Publishing is under threat from many angles, but that begs a question: what do we mean by “publishing” and “publishers”? Are you a publisher if you have a blog, or a podcast? Is AI a publisher? Will it become one?
Maybe, to all those questions, but I think a more rigorous definition is in order. Here’s mine.
What is a publisher?
A publisher applies transferable expertise and judgment to a discoverable market that values the result enough to cover the cost of production and distribution.
That’s an attempt to reduce everything down to a single sentence, but it requires a little clarification.
The expertise must be “transferable” because knowledge or skills that can’t be translated for the audience’s use has no marketable value.
The expertise itself can take many forms, including subject-matter knowledge, reporting skill, writing skill, visual design, editorial process, etc. It may reside in the publisher directly or be supplied through selected contributors.
“Judgment” is central. Much of a publisher’s value lies in deciding what to include, what to exclude, how to frame it, and in what sequence. A style magazine is valuable precisely because readers trust its taste and editorial discernment.
The market must be “discoverable.” A publisher’s market isn’t everyone without distinction. There must be a definable group and path to reach it — through a list, a platform, a channel, a collection of keywords, a demographic, an institution, or a distribution network.
That audience must need (or at least want) the publisher’s expertise and judgment strongly enough to exchange something of value to get it. The payment can take several different forms. Cash is great, but the exchange of value can be other things like data, or even attention — but only to the degree that the attention is monetizable.
The value received must cover all costs of production and distribution and leave room for reinvestment and profit.
Now back to the questions above.
Is a blogger or a podcaster a publisher? I’d say yes only if he’s making money from it. Otherwise it’s a hobby.
Is AI a publisher? That’s a tougher one. Does it exercise judgment? Does it have a market?
A human could certainly create an AI-powered publisher, but I don’t think the AI itself can be a publisher. It doesn’t have volition.
Why does this matter?
First, this definition serves as a quick mental check on new publishing ideas. Do you have these basics? If not, you’re due for another think.
Second, … well. You’re going to have to attend my session at the Niche Media Conference in Orlando: “AI and the Future of Publishing Earthquake: the shape of things to come.”
To give you just a taste, consider this. What does a publisher do that AI can’t — either now, or in the near future? How will AI agents change things? (Here’s one example. See “Write Once, Sell Many Times?” AI May Be Ending the Most Profitable Idea in Publishing.)
The issue goes much deeper than that. Publishers are going to have to go back to first principles and decide who they are and what they contribute, then re-think it all in the light of new technology.
I hope we can answer that together in Orlando.
