POD Repercussions

Authors at first only signed away print rights. When publishers started seeing the advantage of keeping derivative rights, those became a matter of negotiation. Now, due to POD technology, will authors have to fight for reversion rights?

Traditionally, once a book's out of print for so long, the author gets his/her rights back. But what's "out of print" these days when publishers can always print on demand? And should this count?

Simon and Schuster, as reported by The New York Times article "Publisher and Authors Parse a Term: Out of Print" (see full article below), has changed their contracts accordingly, much to the dismay of the Authors Guild.

May 18, 2007

By MOTOKO RICH

When is a book out of print?

A change in standard contract language at Simon & Schuster could effectively alter the answer to that question, and the Authors Guild, a trade group that says it represents about 8,500 published authors, is urging writers and agents to exclude the publisher from book auctions because of it.

Traditionally, if a book falls out of print, authors are contractually allowed to ask their publishers for their rights back so that the author can try to have the book republished somewhere else.

Until recently, that has meant that if a book was not available in at least one format — hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback being the most common — or if sales fell below a minimum annual threshold, it was deemed out of print.

But with the advent of technologies like print-on-demand, publishers have been able to reduce the number of back copies that they keep in warehouses. Simon & Schuster, which until now has required that a book sell a minimum number of copies through print-on-demand technology to be deemed in print, has removed that lower limit in its new contract.

In effect, that means that as long as a consumer can order a book through a print-on-demand vendor, that book is still deemed in print, no matter how few copies it sells.

The Authors Guild says that is not fair. “If a book is only available in print-on-demand, it certainly means the publisher isn’t doing much to promote the book,” said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild. “We’re not against the technology; we’re just against the technology being used to lock up rights.”

Mr. Aiken said that authors often ask to take back the rights of out-of-print books so they can place them with new publishers and give their work new life. He cited the example of Paula Fox, a novelist who had six out-of-print novels when Jonathan Franzen, the author of “The Corrections,” cited her work in an essay in Harpers Magazine. Ms. Fox took back the rights for her novels, resold them to W. W. Norton and revived her career.

Adam Rothberg, a spokesman for Simon & Schuster, said that the publisher was acknowledging advances in technology that made it easier for readers to order books on demand. “We’re anticipating that it’s only going to get better and that this is the best way to make our authors’ books available for consumers on a large-scale basis over the long haul,” Mr. Rothberg said.

The agent David Black said, however, that in reality, if a book is available only through print-on-demand, “an author’s book is going to be available in dribs and drabs.”

He added: “If there is the possibility that I can take this book and place it somewhere else where somebody is going to publish it more aggressively than on a print-on-demand basis, shouldn’t I have the opportunity to do that?”

Mr. Aiken said he was not aware of any other publishers who had made similar changes. Stuart Applebaum, a spokesman for Random House, which owns imprints that include Doubleday and Crown Publishing, said: “Our authors’ opportunity to have the publication rights revert back to them should their books go out of print remains unchanged.”

Jamie Raab, publisher of Grand Central Publishing, said that its contracts allow writers to take back rights if royalties in any format fall below a certain threshold.

Mr. Rothberg said that Simon & Schuster would continue to talk to authors who wanted their rights back, regardless of changes in contract language. “We’ve always been willing to have the discussions with agents and authors if there comes a time when they feel they need to have a book reverted to them and they can make a compelling case to us that it should be so,” he said.

What do you think is fair?

Romance Goes Digital

Harlequin Readers Find New Ways for Romance with Technology from LibreDigital
(Book Business, 4/23/08)

AUSTIN, Texas– April 23, 2008 – Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. has selected the LibreDigital Internet Digital Warehouse solution to provide readers with new ways to access Harlequin titles across digital channels, including online and mobile. Beginning April 2008, Harlequin will make some of its most popular series—such as Harlequin Presents and books by New York Times bestselling authors like Debbie Macomber, Heather Graham and Mercedes Lackey— available for browsing online.

“Romance readers are having a love affair with digital,” said Brent Lewis, Vice President Internet & Digital, Harlequin. “With technology from LibreDigital, we can give readers an experience similar to walking into a bookstore and flipping through a book to make their purchase decision. We were the first trade publisher to offer our entire front list in eBook format and now our new Browse the Book and widget functionality powered by LibreDigital will offer our broad base of readers fresh ways to interact with, share and enjoy the stories we have to offer.”

