Publishing

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    Publisher's Weekly Latest News

  • Barnes & Noble Out of Stock on Nook

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:18 pm
    Barnes & Noble is out of stock on the Nook, a note on its Web site said Friday. The company said that it expects to ship the e-reader the week of January 4 for customers who pre-order the device.

  • RWA, MWA and SFWA Angered by Harlequin's New Self-Publishing Imprint

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:06 am
    Romance Writers of America and other writer associations yesterday spoke out against the announcement earlier this week that Author Solutions had teamed up with Harlequin to form Harlequin Horizons, a new imprint for self-published romance authors. RWA has deemed Harlequin no longer eligible for RWA-provided conference resources—meaning the publisher is not entitled to enter any award competitions.

  • The PW Morning Report: Friday, November 20, 2009

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:57 am
    A daily roundup of book and publishing news from across the Web: Oprah to Go Off Air; Palin Sold 300,000; Canadian Publishers Scramble for Kindle; Google Hearing 3; More Apple Tablet Rumors

  • Book Category "Stabilized" at Books-A-Million, Though Sales Slip

    19 Nov 2009 | 1:55 pm
    Total revenue fell 0.6% at Books-A-Million in the third quarter and comp sales were off 1.9%. Still the company said the book business stabilized in the quarter and execs were optimistic about the holiday season.

  • Penguin Authors Share Holiday Recommendations

    19 Nov 2009 | 1:40 pm
    More than 40 Penguin authors are sharing book recommendations for holiday gift-giving as part of Penguin’s What to Give & What to Get campaign. The program, started last year, includes books from any imprint that are new, old, for children and adults.
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    Pantheon Graphic Novels News

  • Times of London best books

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:20 am
    The Times of London just announced their Best Books of the Decade with Pantheon titles in abundance: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi coming in at #2and Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware at #79.

  • ASTERIOS POLYP indie pick

    18 Nov 2009 | 1:42 pm
    Three independent area booksellers visited The Brian Lehrer Show this morning and left their recommendations for holiday gift suggestions. Christina Onorati of WORD Bookstore chose our own Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli! Be sure to stock up in time for the holidays!

  • PGN Enews Dec09

    6 Nov 2009 | 8:34 am
    The holidays are just around the corner and if you're like me, you can't even begin to think about what to buy each person on your list. When you're stumped about what to purchase this holiday season, consider this-- BOOKS MAKE GREAT GIFTS! Just think about it: You can buy 10 hardcovers for the price of an iPhoneA book costs less than a movie and popcornA book has the potential to change someone's lifeReading a book lasts longer than wearing a new sweater (and you never grow out of it)A book is the easiest gift to wrapA book is the easiest item to re-gift! These are some of the books I plan…

  • Free Pizza at B&N Greenwich Village

    22 Oct 2009 | 8:55 am
    Free Pizza at B&N Greenwich Village Marisa Acocella Marchetto will be reading from Cancer Vixen, now on sale from Pantheon Books, on Friday, October 23 at 7:30 pm at Barnes & Noble Greenwich Village. Featuring a PowerPoint presentation, book signing, and free pizza from Greenwich Village's Scuderia, this event is not to be missed. "Marchetto is an inspiration, and her story is one that is definitely worth reading" (Sacramento Book Review).

  • Marisa Acocella Marchetto on Cancer Vixen

    13 Oct 2009 | 3:41 pm
    THE CANCER VIXEN HERSELF! Listen to author Marisa Acocella Marchetto on Conversations LIVE! Radio as she discusses her graphic novel Cancer Vixen, now on sale in paperback from Pantheon Books. On National Mammogram Day (Friday, October 16), Marisa will be at St. Vincent's Hospital in NYC handing out free signed copies of Cancer Vixen to the first 10 women in line for their free mammograms. Also, be sure not to miss Marisa's appearance at B&N Greenwich Village on Friday, October 23. Buy a copy here!
 
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    Publishers Newswire

  • In new book author William G. Hyland, Jr. exonerates Thomas Jefferson in DNA controversy

    Angela Polchat-Ferris
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:44 am
    TAMPA, Fla. /Publishers Newswire/ — “In Defense Of Thomas Jefferson” (ISBN: 978-0-312-56100-0), has just been published by St. Martins Press and concerns the major historical controversy surrounding Mr. Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings. In this startling and revelatory new book, William G. Hyland, Jr. shows not only that the evidence against Jefferson is lacking, but that in fact he is entirely innocent of the charge of having sexual relations with Hemings. The belief that Thomas Jefferson had an affair and fathered a child (or children) with slave Sally Hemings…

  • ENow Inc. releases Mailscape V4.5 – Delivers Customizable Reporting and Proactive Monitoring

    Angela Polchat-Ferris
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm
    ORANGE, Calif. /Publishers Newswire/ — ENow, Inc., innovative leaders in the development of software and authors of the award-winning Mailscape V4.4, announced today the formal launch of Mailscape V4.5. The new edition of Mailscape is a complete systems management tool that combines all the key elements for Exchange monitoring, reporting and administration into a single, affordable solution. The highly-anticipated launch of V4.5 delivers customizable reporting that gives administrators complete flexibility in not only how they create reports, but also how they disseminate the…

  • Booklet reveals step-by-step technique to get a good job, promotion, or salary increase

    Angela Polchat-Ferris
    18 Nov 2009 | 4:26 am
    NEW YORK, N.Y. /Publishers Newswire/ — Unique eighteen page booklet can be read in thirty minutes or less to accomplish your goals: “Rx For Success” by Marty Niedelman. Find out what principles thousands of people have used to accumulate wealth and acquire fame. If an individual does certain things in a certain way, he or she can accomplish whatever they desire, according to author Marty Niedelman. Download his booklet for about the price of an appetizer, and you will become a changed individual. Marty has done research over the past thirty years and has given you the…

  • EASEUS updates Partition Master to 4.1.1 for Windows 7 Migration

    Angela Polchat-Ferris
    13 Nov 2009 | 11:29 am
    NEW YORK, N.Y. /Publishers Newswire/ — EASEUS, a provider of affordable, scalable partition management, data recovery and disaster recovery utility solutions, releases the newest version of its consumer partition management software: EASEUS Partition Master 4.1.1, a comprehensive partition tool and system optimization software for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 and Windows server 2000/2003/2008, now supports the much anticipated Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. As the latest operating system of Microsoft released on October 22, 2009, Windows 7 has drawn much attention and many users write…

  • Online Event Registration Software from ePly Services now available in self-serve edition

    Angela Polchat-Ferris
    13 Nov 2009 | 10:13 am
    VANCOUVER, Canada /Publishers Newswire/ — ePly Services Inc. (@ePly), an online event registration software company based in North Vancouver, B.C., is excited to announce that they have begun allowing clients to set up their own registration forms using their new self-serve software. Since the company started in 2001, ePly has always built registration forms for their clients based on the requirements that have been set out. The system that ePly used to build these forms was created in-house, and has evolved as client requirements and registration forms became more and more complex. The…
 
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    Book Publishing News

  • "Kindle for PC" Now Available

    16 Nov 2009 | 10:34 am
    Amazon.com, Inc. announced the availability of "Kindle for PC," the free application that lets readers around the world enjoy Kindle books on their personal computers (PC). The U.S. Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore) currently offers more than 360,000 books, including New Releases and 101 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers, which are typically $9.99 or less. The Kindle Store is the only place to find some of today’s most popular books in digital format. Kindle books can now be read on the Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch and PC. Kindle for PC is now available as a free download…

  • Publishing pros reveal how to start home-based companies and publish non-fiction books

    16 Nov 2009 | 10:30 am
    The Step-By-Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit: Start Your Own Home-Based Publishing Company and Publish Your Non-Fiction Book With CreateSpace and Amazon by Christy Pinheiro and Nick Russell provides readers with information on how to effectively self-publish.According to the Bowker Books In Print database, for the first time, the number of print on-demand books has exceeded those being published by traditional publishers. But how does self-publishing work, and how can it be a smart and profitable choice for those wanting to see their writing in print? Publishing experts Pinheiro and…

  • Nielsen BookScan to Produce Bestseller Book Charts for The Wall Street Journal

    9 Nov 2009 | 5:04 am
    The Nielsen Company has launched its book sales monitoring and analysis service, Nielsen BookScan, to supply its world-class information to create customized bestseller charts for the world's leading business publication, The Wall Street Journal.Nielsen BookScan will produce three weekly book charts for the Journal -- Hardcover Fiction, Hardcover Non-fiction and Business -- which will run in print and on WSJ.com every Friday. Nielsen BookScan has also agreed to create additional, customized charts for WSJ.com around specific genres such as travel and cooking, or current topical interests…

  • BookReader makes reading eBooks on iPhone simple

    9 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    Readdle today announces BookReader 1.0, a stylish e-book reader for iPhone and iPod touch. BookReader lets people read digital books from their collections like the paper ones. It opens TXT, FB2, RTF, EPUB, HTML, and PDF e-books that could be copied from reader's computer to the iPhone as well as searches and downloads books from Project Gutenberg. BookReader has number of small handy functions like animated page flipping, night mode for reading in the dark, and more.BookReader has number of small handy functions like animated page flipping, night mode for reading in the dark, locking book…

  • Adobe and Barnes & Noble Join Forces to Standardize eBook Technology

    2 Nov 2009 | 5:56 am
    Adobe Systems Incorporated  and Barnes & Noble, Inc.., the world's largest bookseller, today announced advancements for eBook distribution by joining forces to standardize the open EPUB and PDF eBook formats and collaborating on a content protection standard based on Adobe and Barnes & Noble technology. The collaboration makes Barnes & Noble the most portable and compatible eBookstore, and provides customers of nook, the new Barnes & Noble eBook reader and other compatible devices, as well as users of Barnes & Noble eReader software for iPhone, PCs, BlackBerry and…
 
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    Publishing News

  • Two Minn. Farms Warned for Drugging Cows

    22 Nov 2009 | 2:37 pm
    Federal officials have sent warning letters to two central Minnesota dairy farms for allegedly using high levels of antibiotics in cows.

  • Gray Responds to Ethics Questions

    22 Nov 2009 | 10:17 am
    D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray awoke to bad headlines in the Washington Post and the Washington Times Wednesday, alleging two separate possible ethics violations.

  • No Afghan Decision Before Thanksgiving

    22 Nov 2009 | 6:08 am
    U.S. President Barack Obama won't announce his decision about sending more troops to Afghanistan before Thanksgiving, senior aides said Thursday.

