From the monthly archives: July 2009

Is Social Publishing simply Vanity Publishing 2.0?

By On July 30, 2009 · 21 Comments · In Marketing, Publishing

“Yes, Sir, there are many happy people here. There are many people here who are watching hundreds, and who think hundreds are watching them.”

Samuel Johnson, Quotes on Vanity

“Digital publishing”, “ePublishing” and “social publishing” are the buzzwords du jour; Web 2.0 business models based on the idea that eBooks are the next [...]

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The Bookstore of the Future is… a Tree Museum?

By On July 27, 2009 · 8 Comments · In Publishing

“I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”
–Anna Quindlen

GalleyCat had a provocative post last week, “Is This the Bookstore of Tomorrow?“, spotlighting novelist Moriah Jovan’s anti-septic floorplan anchored by two Espresso [...]

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Keep it Simple, Stupid

By On July 21, 2009 · 2 Comments · In Marketing, Personal

This fervid desire for the Web bespeaks a longing so intense that it can only be understood as spiritual. A longing indicates that something is missing in our lives. What is missing is the sound of the human voice.

The spiritual lure of the Web is the promise of the return of voice.

“The Longing”, [...]

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Three Rules for the National Poetry Slam

By On July 15, 2009 · 4 Comments · In Personal

Eleven years ago next month, in Austin, TX, I took one of the most life-changing thrill rides ever when I attended my first National Poetry Slam, as a member of the 1998 team representing the Nuyorican Poets Café that would go on to become their first (and still only) team to win the [...]

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Platform 201 for Busy Writers: 1,000 True Fans

By On July 14, 2009 · 8 Comments · In Marketing, Publishing

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author – in other words, anyone producing works of art – needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.
–Kevin Kelly, 1,000 True Fans

The “1,000 True Fans” theory states, effectively, that 1,000 literal fanatics [...]

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