Charlie Redmayne warns that publishers must take their space back by going beyond ebooks to apps, games and video
Charlie Redmayne, HarperCollins UK chief executive: 'Have others stolen a march on us? Yes, absolutely.' Photograph: Martin Godwin
It seems a safe bet that few people in the book world have marched in the scarlet tunic of the Irish Guards.
Charlie Redmayne, the new UK boss of HarperCollins, served four years as a lieutenant in the 1980s, before starting out on a media career that has taken him to the top of the publishing world.
Now three months after returning to HarperCollins to become its chief executive, Redmayne will deliver a brisk message at an industry conference on Thursday, warning publishers against letting digital rivals steal their role – storytelling.
Publishers have allowed competitors to jump in, he says, whether they are startup companies producing apps or authors publishing their novels on Amazon. Now they "need to take that space back" by producing content for games players, tablet computers and other devices.
Publishers have historically been the most innovative and creative of organisations," he said. "But I think that when it came to the digital revolution we came to a point where we stopped innovating and creating. We thought, we've done an ebook and that is what it is.
"Have others stolen a march on us? Yes, absolutely. There are now people competing with us who five or 10 years ago were not on our radars … My predecessor used to say publishers are becoming digital content developers. I always used to think she ought to add that digital content developers are becoming publishers."
That predecessor was Victoria Barnsley, the acclaimed publisher who founded 4th Estate and went on to run HarperCollins for 13 years. When news of her shock departure broke in July, coinciding with the announcement that publishing supremo Gail Rebuck was stepping down from the day-to-day running of Random House UK, many in the book world were left depressed about the loss of talented woman at the top.
"A bad week for women and a good one for geeks," said one industry figure.
"I've never been described as geek in my life," protests Redmayne. "Vicky is a terrific, instinctive, influential publisher and I am not those things. I come from a different background, but I believe the stuff I've done will add value in different ways."
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Charlie Redmayne, the new UK boss of HarperCollins, served four years as a lieutenant in the 1980s, before starting out on a media career that has taken him to the top of the publishing world.
Now three months after returning to HarperCollins to become its chief executive, Redmayne will deliver a brisk message at an industry conference on Thursday, warning publishers against letting digital rivals steal their role – storytelling.
Publishers have allowed competitors to jump in, he says, whether they are startup companies producing apps or authors publishing their novels on Amazon. Now they "need to take that space back" by producing content for games players, tablet computers and other devices.
Publishers have historically been the most innovative and creative of organisations," he said. "But I think that when it came to the digital revolution we came to a point where we stopped innovating and creating. We thought, we've done an ebook and that is what it is.
"Have others stolen a march on us? Yes, absolutely. There are now people competing with us who five or 10 years ago were not on our radars … My predecessor used to say publishers are becoming digital content developers. I always used to think she ought to add that digital content developers are becoming publishers."
That predecessor was Victoria Barnsley, the acclaimed publisher who founded 4th Estate and went on to run HarperCollins for 13 years. When news of her shock departure broke in July, coinciding with the announcement that publishing supremo Gail Rebuck was stepping down from the day-to-day running of Random House UK, many in the book world were left depressed about the loss of talented woman at the top.
"A bad week for women and a good one for geeks," said one industry figure.
"I've never been described as geek in my life," protests Redmayne. "Vicky is a terrific, instinctive, influential publisher and I am not those things. I come from a different background, but I believe the stuff I've done will add value in different ways."
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