Ractliffe to study consumer insights, digital data with $15,000 publisher fellowship
The Copyright Agency has announced Hachette Australia managing director Justin Ractliffe as the recipient of its $15,000 publisher fellowship.
The fellowship ‘supports the pursuit of innovation and professional development from global experiences that can deliver benefits to the Australian publishing sector’, according to Copyright Agency CEO Adam Suckling.
Ractliffe will travel to the world’s biggest book market, the United States, to research how publishers can gain greater consumer insights through digital data. He will specifically visit New York and the Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, California.
His research will define what best practice is for consumer research for trade publishers, and will help publishers to better understand how to use technology and behavioural science to measure consumer reaction to books. Ractliffe’s project will also allow publishers to shift their focus from business-to-business to direct-to-consumer.
Ractliffe says he is delighted to be the recipient of the fellowship.
‘The Copyright Agency does such great work to protect and champion the rights of all Australian creators. I’m very excited about my chosen research project as I believe it will be invaluable in helping me to not only shape my thinking, but assist the local industry in formulating and developing its consumer-insight strategy, platforms and programs,’ he said.
‘I would encourage anyone interested in furthering their professional development to take advantage of the grants offered by the Cultural Fund. It is a great opportunity.’
Ractliffe will be required to prepare a report on his activities, to be published online at the conclusion of the fellowship.
As previously reported, the 2018 recipients of the fellowship were Spineless Wonders publisher Bronwyn Mehan and Monash University Publishing director Nathan Hollier.
Tags: Copyright Agency
Category: Awards Local news