Harlequin sold over 130 million books in 2007 and publishes more than 120 titles a month in 29 languages. Romance novels have proven to be one of the most popular categories of digital publishing, and Harlequin titles regularly top eBook bestseller lists. Beginning this month, Harlequin will use LibreDigital technology to provide readers and authors with a variety of new options to virally spread favorite book titles throughout the Internet, including on author websites, blogs and social networks.

“Harlequin readers are some of the most loyal and active in the industry,” said Craig Miller, Vice President and General Manager of LibreDigital. “Working together with Harlequin, we are giving both traditional and new audiences a way to enjoy their favorite books when and how they want.”

E-Galleys?

New Service Digitizes Galley-Distribution Process
(Book Business, 4/28/08)

Rosetta Solutions Inc., a Seattle-based publishing services company, announced last week a new product that will connect publishers and “professional readers” while streamlining the galley-distribution process. The online initiative, NetGalley, enables book publishers, reviewers, media, librarians, booksellers, bloggers, educators and others to access and share content and information about new book titles.

NetGalley will be launched commercially May 28 at BookExpo America in Los Angeles. Rosetta Solutions says it has already received commitments from book publishers including St. Martin’s Press, Hachette Book Group, Bloomsbury USA and Sourcebooks to participate in the service’s pilot program. In addition, Publishers Weekly has agreed to be the first major media organization to use NetGalley, making the service its preferred method to manage galleys.

“We are delighted to be here at the beginning of this terrific program,” says Matt Baldacci, vice president, director of marketing and publishing operations, St. Martin’s Press. “NetGalley will make our interaction with Publishers Weekly more efficient, and has the potential to show cost, resource and environmental efficiencies. These benefits are good for PW, the publishers that will join the full roll-out, and the industry in general.”

With NetGalley, publishers are able to connect with bloggers, use modern tools like e-galleys and print-on-demand, and promote their titles to an expanded universe of professional readers—including media, online reviewers, bloggers and specialty publications, without the cost of producing and distributing physical galleys.

“The response from publishers to support this initiative has been extraordinarily positive,” says Ted Treanor, CEO of Rosetta Solutions. “NetGalley selected this group [of publishers to participate in the pilot program] for their diversity of size and publishing type, and their willingness to innovate. We’re counting on these partners to help us continue to refine NetGalley.”

"Management" Systems

I remember when about three jobs back, the company I was working for at the time invested in a "digital asset management system." Since they were a medical publisher who often reused images, this made sense. By the time I left the company, which was more than half a year later, several trainings had been held but DAMS, as they called it, was not up and running. I hear that they're finally using it.

At my most recent company, they invested in a "file management system" called K4. K4 is product supported by MEI (Managing Editor, Inc.) that is being used by more publisher all the time. It works with Adobe InDesign and InCopy and allows files to be trafficked via the K4 File Manager as opposed to manually, via paper, as was traditionally done.

After working with K4 for two years, I can say that there are pros and cons to this as to all content management systems. For the company I worked for, the major benefit was version control and file security: many little files and/or packets were being trafficked and often lost, necessitating work to be redone and more time and money spent. So in this sense, K4 allowed process streamlining and efficiency.

On the other hand, since the company was a custom publisher dealing with client demands and last-minute changes, and many non-tech savvy editors, in order to make a deadline we were often forced to revert to the tried-but-true paper trafficking. We were also a cross-platform company--editorial were on PCs while art/production were on Macs--which caused needless font and art problems.

I am still a proponent of CMS and held repeated K4 trainings for my staff and the rest of the editorial department. And although day-to-day workflow will be affected by deadlines, one should not give up on long-term efficiencies that can be improved with new technology.

Fanfic 2.0 and QC

Fans have been writing their own spin-offs for years, but now they can actually publish it for real? At least Dilbert fans can. See below for what TOC had to say about this:

"Dilbert" Embraces User-Generated Content

Peter Brantley
April 23, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Dilbert" creator Scott Adams and his distributor, United Media, are supporting user-generated content through Dilbert.com. Visitors can rewrite captions and redistribute the results, and the full "Dilbert" archive will eventually be available for free. From Webware:

I asked Adams why he and United Media are opening up the Dilbert intellectual property like this, and he sent me a response by email: "We're accepting the realities of IP on the Internet, and trying to get ahead of the curve. People already alter Dilbert strips and distribute them. If we make it easy and legal to do so, and drive more traffic to Dilbert.com in the process, everyone wins. Plus it's a lot of fun to see what people come up with in the mashups."

