Publishing: how to innovate your communication?

The publishing market saw a real boom during COVID and the two years that followed. Despite a slight decline in 2022, figures remain well above pre-COVID levels and new trends have emerged.

Resilience in the face of inflation

In the midst of inflation, it is worth noting that books are weathering the crisis. However, in a saturated market like publishing, it is important to use the right communication channels to stand out.

Indeed, with books for every taste (General public, Youth, Humanities and technical, Comics and manga, Practical guides...), the publishing market is doing quite well. However, faced with a multitude of choices, it is easy to get lost. The publishing industry has also undergone a significant transformation in recent years. The advent of digital technology and the rise of the internet have sparked new habits, and the relationship between readers and books has been completely transformed.

We are seeing many trends emerging that are worth seizing:

- Social media and influencer marketing have revolutionized the way publishers interact with their audience.
- Short formats, a practice already widespread in Asia, particularly in Japan with haikus, very short poems that are highly appreciated by readers. This almost minimalist literary expression seems to be spreading more and more. An interesting aspect of literature to explore, which might even dominate one day?
- Creative collaborations offer added value to readers and increase their interest in a book, through co-creation with an artist, a designer, or popular brands to produce a special edition of the book.
- Collaborative writing and participatory publishing, which allow readers to be involved in the publication process. This often takes the form of financial support rewarded with exclusive benefits such as limited editions or personalized dedications.

And others still, such as experiential books, self-publishing, streaming and subscription platforms, AI...

The publishing market is therefore in constant evolution, an evolution highlighted by new habits such as the mix and complementarity of formats and the renewal of consumption methods:

- The development of digital formats (ebooks, audiobooks) and the digitalization of habits.
- On-the-go reading and switching between paperbacks and digital books.
- The second-hand market is booming (purchases of used books have increased by 6 points since 2021).

It can be difficult for publishing houses to juggle all these new releases and find a strategy that will convince and attract a wider audience. However, a recurring issue remains: the decline in reading, which guides us toward the solutions to find and the strategies to adopt.

🏆 Indeed, despite a paper crisis with book prices rising by 2% over one year and 4% compared to 2019, books remain the cultural product most purchased by the French.

However, avid readers are becoming fewer while the rate of non-readers is increasing. This phenomenon is explained by multiple factors that hinder access to reading and the time dedicated to it.

- Lack of time
- Preference for other leisure activities
- Lack of inspiration

In short, books are losing their luster and no longer necessarily inspire people to read. To remedy this attractiveness issue, publishing houses must implement innovative communication strategies to stand out from the crowd. You need to work on your branding to attract new readers and adapt to unprecedented challenges.

Aging readership

Faced with an aging readership and a decline in reading habits, it is essential to refresh your image to capture the attention of a younger audience. There is a genuine shift in habits and consumption patterns that publishing houses must embrace to successfully attract new readers and revitalize the image of reading.

You need to offer new content, ride the latest trends, and diversify your editorial portfolio. As a publishing house, don't hesitate to offer merchandise, host events around your books, and invest in new editorial segments (Comics / Webtoons - New Romance - Socially conscious books).

How can you innovate your communication strategy?

In a constantly evolving market facing numerous challenges, such as the rise in non-readers, particularly among young people, publishing houses are tasked with rethinking their relationship with readers and exploring innovative communication strategies.

Innovative levers to seize

TikTok and publishing

🚀 An increasingly viral sector and the emergence of a dedicated book hashtag that is growing in popularity.

#BOOKTOK which brings together approximately 80 billion views.

Since the emergence of BookTok, bookstores have seen a boost in sales, with niche topics easily highlighted thanks to TikTok’s intuitive “For You” feed. In September 2022, TikTok launched the #RentréeLittéraire2022 initiative in partnership with the Hachette publishing house. In 2023, the social network became an official partner of the 2023 Paris Book Festival. TikTok therefore has a real impact on the market and is becoming a reliable player in the publishing industry, with whom collaborations should no longer be considered trivial.

This phenomenon shows that young people (15-25 years old) read more than we think, but have well-defined preferences. Highly connected, their tastes and the books they buy are largely influenced by social media and those at the heart of these new communication channels: influencers. Influence is indeed a primary factor in the decision-making process of the new generation.

