Anyone who follows me on Twitter and actually pays attention to my tweets knows that I like to ask other people questions about media. During my random interrogations, I have met some really interesting and insightful individuals who have brilliant and daring ideas about new media. Twitter member @jonzelie is one of these people.
We continued a dialogue “off the Tweetdeck”, which means he sent me an e-mail explaining his vision for a self-publishing system that he believes will innovate publishing and change the way people share their creative work. Jon currently works at a small company that digitizes pre-copyright texts for universities and libraries. He has seen first-hand how print-on-demand does and doesn’t work.
I asked Jon a few questions about new media and currently unmet needs in the publishing industry, and he was kind enough to provide some thoughtful responses.
Me: What is your experience with publishing and when did you first become interested in media and publishing?
JZ: For the last two years, I’ve worked at a small company that offers digitization services to universities and libraries. We also handle private collections, and we offer e-book sales and print-on-demand services through our website.
I’ve always been an avid reader and devourer of information, but I really owe my interest in the publishing process to my day job. We occasionally get a book or two from an independent author to digitize and put up for sale; this made me wonder why anyone would bother with having someone else do the work for you and consequently taking part of your revenue.
Me: Where do you see a need/weakness in the industry?
JZ: Currently, the largest unmet need in publishing is the creation of a centralized place for both established and aspiring authors to digitally showcase their work with open, DRM-free distribution while still retaining their rights, and also generating their own revenue.
Me: How do you plan on addressing these unmet needs?
JZ: My ultimate goal is to launch a website that would allow anyone with material to upload it and set a price per download. No print-on-demand, no physical inventory. Imagine self-publishing’s satisfaction combined with the exposure of a publishing company.
I see the greatest interest being among people who have created something (book, movie, album, play, poetry, doesn’t matter) and either shopped it around to no avail or are convinced that it will get rejected. I think providing an outlet that allows people to share their work will foster a considerable amount of creativity from those who have previously seen it as a daunting task.
Me: Why do you think young people should be concerned about media and publishing? And how can they take action?
JZ: Of course, young people need to be concerned about media and publishing. Why wouldn’t we be? Newspapers and (to a lesser extent) magazines are in decline, which puts us in an excellent position to restructure the means of communication to suit our evolving needs. Combine our generation’s mastery of the Web 2.0 world with the DIY ethic that’s always been lurking in the corner, and you’ve given us the keys to rewrite the media world.
Me: Where do you find inspiration and information to fuel your own ideas?
JZ: The majority of my inspiration comes from the DIY copy-and-paste zine culture. I have always envied the total control these writers have over their content and distribution, and I want to offer that to everyone.
Companies like Microcosm Publishing that can stick to doing something they believe in without compromising it for business also have become a great inspiration to me lately. I don’t care if my projects barely break even so long as I’m continuing to uphold the values that inspired me to take action in the first place.
Me: What would you imagine for a perfect new media world?
JZ: My perfect new media world is one that embraces the content producers and encourages them to continue. At the end of the day, it’s not the sales or the money or the reviews or the fame, it’s the people that really matter.
Everything you create has the potential to be life-changing for someone, so why not share your work with the world and let everyone share the experience with you?
Me: Anything else?
JZ: Anyone who has questions or is interested in helping can either follow me on Twitter or e-mail me directly.
