Tag: Ebooks

“Weird and Wonderful”? Me, on the Future of Publishing

The above tweet led to a fun interview over the at the Book View Cafe blog, "Weird and Wonderful: Digital Book World and Guy LeCharles Gonzalez," with author Sue Lange asking me some interesting questions that really made me think hard to solidify some of my ideas about the "Future of Publishing" and what it means for … Continue reading “Weird and Wonderful”? Me, on the Future of Publishing →

Killer iPad Apps: ComiXology

  It's been two weeks since Steve Jobs' "magical and revolutionary" device officially went from fascinating Rorschach test to tangible consumer appliance, and while some of the hype around it being the savior of book, magazine and newspaper publishing has thankfully died down, there's no debating that Apple's App Store has had a significant impact … Continue reading Killer iPad Apps: ComiXology →

The iPad, Transmedia, and the Future of Publishers

Over 25 years, Apple has earned the privilege of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to their tribe. They can get the word out about a new product without a lot of money because one by one, they've signed people up. They didn't sell 300,000 iPads in one day, they sold them over a few … Continue reading The iPad, Transmedia, and the Future of Publishers →

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.

Macmillan Authors Rally Fans in Battle with Amazon

Whether you agree with Macmillan's push for new terms of sale for their ebooks or not, one thing that's been particularly impressive is the extremely vocal support they've received from their authors, particularly those published by their sci-fi/fantasy imprint Tor/Forge. As the news broke last weekend, several Tor/Forge authors immediately reacted to Amazon's ceasing direct … Continue reading Macmillan Authors Rally Fans in Battle with Amazon →

A Quick Note on the Fabled “iPod Moment”

There are millions of books on amazon.com, and on average each will sell around 500 copies a year. The average American is reading just one book a year, and that number is falling. The problem (to quote Tim O’Reilly) isn’t piracy, it’s obscurity. Authors are lucky to be in a business where electronic copies aren’t … Continue reading A Quick Note on the Fabled “iPod Moment” →

Playing with the Kindle, Playing with the Future

A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future. --Sidney J. Harris It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of eBooks or eReaders, but there's no question they're growing in popularity... at least amongst technology companies. While the hype … Continue reading Playing with the Kindle, Playing with the Future →

Reflections on, Takeaways from #eBookSummit

"I suppose we could sum up this entire two-day conference under the headline 'too early to tell.'" --Steve Wasserman (Kneerim & Williams) I attended MediaBistro's eBook Summit this week and Wasserman's summation is perfect; consumer book publishing is smack in the middle of the digital transition, and solid answers about how it will all play … Continue reading Reflections on, Takeaways from #eBookSummit →