  • Many underestimate Palin at their political peril

    22 Nov 2009 | 1:46 am
    No force on earth can stop Sarah Palin from becoming our very own "lite" version of Eva Peron - a glamorous and tragic legend, minus the tragedy.

  • James Murdoch signals reduced role for his family's newspapers

    21 Nov 2009 | 9:27 pm
    James Murdoch , annointed heir to his father's media conglomerate, News Corporation , signalled that the family love affair with newspapers is coming to an end and the business will shift its focus to television and entertainment in the future.
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    Commercial Printing News

  • Preserving the past

    21 Nov 2009 | 6:02 pm
    This photograph shows Trinity School off Brownsferry Street in Athens, which the Class of 1957 and others are trying to raise money to restore.

  • Sir Speedy, PIP, and Signal Graphics Join QuarkPromote.com Neighborhood Print Partner Program

    20 Nov 2009 | 5:48 pm
    Franchise Services, parent company of Sir Speedy, PIP and Signal Graphics, announces that its brands are part of the QuarkPromote.com Neighborhood Print Partner program.

  • Nadal Says Winfrey Move Signals Shift to Niche Media: Video

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:32 pm
    Nov. 20 -- Miles Nadal, chief executive officer of MDC Partners Inc., talks with Bloomberg's Erik Schaztker about the potential impact of Oprah Winfrey ending her TV talk show in 2011 on the media industry.

  • Quark Launches New Web-to-Print Service for Small Businesses

    19 Nov 2009 | 1:56 pm
    Quark announced today the launch of QuarkPromote.com , a new online service that helps entrepreneurs and small businesses in the United States easily create their own high-quality, professional marketing materials that can be picked up at a nearby neighborhood printer or received by mail in just a few days.

  • Quebecor may partner with other new entrants, not Globalive

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:08 am
    Quebecor Inc. may not want to partner with Globalive to provide wireless services anytime soon since it has no interest in being a silent partner and Globalive would rather not dilute its control, but Quebecor might consider entering into deals with other new entrants to enhance purchasing power for handsets or to share costs.
 
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    Packt Book Feed

  • Exclusive Discount Offer: Drupal 5 Views Recepies - Up to 50% Off

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:47 am
    Exclusive Discount Offer: Drupal 5 Views Recepies - Up to 50% Off Friday, November 20, 2009 | Drupal Packt has come up with a special offer on one of its titles - Drupal 5 Views Recepies This book will enable you to realize the fullest potential of this powerful resource by providing a wide variety of powerful recipes for creating and displaying a wide variety of views – essential classics you will use again and again to innovative display methods that will make your Drupal site stand out. Pick and choose the ones you would like to prepare for your web site. In this book you will find…

  • Buy JBoss RichFaces 3.3 ebook and JBoss Tools 3 Developers Guide ebook at 50% Discount

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:45 am
    Buy JBoss RichFaces 3.3 ebook and JBoss Tools 3 Developers Guide ebook at 50% Discount Friday, November 20, 2009 | JBoss Buy JBoss RichFaces 3.3 ebook and JBoss Tools 3 Developers Guide ebook and get 50% discount on both. Just enter ricf33tod in the 'Promotion Code' field and click 'Update' during checkout. The discount will be applied. Grab your copy NOW! See More

  • Polygon Modeling of a Handgun using Blender 3D 2.49: Part 1

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:52 am
    Polygon Modeling of a Handgun using Blender 3D 2.49: Part 1 Friday, November 20, 2009 | Web Graphics & Video This article by Allan Brito guides you through the first steps of the modeling by using concept drawings to create a base model in Blender. The base model is very important to add details and upgrade the first flat surfaces into something more complex. This article tells us how to set up and configure a background image, and how to model and transform a mesh by using the background image as a guide. It also demonstrates the use of various tools such as Edge Loop tool, Face Loop Cut…

  • Ways to improve performance of your server in ModSecurity 2.5

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:15 am
    Ways to improve performance of your server in ModSecurity 2.5 Friday, November 20, 2009 | Linux Servers In this article by Magnus Mischel we will take a look at the performance of ModSecurity and what impact, if any, it has on the speed of your server and web application. We will also look at the ways in which you can increase the performance of your server by tweaking your configuration and writing more efficient rules. See More

  • Exclusive Discount Offer: Cacti 0.8 Network Monitoring- Up to 50% Off

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:24 pm
    Exclusive Discount Offer: Cacti 0.8 Network Monitoring- Up to 50% Off Friday, November 20, 2009 | Networking & Telephony Packt has come up with a special offer on one of its titles -Cacti 0.8 Network Monitoring This book introduces Cacti and goes through its complete installation and setup. After a quick look, it will teach you to use Cacti's amazing graph templating and user management features. You will learn to customize graphs and make them better looking and easier to understand. It will teach you to provide the paths to any external script or command using Cacti. Then it will take you…
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    Penguin Blog (USA) - Penguin Group (USA) -

  • Great Reading Group Guides for August - November 2009 Titles

    Penguin Group USA
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:14 pm
    (View entire post here) Bookclubs are in for a real holiday treat! Here are FOURTEEN new reading group guides to keep you busy during those long winter nights.  Reading Group Guide: Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain by Martha SherrillISBN 9781594483905| 8/4/2009| Riverhead | Add to CartView the book page   Reading Group Guide: Rashi’s Daughters: Book III: Rachel by Maggie AntonISBN 9780452295681| 8/4/2009| Plume | Add to CartView the book page   Reading Group Guide: A Question of Freedom by R. Dwayne BettsISBN 9781583333488| 8/8/2009| Avery | Add to…

  • A Cup of Poetry - 11/18/09 - William Wordsworth, "The World is Too Much with Us," and "The Solitary Reaper"

    Penguin Group USA
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:20 am
    (View entire post here) This week's episode of A Cup of Poetry features two short poems by William Wordsworth read by Nicole Erazo. Listen to A Cup of Poetry now and read the poem below! Subscribe to the FREE podcast feed in the iTunes store. The Penguin Book of Romantic Poetry, edited and introduced by Jessica Wordsworth and Jonothan Wordsworth Book: Paperback | 5.07 x 7.79in | 1056 pages | ISBN 9780140435689 | 28 Feb 2006 | Penguin Classic | 18 - AND UP $22.00 - Add to Cart"The world is too much with us" The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we…

  • Listen to our Author's Podcasts Running the Week of 11/16

    Penguin Group USA
    17 Nov 2009 | 10:25 am
        » Novella Carpenter discusses the story of how she became an urban farmer in downtown Oakland and tips for how you can start your own urban farm. » Read more about Farm City Farm City Novella Carpetener Urban Farmer Oakland Podcast Audio Author Interview The Penguin Press

  • Penguin Online Digest - New Content 11/10 - 11/18

    Penguin Group USA
    17 Nov 2009 | 10:18 am
    Excerpts (3)Excerpt - Iron River T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton)Excerpt - The Piano Teacher Janice Y.K. Lee (Penguin)Excerpt - Betrayals Lili St. Crow (Razorbill)Videos (1)Video - The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half Stephanie Nelson (Avery)  

  • Finding the Awen, by Katharine Kerr

    Penguin Group USA
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am
    (View entire post here) In ancient times, Greek and Roman poets invoked of the Muse. She was a goddess, a female figure that 'inspired' their work. That is, she 'breathed upon" or 'into' them their themes and deep creative ideas.  They saw her as something utterly outside of their selves and set apart from ordinary human experience.  Without her first impulse, they could not sing or write their poetry.  Once she had breathed upon them, then their rational, conscious minds could continue the process and finish off the poems.  Welsh poets of the post-Roman and…
 
 
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    mediabistro.com: GalleyCat

  • "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" Adaptation Breaks Box Office Records

    22 Nov 2009 | 9:23 pm
    The cinematic adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" has already shattered two opening weekend records, as the vampire books struck multiplex gold once again. The Wall Street Journal reports that the film pulled in $26.3 million in midnight screenings in the wee hours of Friday, beating the $22.2 million record previously held by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." The article also notes that the film earned $72.7 on Friday, topping the previous one-day records held by comic franchises: "The Dark Knight" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." Find out what…

  • GalleyCatnip: Edwidge Danticat Will Miss the Oprah Winfrey Show

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:23 pm
    For your weekend reading pleasure, here some publishing news briefs... Oprah Winfrey announced today that she will end her popular show in 2011, closing the televised side of the most influential book club in America. Author Edwidge Danticat told the Wall Street Journal why she will miss the club: "When she calls to tell you that your book has been selected for the book club, she sounds so excited that you feel as though she's both your ideal reader and your biggest cheerleader." To write its embargo-breaking scoop about Sarah Palin's memoir (which has reportedly sold 300,000 copies already),…

  • Book Stock Watch: Barnes & Noble Sells Out Nook for Holidays

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:23 pm
    Today the NY Times reported a digital reading milestone for one bookseller's upcoming device: "Barnes & Noble says customers ordering a Nook will receive their devices the week of Jan. 4. So that stockings are not left completely empty, the bookseller will furnish buyers with a special holiday certificate." GalleyCat has been tracking the stock performance of the major companies that influence the bookselling business. We created this chart with eight publicly-traded publishing stocks hand-picked by our readers--including company name, symbol, current stock price, and price increase or…

  • Be Not E-fraid

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:23 pm
    In his National Book Awards acceptance speech this week, biographer T. J. Stiles thanked everyone in a book's traditional production chain, from the agent to the bookstore clerk. Stiles concluded with an note of apprehension: "The advent of the eBook is fooling some into thinking that these people are not necessary anymore." As the digital publishing industry grows over the next few years, publishers, authors, and readers need to reconcile these fears about the future. Earlier this week, GalleyCat writers and readers mingled at the eBook Summit preview party, trying to start a more productive…

  • Regretsy Scores Latest Blog-to-Book Deal

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:23 am
    Comic author and radio personality April Winchell is the latest author to turn a blog into a book deal. She just sold "Regretsy," a title based on the her blog that highlights the oddest creations on Internet craft sites. The Regretsy blog has featured everything from miniature paintings to those knitted spats. The title puns off the name of the popular craft site, Etsy. Jill Schwartzman at Random House's Villard imprint bought the title for trade paperback publication. Meg Thompson at LJK Literary Management negotiated the deal. The site also features a fascinating page counting successful…
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    Pub Rants

  • Friday Funnies

    Agent Kristin
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:57 pm
    STATUS: I’m done for the night.What’s playing on the iPod right now? LANDSLIDE by Dixie ChicksConsidering all the chatter over the last two days, today has been relatively quiet. SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) did issue a statement. You can find that here.Also, the Ashley Grayson agency blogged with their response.On a wholly different note, I have a Friday funny—sort of. Do you remember my blogging about an Eddie Murphy movie being shot on our street about two summers ago? For two days in a row they had the extras and the movie crew filming. Sara and I remember it vividly as…

  • Harlequin News Flash

    Agent Kristin
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:12 pm
    STATUS: Sara’s first day back in the office. Totally fun.What’s playing on the iPod right now? SHAKE THE DISEASE by Depeche ModeThis just in (literally five seconds ago) from Donna Hayes, CEO of Harlequin.Harlequin was very surprised and dismayed to receive notice late yesterday that the RWA has decided that Harlequin is no longer eligible for RWA-provided conference resources. We were even more surprised to discover that the RWA sent a notice to its membership announcing this decision, before allowing Harlequin to respond or engage in a discussion about it with the RWA board.Harlequin…

  • And I Thought The Furor Was Bad Yesterday….

