Articles from July 2009

Quality Control: It Matters

July 28th, 2009 · 14 Comments

I posed a question last week and received no response. I didn’t expect one because it addresses issues great and small, depending on how you approach it. I was looking at it from a narrow perspective, but you know how it goes: the more you think about something, the bigger it becomes. So here goes. […]

File Under: Back To Basics

Why The B&N Store Isn’t Competition for Amazon

July 22nd, 2009 · 24 Comments

Hot on the heels of the Amazon/1984 news came word that Barnes & Noble is entering the ebook retail space. Oh sure, they were already there with their purchase of Fictionwise, but now they’ve planted a giant flag in the sand. They have proclaimed we are here, we are serious, we are formidable. Sort of. […]

File Under: The Business of Publishing

Unintentional Pirates, or Listening to Readers

July 21st, 2009 · 8 Comments

One reason I focus on the world of digital publishing is because it’s the most exciting thing in the book world today. Oh sure, we might, collectively, raise an eyebrow or two at the humongous advances paid to authors like Yann Martel, especially given the current state of industry and the author’s own admission that […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Delaying Ebook Releases: A Publisher Weighs In

July 15th, 2009 · 27 Comments

I am honored to bring you the following post from Dominique Raccah, Publisher and CEO of Sourcebooks. The other day, I wrote an article in response to Sourcebooks’ decision to delay the ebook release of their upcoming title Bran Hambric. Behind the scenes, there was much debate on this topic, and Dominique offered her thoughts […]

File Under: The Future of Publishing

‘Tis Better to Lose a Sale Than Sell an eBook?

July 14th, 2009 · 24 Comments

This week’s publishing industry debate started when the Wall Street Journal covered Sourcebooks’ release strategy for Bran Hambric: The Fairfield Curse. The article contained some blunt discussion about why the publisher chose to delay the ebook and why others are doing the same. This peek behind the curtain didn’t sit will with readers, exposing tensions […]

File Under: Non-Traditional Publishing

Rogue Digital Conference at RWA Conference

July 9th, 2009 · 9 Comments

We’ve got a time: 8:30 AM And a date: July 16 And a Room: The Harding Room Digital issues — from ebooks to territorial rights — are the hottest topics in publishing today. Throughout the publishing industry, changes to business-as-usual have a direct impact on authors. Traditional publishers are experimenting with formats, business models, clever […]

File Under: The Future of Publishing

Change: Are You Initiating or Avoiding?

July 6th, 2009 · 14 Comments

I have come to accept that our species is not fond of change. Some of us know it is inevitable and take the pain now rather than later, some simply refuse to change (I have seen this and it is awesome in its execution. Also, ultimately futile.), and some pretend to embrace change while carefully […]

File Under: Square Pegs