Context First: A Unified Field Theory of Publishing

Abstract

The way we think about publishing is unduly governed by the nature of the container—the physical book. Although demand for digital content has grown substantially, publishers continue to treat digital formats as a derived or secondary use. As a result, context is truncated or excluded, reducing the degree to which content can be discovered and consumed. At the same time, content abundance places pressure on publishers to find new and more effective ways to market content products. To address these several challenges, publishers should revise their content workflows to develop and maintain context throughout the publishing process.