    Agent Kristin
    18 Nov 2009 | 2:58 pm
    STATUS: Who can get work done when there is so much Harlequin gossip flying around?What’s playing on the iPod right now? EDGE OF SEVENTEEN by Stevie NicksThen today can’t even compare. I think Harlequin has just gotten the smack down.I have not confirmed this rumor yet, but a fellow agent just emailed me to say that RWA revoked Harlequin’s recognized publisher status. Uh… that means no Harlequin author can enter the RITAs.Let me tell you, the emails are flying fast and furious among the agents.And RWA just sent out this announcement:RWA Alert: RWA Responds to Harlequin HorizonsDear…

  • Exploitation or Empowerment?

    Agent Kristin
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:04 pm
    STATUS: Only 205 emails in the inbox now. I’m making headway!What’s playing on the iPod right now? MY EVER CHANGING MOODS by Style CouncilSo Harlequin is causing quite the furor today. Last week they announced a new ePub imprint called Carina to potentially compete with ePublishers like a Samhain or Ellora’s Cave with royalties of 30% of retail price on copies sold (which by the way, should piss off any Harlequin authors who are being traditionally published by that house as their eRoyalties suck).Then this week, they announced a self-publishing arm called Harlequin Horizons partnering…

  • Really Good Might Not Be Enough

    Agent Kristin
    16 Nov 2009 | 4:55 pm
    STATUS: Ugh. I’ve got 300 emails in my inbox.What’s playing on the iPod right now? HAMMER AND A NAIL by Indigo GirlsI have to say that I’ve been shaking my head a lot lately. This market is just brutal.Today I wrote a rejection letter to a really talented author. Previously published, had a really good manuscript but I honestly didn’t think I could sell it so passed on offering representation.You know things are bad when as an agent, I’m passing on really good novels because currently I believe that really good might not be good enough in today’s market.I really hope another agent…
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    From the Balcony, A Publisher's Blog

  • Hartley's hour

    Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
    22 Nov 2009 | 6:40 am
    When out tech genius John Ferris put this gallery together for the Aisling announcement of Tom Hartly as our person of the year, he had some music accompanying it.The songs seem to have gone but some great pics in the gallery, some recent and others going back at least to 1980 and the H-Block proests.

  • Schools for scandal

    Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
    21 Nov 2009 | 3:49 am
    I don't know which is worse, the Catholic grammar schools for introducing an alternative to the 11-Plus or the Bishops for letting them.For many years, Catholic schools in the North boasted of their fidelity to the bishops and insisted the buck stopped in the Bishop's Palace. But apparently now, even though the bishops have branded the 11-Plus immoral, the grammars are imposing their own academic selection criteria on a new generation of children.The evidence is clear: the current education system in the North is not (thanks) "the best in the world" or even the best in Ireland. It fails over…

  • "I know it was in good shape when it left here, but"

    Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:39 am
    A four-minute video by our photographer John Kelly of last night's Aisling Awards celebration.

  • "My heart hurts sore"

    Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:33 am
    Christine Quinn spoke at lunchtime at a meeting of the gay community in Belfast where she told her audience that two new gay councillors have been elected to New York City Hall, appropriately (she joked) from Queen's.Speaking for the gay community, in Irish and English, well-known community activist Marie Quiery said "coming out" was the bravest act of any gay person. She said "my heart hurts sore" for gay people who were living a double life, for fear of coming out.Amazingly, the gay community groups in Belfast don't receive any support from Belfast City Council — though, in a sign of the…

  • Daring to dream at Aisling drama

    Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:58 pm
    A line-up to remember at the Aisling Awards last night: Caitríona Ruane to read the education shortlist and announce St Patrick's College, Bearnageeha on the Antrim Road, under the tutelage of the indomitable PJ O'Grady as winner of the Education Award; Lord Mayor Naomi Long to introduce our Roll of Honour Recipient Alan McBride (who lost his wife Sharon and father-in-law Desmond in the 1993 Shankill bombing); and East Belfast unionist councillor Ian Adamson to introduce our Person of the Year, Cllr Tom Hartley, a Sinn Féin representative from West Belfast.Our guest of honour Christine…
 
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    Booksquare

  • Digital Rights Management — A Wrinkle or An Opportunity

    Kassia Krozser
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:12 am
    For the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about Digital Rights Management (“DRM”), and the diversity of comments have been fascinating. I still do not believe DRM prevents or slows piracy*. Add to this fact that public perception of DRM, honed by years of abuse by the music industry, is negative…or rather, though most people do not know nor use the terms “digital rights management” or “DRM”, they hate it when they encounter it. There are genuine concerns on both side of the DRM issue. (Oh, and do they hate it! This is a serious challenge for…

  • Managing Digital Rights, Part 2

    Kassia Krozser
    11 Nov 2009 | 10:14 am
    So last week, I attempted to jumpstart a new kind of discussion about managing digital rights, and, happily, many people were more than happy to participate. This week, I’m going to try to summarize and respond to what they said. Here’s a sneak preview: publishers, you’re doing it wrong, but not for reasons you think! Let’s back up. Digital Rights Management (”DRM is not inherently evil, but it’s not winning friends or influencing readers. Any mechanism that keeps people from accessing their legally purchased books is a failure. The fact that there are no…

  • A (Probably Naive) Attempt to Move the DRM Conversation Forward

    Kassia Krozser
    2 Nov 2009 | 8:43 am
    If there are two truths we hold to be self-evident, they are these: 1) DRM does nothing to stop piracy, and 2) DRM, as used by many publishers today, frustrates legitimate purchasers of books. This leads many to conclude that DRM does not work, and that DRM is evil. How do we get past “it’s good” or “it’s evil”? Not true. And not true. Consumers will happily accept the shackles of DRM if the trade-off is worth it to them. For example, while some Kindle users grumble about loss of rights, they express joy at the ease of purchase created by the Kindle system.

  • On Listening and Learning

    Kassia Krozser
    30 Oct 2009 | 11:51 am
    Author Mur Lafferty offers her thoughts about the changes in publishing. What really surprises me is when you hear publishing people say that they don’t know what to do, or that they refuse listen to Internet professionals. They seem to believe if they do what has worked in the past, eventually the storm will pass and the anchor of tradition will have kept them steady and safe. They look at the people who are succeeding by merging their digital plans with their traditional print plans and call them anomalies at best, or insane at worst. What they need to be doing is learning from them. I Am…

  • The Week That Was

    Kassia Krozser
    23 Oct 2009 | 11:58 am
    A lot happened in publishing this week — so much that just as I wrapped my head around one thing, something new popped up to either make me re-evaluate my previous thinking…or to send me down a different rabbit hole. Let’s just put it out there: once you’ve gone subterranean, things start to make a lot of sense. Which probably accounts for my mood today. Here in the dark and dangerous world of the publishing underground, spirits are sapped and minds are bent. Sometimes you travel toward the bright light, only to find a seemingly insurmountable pile of…
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    Joe Wikert's Publishing 2020 Blog

  • Free Content, Registration Required

    Joe Wikert
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:30 am
    Author David Meerman Scott recently wrote a terrific blog post about free ebooks and how distribution is affected when registration is required.  It's easy to think that "free is free" and requiring registration shouldn't have much of an impact, but check out the stats in David's post.OK, the numbers presented there aren't exactly ironclad or statistically irrefutable but still, it's an interesting study.  I tend to agree with David that there's a valuable trade-off in getting your content into more people's hands for possible Twittering,…

  • Is the eReader Financial Model Upside Down?

    Joe Wikert
    9 Nov 2009 | 7:38 am
    I finally started listening to the free audio version of Chris Anderson's latest book, Free.  I'm only a couple of chapters in and it's interesting so far but since I downloaded it months ago it (once again) shows just how much I tend to ignore all the free stuff I'm hoarding, especially iPhone apps. That's probably a worthwhile subject for a future post...  For this post, I'd rather think out loud about altering the pricing models for e-reading devices and e-content.I won't buy a Kindle edition of a book that's more than $9.99.  Why?  Besides the…

  • B&N's Nook...and Beyond

    Joe Wikert
    26 Oct 2009 | 6:06 am
    The big news in e-readers last week was B&N's announcement of their upcoming Nook device.  My first reaction was "meh", but the more I think about it, the more potential I see...not necessarily for the Nook, but rather for the e-reader space. Let's start with the Nook features I find interesting:3G Wireless and Wifi -- I blogged about this long ago and have often wondered why Amazon didn't bother offering wifi with the Kindle.  Some said it would be redundant with Whispernet.  I say nonsense, particularly since I use wifi every day with my iPhone 3GS.Exclusive…

  • Google Editions Should be a Game-Changer

    Joe Wikert
    19 Oct 2009 | 4:45 pm
    I spent last week in Frankfurt at the book fair and our inaugural Tools of Change (TOC) conference there.  TOC was terrific, but one session in particular grabbed my attention.  Amanda Edmonds, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Google gave a presentation on the much-anticipated Google Editions program. Google Editions is ebooks, done right.  When it launches you'll be able to buy ebooks in (almost) every format for (almost) every device.  Why "almost"?  According to Amanda, the Kindle will be excluded.So how can a new service be successful when it ignores the market…

