Commentary and advice on marketing, mostly for publishers (traditional and brands) and writers, but sometimes from a broader perspective.
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.
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.
"No licensing fees to Apple means we can pay our creators more while offering readers lower prices."
My fantasy publisher would follow a pretty simple equation: Tor.com + Runes of Gallidon + Book View Cafe + Cursor = Awesome!
"From the Director of 300 and Watchmen" isn't an ideal tagline for a PG-rated movie aimed at kids.
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.
Seth Godin's decision to not publish his theoretical next book(s) via traditional channels has caused a predictable stir amongst the pundit class, with proclamations about "The Death of Publishing" coming from many of the usual suspects looking to scare up page views. Predictably, few have acknowledged the unusually nuanced statement Godin actually made about his situation: "The thing is--now I know who my readers are. Adding layers or faux scarcity doesn't help me or you."