The Daily Square – Disco: The Secretaries Blues Edition
Today’s links of interest: University suspending SMU Press operationsSad news.
The Daily Square – Lay Low for the Letdown Edition
Today’s links of interest: The iPad: Gateway Drug to Digital Learning?This is reasoning we can get behind: the lack of adult material, the mix of entertainment and learning. Google to Launch Digital Books by Early SummerAs previously reported. It appears that Google has finally put a ring on the date. News Corporation Reports Third Quarter Revenue Growth of 19% Generating Net Income of $839 Million; $0.32 Per ShareItems of note: HarperCollins and MySpace. Particularly MySpace. You may have to look to find the news there. Simon Schuster’s Digital Publishing Revenue Up SharplySome good news in an otherwise rough first quarter.
The Daily Square – Maroon Bible Edition
Today’s links of interest: Penguin E-Books Are No. 1 on iPad, But Publisher Gets Zero Love From AmazonAh, hardball, such a rough game to play. Tilting at Bookish Windmills, Or – How the iPad Saved Spanish Language DayThis is what we talk about when we talk about the power of digital.
The Daily Square – If We Can Land A Man On The Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart Edition
Today’s links of interest: Jim-Butcher.Com: New Fanfiction PolicyInteresting. An author embraces fan fiction and Creative Commons. Well done.
On Acknowledging Truths
The shifts in today’s publishing business are happening lightening fast and iceberg slow. Epiphanies strike at odd moments. Brett Sandusky had one. Below is where he ended up; read his entire post (linked below) to see how he got there. In the end, no amount of market research, anecdotal evidence, kaffee klatsches, or cocktail parties can ever replace actual and real interaction with our customers. Recently, I attended a conference where a panelist kept repeating throughout her presentation, “The reader is the consumer who is your customer. I openly admit that, at the time, I begrudged this panelist for stating
Small Teams and Acquisitions: A Collection of Messy Thoughts
Since the announcement that HarperStudio was being shuttered and its staff, Bob Miller excepted, would be absorbed into the larger HarperCollins machine, I have been thinking about what this means for publishers. HarperStudio was a high-profile experiment that barely had time to emerge from start-up mode, much less to achieve goals great and small. From my outsider perspective, one of their greatest accomplishments was proving the effectiveness of small teams. I may be romanticizing Studio, but it seemed to me an entity that functioned fairly autonomously within the larger HarperCollins entity. Yes, they could tap into the mighty HC machine,
The Daily Square – Warmer Edition
Today’s links of interest: Amazon.com Cuts Prices on Penguin Hardcovers in E-Book TiffOh, the antics of major corporations. Too cute.
The Daily Square – Silverado Days Edition
Today’s links of interest: Me, Mom, and Ray Bradbury : The New SleeknessA mostly true story. Crown Restructured Into Distinct Groups; Shaye Areheart Books ClosedLots of big news in here. A bit disconcerted about the Shaye Areheart news — though the editor remains with the company — as it seems like one of the few identifiable brands created by publishers these past years.
The Daily Square – The Aristocratic Swells Edition
Today’s links of interest: Patrons Are Consumers, and Consumers Are Patrons; or, How Publishers Can Learn To Stop Worrying and Love Libraries AgainLibrarian Heather McCormack on the synergy between libraries, booksellers, and publishers: I respect publishers’ right to make money. I want houses large, medium, and small to thrive, or I’m out of a job and a calling. Why Men Don’t Read: How Publishing is Alienating Half the PopulationWhile Jason Pinter makes good points, we respectfully disagree with his thesis, particularly as you slice and dice book categories. Literary fiction? Way too much male navel gazing. Non-fiction? Probably a lot
The Daily Square – Comrade’s Twenty-Sixth Edition
Today’s links of interest: Los Angeles Book Festival Draws Record Crowd130,000 people. Just amazing. Even better? How great the festival is for booksellers. On serendipityOr, how can we create the tools needed to reach audiences who have diverse interests and needs…but not so much time? GetGlue links Web resources for movies, books and music togetherWe love Glue (and are wondering who the cool chick with the massive laptop might be)! Press Release: Perseus Book Group Joins EdelweissEdelweiss continues to impress by making great deals and a great product.