Jonathan Williams of Cicerone Press looks ahead
The Future of Publishing
Jonathan Williams of Cicerone Press looks ahead
Publishing has been around for a long time. Jane Austen had a publisher. Cicero had a publisher, Julius Ceasar had a publisher. Euripides had a publisher. Even the Assyrian emperor Sargon had minions to carve his edicts into stone. Civilisation was preserved for hundreds of years in monastic scriptoria – the publishers of their day.
Why did they all have publishers? Well, Sargon we know; he was too busy smiting Israelites, and everyone else. But the others all needed help to get their message out, design the product, find the readers and earn them income. They probably needed editing too. The fundamental role of a publisher is to understand the mind of the consumer and help the author feed that mind.
The world is ever changing. Publishing is always evolving – wood block gave way to moveable type, scrolls to books, newspapers to television, the internet, eBooks, podcasts, apps and now to AI. These are all forms of publishing. And publishing has always adapted.
Recently things have accelerated. It’ s fair to say that the internet has given more in terms of audience access than it has taken. How far this is changing is unclear as yet, but experience suggests it is.
Let me broadly distinguish two forms of publishing; inspirational, by which I mean stories and experiences, maybe photographic and even fiction. And informative, which includes factual and guide type books.
Inspirational publishing has always depended on the quality of the author and the ability of a publisher to get a message out that readers didn’ t know they needed. The demand is there – we have only to look at Touching the Void, The Salt Path and others. It’ s a broad field, covering all aspects of travel of which outdoor is a part: a small part perhaps but an important part.
The late great Ken Wilson used to talk about his books becoming‘ becalmed’. From a publisher’ s point of view, only a few books will‘ make it’. Many of these have already been written, the world has
been explored. There is a danger of books becoming ever more focussed on narrower and narrower identity groups.
But great writing will win out. With great marketing it will find an audience.
Information publishing faces challenges too. Authors and publishers operate in an ecosystem with magazines, books, websites, YouTube, TV, routes databases, tour companies, maps, apps and other media adding to the human experience of people passing knowledge along. Each of these has its strengths and weaknesses, none do all of the job.
But the fundamental here is that if it doesn’ t add real value to the user, the publisher and likely the author as well will fail.
So information based publishers will need to embrace the opportunities here. This certainly includes careful crafting of the content of current publications, truly understanding who it’ s for and what they need. It’ s imperative to have the consumer in mind. Only geniuses do their own thing, and they mostly starve.
It also includes the need for new delivery methods. This will include digital and inspirational ways of exciting consumers
From a publisher’ s point of view, only a few books will‘ make it’. Many of these have already been written...
and introducing new ideas to them. This will mean ensuring route details are there on walkers’ phones for example. But it includes much more as well.
It’ s clear that publishers and authors are in this together, one as creator the other to craft material that consumers need, market it and nurture the whole process. Is this going to get harder? Probably yes.
If your publisher isn’ t doing this, you have some hard questions to ask, of them, and of yourself.
The Aiguille Noire and Grandes Jorasses on the Tour du Mont Blanc
ABOVE The cirque of 4000m peaks above Zinal – Weisshorn Zinalrothorn, Ober Gabelhgorn, Dent Blanche – from the trail between Evolène and Grimentz PHOTOS Jonathan Williams
16 OUTDOOR FOCUS Spring 2025