Ownership vs. Access: Which is More Important?
In less than a week, I’ve already spent more money on PoxNora—the “free-to-play” virtual card game I raved about earlier this week—than I have on ebooks all year long. If you include all of my Steam purchases (effectively the Kindle of computer gaming) over the past six months, it’s more than I’ve spent on ebooks ever!
New Obsession: PoxNora
I never got into Magic: The Gathering, but I did play a lot of Pokemon and VS., so the appeal of collectible card games (aka, social gaming!) isn’t new to me, and Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is one of my all-time favorite games, so turn-based tactics is right up my alley, too. Combine them with an impressively deep setting, beautiful artwork, and a slick (if not totally intuitive) deck virtual management system, and you have a winner.
Spinning Dominoes: Don’t Believe the Hype… But DO Learn From It
Not quite one year to the day it was announced, Seth Godin is shutting The Domino Project down, offering the awkward explanation that “it was a project, not a lifelong commitment to being a publisher of books,” instead of, perhaps, admitting that publishing is harder than it looks if you want to swim at the deep end of the trade pool in the middle of a dramatic transition, as he obliquely acknowledges in many of his noteworthy takeaways.
A Little of This, A Little of That
Interestingly, after a brief dip in activity, I’m finding myself rejuvenated on Twitter, partly driven by my increased activity on Google+ where engagement is much higher and more substantial. Twitter surfaces the interesting content, while Google+ offers a platform to have real conversations. Facebook, meanwhile, is about 3-6 months from being completely dead to me, regardless of who continues to use it.
Here Comes the [Black] Spider-Man?
In light of Marvel and DC’s continued inability to introduce new superheroes with diverse backgrounds, a full generation after everyone wanted to “be like Mike” and Will Smith became a bankable leading man, what does the furor over Morales say about the state of comics and their place within pop culture?
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.
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.”
Comics Publishers Recognize Digital Opportunity
If there’s one area of publishing where the “game-changing” hype around the iPad has substance, it’s comic books. While comics have been in digital formats, legally and otherwise, for years, few would argue that Apple’s sleek tablet is the first platform to offer an optimal digital reading and purchasing experience, from comiXology’s innovative Guided View
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.
Can Digital Expand the Audience for Comic Books?
From a fragile network of brick-and-mortar direct market retailers and the often fickle tastes of hardcore, social media-savvy fans, to online piracy and the tantalizing possibilities of the iPad, comic books have been out on the bleeding edge of the digital transition for years. While some comics publishers have had success expanding beyond the limited