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Leading digital development at HarperCollins, Charlie Redmayne is hoping that his initiatives there will help to push the whole industry forward. Luan Goldie reports
When it comes to business, HarperCollins' Charlie Redmayne sees any new development as one of two things: an opportunity or a threat.
The development of digital could easily be seen as a threat to the News Corporation-owned publishing house. Amazon dominates book sales while online operations like Abebooks have made buying second- and third-hand books easier than ever.
Just six months into Redmayne's role as director of digital development, he admits to feeling the pressure to turn the threat of digital into an opportunity, not only to sell HarperCollins books but to push the whole industry.
"There has been a growing realisation in publishing that digital is an area we have to address as the threat is very real," says Redmayne. "Digital is something the publishing industry can no longer afford to ignore."
One project looking to cash in on digital is Book Army, an unbranded recommendation engine detailing every book ever published. Due to go live next week, the site is one of HarperCollins' most ambitious projects.
"The publishing industry as a whole is on the cusp of great change. These companies are having to wake up to the fact that they're not just book publishers any more but content businesses," explains Redmayne.
Content is an area he's fully confident...