  • How the Kindle Prevents eContent from Evolving

    Joe Wikert
    12 Oct 2009 | 1:09 am
    Perhaps I shouldn't single out the Kindle on this one.  What I'm about to say is true for the entire current generation of dedicated e-reader devices, not just the Kindle.  But the Kindle leads the way, so it gets the headline. The problem with these devices is that they encourage quick print-to-e content conversion and nothing more.  In fact, they even discourage some of the simplest ways of enhancing print-to-e conversions.  Embedded links are a great example.  If you're a Kindle owner how often do you click on those links?  More specifically, how often do you groan as…
 
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    SlushPile.net

  • Reading Round Up

    scott
    2 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am
    It’s been a hectic summer and fall for me, full of travel for book research and other adventures here and there. But I recently got a bit of a break where I could catch up on my reading. And I’m pleased to say that I’ve been on a run of really good books lately. First up, I finally read Dexter Filkins’s The Forever War. I’m awfully late to the party on this one since it was released almost a year ago and racked up a ton of awards, including being named a best book of 2008 by the New York Times. And after finishing this amazing book, I’m sorry that it took…

  • Intensely Focused Practice

    scott
    28 Oct 2009 | 12:11 pm
    When we observe someone who has truly mastered their craft, whether it’s a writer, athlete, musician, or business person, we tend to assume they achieved that level of mastery through a combination of two ways: 1. They worked really, really hard. 2. They were born with some level of natural talent. However, in Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin, the argument is made that neither of those two routes is the most effective way to achieve mastery of a subject. Instead, Colvin argues, deliberate practice is what separates the…

  • Writers on the Scale of Fame

    scott
    27 Oct 2009 | 3:17 am
    To us, the bookish sorts, writers of a certain stature can definitely seem famous. But every once in a while, there’s a comment or an article that shows you just how far down the rung of celebrity writers are. Here’s an interesting article about Jon Ronson, author of the novel, The Men Who Stare at Goats upon which the recent George Clooney film is based. Ronson describes going to the premiere and being overwhelmed by the crowd. And then realizing his place in the whole event. “There is something oddly sobering about walking up a red carpet surrounded by thousands of people…

  • Why AC/DC Matters, Matters

    scott
    16 Oct 2009 | 6:40 am
    In bestselling author Anthony Bozza’s new book, Why AC/DC Matters we get the kind of impassioned art criticism that is normally relegated to websites, fanzines, and independent publishers. Now, in the sake of full disclosure, Bozza is a friend and business colleague of mine. So take these comments with a grain of salt if you are so inclined. And if you’re the FTC goons, then yeah, I got a free book in the process. But in Why AC/DC Matters, Bozza makes the argument that the Aussie band has been unfairly ignored and misunderstood by the critics for decades. This isn’t a…

  • Calendar to a Book Deal

    scott
    21 Sep 2009 | 6:02 am
    Aspiring authors often get enraged at the lack of true, specific information about publishing. We’re constantly told, “There’s no standard timetable for a publisher to respond.” You can substitute timetable for dollar amount or print runs or book tours or literary groupies or type of wine served at booksignings or anything else you can imagine. All these blogs and interviews and magazines dedicated to publishing and yet it’s damn near impossible to get a clear answer to anything. Well, I must admit, that unfortunately all those vague are general responses are…
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    Thingology (LibraryThing's ideas blog)

  • Ring the bell! We hit 50,000 venues in Local!

    Sonya
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:44 pm
    During our mad rush to add all the used book stores at Abebook (blog post) and all the Barnes & Noble stores (Talk thread), Dan added the 50,000th entry into LibraryThing Local.So where is http://www.librarything.com/venue/50000? A Barnes & Noble in Morgantown, WV.There's no photo up yet, if someone near Morgantown wants to go and take a picture with a piece of paper that says 50,000! on it.(crossposted from the other blog)

  • Speaking at Charleston Conference

    Sonya
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:41 pm
    Abby was slated to give a talk about LibraryThing at the Charleston Conference, tomorrow. Then, she came down with the flu. So, I'm heading to Charleston, SC as I blog now. I'll be speaking at 12:30.Anyone who happens to be there, and can lend me an Apple video dongle gets a free teeshirt.

  • Simultaneous flash-mob cataloging

    Sonya
    26 Oct 2009 | 7:16 pm
    On the weekend of October 3-4, we had two simultaneous, two-day, flash-mob cataloging events. Here's the wrap-up:Central Park School for Children – a small public charter elementary school in Durham, NC(centralparkschoolforchildren.org, centralparkschool on LT, blog post announcing event)1,391 books cataloged, barcoded, assigned Dewey numbers, physically labeled the volumes for shelving, uploaded cover images, and shelved. All this was done by 22 catalogers on Saturday and 10 on Sunday.It's easy to underestimate how many books are in a library, and children's books are particularly…

  • Ebook economics: Are libraries screwed?

    Tim
    6 Oct 2009 | 11:09 pm
    "Kindling" by Flickr user oskayThe advance of ebooks will no doubt bring much good. As often with technological change, we probably can't even predict what wonderful new things will emerge! But we can see some serious dangers ahead, and try to deal with them. I see three major areas of concern: to libraries, to physical bookstores and to the freedom to read in unfree countries.This post explores the first of these—the danger to libraries. There are, of course, arguments to be made about the viability of physical libraries in a digital age—that while libraries aren't just buildings, the…

  • 1,512 libraries in LibraryThing for Libraries

    Sonya
    29 Sep 2009 | 7:18 am
    LibraryThing for Libraries, our enhancements to public and academic library catalogs, continues to advance. The official list shows some 159 "libraries" getting our tags, recommendations and reviews in their catalogs. But many of those 159 "libraries" are really much larger systems. So, we thought we'd figure out how many individual libraries were using LibraryThing for Libraries, and add them all to LibraryThing Local. It wasn't until we started searching out every member library of every consortium and adding every branch to LibraryThing Local that we realized we had WAY more libraries than…
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    Beyond the Book

  • BTB #134: For Tao Lin, Gmail ‘more accurate’ than talk

    rob@burstmarketing.com (BurstMarketing)
    22 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am
    In a conversation with Chris Kenneally at the 2009 Miami Book Fair, the author of Shoplifting from American Apparel explains that when characters move from the real world to the virtual one and back, it’s the virtual world where they may be most honest about themselves. “People’s facial expressions are not – are almost never – accurate to what they’re feeling,” says 26-year-old Tao Lin. “If I’m saying something that might offend someone, I’ll probably be grinning the entire time … and they’ll think I’m joking or something. But in an e-mail, the words are exactly what…

  • BTB #133: For Google Book Settlement, Wasoff Reviews Revisions

    rob@burstmarketing.com (BurstMarketing)
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:27 pm
    Last Friday, November 13th, the parties in the Google Book Search Copyright Class Action filed a revised settlement proposal, responding to concerns voiced by authors, publishers and the U.S. Department of Justice. For the benefit of our customers and rightsholders, Copyright Clearance Center invited renowned intellectual property attorney Lois Wasoff to speak with Chris Kenneally about the most noteworthy changes, and to explain in brief their potential impact on rightsholders and their works. On Thursday, December 10, Wasoff & Kenneally will present a one-hour online seminar providing…

  • BTB #132: What Makes a Book a Book?

    rob@burstmarketing.com (BurstMarketing)
    15 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am
    In Tucson at the 2009 PubWest conference, the kickoff keynote address from Sourcebooks CEO Dominique Raccah gave hints at finding opportunities in “digital products” beyond e-books, from iPhone apps to software. Understand “what you are expert at [and] which communities are you connected to,” Raccah advised. She also cautioned the audience to be on the look-out, though: “At what point does something stop being a book?”

  • BTB #131: Dennis Loy Johnson on Discovering Tao Lin

    rob@burstmarketing.com (BurstMarketing)
    9 Nov 2009 | 5:27 pm
    In a Miami Book Fair Preview, Dennis Loy Johnson, author and Melville House Publishing cofounder, remembers how one book blogger met another, leading to Johnson publishing then-23-year-old Tao Lin. On Sunday, November 15, at the Miami Book Fair, Tao Lin and Chris Kenneally discuss the young author’s newest work, Shoplifting from American Apparel, and what it means to be called, “a newfangled writer with some excellent old-school storytelling techniques.” Also at the Miami Book Fair on Sunday, November 15, Kenneally interviews NPR’s Bob Garfield on his latest book, The Chaos Scenario,…

  • BTB #130: Global Information Partners

    rob@burstmarketing.com (BurstMarketing)
    8 Nov 2009 | 10:17 am
    Sharing information brings people together – and in this “Beyond the Book” episode, two email correspondents hear each other’s voices for the first time: Dennie Heye of Shell in the Netherlands, and Stephen Kizza, an Assistant Librarian for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Resource Center in Kampala, Uganda. Starting with two shelves and two computers, they and others are working together to supply that remote library with online resources, and to raise funds to bring Kizza to New Orleans for the 2010 SLA conference. “It will be a dream-come-true for Stephen to go to the…
 
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    MediumAtLarge.net

  • Caturday for a Cause!

    Peter Tatara
    21 Nov 2009 | 7:24 am
    Artist Christine Head is auctioning off an artist proof of her Kittini lithograph for Precious Paws. Click the link for details. Big thanks to Christine Peterson for the tip!

  • A Token Appearance by Lance

    Lance Fensterman
    21 Nov 2009 | 3:58 am
    Hello my blog, seems like I hardly see you anymore. Sorry, but I’m busy growing shows, go after some news ones and generally hop scotching around. 5 U.S. cities, 3 time zones, 4 flights, a road trip and some seriously good times in the last 6 days alone. But alas, I’m here, at the laptop (writing this on a flight no less) finally catching up on posting some odds and ends or as I like to call em, Cliffs Notes:C2E2 VIP Packages: They are live and on sale. Check em out. We tried to make a cool package that got you more access, less hassle and a bit of call sweet Alex Ross swag without…

  • Kevin Conroy on Panels on Pages!

    Peter Tatara
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:41 pm
    The good folks at Panels on Pages interviewed voice actor Kevin Conroy this week live on PoP!-Cast to discuss his extensive body of work, including his experiences as the voice of Batman in a range of media. Recognized by many as the definitive voice of Batman, Conroy discussed the craft of voice acting and the character of Batman as it relates to his work on Batman: The Animated Series and in subsequent films and video games. The Conroy interview is available at http://panelsonpages.com/?p=15025.

  • "It's about an assassin that goes after Ninjas."

