Quote of the Week

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 […]

Brian O’Leary on the major problems surrounding today’s discussions about piracy. More facts, less breathless assumptions. At this point, there’s not much clarity in the debate. If this is an inflection point, we need data to establish trends. Declaring the answer limits discussion. Grounded in reality

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

Author Mur Lafferty offers her thoughts about the changes in publishing. What really surprises me is when you hear publishing people say that they don’t know what to do, or that they refuse listen to Internet professionals. They seem to believe if they do what has worked in the past, eventually the storm will pass and the anchor of tradition will have kept them steady and safe. They look at the people who are succeeding by merging their digital plans with their traditional print plans and call them anomalies at best, or insane at worst. What they need to be

In his Frankfurt wrap-up, Richard Nash distills a lot of thoughts and questions into some very big ideas. Picking a single quote was hard, so go read and consider the whole thing. There will be an essay test later. What this means is that we (publishers, authors, agents) are going to need to make decisions based on the world that is (people will make unauthorized copies, people will undercut your price), rather than the world we will wish for. Until recently, it was not clear that the publishing industry accepted this, but these statements by Richard Charkin, Victoria Barnsley and

In which a very smart man says it better than we ever could: One of the things we’re doing the best, I think, is engaging with our audience, and listening. Publishing is a very insular industry, where insiders are constantly talking to each other, but very rarely do they actually talk to or listen to the actual end customer: the reader. There have traditionally been some very valid arguments as for why this is the case, but as digital media democratizes the world more and more, those arguments become much less convincing or even relevant. Tor.com is one way in

Surely this is the most inane first line of any article written in 2009? Late 2009, no less. Book publishers are learning to love the Web. They have to. Publishers Try to Learn to Love the Web – Business Week article about publishers experimenting online

As belts tighten, publishers are considering the extremely drastic (and ungentlemanly!) action of canceling contracts for late manuscripts. On presumes the photo Dan Brown associated with the article is merely for decoration. (As an aside, the fantastic Mary Beth Lucas, my journalism instructor, put the fear of deadlines into me something good!) “What has happened is that in the cold light of morning, publishers are looking at all these expensive deals they made based on the inflated marketplace, and now the bill is coming due and they don’t want the contracts anymore,” said one top agent, who spoke on the

The next few months will see book releases from a slew of literary giants (just in time for the holiday shopping season!). Is the reading world ready for Thomas Pynchon, Dan Brown, A.S. Byatt, Michael Chabon and more to duke it out on the shelves and bestseller lists? “It gets us excited, but the big question is, will people buy that many books?” Mr. [Ira] Silverberg said. “What’s unfortunate about that is, it’s a short season! All these books are coming out in three months, and there’s overlap in their core audiences. Also, these are hardcover books–at 25 to 30

Ann Kirschner, after reading Little Dorritt in four different formats: Oh boy, have I had a lot of arguments along the way to the marriage of Little Dorrit and her long-suffering beau, Arthur Clennam! Readers are passionate and opinionated advocates for their preferred formats. Flip announced that she reads only hardcovers; end of conversation. “I get it,” said Bill, watching me read on the iPhone: “You like your books little.” Bob is no Luddite, but he insists that Steve Jobs has bribed me, since the Kindle is so obviously superior. Just wait for the Apple tablet,” advises techno-sage Joe. And