The Ideal 21st Century Publisher: A Remix
My fantasy publisher would follow a pretty simple equation: Tor.com + Runes of Gallidon + Book View Cafe + Cursor = Awesome!
Your Brand is NOT a Community
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.
The Godin Situation: Content, Context, Community
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."
Our Bookshelves Are Over-Flowing With Books
Like a good bookstore, our bookshelves are a curated collection of stories and ideas – some true, some imagined, some a questionable mix of both. Each one of those books say something about who we are, what we believe in, what we cherish.
Collaboration is the Killer App – #DIYdays
For a writer, it's an amazing opportunity to leverage the full depth of their creations through a truly collaborative process -- ideally starting after the first draft is written, IMO -- instead of parceling out chunks of rights for a licensing fee and complete loss of control.
The Future of Publishing is Bright
Six months ago, Digital Book World didn't exist. And yet, 48 hours ago I had the honor of giving the closing remarks at the end of our first annual Digital Book World Conference. Simultaneously exhilarated and exhausted, I communicated most of what I'd hoped to say, but I wanted to reiterate and expand upon it here (and share my slides) because it was a message not just for those in attendance, but for everyone working in this industry that I'm so passionate and optimistic about.
Why Keep Blogging? and other SXSW Takeaways
The best blogs are driven by passion, not obligation, and that you can tell when someone is just feeding the machine to maintain their traffic, a la Seth Godin, for whom I often use the hashtag #bloggingtoohard.