Articles from September 2008

From Print to E, Some Items To Consider

September 29th, 2008 · 13 Comments

Except for the annoying crashes that require hard restarts (which require the acquisition of a paper clip), I’m pretty happy with the Kindle reading experience. It’s not a device that will light the world on fire, nor is it the “iPod of ereaders” (stop with the dumbness, people). It’s a good gateway device, however. The […]

File Under: The Future of Publishing

Reading Pynchon on a Kindle

September 24th, 2008 · 17 Comments

Not long ago I was lamenting the fact that it was literally impossible to read Thomas Pynchon on a Kindle. It’s not because the Kindle isn’t suited to reading long and complex novels, but rather the fact that there are no Pynchon novels to be found in the Kindle store. In fact, there are no […]

File Under: The Future of Publishing

It’s Only The End of Rose-Colored Glasses

September 17th, 2008 · 43 Comments

If you examine it on the whole, the publishing industry is an unsustainable mess. Think about it: bad economic theory, out-of-touch decision making, Peter paying Paul or the piper or someone, deregulated approach to the market. Hmm, sounds like another entity we know, doesn’t it? The future of publishing is not about technology or widgets […]

File Under: The Future of Publishing

Globe Pequot and Amazon: Exclusive Is Another Word For Alienating Readers

September 10th, 2008 · 8 Comments

So I’d like to talk about disenfranchisement of readers. It’s happened twice in this political season, and I think we need to talk openly about it before it becomes a serious trend. You all remember that little issue with Chelsea Green and the decision to bypass traditional bookstores in order to make a POD splash […]

File Under: The Business of Publishing

Memo from the Booksquare Mail Room

September 5th, 2008 · 7 Comments

[BS: For those who don’t know, we have an intern at BS. She nearly quit (due to the situation noted in paragraph two below), so we had a “negotiation”. She will be allowed, under limited circumstances, to write for this site. She will also take over daily BS cat maintenance responsibilities. You know what that […]

File Under: The Business of Publishing

Joshua Henkin: Some Thoughts on Book Groups, Book Sales, Book Review Sections, and the Publishing Industry – Part the Second

September 4th, 2008 · 5 Comments

[BS: Part two from Joshua Henkin. See yesterday’s post here.] A digression, but not really: I teach in two MFA programs, Sarah Lawrence and Brooklyn College, and I have some very talented students. Every year, a number of these students enter their story collections in contests, usually sponsored by university presses, the winner of which […]

File Under: Wrapped Up In Books

Joshua Henkin: Some Thoughts on Book Groups, Book Sales, Book Review Sections, and the Publishing Industry – Part the First

September 3rd, 2008 · 13 Comments

[BS: We are delighted to host Joshua Henkin, the author of the terrific and duly lauded Matrimony, now available in paperback. As he begins his second round of publicity for his second novel, Joshua reflects on lessons learned. And book clubs. PS — Joshua just learned this, but he’s graciously giving away two signed copies […]

File Under: Square Pegs