And this brings up another point. In this world of ever-growing self-publishing, who will QC the content that is "published," whether to the web or to POD? Traditionally there are editors, copy editors, and proofreaders to do so, and often this entails two to three different set of eyes reviewing the content at least two to three times. If the author can skip the publisher, will he/she also skip the QC?

Personally, I hope not but I haven't picked up any self-published books for that reason. As my friends know, after having been on the managing editorial side of the business for over ten years, I have a mental red pencil that does not quit even when I'm reading for pleasure. And if a book is too error-ridden, I will return it on principle.

But I am far from the average reader, and if the authors succeed in cutting out the publishers, it will be up to the readers to demand quality. It wil then be up to publishers to adapt and work with the authors, perhaps as co-partners...perhaps as HarperCollins is trying with its new imprint?

Until next time.

All-in-one device?

We now have monitors that can serve as both computers and TVs; phones that can be both planners, phones, and music players; and e-readers that can be either phone/blackberry-like or their own devices.

And with each new advancement, some will resist the change while others will embrace it. For example, Joe Wikert explains on his blog why he ends up reading so much on his BlackBerry:

Blackberry Reading

The WSJ's Lee Gomes recently wrote an article about reading books on a Blackberry. It's something I originally tried on a 7100t but met with disappointing results. My 7100t died last year though and I wound up switching to the larger 8700g (shown on the left).

Ever since then I've found myself using the Blackberry for more reading than ever before. It's amazing how much the reading experience improves when you go from the 7100t screen to the slightly larger 8700g. Besides the larger screen, the major reason I find myself reading on a Blackberry is the reason Gomes cites in his article: You have the thing with you, so you might as well make the most of it.

I can't tell you how many times I've stood in line in a store, pulled out the Blackberry and started reading. One of my favorite selections: Book summaries from getAbstract, which I might add are available in a simplified PDF format that are ideal on a Blackberry. In fact, I recently read two summaries while waiting for an oil change; now that's productivity!

Other content sources I've dabbled with include DailyLit and Mobipocket, which also offers a free Blackberry reader.

I think that all media is moving to an all-in-one device, and I'm probably not the first to think so. But with the advent of e-readers, I think that this will include publishing as well.

Picture this: You sit down in your living room in front of your large flat screen monitor and instead of a remote control, pull your wireless keyboard to you. You flip through all the options--watch, call, read, browse, etc.--and decide you'd like to continue reading the book that you began on your way home on your BlackBerry...

Given the advancements that are occurring every day, I don't think this is so far- fetched or so far off.

Until next time.

E-Books

Ebook Format Primer

Liza Daly
April 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Amid all the recent ebook news, many publishers may still be unclear about the different formats and devices. How do ebooks actually get made? What changes need to be made to existing workflows to enable content distribution to ebook devices? We've put together this primer to help clear things up.

The simplest solution, of course, is to partner directly with the ebook manufacturers and let them take care of the details. These partnerships must be drawn up for each new platform and publishers are at the whims of the device-makers' terms of use. Innovative publishers may want to first experiment on their own and be prepared to shift platforms strategically: this means ebook distribution must fit into existing workflows. Although some of the formats below support digital rights management, consider eschewing DRM in favor of flexibility and cross-platform support.

Let's start with the major devices first:

1. The Sony Reader primarily uses Sony's proprietary Broadband eBooks (BBeB) format for documents with DRM but also supports RTF and non-DRM PDF. Sony does not provide any official tools for end users to convert to BBeB although at least one unofficial open source tool can convert HTML to BBeB. The most flexible non-DRM formats are RTF and PDF. Microsoft Word can readily save to RTF and Microsoft offers detailed instructions on converting from XML to RTF, but pure open-source alternatives are not mature. XML to PDF conversion has stronger open source support but files may need to be specially tweaked for optimum display on the Reader.
2. The Amazon Kindle uses Amazon's proprietary AZW format, which supports DRM. There are no tools available to directly convert to AZW, but AZW is a wrapper around the Mobipocket format and DRM-free Mobipocket files can be read on the device. Mobipocket documents can be created using a free (but not open-source) tool called Mobipocket Creator. As if the format wars weren't confusing enough already, "Mobipocket DRM" is not the same as AZW, and files created as Mobipocket DRM cannot be read on the Kindle. Mobipocket Creator does have a "batch" creation mode which could be integrated into an existing workflow, but the software is Windows-only. The Kindle also supports HTML and Word documents, but not PDF.

