Articles from November 2009

Trendwatching 2010

November 30th, 2009 · 27 Comments

Yep, it’s time to predict the future! I’ve pulled the BS crystal ball out of storage, buffed it to a shine, and gazed deep and long. Through the glass — which has no mystical ability, as far as I can tell — I saw the future splayed in a haphazard pile: a beautiful cookbook, my […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Digital Rights Management — A Wrinkle or An Opportunity

November 16th, 2009 · 19 Comments

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 […]

File Under: The Future of Publishing

Managing Digital Rights, Part 2

November 11th, 2009 · 17 Comments

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! […]

File Under: Square Pegs

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

November 2nd, 2009 · 26 Comments

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 […]

File Under: The Future of Publishing