RJI Newsbooks" link in the left column.