The most trending genres on TikTok

👉 6.4B views on #mangarecommendation

👉 1.8B views on #romancebooktok

👉 1.6B views on #fantasybooks

Why you should be there:

🏆 Klox is a TikTok partner: our traders are certified, and we are supported by vertical experts at TikTok (with beta tests)

🏆 The ideal platform for rejuvenate your audience

🏆Low creative investment : users are less demanding and we can reuse assets from Instagram, for example.

To better understand this social network and create effective campaigns, Klox shares the best practices you should adopt:

🤓 Monitoring

- Keep up with the latest trends to understand what works.

🤡 Play along

- Test new formats and concepts
- Show that you are playing with the platform's conventions

📱 Formats

format
- Use audio from TikTok

🤝 Proximity

- Be approachable and attentive to your audience
- Don't take yourself too seriously

Not convinced yet?

Discover the power of TikTok

How a simple 17-second video turned a novel into a bestseller!

With 55.9 million views, Stone Maidens (2012) by Lloyd Devereux Richards became a bestseller nearly 11 years after its publication. All it took was for his daughter to post a video of him highlighting her father's work to go viral and drastically increase his book sales.

This international case perfectly illustrates the influence TikTok and social media can have. TikTok is the perfect place to engage your audience and build a closer connection between author and reader. Feeling closer to the author is, in fact, a highly sought-after criterion today among young people, who prefer to buy work from someone they feel closer to or with whom they can identify.

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DOOH

With over 20,000 screens located throughout France, DOOH is a key lever to seize for your advertising campaigns. Accessible and present in diverse environments (train stations, gyms, streets, etc.), these screens are in contact with all your audiences.

Using DOOH is therefore an excellent way to strengthen your multichannel strategy:

- Out-of-home advertising is the 3rd most consumed medium in terms of time spent (1h 56m/day)
- Outdoor advertising multiplies online search and social media activity for a brand by 4
- Short DOOH videos combined with mobile videos increase CTR by 300%

DOOH is also a key lever for targeting vacationers by suggesting their next summer read 🌞

🚅 Targeting screens in train stations upon arrival or departure

Selection of screens located in major city train stations near Relay retail outlets

- 844 screens available in Paris train stations
- Ability to choose broadcast times based on train arrival schedules

♻️ A thought for the planet → another key advantage of DOOH is that it is the most energy-efficient medium on the market.

- Relative to audience size, outdoor advertising is 6x more efficient than digital and 17x more efficient than TV

Audio

Audio is THE trend of 2023, with a more than 50% increase in digital audio investment over the past year. French people are also consuming more and more podcasts; we are talking about 17 million listeners per month and nearly 151 million French podcasts listened to or downloaded in January alone.

Why you should get involved!

🏆Low advertising pressure

🏆Ability to broadcast across 3 environments: web radio, native podcasts, and streaming.

🏆 Precise targeting : either by inventory or via data targeting

Gamification

Immerse your readers with new experiences:

👀Capture user attention by activating a playable ad served on mobile and tablet display that captures the quirky, humorous tone of the comic strip.

🎯Generate engagement by distributing fun and interactive content to make a lasting impression on our core target audience.

Some publishers are even experimenting with virtual and augmented reality to offer readers a unique experience. By using these new technologies, publishing houses are expanding narrative possibilities and creating deeper connections between readers and the stories they discover.

Conclusion:

New technologies and the emergence of new media have opened new doors for the publishing industry. Shaping the future of the book market, social media and various emerging trends offer publishing houses opportunities for innovation. By adapting to these new approaches and developing innovative communication strategies, you can attract new readers, build loyalty, and remain relevant in a dynamic landscape.

The Klox strategy!

To boost the effectiveness of your campaigns, Klox invites you to discover the key moments on which to focus your communication and marketing strategies.

Discover the 4 major highlights to seize throughout the year:

- January: January Back-to-School
- May - August: Summer Season (10% of French people prefer to read during the holidays)
   - Focus on paperback and digital formats and rethink your strategies to promote on-the-go reading.
- Late August - Early October: Back-to-School and Literary Season
   - The literary season and the approach of the new school year are the ideal time to highlight hardcover books.
- November - December: Christmas (= 16% of 2022 revenue)
   - As the holidays approach, don't hesitate to focus your campaigns on merchandise, hardcover books, and special editions.

For a successful campaign, you can reach out to our experts for advice!