- Image via Wikipedia
Media futurist Gerd Leonhard is out there on the cutting edge of thinking about the future of media. Some months back, he wrote a provocative blog post at Media Futurist suggesting that “attention revenue” will soon outpace “content revenue.” In other words, books themselves will be generating less revenue, while authors who find ways to hook a fan’s attention with public appearances and interactive websites will be increasingly in demand.
Leonhard is himself not only an author, he is also a musician, graduating from the iconoclastic music school Berklee and winning the Quincy Jones award back in 1988. Musicians have already learned that listeners don’t so often go to record stores to buy albums any more. Instead, they go to music performances [where they will buy an autographed album] and to websites where they can listen to music for free [occasionally buying favorite tracks].
The same is increasingly true for writers, he asserts, and we are seeing evidence of that all around.
It’s a paradigm shift that may be difficult for older writers to absorb. But the young writers just now emerging are finding this new way of thinking as natural as the air they breathe. You must command attention in a here-and-now manner in order to succeed.
Leonhard briefly spins out his thesis in his blog post. For those truly interested, one can download a multi-media presentation by Gerd which goes into much more detail. At his website, he’s simply practicing what he preaches. There’s a lot there for us writers to learn.
What’s your take on the this presumed paradigm shift to an “attention economy” — and it’s effect on writers? Please post your comments.
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