Publishing Process Management

Au Revoir

2011-11-23T00:48:00.000-05:00

Apologies, but I am putting the blog on hiatus again. My time and energy will need to be devoted elsewhere, and I don't want to blog without really having something to say. Until the next time, I wish you success in all your endeavors.

Don't Change for the Sake of Change

2011-11-09T12:03:00.000-05:00

Change is an interesting thing. It is often talked about and there are books, courses, and probably songs dedicated to it. Most people fear it and even go to extremes to avoid it, yet many, once forced to accept it, often go overboard and change too much. That is change for the sake of change instead of to improve a broken process. Publishing is all about change, and many would say, has been

Expectations

2011-11-02T16:47:00.000-04:00

"X is meant to be tough, but not so tough that you're set up to fail." Last night I said the above to my son, with "x" being replaced with "school," when he was complaining about having too many quizes to study for. I obviously agreed with him in this instance. But the "x" could be just as easily replaced with any number of words, including "work" and "life." And saying this to my ten-year-old

Mea Culpa

2011-10-24T10:56:00.000-04:00

As a mother, I remember having to explain to my son--repeatedly--that it's okay to make a mistake as long as you apologize and learn from it. Now that he's ten years old, I still watch him try to prove that he's right and knows better than the adults in his life. But he's only ten, so that can be forgiven...to a point. As an adult, I own up to my mistakes and respect peers and staff that do so

Children's E-books

2011-10-19T10:02:00.000-04:00

When I upgraded my Nook First Gen to the new Nook Easy Touch Reader, I gave my ten-year-old son my original Nook. I honestly didn't know how many kids e-books were even available: last time I had checked (granted, a while ago) there hadn't been many. Both my son and I were pretty impressed with the selection B&N now had and he quickly bought a few (much cheaper than adult ones) to get him started

The Road Not Taken: from Frost to Jobs

2011-10-11T14:06:00.000-04:00

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken) Have you ever read a poem or heard a song that really resonated within you? One that you could not forget or stop analyzing its meaning? One that you felt was almost written for you? When I first read Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken, it did all

Migrating to Digital Publishing? Answers from the Experts

2011-10-06T09:18:00.001-04:00

(The following article first appeared in Publishing Perspectives.) I attended Publishers Launch: E-books for Everyone Else (presented by Publishers Launch Conferences and The Center for Publishing at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies) in the hopes of getting some answers to the questions I posed in my previous article, Migrating to Digital Publishing? The Six

Future posting schedule

2011-10-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Apologies for my longer than usual silence. Since I want my posts to be meaningful commentaries on either publishing, process, or management--and not just something I put out there twice a week--I will only be posting once a week going forward, aiming for the early part of the week. Until then, have a great week.

E-books for Everyone Else

2011-09-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

(The following article first appeared in Publishing Perspectives.) E-books for Everyone Else was the name of the Publishers Launch Conference, co-presented with NYU's Center of Publishing, that I attended on September 26th. You can check out the program at http://www.publisherslaunch.com/events/launch-new-york/program/. I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. The room was

Senior Management: Misguided or just Disconnected?

2011-09-25T14:16:00.001-04:00

With all the recent CEO terminations, I started thinking about my and my friend's experiences. And although one can argue that the CEO owns and drives the corporate culture and senior management team (aka, the Board), it's often a chicken-and-egg syndrome and all are partially to blame when things go wrong. So are senior management teams misguided...or just disconnected? In my opinion, it's a

Time Management and Focus

2011-09-22T17:23:00.000-04:00

Content may be king, but its cousin Information has gone slumming and is now available to all. Having too much to do has become the norm, so how do you contend with that in addition to the information overload? Constant e-mails, meetings, tweets, blog posts, etc.--all necessary for you to stay on top of your job/industry and all vying for the limited time you have. How is one to manage?

