The impact of a negative review is more powerful in decreasing book sales than a positive review is in increasing sales. The authors attribute this to the credibility consumers place on the reviews. For example, multiple glowing reviews for a book may be perceived as hype generated by an author or publisher. Yale School of Management Word of Mouth Study Finds Customer Reviews at Amazon, BN.com Influence Book Sales
There is something disquieting about the recent patent awarded to Amazon.com for its customer review technology. While we can’t recall if the online giant was the first to offer a form to post reviews, we do know that the practice rapidly became all the rage. In addition to those programmers who faithfully attempt to duplicate the Amazon model (flattery fully intended), how many websites out there have grown their own? How many websites will continue in full and blissful ignorance? Patent, what patent? It’s a bit like patenting the wheel. Online reviews are a mature forum, though the folks at
Here is what scares us: a major newspaper asks “Can NEA plan help literature?” and it doesn’t seem to have a whiff of irony. This question appears, based on our not-very close reading of the article, to be genuinely sincere (probably because this is an opinion piece, but that’s not fully clear until the final paragraph). Why are we bothered? Because if the NEA cannot help, who can? Sorry, sometimes our frustration with inane headlines spills over to real life. Yes, kids, your government is going on the road and encouraging reading. A project called “The Big Read” is destined
Because the timing is wrong, we won’t share our notions on taxing with you this morning. Except, of course, to note that Salinas has voted to increase local taxes to pay for its libraries. In most communities, this type of increase would be unnoticeable; in a community like Salinas, it reflects a major commitment. The library issue both embarrassed and galvanized the city: The city’s young people were among the first to respond, Caballero said. Two migrant farmworker boys in elementary school persuaded their mom to make cakes they could sell to raise money for the cause. There were lemonade
Normally, we eschew such behavior as jumping to conclusions*, but, really, what can one do when the news fails so miserably? Google has (apparently) approached a publisher (unnamed) about the possibility of renting books (in an unspecified format) for 10% of the list price. Tell us, does that final bit seem a bit too specific for you? It’s sitting in the article like it’s an actual fact. Very suspicious. Our mind reels with possibilities: a NetFlix sort of arrangement where books arrive by mail and are return in prepaid envelopes. Inter-library loan programs on steroids (or, rather, more libraries, better
Those of you who watch television on a regular basis have surely noticed a trend: brand names everywhere. They’re in the movies, too. Rising production costs and declining ad sales have lead to an increase in product placement. It’s the future of motion picture entertainment or so we’ve been told. And when a new trend hits the scene, the desire for money follows right behind. The next big fight for writers in Hollywood will be how to share in the big bucks generated by product placement. The writers’ argument: they have to craft dialogue and story to fit the product.
In our long career, the only writing partner we’ve had is the husband. As far as collaborative processes go, it worked surprisingly well. Unlike traditional fiction partnerships, we wrote in a shared editing environment. This, of course, meant the poor man had to wait until we were satisfied with his commas and apostrophes before we started the next section. MediaBistro takes a look at the process of writing with a partner. Though we know you’re going to pop right over and read the whole thing, we feel compelled to summarize: communication. Oh sure, you’re always right and have never made
It’s hard to tell when we fell in love. Was it the marmot? Or the camel? The nuthatches, spiders, or horses? Or was it the fact that Tim O’Reilly publishes books with covers that make us happy*? O’Reilly is one of those pro-electronic publishing guys who talks the talk and walks the walk. We imagine him as tall and lean with floppy hair falling over his eyes. Do not send links to photos — without our fantasy life, we are nothing. O’Reilly discusses a few key points relating to piracy and the art of making entertainment — especially those works
The Rumor Mill tells us that Tor is not looking for NC-17 books — they are seeking straight erotica. While you will find many useful explanations of this distinction, in situation like this, we always turn to the Supreme Court: you’ll know it when you see it. For those keeping score at home, there are now exactly three New York publishers who have declined to jump on the erotica bandwagon. Their names are changed to protect their stockholders. Tor (aka Tom Doherty Associates LLC)
All week long, we’ve been bringing you stories and glimpses into the wonderful world of the future. Which reminds us, not a single story on a flying cars has crossed our desk this year. What’s up with that? We really want our car to float high above traffic. We’ll work out those pesky, plaguing navigation problems later. Instead, we’ll bring you an insider’s look at the (legal) book scanning industry. Dark, dusty tomes. Windowless, airless compartments. Not the greatest of pay. Books that simply do not lend themselves to easy imagining. Ms. Ridolfo scanned her first book — an early
