The Business of Publishing

BS Headquarters (also home to Medialoper HQ) has been buzzing with the news that EMI has struck a deal with Apple to sell DRM-free music via the iTunes store. While this is not the unprecedented move some media would have you think — Kirk notes that labels have being doing this via eMusic for many years, it’s an interesting acknowledgment that DRM is not the bee’s knees. EMI made a bold choice, given the pressure from industry peers to stand arm and arm with DRM. At its core, Digital Rights Management (“DRM”) is very simple: sell product to consumers while […]

As part of our regular contemplation of the bookselling process, we recently turned our attention to branding. Branding, we believe, is a big problem for publishers. It is also, not surprisingly, a big problem for other major media, but we think it’s a problem for publishers especially. As all the beauty that is Web 2.0* is being embraced by publishers, they still haven’t quite figured out a sad truth about consumers: the publisher is the least important part of the name recognition mix. We especially like that the new publishing venture is focused beyond the traditional paper-and-cardboard book model. We

We find that we’re having some difficulty synthesizing the “Future of the Book: Dead or Alive” panel we attended on the final day of the hectic, overwhelming 2007 South by Southwest Interactive Festival. Perhaps it’s because the topic requires far longer than a one hour session. Perhaps it’s because we’re still wrapping our rain-soaked mind around the definitions of “future” and “book”. Or perhaps it’s because there wasn’t a single representative of today’s publishing establishment on the panel. It isn’t about the future of books; it’s about the future of reading. We will acknowledge that this particular panel was not

Darlings, Where are you? We have been in the lovely city of Austin (the sun is shining, the grackles are, well, one doesn’t need to discuss the private functions of birds) since Thursday and haven’t seen you anywhere. We have gone so far as to take the rather rude step of reading nametags rather than looking our fellow humans in the eye. It’s about creating content, melding content with technology, expanding the story beyond traditional boundaries. South by Southwest, the interactive festival, is in full swing. Already, the panel sessions are cram-packed with innovators looking for the next Next Big

It is an interesting question: what role do publishers serve in this modern world? In the past, the work of the publisher was very clear. Editing, marketing, and distribution occupied the days of those who poured out of Manhattan office buildings for lunch, for those who devoured manuscripts on the subway ride home. But as the business model begins to shift, will publishers continue to be relevant? Are publishers really ready for honest, open discussions about their books on their websites? Stephen Page, chief executive and publisher of Faber & Faber, argues “Yes.” He would, of course, being one of