The Daily Square – I’ll Be Your Lampshade Edition

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Today’s links of interest: New publishing venture – Harvardwood – uses iPad appsHmm, a Harvard alumni association starts a publishing company. Very interesting, very fun. U.S. Book Sales to Increase on E-Books, Goldman Says (Update1)Speculation. Would love to see more meat behind these numbers (are the increases due to repeat purchases mixed with new purchases?). Bantam Dell Publisher Nita Taublib Steps DownWow. Considering the authors she’s brought to prominence, this is a huge change for Random House. The Tunnel by Jenny Offill – Single Sentence Animation by Electric LiteratureIn which Electric Literature continues to be more fun than a barrel […]

The Daily Square

The Daily Square – Hey Brother Edition

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Today’s links of interest: Agency model is more complicated than it seems – the sales tax issueAt Teleread, a seasonal post on a new issue. 300 years of copyrightHappy birthday, copyright! Why iPad Adaptation is an Uphill Battle for Incumbent PublishersOr, rethink the message to take advantage of the medium.

The Daily Square

The Daily Square – Gravity’s Bringing Us Down Edition

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Today’s links of interest: Only Branding Can Save the ebook IndustryIt’s not what you think it is. This post at The New Sleekness takes a look at brand as it relates to ebook sales, changing up the conversation a bit. Borders Said Close to Financing to Repay Loan Due April 1Good news for all involved. Agency Model Means No Discounts,Higher Prices, Possible DisruptionsFile under: understating the obvious.

The Daily Square

The iPad: Obligatory Post on Impressions, Reading, and Wrist Strength

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The Unicorn has landed, and like all mythical beasts, it has some magic powers. And like all mythical beasts, the legend may be greater than the reality. Of course, this depends on what you were expecting versus what you got. I expected that the iPad, at least initially, would be a larger, faster, more feature rich version of the iPhone/Touch, and, so far, that’s what I’ve gotten. As app developers get their hands on the device and explore potential, I fully expect applications that rethink “computing” — we’ve seen hints of this already. It’s really hard to develop without a

Square Pegs

Thoughts on Transmedia Storytelling, or, Is It Right for Every Story?

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In last week’s post, I noted some of the questions our South by Southwest panel received from the audience. One, in particular, needed more time and space to address: what’s the deal with publishing and its slow adoption of transmedia storytelling, a concept that includes some types of enhanced ebooks. According the person asking the question (and a few on Twitter), everyone wants it. I don’t believe it is true that everyone wants publishing to leap into transmedia storytelling. If every story were multi-arc, multimedia, multi-point of entry, multi-everything, that would be akin to a diet of all reality television

Non-Traditional Publishing

SXSWi 2010: Themes and Thoughts

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And it happened. Traditional book publishers were out in force at South by Southwest Interactive this year. I was pleased to see so many stepping outside the publisher bubble and into the crazy interactive bubble. I was even more pleased by the breadth of sessions my compatriots attended. Foursquare tells all, my friends! I don’t attend South by Southwest for “aha” moments, though I’ve had them. I tend to soak up zeitgeist, themes, and trends. Many of the ideas I note below are not unique to this year’s festival. I’d say most have been simmering along for a while. This

Square Pegs

The Daily Square – Silver Lining Edition

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Today’s links of interest: Publisher’s Headache Worsens over Author DisputeOur love for Sarah Weinman knows no bounds. Also, great article. Macmillan CEO John Sargent on the agency model, availability and priceJohn Sargent takes the bold step of responding on current ebook issues. Now, the big step: either responding to the comments or tasking someone to speak for him. Love that publishing people are finally making statements, but it has to be a conversation, it has to address (legitimate) questions. Book Publishing in the Digital Age: A Reality CheckThink he underestimated the Frankfurt prices.

The Daily Square

The Daily Square – Gene Autry Edition

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Today’s links of interest: Random House Sets Up Videogame TeamThis is interesting, especially the part where there’s a dedicated in-house team. Music biz back to playing the bluesOn the changing patterns of consumer behavior. Book optioned by ‘Avatar’ director is haltedOr, Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino has been pulled due to questions about the accuracy of some of the information. Publishers Weekly Winces as Reed Sells Two TitlesWow. Things are moving over at Reed. It looks like the fate of Publishers Weekly may be decided very soon.

The Daily Square

Tools. Change.

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My mark of a good conference is how I feel when it’s over. It’s a given that I’ll be exhausted (I am an introvert after all), so the test is whether or not I’m inspired to do something. Read, write, create, think. This is how I felt at the end of this year’s Tools of Change conference. Ready to roll. There are a lot of of conferences focused on the changes facing publishing. Some might say too many, but I disagree. Over the next few decades, we will see all sorts of shifts in publishing, and these conferences — which

Square Pegs
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