Interview by Ramy Habeeb
• The first of Publishing Perspectives‘ new series of iPhone interviews conducted with the leading figures in digital publishing in the UK features Michael Bhaskar of Profile Books.
• Bhaskar discusses his company’s digital publishing programs, the importance of metadata, the wiliness of agent Andrew Wylie, and what is coming next for the world of books and media.
• “Having ubiquitous e-book coverage is the most important thing, but not the most easy thing. But it is also the most boring thing, since it doesn’t make any radical steps,” says Bhaskar.
LONDON: Over the coming we’ll be offering a series of iPhone video interviews with some of the leading figures in digital publishing from the UK. They’ll be talking about digital publishing, where it is and where it’s going. The interviews are conducted by Ramy Habeeb, director of Arabic e-book site Kotobarabia, and shot and edited on an iPhone. Accordingly, they offer a glimpse of how low-cost technology is contributing to the transformation of the publishing business.
Our inaugural interview is with Michael Bhaskar, Digital Publishing Manager at Profile Books and the man responsible for spearheading their digital efforts. Previously he was Digital Editor at Macmillan where he launched the UK’s most profitable e-book program and ensured they were the first publisher to get content onto the iPhone. He has also worked at a literary agency, an economics research firm and has been involved with a number of Web start ups. He has blogged, written and spoken widely on how digital is transforming the book world. Michael has a degree in English Literature from the University of Oxford and has recently started a column for the publishing newsletter, Bookbrunch.
In this interview, he touches on his career track, how Profile and Serpent’s Tail are establishing a presence in the world of e-books, metadata, apps, the wiliness of agent Andrew Wylie, and what might be coming next in the world of books and media.
The video runs 20 minutes.
The iPhone Interviews: Michael Bhaskar of Profile Books from Publishing Perspectives on Vimeo.
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