Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Digital Natives and Ebooks: Missing the Point

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:September 30, 2010
Post category:Personal
Post comments:5 Comments

WE BELIEVE that reading widely and reading fluently will give children the reading stamina to deal with more challenging texts they will meet in college, at work and in everyday life. And every child should be able to choose and own the books they want to read for that choice builds literacy confidence—the ability to read, write, and speak about what they know, what they feel, and who they are.

–Richard Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO, Scholastic Inc.

The just-released 2010 Kids & Family Reading Report™ conducted by Harrison Group and Scholastic has caused a bit of a stir thanks to one relatively minor data point that’s been highlighted more than any other, perhaps best illustrated by the AP’s misleading headline that reads more like Huffington Post linkbait: “Survey: Children like e-books, parents not so much.”

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Fragmented Marketing: Making Owls Appealing

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:September 29, 2010
Post category:Media Pop Culture Reviews
Post comments:3 Comments

"From the Director of 300 and Watchmen" isn't an ideal tagline for a PG-rated movie aimed at kids.

Wrestling With Words: Defining Transmedia

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:September 25, 2010
Post category:Media Personal
Post comments:16 Comments

Ask 5 people what they think transmedia is and you'll get 10 different answers, all with pretty sound reasoning, most likely based on the industry they work in.

Your Brand is NOT a Community

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:September 7, 2010
Post category:Media
Post comments:4 Comments

Back in January, Shiv Singh gave a great keynote presentation, Engaging Readers in the Digital Age, at the inaugural Digital Book World Conference that, in retrospect, set the tone for what was to come in 2010.

“Build consumer brands,” Singh exhorted, “because your current value chain is breaking.”

Since then, we’ve seen the introduction of the iPad, the Agency Model, and ugly public standoffs between Amazon and several publishers over ebook pricing; notable authors like J.A. Konrath and Seth Godin have made a fuss about eschewing “traditional” publishing channels; and uber-agent Andrew Wylie challenged Random House to a stare-down over ebook royalties, launching his own ill-fated ebook imprint, Odyssey Editions.

Underscoring all of these dust-ups is one recurring theme: publishers’ lack of a direct relationship with readers leaves them vulnerable to disruption and disintermediation.

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A Little Help From Our Friends

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:August 27, 2010
Post category:Personal
Post comments:0 Comments

NOTE: You may not know that my wife is a special ed teacher, and you may not know that special ed teachers in many school districts get even less support than general ed teachers, but both are true. The following is from her annual "Beg-A-Thon" appeal, and any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated by both of us, as well as her students. It's time for me to beg again! As many of you know, mine is a classroom of 12 boys ranging from 4th to 6th grades. Our students are classified as having severe emotional disabilities and…

The Godin Situation: Content, Context, Community

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:August 25, 2010
Post category:Media
Post comments:4 Comments

Seth Godin's decision to not publish his theoretical next book(s) via traditional channels has caused a predictable stir amongst the pundit class, with proclamations about "The Death of Publishing" coming from many of the usual suspects looking to scare up page views. Predictably, few have acknowledged the unusually nuanced statement Godin actually made about his situation: "The thing is--now I know who my readers are. Adding layers or faux scarcity doesn't help me or you."

Don’t Be a Writer, Be a Creator

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:August 20, 2010
Post category:Media Personal
Post comments:7 Comments

And by independence, I mean making a sustainable living, not just self-publishing your book via Amazon or Lulu or Smashwords and declaring yourself an "indie".