Today’s links of interest: States Close The Book On Libraries To Cut CostsThis is a big deal, people. Fight for your right to libraries. Amazon could pay for Kindle sales coynessAs much as we’d like to see real sales numbers, uh, we’re not fond of speculative pieces like this. Dreamy Sales of Jung’s ‘Red Book’ Surprises Book IndustryHmm, give the people something special and exciting and…they’ll pay big money for books!
Over the New Year holiday, Jonathan Galassi, president of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, published an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times titled “There’s More to Publishing Than Meets the Screen”. I think he started with the intent of justifying the cost of ebooks — something publishing has handled abysmally — but he took a wrong turn. Into some very interesting territory. Let’s break it down. The first line of the article is “What is an e-book?” This is never answered because Galassi moves on to discuss the decision by William Styron’s heirs to move Styron’s digital rights from Random
Today’s links of interest: Some studios moving digital releases ahead of DVDWhile some studios remain stubbornly convinced there will be a rebirth of the DVD boom. Smashwords: Smashwords Year in Review, Plans for 2010Loved this post, the thoughts expressed, and the idea that making a product better and more responsive is the goal. The secret behind the Kindle’s best-selling e-books: They’re not for saleSo many things to say about this, so little time, so: this is not a surprise if you think about how books are bought, sold, and read in print form. Many are free. Most are free. The
Today’s links of interest: Liza Daly 2009 In Review – Moving From If to HowLiza Daly offers a look at her desk, technology, and the future. It’s a future we like. Kindle Total Cost of Ownership: Calculating the DRM TaxInteresting analysis, but not sure overall approach makes sense. Given ephemeral nature of type of books being purchased, seems a subscription service would be better choice. The key to literary success? Be a man — or write like one.Much to chew on here: the overwhelming choice of men for best of lists, the fact that male authors are taught in greater
Today’s links of interest: Technology Predictions Are Mostly BunkInventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further developments, said Roman engineer Julius Sextus Frontinus in 10 A.D. Paperback Nostalgia: High Culture at Low CostMark Bertils looks at the current problems facing Canada’s McNally Robinson through the lens of other large (and defunct) independent booksellers. News flash: the book isn’t dead – yetWe’d change this headline to The book isn’t dead, it’s evolving.
Today’s links of interest: Kindle Ebooks Outsell Real Books on ChristmasHey, parse the numbers however you want, it’s still pretty darn amazing. Lessons from the Rick Moody Twitter ProjectMany lessons to be learned from this project. Some of them uncomfortable for those on the receiving end. All gets back to audience and how to live it.
Today’s links of interest: City Tries to Rewrite Lone Bookstore’s Last ChapterThe worst part about closing Laredo’s only remaining bookstore is the reason why. Pure corporate decision, not lack of sales.
Today’s links of interest: Judging a publisher by formatting?Oh yes! Poor formatting pulls the readers out of the story, and readers do notice (hey Big Six, don’t look smug, you are making a lot of poor quality lists!). Steal These BooksAn interesting look at the books people steal…and the people who steal books. NSFW: Free as in “my publisher will disown me after I pirate my book on TechCrunch”Author Paul Carr, caught up in a territorial rights war and desire to garner publicity and maybe sell a few more books, goes rogue. Love this quote: “The consensus seems to be
David Ulin, of the Los Angeles Times focuses on the question we kicked down the road. And, oh yes, he notes that reading is stronger and more prevalent than ever before. Writing and reading are about engagement, about participating in a conversation, and inasmuch as technology can play a role in this interaction, it only draws more people in. How does the screen change things? This should have been the question of the last decade, but it appears it will unavoidably be the question of the next. What kind of platforms — social networks, Web, print, multimedia — are we
No matter where you stand on the various issues surrrounding the future of publishing, one thing is clear: without readers, what we do doesn’t matter very much. We sometimes take the privilege of our bookish lives for granted, forgetting how many people out there would give anything to be able to pick up a book and read it. Yet, this is the season of giving (and, yes, tax deductions). Every year, we here at Booksquare make a pitch for our favorite causes, hoping some of you, like us, will find a little something extra to give this now and in