Specialized readers aren't the only way consumers may be viewing ebook content. Ultra-portable laptops like the Eee PC and OLPC XO are price-competitive with standalone readers. (I have an OLPC and reading by the pool in bright sunlight is quite a joy.) The next version of the iPhone is expected soon, and while the first edition was already a serviceable reader, the next version is likely to be more so, and to reach a wider audience.

All the devices listed above, except the Sony Reader, can read a common format: HTML. If XML is already a part of your workflow, converting to HTML is trivial. If not, HTML is a worthwhile investment for a number of reasons:

1. XHTML is the standard markup for book content in OPS/.epub. .epub support is just getting off the ground but is expected to become widespread.
   
2. If your publishing workflow includes HTML, your organization is able to distribute content to dozens of devices in addition to the open Web.

HTML is also the lingua franca of online search engines, and inclusion of partial or full HTML books will attract casual surfers and can drive community engagement with your content. Whether it's BBeB or AZW that becomes the Betamax of the next decade (and one, if not both, will be obsolete by then), HTML conversion is guaranteed to pay off in the foreseeable future.

Social Media

Social media is no longer for the teenyboppers alone. Whether you're looking to find a new job, network, advertise, or just reconnect with friends, it's all about social media. This topic came up at the Book Business Conference last month and apparently it was discussed at the London Book Fair as well, as posted on Publishing Talk. And Jon Reed makes an interesting point: social media can be the equalizer for the small publishers, if they only dare embrace it.

I think social media also allows new writers to gain publicity without much cost. I'm on both Facebook and GoodReads, and I've been contacted on both by new writers. Blogs can also help both the writer and the small house gain presence...and get readers to feel vested by allowing them to connect and comment.

I guess, if you think of it, fanfic and TV-based forums were the precursors to this. What do you think is next?

Until next time...which unfortunately won't be before Tuesday.

Let's play monopoly

I remember when Amazon first hit the Web, with its useful recommendation database. My husband and I spent so much money buying books on it that we joked about buying shares. Then Amazon became about more than books--and now they're trying to dictate how books ought to be produced.

The Kindle is a nifty device, not perfect nor the only e-reader out there, and Amazon has aggressively marketed it, which is as should be. The problem is that the Kindle requires their proprietary software.

Then Amazon tried to monopolize the POD market by announcing that only books printed through their own BookSurge enterprise can be sold via their site, otherwise five copies would have to be on hand, which defeats the purpose of POD.

So in my eyes, Amazon is no longer playing nice and is trying to strong-arm the industry that helped it become what it is today. I like how Tim O'Reilly states this on his blog:

It is a free-market economy, and competition is the name of the game. But as Amazon's market power increases, it needs to be mindful of whether its moves, even those that may be good for the company in the short term, are ultimately destructive of the ecosystem on which they depend. I believe that they are heading in that direction, and if they succeed with some of their initiatives, they will wake up one day to discover that they've sown the seeds of their own destruction, just as Microsoft did in the 1990s.

At O'Reilly, we have a motto: "Create more value than you capture." It's a wise motto for companies far bigger than we are to adopt. If you do that, you ensure a healthy ecosystem. If you capture more value than you create, watch out, because stagnation is on the way.

Amazon has, so far, created huge value for the publishing ecosystem. Now, as they become more powerful, they need to be especially watchful that they don't irreparably damage an industry on which they too depend.

Until next time.

Where do I see publishing going?

There are as many opinions on the future of publishing as there are different types of publishing, and only time will tell who's right or wrong. I also believe that where each sector of publishing will go will be determined primarily by its readers and its purpose.

For fiction book publishing, where the primary purpose is a good read, I believe that the Kindle and other e-readers will not take over the market. Instead, POD will become cheap enough that there will be POD kiosks in large retailers. One will either walk over to a POD "atm" and order and pay for a book that will be printed while you wait, or one can order and pay online and then walk over to the kiosk later and pick up the book. Wiley has actually taken the first step towards this by announcing that they plan to have "travel kiosks" in Border stores.

