The Future of Publishing

We are going to entertain a serious thought or two for a moment. You can come back later if you prefer. In certain circles, the notion of self-publishing is greeted with the same, shall we say, revulsion that the masses once greeted leprosy. You will be shunned, it’s whispered, you will not ever sit at the grownups’ table. Then there are those who sneer at self-published title. The quality, they moan, it’s all dreck. Actually, most people don’t use the word “dreck” in normal conversation. You may substitute the word of your choice there. Yet authors continue to self-publish, some […]

We encountered a bit of radical and bit of paranoid this morning. Naturally, that intrigued us. A theory that not all books need to be put into book form coupled with the worry that digitizing content might lead to controlling access. How much fun is that? Publishers, someday, you are going to look back at those words and see the beginning of the beginning. Why do all books have to be in printed, bound format/ Especially those books designed to capture the pop personality of the moment? These are not books designed to sit on shelves, to be picked up,

As things settle down on the ranch — there is only the faintest hint of dust swirling in the distance — we turn our attention to What Went Wrong. Things were moving along so swimmingly, it looked to be a successful season, and when disaster struck, and disaster is always a possibility, we know that, we didn’t see it coming. But surely someone out there is in charge of the publishing farm? And increasingly the question becomes “Who?” The front line of defense was formerly editors, those people who labored over each word, each paragraph, each book. Editors are not,

We’re not sure where to focus our attention in this story about young Italians downloading a free book about the struggle to survive on 1,000 euros a month. Part of us thinks, “Hmm, how interesting is it that an ebook broke out from the pack in such a manner.” The other part of us sits back and wonders, “Does this mean that Internet usage is so wide-spread in Italy that such downloading is possible?” And, thus, we’re stuck. You get to determine the underlying meaning on your own. Young Italians find a hero: Thousands download an internet novel highlighting the

Though we cannot imagine anyone out there biting their nails over Les Moonves’s thoughts on the future of Simon & Schuster, there is a sense of relief that Moonves has said that the publishing house will remain part of the CBS family. Sure, there could be more synergy, but, you know, there can always be more synergy. That’s the problem with synergy, once you get a little, you’re like an addict. He then shines a light on the future before asking and answering a rhetorical question: Although he acknowledged that the synergy between S&S and other CBS units could be

We’ve never been fond of the starving artist model, but do understand that making your living from writing alone is a tough prospect. Sure there are alternatives: Though you’ll often hear them complaining, there are a thousand ways for writers to make money. They can be waiters, for instance. Or work in parking garages. If all else fails, there are always grants. And if even that fails? That’s what parents/spouses-who-are-lawyers are for. Also a generous patron. 2006 will be remembered as the year that changed the entertainment industry forever. Creative minds will find innovative ways to bring their art to

Despite our vow to stop writing about ebooks this weeks, we were sucked back in against our normally strong will. Publisher’s Weekly breathlessly reports on the unveiling of Sony’s new-to-the-U.S.-market ebook reader. Despite yesterday’s story about ebook sales increasing, PW sees the new device as a beacon of hope because A similar device introduced into the Japanese market last year was a hit, giving Sony executives hope that despite the failure of e-books to catch on in the U.S., a better reader may encourage consumers to give e-books a second look. Reviews of the Librie device (which was either a