Amazon vs. Google: Seth Godin Wins
In the old days, that platform was the physical bookshelf in a brick-and-mortar retailer. Today, it's a combination of email and ecommerce.
Commentary and advice on marketing, mostly for publishers (traditional and brands) and writers, but sometimes from a broader perspective.
Perplex City: Learning From an ARG
Part collectible card game, part treasure hunt, augmented with an immersive online community, Perplex City offers a number of interesting takeaways for anyone wrestling with how and where audience development and transmedia intersect.
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.
Dark Horse Circumvents iTunes, Plans to Sell Direct
"No licensing fees to Apple means we can pay our creators more while offering readers lower prices."
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!
Fragmented Marketing: Making Owls Appealing
"From the Director of 300 and Watchmen" isn't an ideal tagline for a PG-rated movie aimed at kids.
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.