On Wednesday night, I helped organize and participated in Digital Book World's second 7x20x21 event at the Bowery Poetry Club, and I had an amazing time! "Return of the Optimists" was co-hosted by the dynamic duo (and two of my publishing partners in crime), Ami Greko and Ryan Chapman, and the other 5 presenters -- … Continue reading Our Bookshelves Are Over-Flowing With Books
Tag: Rant
Generalization Fail
When you’re ranting about the evils of “Big Publishing”, it helps to remember that for every My Life Outside the Ring, there’s also Boneshaker, and The Poetry of Pablo Neruda, and the entire First Second catalog! All of those happen to fall under the Macmillan umbrella. I’m not saying publishing isn’t all screwed up right … Continue reading Generalization Fail
eBooks: The False Dilemma
People will continue to read printed books for a long time, just as some people still watch movies on VHS. But the printed book will be "dead" in a few short years in the sense that the bulk of the adoption curve, the pragmatic majority, will have moved on. --Arvind Narayanan, "The death of the … Continue reading eBooks: The False Dilemma
Do Publishers Still Need Authors?
Just as many entrepreneurs no longer need venture capitalists to launch their companies, authors no longer need publishers to publish. Mark Coker, Do Authors Still Need Publishers? Picture this: In the future, as the risks of publishing shift from the publisher to the author, publishers will be able to invest in technologies that allow them … Continue reading Do Publishers Still Need Authors?
Are Publishers Too White to Survive? Who Cares!
A recent meeting with two Caucasian well-respected literary agent friends of mine cemented that concern when one announced, "We're all the same, [people the publishing industry]. We're all white, we're all over-educated, Ivy-leaguers, many of whom are trust fund babies." Jeff Rivera, Declining Book Sales? WTF? Seriously? This is apparently going to be remembered as … Continue reading Are Publishers Too White to Survive? Who Cares!
New Media’s Credibility Problem
By offering consumers a low cost digital product, the economics of ebooks create a virtuous, self-reinforcing cycle. The low price expands the available market by making it affordable to more consumers; low production and distribution expenses allow the publisher to earn a healthy margin; and the larger addressable market allows publishers to sell more units … Continue reading New Media’s Credibility Problem
Motivational Cliches Aren’t Business Models
"If the people who make the decisions are the people who will also bear the consequences of those decisions, perhaps better decisions will result." John Abrams, The Company We Keep: Reinventing Small Business for People, Community and Place I hate pundits. [ETA: Maybe I should have said I hate Twitter? Update at the end of … Continue reading Motivational Cliches Aren’t Business Models
Marketing Should be Fun(damental)
Marketers have spammed, lied, deceived, cluttered and ripped us off for so long, we’re sick of it. --Seth Godin I love coaching Little League baseball. This is my son's third year playing and I've been fortunate enough to coach his team each year, experiencing first-hand the beauty of playing baseball for no other reason than … Continue reading Marketing Should be Fun(damental)
Bursting the Social Media Bubble
THE_REAL_SHAQ How can u b an expert without legitimate knowledge or legitimate experience Shaq oneal about 9 hours ago from TwitterBerry It's been fascinating watching the odd, mostly one-sided battle going on between so-called social media experts and traditional marketing and PR professionals, as the former continue to pound their virtual drums on a daily … Continue reading Bursting the Social Media Bubble
Amazon Rank, #AmazonFail
I'm probably one of Amazon.com's favorite types of customers, living and working in spitting distance of a Barnes & Noble, Borders and several good independent booksellers, browsing their shelves but doing most of my book buying via Amazon. Over the years, I've spent thousands of dollars with them, on books (and other products) for myself … Continue reading Amazon Rank, #AmazonFail