    Peter Tatara
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:20 am
    CBR has a fantastic interview with J. Michael Straczynski and his script for the big budget martial arts popcorn flick Ninja Assassin. Topics include the fact that the script was put together in 53 hours and that the title's not as redundant as I had thought. It's not about a ninja who's an assassin... as all ninjas are assassins. Instead, it's about an assassin that goes after ninjas. Hence, a ninja assassin. Bravo.Read the whole interview at http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23780.

  • C2E2 VIP Tickets On Sale Now!

    Peter Tatara
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:05 am
    C2E2 VIP Passes are on sale now. A total of only 500 C2E2 VIP Passes are available, each priced at $200. What's included?- Guaranteed seating in the IGN Theater- A separate entrance with early access to the show floor- An exclusive Alex Ross sketch poster and T-Shirt- An Alex Ross designed badge- A VIP-Only Lounge and Coat Check- 10% off all C2E2 branded items in the show store- 10% off and 48 early access to all autographing, meet and greet, and special guest packages.The VIP Package is packed with a lot of stuff. Getting you onto the show floor before general attendees gives you a head…
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    TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home

  • Pixel Qi screen compared on three laptops

    Paul Biba
    22 Nov 2009 | 8:54 am
    Mary Lou Jepsen’s blog has a shot of 3 laptops side by side supposedly showing the superiority of the Pixel Qi screen. I’ve put the image above. It’s hard to tell from the shot if her claim about the Pixel Qi screen is correct. The shot is taken off center, with a slight favoring to the left where the Pixel Qi screen is, so that the angle could have an impact of the displays on the other screens. Even though no image manipulation software was used this flaw in the way the picture was taken makes it suspect. Long years of taking product shots of screens for reviews have…

  • Sold out at J.C. Penny—but still interesting: $129.99 color backlit e-reader with five-inch screen and ePub and PDF

    David Rothman
    22 Nov 2009 | 8:03 am
    A mere $129.99 was the holiday price for the Simplicit.E.Reader on a J.C. Penny.com product page. Alas, it’s “currently unavailable.” Hmm. Any chance of that changing?  Specs: –Five inch color screen, backlit (hey, each to his own—I like LCDs!). –1G memory. –SD slot. –USB input. –“Compatible with Adobe DRM ePub and PDF eBooks and files.” –Plays music. MP3s? Same for videos. Plus you can view photos. The original MSRP price was $219.19. Given the steep discount, that’s not good news for people hoping for another crack at this. Maybe…

  • Why Android phones will never really compete with the iPhone or other phone platforms

    Paul Biba
    22 Nov 2009 | 7:51 am
    I haven’t seen this mentioned in any of the hype over the Droid or the other Android phones that have been released. It is a very important technical point that really hobbles the development of Android as compared to other platforms. Android does not allow the installation of apps on an SD card! This is part of the Android platform and has continued over from 1.0 to the new 2.0 release. Take the Droid, for example. The Droid has 512 MB of ROM, of which only 256 MB is available for app storage. This sorely limits the Droid, or any other Android phone, in the game market, as gaming…

  • Readin’ on the Droid: Author Gwen Hayes reviews Aldikio, WordPlayer, eReader and Shortcovers

    David Rothman
    22 Nov 2009 | 7:27 am
    Psst! Tip for Motorola: Give the world not just the Droid smartphone but also an iPod Touch equivalent without the iPhone-type stuff. Keep the price low and aim for apps such as e-reading—just one example. Such thoughts come to mind in the wake of a review that author Gwen Hayes did for Dear Author on four Android e-readers that work with the Droid and do ePub: Aldikio, WordPlayer, eReader Pro and Shortcovers. It’s clear the Droid and other Android machines are very much on the minds of e-book app developers now, even if e-books fans are just a small part of the total Android-related…

  • HathiTrust Digital Library offers full-text search

    Paul Biba
    22 Nov 2009 | 6:40 am
    This is from their press release and is significant information for any researcher. You can find the full press release here. A year after its launch by 25 leading U.S. research libraries, HathiTrust Digital Library announces a service that will transform how researchers use the more than 1.6 billion pages (4.6 million volumes) in its collections. The breakthrough allows for full-text searching capabilities across the entire library. Researchers can now search public domain and in-copyright works by keyword or phrase. Based on open source Solr/Lucene technology, the service expands on an…
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    Medialoper

  • The Daily Loper – Nov 20, 2009

    Lopy
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm
    Today’s links of interest: Sony Unveils Its Answer to Apple’s iTunesAnswer to iTunes? Shouldn’t this have been launched five years ago? This war is already lost. ATT Loses First Legal Battle, Makes Things Worse With Luke Wilson AdAlso suffers snide (but probably true) remark from Verizon. Sony Unveils Its Answer to Apple’s iTunesCan Sony compete in this market this time? Music: Too Expensive to Be Free, Too Free to Be ExpensiveThe comments about payments to music labels killing ad-supported/legitimate free services — and how that will impact consumer behavior…

  • The Daily Loper – Nov 18, 2009

    Lopy
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm
    Today’s links of interest: NBC Launches All-In-One Video Player, VoIP And Texting Tool—And It’s Ad-SupportedNot feeling it. A) Why not use the Hulu platform since it’s already caught fire with consumers? B) Really? You think consumers want to float from site to site rather than have information in a single place? C) Hmm, no C right now. TK. Confirmed: MySpace Looking to Buy ImeemAh, MySpace, you keep on giving. No seriously, this might very be a good acquisition, but you’ve got bigger problems than this. Times editor James Harding outlines plans for online chargingNot…

  • The Daily Loper – Nov 17, 2009

    Lopy
    17 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm
    Today’s links of interest: L.A. Wants Its Jackson Memorial Money Back—All $3.2 MillionIn addition to reimbursing the city, we wouldn’t mind some compensation for pain and suffering.

  • The Daily Loper – Nov 16, 2009

    Lopy
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm
    Today’s links of interest: One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Consumers Want Choice On Pricing, Delivery Of ContentYep. The Price of FreeNicholas Carr examines the consequences of free; doesn’t much consider possibility of alternatives. Pre-Release Music Piracy: Further Arrests, Exec Loses JobWell, uh, yeah. It’s not the consumers were are leaking stuff prior to release. The War For the WebAs dominant players emerge and flex market power in the web, will it change our fundamental understanding and usage. Or will we continue with freedom as we know it. CNN gave reporter Lou Dobbs $8…

  • The Daily Loper – Nov 14, 2009

    Lopy
    14 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm
    Today’s links of interest: MeepDouble MEEP. Hollywood Invents Celebrity Twittering for DollarsProbably this would be more annoying to us if we actually followed these people.
 
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    thedigitalist.net

  • links for 2009-11-13

    delicious
    13 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am
    booktrade.info - Book Trade Announcements - Gospoken.com Launches Bestselling Ebooks On Vodafone360 GoSpoken.com, the digital book company owned by best-selling author Andy McNab is to offer eBooks through Vodafone's 360 platform (tags: ebooks mobile) Mankell e-book early for Random | theBookseller.com Random House imprint Harvill Secker is to release the e-book edition of Henning Mankell’s new novel The Man from Beijing a month earlier than the hardback, as a “treat” for digital readers. (tags: ebooks businessmodel)

  • The Third Player

    Michael Bhaskar
    10 Nov 2009 | 9:21 am
    When we think of the Big Three West Coast tech firms poised to change publishing, we think Amazon, Apple and Google. Between them they embody a shift in discovery, distribution and hardware in reading and typify a move away from the traditional centres of the book world, in favour of more new media-native presences. Kindle currently dominates the US ebook market, and is likely to have a similar impact wherever it goes (Amazon recorded strong profit growth this year driven by the Kindle). The iPhone has a real but still emergent ebook market that will be exploded with the expected arrival of…

  • links for 2009-10-28

    delicious
    28 Oct 2009 | 3:30 am
    jetBook-Lite announced as cheapest eBook reader Nobody seems to be content with Amazon owning most of the eBook reader space with the Kindle. Sure, there are other alternatives both equally priced (Nook) and a bit cheaper (Sony Reader Pocket Edition). None seem to have ability to completely own the market as they’re all fairly expensive for most consumers. Enter ECTACO with its new jetBook-Lite. (tags: device price) MobileRead Wiki - E-book Reader Matrix Fantastic wiki comparison of available ereader devices (tags: ereader device comparison)

  • Room on the Broom Interactive ebook

    Michael Bhaskar
    26 Oct 2009 | 5:30 am
    Macmillan Children’s Books has recently launched a new kind of picture book. From the legendary Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler duo, Room on the Broom is a picture book in the old fashioned sense but also a fully interactive experience. Bundled with the book is a cd that includes an animated version of the story, games, activities and extras. The idea is to find new ways of getting kids involved with the content and to start expanding traditional content in ways that will amaze and delight both adults and offspring; it is about recognizing that when parents have iPhones, computers…

  • Revisiting a publishing manifesto - what does the future look like for publishers?

    Sara Lloyd
    19 Oct 2009 | 9:38 am
    I’ve had many requests for a transcript of my presentation to the TOC Frankfurt crowd last week, so here it is.  Scroll to the bottom for a download of the transcript and a view of the slides: Revisiting a publishing Manifesto – What does the future look like for publishers? In May 2008 I posted a 6,000 word article on my team blog, http://thedigitalist.net, entitled ‘A book publisher’s manifesto for the 21st century’. The sub title was ‘How traditional publishers can position themselves in the changing media flows of a networked era.’ If you’ve read it you’ll already…
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    BuzzMachine

  • New Business Models for News talk

    Jeff Jarvis
    21 Nov 2009 | 11:58 am
    Here’s my talk on CUNY’s New Business Models for News at our summit in New York: Jeff Jarvis on New Business Models for News 2009 from CUNY Grad School of Journalism on Vimeo. And here’s my latest Prezi:

  • Newspapers want enemies, not friends

    Jeff Jarvis
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:20 pm
    On today’s On Point, Michael Wolff, Steve Brill, and I talked about Murdoch and Google and the show’s blog quoted me thusly: But News Corp isn’t the only one making the mistake here. I think the mistake that Google has made in this – and I’m an admirer of Google, I wrote a book to that effect – but I think that Google thought that they could become friends with the newspaper industry. And the newspaper industry isn’t looking for friends. They’re looking for enemies they can blame for the problems that are actually their own from the last fifteen years of inaction in…

  • Gained something in the translation

    Jeff Jarvis
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:57 pm
    Tweet: A tweet paraphrased my link-economy line and showed me I’ve been saying more than I thought I have. ** In Twitter today, one @rpaskin paraphrased something I’ve been saying – and said again in my talk at Web 2.0 Expo Tuesday (generously covered in that link by Aneta Hall). My line has been that in the link economy, value comes from the creator of the content and from the creator of a public (formerly known as an audience). That is, Rupert’s wrong with he says that Google takes content; it gives attention. Anyway, @rpaskin tweeted this: “In a link economy,…

  • Podcast madness

    Jeff Jarvis
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:21 pm
    I had the privilege of being on This Week in Tech with Leo Laporte, John Dvorak, and Baratunde Thurston right after appearing on This Week in Google with the aforementioned Leo, Gina Trapani, and Mary Hodder. Much fun.

