The Truth About Disruption in Publishing

In publishing, every day it seems there's a new upstart or three that's going to disintermediate (or even better, KILL!) traditional publishers, but with the exceptions of Open Road Integrated Media and, possibly, Ruckus Media Group -- notably, both are run by major publishing veterans and have partnerships with a variety of "traditional" publishers -- you'd be hard-pressed to name too many others that have had any truly notable impact to match the hype surrounding them.

Do Publishers Still Need Authors?

Just as many entrepreneurs no longer need venture capitalists to launch their companies, authors no longer need publishers to publish. Mark Coker, Do Authors Still Need Publishers? Picture this: In the future, as the risks of publishing shift from the publisher to the author, publishers will be able to invest in technologies that allow them … Continue reading Do Publishers Still Need Authors?

The Most Fantastic Genre

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZGqSRtDbEw] PopCultureShock posted this great little clip about the new Blue Beetle -- Mexican-American Jaime Reyes -- and Junot Diaz' Oscar Wao, wherein Diaz notes: "The most fantastic genre can't keep up, or refuses to keep up, with how much our country has changed. And so people can dream about aliens, and they can dream … Continue reading The Most Fantastic Genre

Poetry: Where Your Vote Really Counts

Tired of the never-ending Democratic Primary and annoyed that, in the end, your vote might not really count anyway if the Super Delegates opt to nominate the candidate not in the lead when all is said and done? As in many other aspects of life, poetry offers a much-needed alternative. Blogsboro.com is running an election … Continue reading Poetry: Where Your Vote Really Counts

Go see Liberty City

I went to see Liberty City last night, April Yvette Thompson's multi-layered, one-person account of her upbringing in the infamous Miami neighborhood during the chaotic 70s, told against a backdrop of the rise and fall of the Black Power movement, the Crack epidemic and the Liberty City Riots that led to Miami being declared a disaster area, literally and figuratively. Co-written … Continue reading Go see Liberty City