Libraries Archives — Page 7 of 8

Panorama Project Pandemic Progress—Updates from Libraryland

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:June 23, 2020
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

I took over the Panorama Project last July—which really does feel like two lifetimes ago—so as my anniversary looms, it's a perfect time to check-in and see how things are progressing. It was only three months ago that the Panorama Project was gaining some real momentum, coming off a productive PubWest gathering and announcements of two major initiatives for 2020: Immersive Media & Reading 2020—Consumer Survey, and the Library Marketing Valuation Toolkit. Despite everything, Panorama's work hasn't halted, and our two big initiatives continue to move forward.

Talking About Libraries—Updates from Libraryland

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:March 12, 2020
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

Hyper-current events aside, 2020 has gotten off to a productive start for the Panorama Project, hot on the heels of my Publishers Weekly op-ed challenging the industry to take question of libraries more seriously. Since then, we released our annual report and announced two major new initiatives; I was a featured speaker at PubWest 2020; and I did fun interviews with Library Journal and Book Riot where I got to discuss my work in more detail.

Where Do Libraries Fit In “A Viable Consumer Marketplace”?

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:December 17, 2019
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

Another notable factor that publishers seem to have trouble acknowledging is that books—especially ebooks—don't exist in a vacuum, competing only with other books published that month, but they fight for attention and discretionary income with every other immersive media format, too. Movies, TV, and gaming have all seen their own versions of digital disruption—not to mention other areas of publishing itself—so the idea that the one compelling villain to blame a decline in consumer ebook sales on is public libraries would be laughable if it wasn't so short-sighted and suicidal.

The Limitations of Data—Updates from Libraryland

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:December 16, 2019
Post category:Media Personal
Post comments:0 Comments

Things have been a little quiet for me on the library front recently—periodic Twitter rants aside—as I've been working behind the scenes on refining the Panorama Project's focus for 2020 in light of recent events, identifying areas where we can have a measurable and actionable impact and figuring out how to implement the right initiatives. While I'm excited about what's in development for 2020, it's still too early to announce any of it, but two articles I wrote recently offer a glimpse of where things are heading.

Macmillan’s Library Ebook Embargo is a Call to Action

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 26, 2019
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

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.

Scapegoating Libraries for Declining Sales. Again.

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 16, 2019
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

With few exceptions, publishers don't really know what drives most book sales, so the industry's focus on chasing bestsellers and trends lends itself to an unscientific combination of last-click attribution, confirmation bias, and way too often, scapegoats. Publishers have relied on booksellers and libraries to connect with readers for decades, but—despite the continued decline of physical bookstores, the intersectional challenge of "book deserts," and a lack of consistent and verifiable data on ebook sales—libraries seem to have become an easy scapegoat. Again.

Ebooks and Libraries: Is it Worth the Effort?

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:March 6, 2012
Post category:Media
Post comments:5 Comments

Since publishers are so concerned with the “perpetuity of lending and simultaneity of availability” of their ebooks, I have to wonder if libraries shouldn’t just help them out and hit the STOP button themselves? Stop buying ebooks across the board, at any price, under any terms.