Playing to Your Strengths

2011-09-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned Marcus Buckingham and his books in previous posts. The book he co-authored with Curt Coffman, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently is what first introduced me to the Strengths Revolution and what inspired me to stay true to myself and my strengths at a difficult time in my life. This weekend I read his latest book, StandOut, after taking

Quality

2011-09-14T11:26:00.000-04:00

One of my recent bosses, who came to publishing via another industry, once commented that for a business that talks so much about quality, it's surprising how ill-defined and controlled it is. With the recent errors abounding in e-books, I hate to admit that I agree with her. Yes, publishing is no longer an old boy’s club where the wealthy enter it for the prestige—or for something to do—and

Repetition

2011-09-12T10:06:00.000-04:00

Although repetition is a good thing when it comes to education and positive feedback, it is a bad thing when it come to work and productivity. So let's do an exercise together. Is there something you find yourself doing over and over again at work? If not, keep reading so that you can help your neighbor or spouse; if yes, answer these questions with that task in mind. What is the purpose of

Migrating to Digital Publishing? The Six Key Questions to Ask

2011-09-08T11:03:00.001-04:00

(The following article first appeared in Publishing Perspectives.) The publishing industry is not generally known for being agile or quick to change, yet it is facing one of its biggest times of change probably since the invention of the printing press. At the heart of this is the migration to digital. Prior to this migration, a time-tested process and structure existed for getting books

Motivation and Corporate Culture

2011-09-05T12:01:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had to rank attributes in the order they're most important to you? This may have been for self-assessment purposes or to prepare for an annual review, and each company's version is probably almost interchangeable. Do you remember what was most important for you? Is that still the case? I'm a big proponent of any activity that helps you know yourself better, since succeeding at

Know Thyself

2011-09-01T10:22:00.000-04:00

Growing up and beyond, we've all gotten conflicting career advise. The two extreme camps seem to be to make a career out of what you love or to make a career out of what makes money or sense, regardless of whether you hate it or not. My preference is somewhere in between. Making a living doing what you love sounds great, but what if-- you're not good at what you love? there's no way of

Improved Workflows: Schedules and Systems (Parts 2 and 3)

2011-08-30T09:46:00.000-04:00

Since I was asked to write about this for Publishing Perspectives (original article can be found here), I am copying the remaining two parts below for your convenience. Step Two: Schedules Before you go down the “speed to market” route, here are a few things to consider: Is this actually good for the business? In other words, will this help you sell more books? I remember a

Improved Workflows: Aligning Expectations (Part 1 of 3)

2011-08-25T09:01:00.000-04:00

Although there is no one workflow that will fit all products and purposes, I have decided to write about the three problems that, in my experience, happen across products and companies. There are far more than three things necessary for an efficient, streamlined workflow, but these three will give you a head start. You can contact me for more. Let's start at the beginning: aligning

Publisher Value Add

2011-08-22T10:15:00.000-04:00

Back in the day, prior to e-books, when an author "self published," this was done via a "vanity press" and was never taken seriously. With the advent of POD (print on demand), this preconception was challenged, but not severely. Then came e-books. It is now easier than ever to publish something you've written, and to do it on your own. There are many blogs and courses out there that will teach

Feedback

2011-08-18T10:58:00.000-04:00

Feedback is a wonderful thing, and when it comes to business models and process, it's pretty straightforward: when something doesn't work, there's a problem and you know it. When it comes to people, giving feedback is anything but straightforward. Whether you're a manager, team leader, colleague, parent, teacher, friend--and we're all at least one of these--at some point you will have to give

Choose Your Own Features E-Book

2011-08-16T10:30:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been reading and thinking a lot about enhanced e-books. It's amazing what publishing and technology people are thinking of putting into e-books: from hyperlinks and social media to videos and music. And who knows what else is to come once the hardware, software, and workflows can keep up. But what if you just want a straight e-book? What if you liked the

Micromanaging

2011-08-13T23:17:00.002-04:00

Micromanaging is bad both for the employee and the manager. It's obvious why from the employee's point of view, so let's focus on why it's bad for the manager. When a manager micromanages, it could be one of countless reasons, but at their root is really only two: control or lack of trust. The manager either prefers to keep control of all aspects and have it done their way, or he mistrusts his

