Marketing training for publishers: introducing the peleton

No time to breathe – today  I ran a training course for the marketing team for a major publisher. Thinking through the implications for publishing leads to a new idea about developing a competitive offering. Most marketing in Western Europe works on the notion of establishing a point of difference. Whereas in publishing titles work best in groups where readers can find a similar author or title. So I use the idea of the peleton taken from cycle racing – the group take turns to lead the pack and bunch together to create a more aerodynamic shape, the slipstream also helps to pull along those at the back of the pack. Interesting idea to apply to titles.  At the end of the day there is a fascinating discussion about publishing, where it is going and how the business model is changing. Record companies are resigned themselves to almost free music but charging for concerts. What is the equivalent in publishing?