Ready for Publishing Camp NYC?
Beyond the sessions, the best part of any conference is being able to spend time talking to smart people from a variety of backgrounds, and both WDC11 and DBW11 are sponsoring fun gatherings to accommodate that.
Audience Development, Beer, Books and Optimism (#smbtv)
The passion and optimism for Troy from some of the people I met was inspiring and infectious, reminding me very much of the community that's gathered around Digital Book World over the past year.
Gigs, Gongs and Granules
"There are far more underrepresented communities to serve than there are established publishers interested in doing so."
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.
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.
On DBW, SXSWi, Upcoming Gigs and Steampunk
You’re losing control of your own destiny. Authors, distributors and readers are getting closer to each other.
–Shiv Singh, Engaging Readers in the Digital Age
Three weeks ago, when I last posted something here, I was on the verge of completely disappearing into Digital Book World, both the conference and the community that spun out of it, the latter now representing my day [and night, and some weekends] job.
So I’ve been pretty busy.
Thankfully, it’s been a good busy, and the next couple of months are going to be very exciting.
Digital Book World
The conference was a huge success by pretty much any measure — I had the extreme honor of giving the closing remarks, “The Future of Publishing is Bright” — and the community platform is quickly coming together, starting with a series of free WEBcasts; in-person seminars (Digitize Your Career); and more to be announced.
Get Serious About the Business of Publishing
A book’s success is too important to entrust to somebody who doesn’t have a stake in it. Editors are already fierce enough advocates to have persuaded their bosses to let them acquire the books in the first place; why not let them keep on advocating?
–Ron Hogan, “Hey Editors! Less Max Perkins, More Billy Mays“
Hogan, GalleyCat’s Senior Editor, makes a valid point — that an editor’s name should theoretically have some pull with readers — but it’s undermined by the tiresome meme that social media will be publishing’s savior, and a misguided sense of entitlement, implying that publishers are preventing editors from establishing an influential public voice of their own.
Social media are excellent tools for building personal brands — the jury’s still out on where they fit within the corporate picture — and their primary appeal is that they’re free for anyone to use. Just like authors are expected to build themselves a platform before seeking out a publishing deal, editors should be doing the exact same thing for themselves.
It’s not rocket science, it’s free, and no one’s permission is required.
No matter who your editor is, or what their influence (or lack thereof) with readers might be, though, when it comes down to it, the best, most passionate promoter of a book is going to be its author.