And now for Christmas Eve, our projections for 2009 for media and publishing!

Steve

• Online is the way to go, and a lot of companies will be rapidly heading to expand, add, or move completely to an online/electronic presence.  Those that succeed early and well will be competing for less resources with latecomers – mcuh to the disadvantage of said latecomers.
• With local newspapers faltering, expect more technically savvy towns and cities to look at online news options.  Mid-2009 will see some experimenting.
• Expect Bookstores to explore new ways to stay fresh by adding new media content.  It may not be 2009, but by 2010 I expect one book chain will try carrying games.
• If Nintendo's books-on-a-cart takes off, look for interest in readers to increase further.  This will also encourage people to monetize old assets electronically.
• Odd, strange and unpredictable acquisitions will occur as the industries try and sort things out.
• Comic companies will continue to leverage their overal advantage as media-property-owners.  They'll move more online, branch out as much as possible.  Potential brick wall for them – a lack of a consistent underpinning of their universe can limit IP interest (who wants to play Continuity-Free-Batman-Game #15? after awhile).

For Geeky Job Seekers:  If you're in publishing, make sure you're safe, and even if you are safe, see about a move to more stable areas.  Leverage those IT skills – and gain some.  If you're in publishing consider ways to move to electronic media, content management, etc.  Find ways to move your skills to other jobs – and at the same time, be prepared for being a possible "survivor" after the bloodbath.  This is a good time to get that extra training or that new degree, and learn to think outside the career box.

Bonnie:

• Publishing is an industry in serious transition. What seems to be going on, at first glance, is a complete and total collapse. Newspapers are cutting huge chunks of their staff, cutting back editions, shuttering some publications altogether. There's major layoffs in the book publishing arena as well.
• But if you look closer, what's really going on is an industry struggling to redefine itself, something that was created in the days before there was even electricity struggling to redefine itself for the electronic age.
• For every announcement about layoffs, there's other, more quiet announcements about publications increasing their online staff, putting out all-digital editions, moving more of their content to their Web site.
• In the book business, we're seeing more and more digital material, with digital readers being released by companies such as Amazon – even the Nintendo DS is looking to become an electronic book, with the release of a selection of classic books to be read on-screen (so far, it's just out in Europe, but a U.S. release is probably in the cards).
• What this all means is that print media is still a valid career, although it's not truly print media anymore. Anyone looking to enter this field in the next year is going to have to get a little Web experience under their belt – at least be familiar with basic HTML, if not with building entire Web sites.
• Because the day will come, much sooner than most people think, when entire cities will be wired, and everyone will have a handheld device capable of receiving WiFi. When that happens, traditional print will lose even its most sure audience – the commuter reading a newspaper, magazine or bus on the train or bus. They'll just be able to access the news on their phone.
• When it comes to the publishing outlook in the future, the Darwin philosophy most definitely applies – evolve or die. There's still a lot of life in this seemingly during industry – you just need to know how and where to reach for it.