  • The opportunity of bankruptcy

    Jeff Jarvis
    17 Nov 2009 | 7:50 pm
    Tweet: How bankruptcy can help a newspaper get theah from heah. Don’t squander it. ** I fear that Tribune Company – and other newspaper companies – will come out of bankruptcy having squandered the opportunity it presents to rebuild from the ground up. At the New Business Models for (Local) News Summit at CUNY last week, my friend and mentor Jim Willse, late of the Star-Ledger in New Jersey, asked us to create a model for an existing news organization to morph into what we proposed as the new structure. That’d be painful and thus controversial, I said, to which Willse…
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    Publishing Insider

  • Zinn special!

    publishinginsider
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:36 am
    Do not miss Howard Zinn's TV documentary coming in December. With Matt Damon and others as the voices!! Harper and Seven Stories Press have the tie-in books.

  • French booksellers

    publishinginsider
    17 Nov 2009 | 5:48 am
    Good guy Ed Nawotka has a piece about a Michelin-esque rating of French bookstores.

  • one of my heroes passes on

    publishinginsider
    13 Nov 2009 | 10:07 am
    I was NUTS for Soupy Sales as a kid!!!!!!!!! I mean, he was Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Milton Berle wrapped in in one guy before I knew who those other guys were. I mean, subversive and funny as hell!!! I had the bowties, trading cards and Black Tooth and White Fang down to a t. Soupy, we miss you. Read the life story.

  • Miami nice

    publishinginsider
    12 Nov 2009 | 4:56 am
    Nothing beats being there, but in lieu of that, here's some Miami Book Fair on Book Tv.

  • regl show future

    publishinginsider
    9 Nov 2009 | 3:45 am
    Hope you saw my musings/rant in PW!
 
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    Eco-Libris blog

  • RecycleBank 's list of five things you should always recycle

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    This week we had celebrated America Recycles Day (on November 15), and our friends at RecycleBank has put together a list of “Five Things You Should Always Recycle” by Jen Uscher, we would like to share with you. We hope you'll find this important information useful. RecycleBank is a recycling rewards program currently servicing 24 states and the United Kingdom.Five Things You Should Always Recycle Chances are you're already recycling the cans, bottles, and paper that get picked up at the curb, but what about all that other stuff that's lurking in your drawers or closets - like outdated…

  • We have a winner on our "No Impact Man" giveaway!

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:32 am
    We had a giveaway of a copy of "No Impact Man" following the book's review last week as part of our green books campaign We asked you to share with us us what's the most extreme sacrifice you did to green up your lifestyle, and we got some pretty interesting replies, including some new uses of urine outside the restroom.. And we have a winner!Our winner is the reader Charlotte, who wrote the following:gosh. It's hard to know what other people would think is most "extreme." But here goes: I keep a bucket in the shower, to catch the water before it gets hot, so as to use it for toilet flushing,…

  • It's cool and even greener to read books on a mobile phone, but can a 3.5 inch screen beat the Kindle?

    18 Nov 2009 | 7:45 am
    There's an interesting article today on the New York Times about the growing popularity of the usage of cellphones as e-readers. It looks like more people are willing to read books on a 3.5 inch mobile screen and some wonder if mobile phones are indeed the ultimate Kindle Killers.It might be a new round of a struggle between a device that is basically limited (almost) to just one main function to a multi-functional device that also has the capability to provide this function. If we look at the example of GPS, where the mobile competition plays an important role in the sales decline of GPS…

  • Green books campaign one week after: This is just the beginning!

    17 Nov 2009 | 8:12 pm
    One week passed since our green books campaign went online and we're still overwhelmed by the great feedback it received. We got great response from everyone - readers, publishers, bookstores, authors and bloggers who found the campaign important, valuable and inspiring.We would like to thank all of the bloggers who participated in the campaign and assisted us in spreading the word about sustainable reading. The 110 reviews of green books written for the campaign were read by thousands, if not tens of thousands of readers, and made an important statement about the importance of printing books…

  • A paper company loses a contract worth $55m annually following Greenpeace protest in Indonesia

    17 Nov 2009 | 10:43 am
    While the expectations of the upcoming Conference in Copenhagen seems lower and lower every day, Greenpeace is still working hard to remind us (and the world's leaders) of the urgent need to take a decisive action on climate change, especially when it comes to deforestation. It also reminds paper companies that it's still a watchdog with very sharp teeth. Just ask APRIL. But first, the protest: As reported on Grist, last week, about 50 Greenpeace activists blocked rainforest destruction in Indonesia’s Kampar Peninsula by chaining themselves to excavators. Activists then draped a bright red…
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    Peachpit

  • Blog :: Pixels or Ems in Your Web Designs

    17 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Q: What is the practical difference between px (pixel) and em (pronounced m)? When is it best to use one over the other? The short answer is that pixels measure dimensions relative to the screen while ems measure dimensions relative to type size. The slightly longer answer is that pixels are the natural unit for measuring dimensions on a screen and are often used when precise design is required. Ems are the natural unit for measuring type and used when you want to allow maximum design flexibility.

  • Blog :: Creative Control

    16 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Question: How much creative control do you keep when it comes to post production? For example, the mountains behind the building show a distinct "sunset" light on the mountain tops that wasn't there in the photo.  Did you tell them to put that in?  Did your post-production guy decide to do it himself?  Is it a committee decision?

  • Blog :: Lenses for Family or Group Portraits

    9 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Question: What lenses do you recommend for family or group portraits?

  • Blog :: To CSS Reset or Not to CSS Reset

    9 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Question: Which Global Reset for CSS Should I Use? The short answer is the simplest one possible. The slightly longer answer is that you should reset some styles, but do so with a good reason. The long answer is that the exact CSS reset you choose will depend on the needs of your design. I like to keep my own reset simple, relying on adding styles to specific tags as needed. However, there are several styles that are inconsistent or (in my opinion) poorly set in most browsers.

  • Blog :: Raindrops on Runners

    2 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Question: How would you show the rain a little better than in this photo and still show the runners well?  What settings would you use for this photo?
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    Tools of Change for Publishing

  • Outperforming Books at Getting a Job Done

    16 Nov 2009 | 9:21 am
    Clay Christensen talks about how people hire products to do jobs for them, and for a very long time books have been the best performers at doing certain types of jobs. That's changing of course, and the crop of new Augmented Reality applications should be on the radar of many types of publisher, from travel to fiction to repair manuals: In the not-too-distant future, it might be possible to slip on a pair of augmented-reality (AR) goggles instead of fumbling with a manual while trying to repair a car engine. Instructions overlaid on the real world would show how to complete a task by…

  • Michael Cairns on segmenting publishing strategy

    10 Nov 2009 | 10:03 am
    Nice (longish) piece from Michael Cairns on mapping out strategy, specifically related to servicing authors seeking self-publishing services: Professional either have a track record of selling titles and/or have commercial interests such as a seminar business where the book is a component but not the main source of revenue. In the latter case, the author/publisher maybe less concerned with the commercial success of the title but retain a strong desire to produce a quality published product in the traditional sense. This group is likely to understand the publishing business. Amateurs may have…

  • Michael Cairns on segmenting publishing strategy

    10 Nov 2009 | 9:58 am
    Nice (longish) piece from Michael Cairns on mapping out strategy, specifically related to servicing authors seeking self-publishing services: Professional either have a track record of selling titles and/or have commercial interests such as a seminar business where the book is a component but not the main source of revenue. In the latter case, the author/publisher maybe less concerned with the commercial success of the title but retain a strong desire to produce a quality published product in the traditional sense. This group is likely to understand the publishing business. Amateurs may have…

  • Michael Tamblyn's TOC Frankfurt presentation (actually a dramatic recreation thereof)

    7 Nov 2009 | 11:05 am
    via blip.tv Shortcovers' Michael Tamblyn was kind enough to record his talk and slides from last month's TOC Frankfurt Conference. I got a lot of great hallway feedback about the session, and you'll see it's for good reason. Michael will also be speaking at TOC New York. Posted via web from TOC Posterous

  • Michael Tamblyn's TOC Frankfurt presentation (actually a dramatic recreation thereof)

    7 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    via blip.tv Shortcovers' Michael Tamblyn was kind enough to record his talk and slides from last month's TOC Frankfurt Conference. I got a lot of great hallway feedback about the session, and you'll see it's for good reason. Michael will also be speaking at TOC New York. Posted via web from TOC Posterous
 
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    Michael Hyatt

  • Why Agents May Be Opposed to Self-Publishing

    Michael Hyatt
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:28 am
    As you may have read, earlier this week Harlequin announced that it has formed a new self-publishing division called Harlequin Horizons with Author Solutions. This is similar to the announcement we made several weeks ago about WestBow Press. This has created quite a stir on the Internet. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/pixalot What I find curious is that much of the backlash has come from agents. Their arguments against self-publishing basically boil down to three: Self-publishing dilutes the brand of the sponsoring company. In other words, people will think less of Thomas Nelson, because…

  • The Gentle Art of Conversational Ping Pong

    Michael Hyatt
    18 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    A few weeks ago, I was called by a consultant who was prospecting for business. He was a friend of a friend, so I felt duty-bound to give him thirty minutes to tell me about his company and the service he provides. Sadly, it was a complete waste of time. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/dwphotos For starters, the guy talked non-stop. I probably didn’t say more than three sentences in the entire call. Worse, he made all kinds of assumptions about me and about my company. Most of them were wrong. I gently tried to correct him, but he didn’t seem too interested in my point-of-view.