For non-fiction book publishing, it will depend on whether the book is narrative in nature or for reference purposes. If the former, then I believe the kiosk approach will work for them as well; if the latter, then the search functions offered by e-readers would be invaluable and will therefore outweigh the benefits of the tried-and-true paper format.

For journals, magazines, and newspapers I believe that it's only a matter of time before e-paper technology takes over. For those of you who aren't familiar with e-paper, see Wikepedia's definition below:

Electronic paper, also called e-paper, is a display technology designed to mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike a conventional flat panel display, which uses a backlight to illuminate its pixels, electronic paper reflects light like ordinary paper and is capable of holding text and images indefinitely without drawing electricity, while allowing the image to be changed later.

There are several different technologies to build e-paper, some of which can use plastic substrate and electronics, so that the display is flexible. It is considered more comfortable to read than conventional displays. This is due to the stable image which does not need to be constantly refreshed, the large viewing angle, and the fact that it uses reflected ambient light. It has a similar contrast ratio to that of a newspaper and is lightweight and durable, however it still lacks good color reproduction.

Applications include e-book readers capable of displaying digital versions of books and e-paper magazines, electronic pricing labels in retail shops ^[1], time tables at bus stations ^[2], and electronic billboards ^[3].

Electronic paper should not be confused with digital paper, which is a pad to create handwritten digital documents with a digital pen.

Since journals, magazines, and newspapers all have a predefined page length, which tends not to vary too much between issues, e-paper would allow a reader to buy the e-paper version once, and then have the latest issue uploaded at a lower subscription rate. Eventually e-paper will be able to handle high-resolution photos as well as the black-and-white ones, so that won't be a deterrent for the high-end magazines and journals.

With the ever-increasing cost of PPB (paper, printing, and binding), the new technology is definitely a way for both the publisher and the consumer to save money. But there will always be readers, like myself, who prefer the feel of a book in the hand rather than another screen to stare at. And if along with the cheaper POD kiosks there are bins to return the book--perhaps even with a rebate like Staples is now offering for returned cartridges--then the paper can be recycled and reused.

And as a speaker said at the Book Business Conference I went to recently, "the future is here today."

Until next time.

Changing Jobs and Job Titles

What Will Your Job Be Called 10 Years From Now?

Publishing Executive, April 11, 2008 (original link attached)

I was at one of my favorite industry gatherings today—the Publishers Production Forum. This special group of production directors never fails to have some of the best and most pointed dialog anywhere to be found in our industry.

Today’s meeting was no exception. During the meeting I heard the following exclaimed, “Prepress: It’s 10 percent of the budget and 90 percent of the talk.” You know that is true. I will add an additional thought of my own. What do you still consider prepress? Is what goes onto the Web with no parallel print component still considered prepress? If not, what is it? Let me take that question for you publishers and production people one step further. Do you production people still consider your job to be a manufacturing job? Is that what you really do? Do you still manufacture widgets in the shape and form of magazines, or are you more and more moving electrons rather than hard atoms. Clearly, 10 years ago directors of manufacturing moved hard atoms. They used industrial strength manufacturing technology to make things and ship them. What percentage of your job would you still define as making and shipping tangible “things?”

What will your job be called 10 years from now? Will you be DIM? Digital Infrastructure Management?

Here are a few more questions. Who is placing the ads now? Who is sending completed pages? Where are these pages being sent? How much of this process is going to be digitized with no human intervention, in either the print world or the Web world?

And lastly, how and where do you define your role in the publishing pecking order process?

Introduction

First let me introduce myself.

My name's Karina and I've worked in publishing for over ten years now: first in STM (scientific, medical, technical), then in trade, and most recently in educational publishing. Along the way I went back and got a Master's in Publishing from New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

None of the above necessarily makes me an expert in the field, but between all my experience and all the e-newsletters I've signed up for, I decided to start a blog on what I've read and or noticed.

And there are definitely major changes occurring now in the ever transforming world of publishing. Just in the last few months, Barnes and Noble changed their return policy, HaperCollins announced the launch of its no-advance-no-returns imprint, and Amazon keeps trying to monopolize both the POD (print-on-demand) and E-reader markets.

So as I read something...or have a random thought...I'll post it, and please feel free to correct me, if you think I'm wrong and/or to share your thoughts. You know what they say about continuing to learn until the day you die...

Until next time.