Process Improvements: Learn from the Repeats and the Gaps

2011-08-11T15:00:00.004-04:00

Many of us find ourselves doing something that doesn't make sense, just because that's the way it's been done. Either it's the way you were taught to do it--either at home or on the job--or it's the way you taught others to do, but for whatever reason, it's no longer working. What's the quickest way to fix this? Study these two areas for ideas on how to improve this process: Where do you

Another Interpretation of Enhanced E-Books

2011-08-08T15:21:00.000-04:00

I've been reading about and listening to a lot of web casts on enhanced e-books, thanks to Digital Book World's E2BU (their Enhanced E-book University) and a somewhat whimsical idea came to me. I know that some people love the feel and smell of books and would hate to lose that. I also know that some luxury publishers, like my last employer, actually use really expensive materials for their

What Type of Production Editor Are You?

2011-08-05T13:17:00.000-04:00

Since I was fortunate enough to attend MediaBistro's Career Circus yesterday, I came away with a lot of food for thought on careers and what one should look for in a job. One of the top debates of the day was doing what you're passionate about versus what you're good at, and I'm a firm believer of a mix of the two: it's easier to do well if you do something you're good at, but try to do it at a

Blog Revamped

2011-08-05T01:05:00.005-04:00

It has been almost two years since I last blogged, and publishing has not stopped "transforming," nor will it anytime soon. Since there are so many blogs to read on what's happening in the industry (I know since I'm trying to at least skim much of it daily), I decided that reposting what others have said adds no value. Instead, I will post about what I know: the publishing process, in

blog on hiatus

2009-08-23T23:31:00.004-04:00

Due to personal and professional demands on my time, I have decided to put this blog on hiatus for the time being. I hope to be able to pick it up again in the future, but until then...keep reading, keep working, and keep your mind open to the ever transforming world of publishing.

Does Digital Cannibalize Print? Not Yet.

2009-08-09T01:29:00.001-04:00

(Andrew Savikas, August 7, 2009) One of the big risk factors publishers think about when it comes to digital books is that they will cannibalize print sales. Factor in the lower prices we're seeing for ebooks, and it's a quite reasonable concern. Looking at data on sales

University Presses Stepping Up e-Book Efforts

2009-07-20T12:33:00.001-04:00

(By Calvin Reid -- Publishers Weekly, 7/17/2009) In separate announcements, a coalition of four university presses have received a planning grant to study the feasibility of a collaborative scholarly e-book program, and the University of Chicago Press announced a multi-faceted program to make 700 e-books available immediately. A coalition of presses from New York University, Rutgers, Temple and

My first e-textbook experience: Big disappointment from Pearson

2009-07-14T22:52:00.002-04:00

(Teleread, By Ficbot) I’ve just had my first e-textbook experience, and if this is what the future of e-books in education looks like, color me disappointed. The course is an on-line summer credit offered by a somewhat local university. I have taken one such course every summer for the last three years to add various teachables to my teaching credentials, and in the past, the course has

The Summer of E-books

2009-07-07T18:23:00.003-04:00

Ditto Book Digital Reading Device Hits the Market By Calvin Reid -- Publishers Weekly, 7/6/2009 7:49:00 AM With the release of the newest handheld digital reading device, the awkwardly named Ditto Book (Digital Interface Total Text Organizer), this has truly become the summer of the e-book reader.The Ditto Book is a nonwireless e-book reading device that looks a bit like the Amazon Kindle 2 but

Preparing to Sell E-Books, Google Takes on Amazon

2009-07-05T12:46:00.001-04:00

By MOTOKO RICH Google appears to be throwing down the gauntlet in the e-book market. In discussions with publishers at the annual BookExpo convention in New York over the weekend, Google signaled its intent to introduce a program by that would enable publishers to sell digital versions of their newest books direct to consumers through Google. The move would pit Google against

Pearson Answers Schwarzenegger’s Call for E-Textbooks

2009-06-21T00:27:00.000-04:00

(By Craig Morgan Teicher -- Publishers Weekly, 6/18/2009) Last week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed replacing school textbooks with e-books in order to help plug a state budget gap. Now, textbook giant Pearson has responded with digital content to supplement California’s programs in biology, chemistry, algebra 2, and geometry. In a statement made recently, Schwarzenegger said