  • Don’t Leave the “Social” Out of Social Media

    Michael Hyatt
    13 Nov 2009 | 5:09 am
    This is a guest post by Peter Pollock. He is originally from England but now resides in California. He owns his own web-hosting business (Heavenly Hosts), is a stay-at-home dad, a missionary, and a pastor in Hands and Feet. He is an avid blogger and is active on Twitter and Facebook. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. I am constantly shocked and amazed at how badly some people and organizations understand and use Social Media. Some, it seems, believe that Social Media sites are places to advertise and nothing else, but surely that defeats the purpose of…

  • The Space Between the Stimulus and the Response

    Michael Hyatt
    12 Nov 2009 | 4:41 am
    In his bestselling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen Covey talks about the space that exists between the stimulus and the response. In that space is the power to choose. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Zefss1 This space is like a giant pause button. We don’t have to react to every stimulus. Instead, we can pause, reflect, and chose our response. This is precisely what makes us human. Unfortunately, I have not always taken advantage of this space. In the 1990s, I owned a literary agency with my business partner. One day, out of the blue, one of our clients…

  • Book Notes: Derailed by Tim Irwin

    Michael Hyatt
    10 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    In How the Mighty Fall, author Jim Collins answers the question, “How can large successful companies fail after decades of growth and stability?” Tim Irwin asks a similar question about leaders in his new book, Derailed: Five Lessons Learned from Catastrophic Failures of Leadership (Thomas Nelson, 2009). In a moment, I will tell you how to get a free copy. In his Preface (p. xiii), Patrick Lencioni, author or The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, writes, In my work as a consultant, I can honestly say I have never discovered a company I thought was just too dumb to succeed. Nor have I yet found…
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    Mequoda Daily

  • Last Chance! Show Us What You’ve Got in Our Email Subject Line Smackdown!

    Amanda MacArthur
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:19 pm
    Last chance to register for our Email Subject Line Smackdown, where YOU get to submit your subject lines to 3 of America’s top copywriters and let them re-write them for you! If you’re an email newsletter publisher or marketer, you have four tasks: You need to get your offer delivered, opened, read and converted. You know that defeating email subject line spam filters is easy. Simply avoid using about three dozen phrases that are flagged by most email subject line spam filters. But getting your email opened and read — well, that’s a bigger challenge. Don’t miss the…

  • Could Your 2010 Digital Media Strategy include Digital Events?

    Amanda MacArthur
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:49 am
    Create a series of webinar, audio conferences or webcasts to boost your information product catalog in 2010 Are you cooking up new ideas for revenue opportunities in 2010? Many publishers are building budgets and setting goals for next year, trying to think of creative ways to market their products, enrich their current product catalog, and finding ways to spend less and make more. One of the more profitable products that you can offer your audience comes in the form of a digital event – either a webinar, live webcast or audio conference. We’ve put together a 90-minute program of our own…

  • Tis the Season for Holiday Themed Email Subject Lines

    Amanda MacArthur
    18 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    How publishers are using seasonal email subject lines this time of year to sell more products and increase email open rates Using a seasonal subject line can be tricky; you have to be sensitive to different cultures and religions. On the other hand, seasonal email subject lines have proven to be very effective at both building personality into your brand and as good excuses for sales. The seasonal email subject line references a holiday or time of year. Often your control mailing can be adapted to use a seasonal reference, thereby increasing response. Seasonal subject line examples: Your New…

  • Meet Our Panel of Email Subject Line Smackdown Experts!

    Amanda MacArthur
    17 Nov 2009 | 11:26 am
    Take part in our Email Subject Line Smackdown and test your email subject line prowess against 3 of America’s top copywriters When you register for the Email Subject Line Smackdown Webinar on November 24th, you can submit one of your best email subject lines to our panel of copywriting experts. Each member of our copywriting panel will individually — without collaboration — write an alternative subject line that he believes has a chance of beating your control. That’s why we’re calling it a smackdown. Each of our copywriters will submit a challenge — his best…

  • Five Quick Tips for Writing Better Email Subject Lines

    Amanda MacArthur
    16 Nov 2009 | 9:33 am
    Write subject lines that provoke open rates and persuade subscribers to read your email newsletters There are dozens of methods, tricks and tips for writing great headlines. Unfortunately, this isn’t direct mail, and we have spam filters to adhere to, and character counts to abide by when it comes to writing subject lines. Email subject lines are the digital equivalent of print media headlines. The best email subject lines persuade the user to open and read the messages that follow. Here are five quick tips for writing better email subject lines: 1. Write an email subject line that…
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    Book Covers blog

  • Hundred Hit Wonder

    19 Nov 2009 | 7:30 am
    As part of the National Novel Writing Month I will be posting quickly-designed covers for participating authors - a new one every day. The synopsis for this cover is AWESOME.

  • Rhythm of a (Reluctant) Desi Heart

    16 Nov 2009 | 7:52 am
    I asked the talented Elena Giavaldi to help me out with this cover as I'm falling behind on this Nanowrimo project I swear she did it in five minutes.

  • Soviet Kid

    13 Nov 2009 | 11:26 am
    As part of the National Novel Writing Month I will be posting quickly-designed covers for participating authors - a new one every day. The story is that the protagonist cobbles together clues about her father through underground Russian Cold War comics.

  • Die Peperoni im Heu (The Red Pepper In the Hay)

    10 Nov 2009 | 3:36 pm
    As part of the National Novel Writing Month I will be posting quickly-designed covers for participating authors - a new one every day. This story is, quite simply, about a cow who finds a red pepper in the hay, and it changes her life. I know. It is totally radical. I wish I had more time to spend on the type on these, but as it is I really have to burn through them in 30 minutes. I'm already behind by three or four covers. Dangit!

  • King of the Food Court

    9 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am
    As part of the National Novel Writing Month I will be posting quickly-designed covers for participating authors - a new one every day. I've always wanted an excuse to use Keedy Sans and I'm positive I've seen it on a fast food menu, so here you go! Old timers come to him for coffee Pretty girls talk to him for rest Plastic trays and paper plates All the people here got dates With the King of the Food Court
 
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    There Are No Rules

  • Glimmer Train Monthly News

    Jane
    17 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pm
    Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their September Fiction Open competition. This competition is held quarterly and is open to all writers for stories with a word count range between 2000-20,000. No theme restrictions. The next Fiction Open competition will take place in December. Glimmer Train’s monthly submission calendar may be viewed here. First place: Carrie Brown (pictured above) of Sweet Briar, VA, wins $2000 for “Bomb.”  Her story will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in August 2010. Second place: Ken Barris of Cape Town,…

  • Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 11/13/09)

    Jane
    15 Nov 2009 | 7:41 pm
    I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets. If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Always welcome your suggestions on improving this weekly feature. Best of Best Great post from an agent about why books are rejected @BubbleCow @RachelleGardner on when/how a book becomes profitable. Best thing I've read all week. @ChuckSambuchino 3 Common Mistakes an editor is seeing in manuscripts @ElizabethSCraig Great post about what an agent looks for in a query letter @BubbleCow Annie Dillard's take-no-prisoners approach to writing (via @ContraryMag…

  • Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 11/6/09)

    Jane
    8 Nov 2009 | 10:55 am
    I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets. If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Always welcome your suggestions on improving this weekly feature. Best of Best 3 Questions To Better Understand Your Novel @FictionMatters 3 Storytelling Exercises That Can Get You Published @BubbleCow Writing the perfect scene by Randy Ingermanson. Thought-provoking article. @mystorywriter Stand Alone Dear Querier, an agent is not going to steal your idea. In fact the only way to market your book is to share it. @mattwagner Fiction Writers, don't apologize…

  • Marketing in a Digital Age

    Jane
    3 Nov 2009 | 4:24 pm
    More than a year ago, I left a comment on the Booksquare blog by Kassia Krozser, on a post titled "Why Publishers Should Blog." Kassia argued that publishers needed to be more vocal about supporting the titles they publish. I responded: Definitely agree, but I have to wonder if the lack of enthusiastic comments direct from publishers is primarily due to lack of time (and energy, sadly). If an editor (or whomever) is juggling dozens of projects in a given year, accomplishing just the basics can be enormously demanding. (Lean staffs!) The “friendly” online marketing or buzz building has…

  • Every Writer Needs a Little Salesperson Inside

    Jane
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:16 pm
    It's not a natural thing for most creative people to sell their work, but when it comes time to publish, you have to know something about how to sell. You have to put in the effort, make the calls, not get beat down by rejection. (It's why I love this Alec Baldwin video, and my advice based on it.) I'm definitely not a salesperson by nature. But it didn't take long to learn some basic skills, since my first editorial job depended on convincing salespeople my ideas were worthwhile. Most writers need a little help in understanding how to pitch their work effectively, and I love being the one to…
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    Self-Publishing Review

  • Finders, Seekers, Losers, Keepers by Heather Rolland

    Erin Stropes
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:12 pm
    Finders, Seekers, Losers, Keepers is a friendly, low-key novel that reads like a cross between a slightly obsessive diary and the script for a melancholy sitcom. The cover is positively adorable, the author photo oozes cheery goodwill, and the café flyer illustrations do a great job at setting the mood and making you feel like a part of the small community that lies at the heart of the novel. Halia Frank is a middle school science teacher in a miniature New York hamlet. She’s something of a career loner, but she’s grown worse since an attempt at normalcy with a sleazy husband named Bones…

  • Harlequin Starts Self-Publishing Partnership with Author Solutions

    Henry Baum
    17 Nov 2009 | 1:27 pm
    In a similar move to the recent partnership between Thomas Nelson and Author Solutions, Harlequin has started a romance self-publishing wing of its own, which is coming under some of the same scrutiny and criticism as the Thomas Nelson partnership, but perhaps with even greater reason.  Whereas the Thomas Nelson partnership created an entirely new entity - WestBow Press - the Harlequin partnership will be called Harlequin Horizons, raising the specter of fooling writers into believing their publication is closer to traditionally published than it really is. Though this site applauds…

  • Smashwords Teams Up with Shortcovers

    Henry Baum
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:58 pm
    Another week, another major announcement from Smashwords.  From the Smashwords blog: If you haven’t heard of Shortcovers, they’re a hot startup created by Indigo Books, Canada’s largest book retailer. They offer a family of free e-reading apps supporting all major smart phone platforms, including the iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre and Google Android. They also support several eInk devices. The mobile channel, Shortcovers’ strength, is extremely important to the future success of all authors and publishers. Already, more ebooks are read on cell phones than on dedicated…

  • Homesteader: Finding Sharon by D. M. McGowan

    Carol Buchanan
    14 Nov 2009 | 10:39 am
    David McGowan, the author of Homesteader: Finding Sharon, is a brave man. I reviewed rather unfavorably his previous novel, Partners, but as that novel showed promise, I wrote that I was looking forward to his next book. Perhaps taking me up on a challenge, he sent Homesteader: Finding Sharon for review. It takes courage for an author to send a novel to the very reviewer who did not give unqualified praise to his previous book. But Mr. McGowan has done that, and for him it has paid off, because I really liked Finding Sharon. This novel is not without flaws, and I’ll point out what I…

  • Manfred Macx: Free Ebook Publishing with a Profit

    Guest Post
    14 Nov 2009 | 10:23 am
    I recently came across Manfred Macx, which has a very interesting intro: This site started with two ideas.  1)  Ebooks should always be free, and 2)  Authors need to eat. What would the publishing industry be like without pulping hundreds of thousands of books a year?  What if authors could control more than 15 or 25% of the net from their books?  Publishers provide many valuable services to authors, but it’s time authors could take advantage of new methods of distribution, of marketing, of getting books in the hands of readers. That’s where Manfred Macx comes in.  You have…
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    Self Publishing Today

  • Social Media in the Self Publishing World

    Courtney the Intern
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:34 am
    An article by B.L. Ochman was released this week marking the “Ten Things Social Media Can’t Do.” As technology improves and progresses, businesses need to be able to keep up with it in order to better contend with their competitors.  That being said, social media is not the answer to everything.  Of course, it’s a cool [...]

