The Information Brokering Business

The concept of information brokering has been around for well over 600 years.

When the Gutenberg press was invented the information brokering business started. With the ability to create leaflets, reports, books and other published information, people saw the potential for profit. Information could now be dispensed for a fee.

Thus, the advent of publishing was also the beginning of information brokering. Opportunists and entrepreneurs realized the business side of creating information and selling it. The publishing industry at large has thrived as an information brokering entity. More so in the non-fiction sector of publishing than fiction.

Authors with non-fiction information rely on publishing houses to act as middlemen between the author and the market interested in the author’s information. This arrangement has made publishers (and a few authors) wealthy. The Information Age has brought with it the ability for people to self-publish their information. Through the Internet, people are able to put up simple websites to deliver their information to select markets.

Producing information products – like how-to books – requires accurate research. Authors often will hire researchers to dig up facts that will be included in the information product. By the way, information publishing is not limited to books. Entire companies (mostly direct marketers) exist who publish written, audio and video information.

Let’s say you’re interested in improving your golf game. Direct marketing companies (who essentially act as information brokering middlemen) put together programs that teach how to hit the ball longer, put for precision or whatever.

Individual golfers could just as easily do their own research to find this information. But the convenience and speed of acquisition make it easier and worth the cost of paying for it. For this reason, the direct marketing of information is a booming industry growing at a rapid pace.

The Internet has allowed an even further expansion of information brokering services. You can find an endless array of electronic books on niche topics ranging from growing bigger tomatoes to losing weight to making money and anything else you can think of.

Most online information marketers use other information brokering professionals to help them compile their products. You can go to Elance or any of several other online freelance service centers and hire people to research and even write the information product for you.

Savvy entrepreneurs don’t even bother with the product creation phase. They simply hire freelancers to put the product together and they focus on the marketing end of the business. Virtual information empires are being built online around simple subjects and inexpensive electronic books that are delivered digitally. Thus, the information brokering business attracts people to it. Because it is becoming more profitable due to advances in technology. If you have a special skill such as writing, proofreading, research, etc. you may want to consider this booming business category.