Author name: Kassia Krozser

Post-BiB10 Thoughts: Mostly About User Experience

I, along with a hundred or so of my peers, spent last Thursday and Friday at a conference called Books in Browsers. As one who sat on the sidelines when the first iteration of this conference was held last year, I wasted no time in inviting myself to the event. I am still processing everything I heard and saw. Much of it aligned with what I think about when I look five years down the road; some it — and this is always the best part of a conference — made me sit back and say “Whoa! I really need […]

The Future of Publishing

Rethinking the Publishing Company

I think we all know what the publisher of today looks like. The hierarchy and positions have become comfortable, established. Sort of like really nice flannel pajamas. That’s not to say nothing ever evolves; I mean, who wears the same pair of pajamas forever? And, if you talk to publishing people, you know those flannel pajamas are threadbare in parts, have a few holes, yet remain too familiar to abandon. Now the analogy falls apart, mostly because while, sure, I can talk about pajamas with great authority, I’d rather talk about new jobs and new skills for 21st century (and

The Future of Publishing

A Question of Value

I’ve been thinking about the topic of the value of books a lot. Not for days. Not for months. Years. However, recently I’ve been angered by the implication that readers are cheap, that they won’t pay a proper price for books, that they don’t get it. Whatever it is. These assertions are not untrue. They are also not entirely accurate. Perspective is everything, nuance matters, and I have thoughts. Of course.

The Future of Publishing

The Daily Square – Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere Edition

Today’s links of interest: Borders Reduces E-reader to $99And there you have it. An ereader below $100. Oh, wow, the world is still turning. Random House’s Strong Half-Year Results Driven By ‘Dragon Tattoo’ SalesStieg Larsson, who will not likely be producing more books, drives huge dollars to Random House. His ebook sales are phenomenal. Which leads to the question: does the lack of an iBookstore agreement hurt RH in any way? A Moment of JenFrom Jennifer Weiner: Instead of asking which books and which authors deserve the Times’ coverage, maybe we should think about what kind of book review section

The Daily Square

The Daily Square – I Can’t Explain Edition

Today’s links of interest: Barnes Noble to Shutter Lincoln Center StoreThis is big news. Store closing due to increased rent costs. You’d think landlords would have a bit more foresight, but one supposes losing a major renter is the cost of taking a stand. In other thoughts, how long will the space remain empty? Borders to Sell Build-A-Bear Items as Readers Switch to E-BooksYou know when you can’t tell if something is a genius idea or insane? This is one of those moments. Why Is Amazon So Secretive About Its Best Selling Kindle Numbers?Why, one wonders, does this matter? Since

The Daily Square

The Daily Square – Whichever Way the Wind Blows Edition

Today’s links of interest: “If it were my money, there’s no way I’d put up with this cr*p”, says young readerIs this really how you want the next generation of readers thinking about ebooks? Especially when the competition for reading is so intense? Lots of Little Improvements Make the Kindle 3 The Best E-Ink E-readerAs the holiday shopping season approaches (noooo!), debating on the mother’s gift. Trying to resist urge to be selfish…give her K2, give us K3. Oh, the moral dilemmas we face. Publishing Revenue Down at LagardereNot bad, considering it’s the post Stephenie Meyer world.

The Daily Square

The Daily Square – Dreaming, I Am Edition

Today’s links of interest: Random House’s Backlist E-Book Deal With Literary Agent Andrew Wylie Leaves Much UnansweredTrying not to make it all Wylie, all the time, but much analysis and conjecture. Sarah Weinman does a nice job of the former. One unanswered (but asked) question: what did Random House pay to acquire these rights? No, we won’t get an answer. Women Are Not Marshmallow Peeps, And Other Reasons There’s No ‘Chick Lit’Nice piece on pundits’ tendency to dismiss legitimate critiques of the Jonathan Franzen coverage by belittling those make the commentary. While not exclusively a male approach, it’s often men

The Daily Square

The Daily Square – Lonely Afternoon Edition

Today’s links of interest: RH and Wylie Come to Terms; Random ‘Wins’Always worry about headlines that include wins. In this case, one wonders how much it cost Random House to win (presumably higher royalties than they’d been willing to give, possibly some sort of cash consideration). And one wonders how this impacts those who previously purchased the books. Will they be allowed to keep them? Will there be a transfer of publisher, making it invisible to the consumer. And, of course, one wonders which books were impacted by this deal. Nook Drives 21% Increase in Revenue for Barnes NobleBarnes and

The Daily Square

The Daily Square – Compositions for the Young and Old Edition

Today’s links of interest: Post-Medium PublishingInteresting thoughts about the value of content versus format, and how publishing isn’t doing much for the former. Seattle libraries to shut down for a weekWhile the library is able to keep certain digital services (ebooks and access to databases) open during the budget-induced shutdown, so many other core services will be off limits to citizens. Kindle — xkcd CartoonYou know you can’t resist… Borders Chief Financial Officer Mark Bierley QuitsAt what point do we turn away from Borders news because we can’t take the pain anymore?

The Daily Square
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