Community Archives | Page 12 of 26

Penguin’s Modest Self-Publishing Gamble

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 20, 2012
Post category:Media
Post comments:5 Comments

Being sold for only slightly more than the revenue you brought in the prior year isn't exactly a signal that anyone believes the company has a lot of growth potential, especially not one whose roster theoretically covers the full gamut of shiny author services so many seem to believe are publishing's revenue streams of the future. Plus, ASI was apparently on the block for a while with no buyer, so I find Penguin's CEO John Makinson's claim odd, as reported by Publisher's Lunch, that he expects there will be a "new and growing category of professional authors who are going to gravitate towards the ASI solution rather than the free model." So then, what's the real angle here?

Big Change for GOOD: When Publishing Content Isn’t Enough

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:June 8, 2012
Post category:Media
Post comments:4 Comments

A large part of GOOD's appeal was its unique business model, its compelling mission, and its target audience: "For People Who Give a Damn." While not replicable in any scalable way, it had a far more noble mission than the mercenary and fickle "connecting advertisers to eyeballs" model of most magazines, and it looks like that mission ultimately forced a complete and radical rethinking of the magazine itself.

Random Thoughts on a Summer Friday (In Which I’ve Buried the Lede)

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:June 1, 2012
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

That "Local First" angle is what disturbs me the most, latching on to a legitimate movement whose most compelling hook focuses on locally sourced goods and sustainability, to support booksellers whose primary focus is usually selling the products of multi-national corporations who treat them like second-class citizens. The bookstores that are true pillars of their communities don't need hollow slogans and dreams of going viral on YouTube, because they prove on a daily basis why they matter to their communities.

Dear Hipsters: Please Don’t Ruin New Orleans For Me

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:May 30, 2012
Post category:Personal
Post comments:0 Comments

If you're eyeballing New Orleans, do so with the big picture in mind and think about the future. Their school system is a tangled mess of ill-conceived "reforms," and since I suspect you're going to love it there and some of you will end up living there and having kids, start paying attention now and look for ways to have a positive impact.

Why DRM is a Toothless Boogeyman, Ebooks are like Video Games, and Amazon is the Winner

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:April 23, 2012
Post category:Media Personal
Post comments:11 Comments

It's not a huge stretch to posit Amazon as the reverse-Valve of the ebook world, constantly pushing the envelope in unexpected ways, aggressively experimenting with pricing, developing a core of popular franchises, while staying focused on delivering and optimizing the best consumer experience.

Rethinking Engagement: Facebook and Permission Marketing

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:April 12, 2012
Post category:Media
Post comments:3 Comments

If you think of a “Like” as an opt-in, you’re as close to the value proposition of an email list as it gets outside of actually acquiring that email, and you should treat the content you post to your Facebook Page with as much care and attention as you do your email newsletters. Even better, think of your Facebook Page as a key component of your brand’s overall audience development strategy, complementing your website and email program, and as your audience there grows, leverage Facebook Insights as aggressively as your web analytics to inform and evolve your content strategy.

Pottermore—When Disintermediation Goes Awry

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:March 28, 2012
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

While it's interesting to see the affiliate script flipped on Amazon, with their redirecting traffic to purchase the ebooks (surely with a nice cut of the revenue), the user experience leaves a lot to be desired, especially if you're used to purchasing your ebooks via the Kindle itself and/or the apps. The whole setup seems to be targeting hardcore fans—most of whom have probably already downloaded the ebooks for free via a torrent site—while asking the more casual reader to jump through hoops Amazon and B&N, in particular, have worked hard to eliminate.