Five things for March 17, 2022. That's it! That's the excerpt.
Tag: Ebooks
Public Libraries and Ebooks Redux [for Independent Publishers]
I had the pleasure of kicking off the new year by participating in IBPA's PubU Online webinar series, presenting "Engaging New Readers with Ebooks in Public Libraries" and I've posted my slides and written up my main presentation here as it pulled together a few threads I haven't addressed in one place before. Non-IBPA members and other library-curious types might find them useful as a starting point to learn more about how libraries work, and why they're an important partner for publishers of all sizes.
Five Things: December 9, 2021
Five things for December 9, 2021. That's it! That's the excerpt.
Five Things: September 30, 2021
Five things for September 30, 2021. That's it! That's the excerpt.
Five Things: June 24, 2021
Five things for June 24, 2021. That's it! That's the excerpt.
Five Things: March 11, 2021
Five things for March 11, 2021. That's it! That's the excerpt.
Macmillan’s Library Ebook Embargo is a Call to Action
In a letter sent to “Macmillan Authors, Macmillan Illustrators, and Agents“ on Thursday, July 25th, Macmillan CEO John Sargent announced new lending terms and pricing for library ebooks, claiming library lending was “cannibalizing sales“ and impacting royalties as revenue from library sales are “a small fraction of the revenue we share with you on a retail read.” While the embargo is disappointing news for libraries, authors, and, most importantly, readers—it reinforces the need for a cross-industry initiative to identify ways publishers and libraries can continue to support their intrinsically related missions while delivering mutually beneficial outcomes.
As Ebook Dust Settles, Publishing’s Future Remains Bright
In these final days of 2015, here we are, with a traditional publishing industry that's evolved to include new players and business models, alongside an independent publishing industry that's steadily growing and continually evolving, too. What we haven't seen are the radical disruptions that so many predicted were right on the horizon...
Penguin’s Modest Self-Publishing Gamble
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?
Why DRM is a Toothless Boogeyman, Ebooks are like Video Games, and Amazon is the Winner
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.