<<< Continued from previous page

Another question that's useful to ask: If a given book is digitized, what is the likelihood that there will still be a robust market for print copies? s

Again, money plays into this some. In the case of textbooks, it's already apparent that digitized copies, at least generally, are offered at substantially lower prices than print copies. Given that students are often impoverished creatures and more often than not sell their print copies immediately after completing classes, one doesn't need a crystal ball to predict that the textbook print market will be going away quickly. There may still be at least some demand for print copies, but increased production costs will push prices for these higher yet.

Speaking of yearbooks again, experience has shown me that the most active sector of this market comprises 1950s to 1970s high school yearbooks. If you fall into this high school graduation age window and are looking for a replacement copy of your yearbook, what would be your preference if both print and digitized copies are available? I bet I know. This may be different twenty or thirty years from now, but for the time being, this is clearly an insulated niche.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: For in-depth information on buying and selling yearbooks, purchase issue #31 of the Gold Edition here.]

For each and every niche you currently exploit, you'll be wise to ask yourself these same two questions and proceed accordingly, either by liquidation (see the earlier article on this here) or intensified focus, depending. You'll also be wise to identify new niches - or investigate selling media in other formats.

I'll return next time with a discussion of another insulated niche.