Opportunities and challenges for educational booksellers

E-learning content is now available in many forms. This article attempts to survey what is generally available and what can be sold by educational booksellers in South Africa.

E- books:
These are books that are published in a digital format and readable on compatible electronic devices by means of reader software. These books may or may not contain copyright protection (DRM or digital rights management) and may have printing restrictions. There are many different e-book formats: some of the most common formats used by commercial publishers currently include secure PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Enhanced e-books can include embedded media, interactive content and animations, thus distinguishing themselves from their ‘flatter’ cousins which are essentially standard books behind glass. Features such as highlighting, note making, bookmarking, search tools and adding of hyperlinks are regarded as basic functionality. Educational e-books can now be purchased as perpetual access e-books (which refers to the right to ongoing electronic access to the purchased material, similar to buying a print copy) or via licensing; where access to the e-book ceases on expiry of a license agreement (e.g. a one or two year license). E-books which contain DRM link access to the book to a specific identity – this means that a school cannot simply retrieve e-books from outgoing or promoted learners at the end of the year and redistribute these books to the next year’s intake as they do with the print editions.
Bookseller: Can I sell e-books?
Yes. A number of educational publishers that are active in the South African market make use of outsourced digital distribution solutions such as that offered by On the Dot’s My Studies platform and via digital publishing solutions provider, Snapplify. Firstly, the publisher must have added their e-books to these distributors’ content repositories, and the bookseller must have opened the necessary retail accounts with these distributors. Options include website integrations that allow a bookshop to sell and fulfil e-books directly from their own e-commerce enabled website, or to access an online voucher generation tool, or via a hosted online store solution. Some publishers accept orders for e-books from booksellers in a similar fashion to how they accept and process print book orders, but this practice appears to vary widely between such publishers. You should also establish which formats are available, whether the e-books are standard or enhanced editions and what sort of licenses apply.

Apps:
Mobile applications are software programmes that are designed for use on devices such as tablets and mobile phones. Educational apps can include dictionaries, interactive grammar tools, maths games and puzzles and much more.
Bookseller: Can I sell Apps?
Generally not. Most Apps are usually sold direct to consumer via online App stores such as the Apple iStore and Google Play store. However, Snapplify offers a solution for selling and distributing apps that have been loaded to its content repository by App publishers.

Web-based resources:
These multimedia resources can include text, images, video and audio – both pre-recorded and streamed live content that can bring teachers, lecturers and tutors into distant classrooms and desktops all over the planet. This plethora of free, freemium and premium digital content is contained within, curated and distributed via a wide variety of channels including websites, social media channels, forums, blogs, torrent sites and Wikis, as well as via membership sites, learning platforms and MOOCs that contain content which is only accessible to registered users.
Bookseller: Can I sell web-based resources?
Premium site content that requires a login to access it can be sold and granted by redeeming a voucher code online – in much the same way that airtime or electricity vouchers are redeemed. The publisher would need to have pre-issued and sold voucher codes to the retailer, who in turn sells these to their customers just as they would other retail products. These codes may be contained within sealed or specially coated branded packaging to aid retail sales and prevent tampering.

Educational software deployed by CD-ROMs, flash drives or other portable storage devices designed to be installed on desktop/laptop computers or servers.

Bookseller: Can I sell this category of educational software?
Yes. It is worth checking what software licences are available (e.g. institutional or single user).

Encrypted satellite broadcasts and community TV channels:
These are dedicated educational television channels such as Mindset Learn. The writer is not aware of any reseller options for this category.

Wearable tech:
Some of the latest first-generation smart watches designed specifically for children already incorporate some educational software. These would be sold like any other retail product.

Selling digital products is not the same as selling print products. There are a number of different considerations to take into account, including the need to provide appropriate and accurate technical advice and possibly also support to both individual and institutional customers, who themselves are operating in unfamiliar new territory. Additional investment may also be needed by booksellers in technology and infrastructure, training and recruitment of appropriately skilled sales staff.

There can be no doubt that implementation, experimentation and adoption of e-learning solutions is occurring all around South Africa and elsewhere on the continent – albeit at many different speeds, and with varying degrees of confidence.

Those booksellers that can offer sound and comprehensive advice as well as a range of print, digital and blended product solutions to their institutional customers, (who themselves are also trying to master new ways of teaching with this technology) will likely have a distinct edge over retailers focusing purely on product sales.

-Alan Vesty