  • Self Publishing Taking Over Traditional Publishing?

    Courtney the Intern
    29 Oct 2009 | 3:17 pm
    In Monday’s article in the Huffington Post, Mark Coker questions the future of the publishing industry.  With publishing a book, risks are involved.  Is the book marketable?  Who will purchase the book?  Will it sell?  In traditional publishing, the risks lie with the company.  There is no way to know whether a book will be a [...]

  • Publishing Trolls – Breaking Down Authors One Page at a Time

    Courtney the Intern
    27 Oct 2009 | 9:21 am
    Scenario:  You have been writing your book for some time, and it is finally completed.  After all of the work and effort you put into it, you are genuinely proud of your creation.  People may frequently look down on you because you are an author (and authors are supposed to be broke and unsuccessful), but [...]

  • Quick post – Top ten rules for creating a personal brand – for self publishers

    Ray Robinson
    14 Oct 2009 | 2:36 pm
    I stumbled on to this from a Tweet by Guy Kawasaki … Dan Schawabel (the ‘personal branding’ guru) put together ten rules for creating your personal ‘brand’. Since a book – and an author – need to stand out to be successful, this list make sense for any author self publishing their book… There are some classics [...]

  • Thomas Nelson gets into the self publishing game

    Ray Robinson
    13 Oct 2009 | 9:26 am
    What an odd juxtaposition of traditional publisher and self publisher – a self publishing story breaking today in the Wall Street Journal indicates that the venerable religious publisher has decided to enter the fiercely competitive landscape of self publishing. Based  in Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson will launch West Bow Press, their self-publishing imprint, and will [...]
 
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    mediabistro.com: FishBowlLA

  • LA Weekly Gets Defensive About Neon Tommy Report

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm
    Earlier this week, the USC student-run online publication Neon Tommy published a profile of LA Weekly editor Drex Heikes. The story was not unflattering, and I was impressed by Heikes' candor about many of the issues facing the paper. He openly acknowledged how grim things had become: "Sometime in the winter, spring, it bottomed out," Heikes said gravely from his new desk at the Weekly's Culver City headquarters. "I wasn't here, but from what I understand, there were sparks on the pavement. The shocks were gone. There was just nothing left." Of course Heikes is cocksure he can turn the place…

  • Mediabistro Blog-Family Roundup

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:16 pm
    Vladimir Nabokov's unfinished novel in Playboy - GalleyCat AP reaches payroll cut goal - MediaJobsDaily Brian Williams receives Cronkite Award - TVNewser AOL still hiring journalists as it cuts staff - FishbowlNY Biz Stone on paywalls: Can't put the genie back in the bottle - BayNewser New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  • Ellen Reacts To Oprah's Announcement

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:44 pm
    Ellen Degeneres reacts to the news of the end of the Oprah show. New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  • FBLA's Top 5 Stories Yesterday

    20 Nov 2009 | 8:13 am
    Carrie Prejean Ready To Sue Pornographers If They Release Sex Tape Model Maggie Rizer's AIDS Film Shuts Down/Can Step-Money Kerry Save It? Hey LAT, Is There Nothing Else to Have an Opinion About? Will Ferrell Tops Forbes' 10 Most Overpaid Stars Oprah Done In 2011 New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  • OC Register and FBLA Crossover

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:55 am
    One of your hard-working FBLA editors made the opinion section of the OC Register. Full story is here. New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
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    Personanondata

  • Media Week 47: SharedBook, Virtual Classrooms, Google Legal

    PersonaNonData
    22 Nov 2009 | 9:12 am
    Sunday Papers:Observer: The Martin Beck crime series and the queen of crime http://bit.ly/8dkNBnTimesOnline: The conversation: James Ellroy http://bit.ly/7T7P1B - Author reads from his book and tells of his breakdown, divorce and drugsLondon Times Review: THE JUNIOR OFFICERS’ READING CLUB http://bit.ly/6L0M4b And what fighting in Afghanistan is all about - pretty grim.The Age on The Cornwell factor http://bit.ly/5xIr7T That's Patricia Cornwell.SharedBook (via SharedDoc) has launched their document commenting platform in beta and is looking for testers (Techcrunch):SharedDoc is an online…

  • Identifying My Package (Repost)

    PersonaNonData
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:12 am
    Every Friday I will reach into my archive and re-post an article. The following was originally posted on October 18, 2007. Identifying My PackageAs publishers we remain committed to defining for our readers and users the ‘package’. At the Frankfurt supply chain meeting last week as I listened to another “history of the ISBN” and other bedtime stories I was stuck by our insistence as publishers to define for our customers just how they should consume our content. This was manifested in our approach to identifiers for segments of content. I include myself in this criticism as a…

  • Your Price May Vary

    PersonaNonData
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:50 am
    I was enamored with the airline industry as I grew up and close readers will know I’ve always traveled a lot. Out of business school I interviewed with three airlines in their pricing departments where newly hired MBA’s went to learn the business. In that role, staff managed pricing of airline seats to maximize revenue per flight. Remembering that once a flight left the gate any open seat amounted to zero revenue for the airline, this activity was potentially highly stressful as the job also required close comparison with competing airlines’ pricing.All this activity is now done with…

  • Media Week 46: Elsevier, Hathi, Virtual Education, Downloading

    PersonaNonData
    15 Nov 2009 | 4:19 am
    Elsevier continues their 'article of the future' experiment with some new functionality (link):The Cell-Reflect pilot is the next step in Elsevier’s ongoing Content Innovation effort with the scientific community to determine how a scientific article is best presented online. This follows Elsevier’s recent launch of an initial ’Article of the Future’ prototype with Cell, where the traditional linear journal article is displayed in a much more useful format for life scientists. IJsbrand Jan Aalbersberg, Vice President of Content Innovation for Elsevier Science & Technology Journal…

  • My Education Space: 'Ed-Space' (Repost)

    PersonaNonData
    13 Nov 2009 | 12:03 am
    Each Friday I am going to reach into 'my archive' and re-post articles. Here is one from October 17, 2006. Conceptually related is an initiative at JISC on e-Portfolios which I just read about.My Education Space: 'Ed-Space'Did you ever wonder what it would be like to re-visit some of the projects and papers you wrote in college or recall some of the essays you either wrote or read for books you are now re-reading? If you are like me, you probably don't care about everything you were studying in school but for some of the material it could be fun to experience again the material that is still…
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    Editors Only

  • Reader-Tailored Design

    13 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    Should your magazine design take into account outside factors, such as readers' current state of mind and the economy, into...

  • Editing Foreign Authors

    30 Oct 2009 | 12:24 pm
    Tips for applying your editorial skills to foreign writers. By Linda Johnson A Frenchman who says "It's Hebrew...

  • Book Review

    28 Oct 2009 | 1:01 pm
    The Magazine from Cover to Cover (2nd edition), by Sammye Johnson and Patricia Prijatel The Magazine from Cover...

  • Lessons from Books

    28 Oct 2009 | 10:38 am
    Some useful tricks from what the experts say and how they've mastered their craft. By Peter P. Jacobi...

  • Sentence Adverbs -- The "Hopefully" Debate

    23 Oct 2009 | 12:28 pm
    Ideally, this article will shed some light on the subject. By Meredith L. Dias You have likely encountered...
 
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    eMedia Vitals

  • Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about real-time search

    Sean Blanda
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:57 am
    Nearly ten years after Google revolutionized search, the way the Internet is organized is changing again. Many users are no longer content to wait for information to be “crawled” by search engines. Now, links are just as likely to be discovered through Twitter and Facebook as they are through Google making the real-time Web a substantial driver of traffic for sites that are able to assure their content is indexed and pushed to real-time services quickly.

  • This job would be great if it weren’t for the people

    Julie Lynch
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:57 am
    As the VP of human resources for a B2B media organization a few years ago, I received an email from an employee claiming a “hostile work environment”. Before responding, I took a moment to review what our company had just recently been through: a significant downsizing, major management changes, and the departure of talent once hailed as “our saviors”.  People were worried, cynical, tired, short-tempered and … fascinating. 

  • The future of media is all about conversations

    Marc Danziger
    16 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pm
    Every media brand in existence is working to build a community. Most of them won’t succeed. Many won’t succeed because the business organizations that are trying to implement the communities are themselves crumbling, caught in a downdraft of declining revenues, causing cuts resulting in declining quality which leads to declining audiences who pay less and are less valuable to advertisers – and so on.

  • Email moves beyond ‘batch and blast’

    Rob ORegan
    12 Nov 2009 | 6:12 am
    Publishers that are serious about leveraging email to improve engagement and increase revenues will need to move beyond their traditional “batch-and-blast” approach. The name of the game now is relevance.

  • Guideposts delivers inspiration – and traffic

    Rob ORegan
    10 Nov 2009 | 5:48 am
    Most publishers have had to address the issue of user-generated content as they move from print to digital platforms. Guideposts faced the opposite challenge: How to blend original online content with the user-submitted articles that have fueled its print magazine for the past 50 years?
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