Today’s links of interest: Jane Friedman Launches Open Road MediaPortfolio covers yesterday’s presentation on Friedman’s new venture. Barnes Noble Adopts ePub Standard; Aligns With AdobeThis is a smart market move by Barnes Noble. Kindle Sales explode for Random House – $2.9 to $22.6 millionLots of interesting bits and pieces in these numbers.
Today’s links of interest: Print or digital – which is more sustainable?Interesting article about the sustainability issues surrounding different publishing choices. Hoping to hear more from this conversation. (Also Karen Christensen is just so smart!) Arrington: CrunchPad ‘Steamrolling Along’, ‘Big News’ SoonAlrighty then. Belle de Jour revealed as research scientist Dr Brooke MagnantiOnce upon a time, this might have been interesting, but wethinks that moment has passed. On the plus side, it’s nice to see she’s not ashamed or hiding behind blobby words. Like that.
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 do not know nor use the terms “digital rights management” or “DRM”, they hate it when they encounter it. There are genuine concerns on both side of the DRM issue. (Oh, and do they hate it! This is a serious challenge for the industry.) Managing
Today’s links of interest: Publishing in the Google EcosystemVery interesting post by Joe Esposito on living and publishing in the current world. Leaving it All Behind: One, Two, Three, GOIn which the Pragmatist and Concerned Idealist debate a path forward in reading. Google Book Search Now Explicitly a Canadian IssueFinally, Canada gets something to worry about! g
Today’s links of interest: Aaaaand…the Stephen King …ebook is already available in pirate edition. Most awesome.
Today’s links of interest: Apple patents improved digital ink recognition techniques for pen-aware tabletLet the rumors expand! Do E-books Dream of Rectangular Cover Art?Best title ever, and very provocative idea. A Look At All The Sites Owned By Rupert Murdoch That ‘Steal’ ContentNot necessarily a clip ‘n save guide, but useful.
Today’s links of interest: Harlequin launches digital-only imprint. Will other big houses feel the romance?We’d say this is a big, fat yes! The question is who will be next? Wal-Mart Jumped Pub DateNot a surprise, and it’s doubtful anyone will do anything about it. Sarah Palin’s memoir: Why the math might not add up for HarperCollinsOne look at the numbers behind the Palin memoir.
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! Let’s back up. Digital Rights Management (“DRM is not inherently evil, but it’s not winning friends or influencing readers. Any mechanism that keeps people from accessing their legally purchased books is a failure. The fact that there are no clear (or even standard!) guidelines related
Today’s links of interest: Murdoch to Google: Search ThisDouglas Rushkoff tries to explore Rupert Murdoch’s search temper tantrum and comes up short by confusing search with access. Please, Mr. Murdoch, block Google and other search engines from your sites. You’ve had the power to do this all along; it’s really not hard. Your challenge really comes in finding new readers — that’s a lot of marketing dollars with possibly limited benefits.
Today’s links of interest: National Bookstore Day: The View from Southern CaliforniaThis is a great story about booksellers and competition…or rather, how cooperation is good for everyone. UPDATED: Top Authors, and Editor, in NYT Book Review Ethics DisputeOkay, a little insider baseball, but only in the most delicious way. This is good discussion. But Does Twittering Really Sell Books?Great article by Debbie Stier of HarperStudio on author hustle and using Twitter to sell books.