McGraw-Hill Education Announces Digital Initiative

2009-06-16T17:20:00.000-04:00

Programs will cultivate critical thinking and teach students ways to use the Internet for problem-solving By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 6/16/2009 8:04:00 AM Hearst Corp. is developing its own wireless e-reader that may debut this year. From Fortune: According to industry insiders, Hearst, which publishes magazines ranging from Cosmopolitan to Esquire and newspapers including the financially

eBook Evolution: Amazon and Google on Different Paths

2009-02-22T19:27:00.001-05:00

(C. Max Magee at The Millions, 2/12/09)Amazon sucked the all the air out of the literary room this week with its announcement of the new iteration of its Kindle reading device. That the announcement was coming had been no big secret to anyone paying attention and pictures of the device had been floating around online for at least five months, but nobody seemed to mind. The Kindle is just about

Google Buys a Paper Mill

2009-02-15T20:15:00.000-05:00

Google continues to find new ways to influence the publishing industry. Stora Enso, a global paper, packaging and forest products company with facilities in more than 35 countries, announced yesterday it has agreed to sell its Summa Mill site in Finland to Google for approximately $51.7 million. Google is expected to convert the facilities into a center for data storage.The sale should close by

Google in the News

2009-02-07T23:09:00.002-05:00

Too much to say, not enough time, so I'll just point you to the relevant articles (or at least three of them since I'm sure there are many more out there):Get Your Head Into the CloudsGoogle and Amazon to Put More Books on CellphonesGoogle Opens Mobile Access to Public-Domain BooksAnd what do you think will be Google's next big initiative?

The Perseus Books Group Launches Mobile Editions

2009-01-31T22:56:00.001-05:00

(Book Business Magazine, 1/30/09)The Perseus Books Group (PBG) announced its first mobile book editions. Working with Incelligence, a mobile phone application provider, PBG now will offer mobile editions of the following titles: "Wine Enthusiast Pocket Guide to Spirits," "Quit: Read This Book and Stop Smoking," "Your Pregnancy Week by Week," and a Spanish-language version of the pregnancy guide,

Books Unbound

2009-01-25T11:42:00.001-05:00

(Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009, By Lev Grossman)Here's a literary parable for the 21st century. Lisa Genova, 38, was a health-care-industry consultant in Belmont, Mass., who wanted to be a novelist, but she couldn't get her book published for love or money. She had a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard, but she couldn't get an agent. "I did what you're supposed to do," she says. "I queried literary

O'Reilly and XML

2009-01-17T22:58:00.003-05:00

I was fortunate enough to attend O'Reilly's StartwithXML Conference at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium. The focus of the conference was how publishers can get on the xml bandwagon, with pointers from publishers already doing so.Since PW posted a great article on the conference, I won't repeat what they've covered, but I will mention the few points that stand out in my mind:To save costs, xml is only

The Terrible Burden of Destiny

2009-01-10T23:09:00.004-05:00

(By Bob Sacks)6 guidelines publishers need to consider while pondering their futures.As we move forward in this economic recession, it is important to remember that while some processes may be slowed, others will continue to fling us forward and create both unexpected opportunities and, depending on your perspective, unfortunate struggles to simply survive. We are faced with, some might say, “the

The Future of Dedicated eBook Readers

2009-01-06T23:41:00.000-05:00

(Joe Wikert's Publishing 2020 Blog, 12/30/08)BusinessWeek recently published an insightful article called Move Over Kindle; eBooks Hit Cell Phones. After reading it I feel I need to make a confession: My enthusiasm for the Kindle has dramatically shifted to the iPhone. There. I said it. It feels good to come clean.Don't forget that I'm the guy who was so bullish on the Kindle that I started a

Turning Page, E-Books Start to Take Hold

2008-12-24T16:57:00.000-05:00

(NY Times, 12/24/08, By BRAD STONE and MOTOKO RICH)Could book lovers finally be willing to switch from paper to pixels? For a decade, consumers mostly ignored electronic book devices, which were often hard to use and offered few popular items to read. But this year, in part because of the popularity of Amazon.com’s wireless Kindle device, the e-book has started to take hold. The $359 Kindle,

47 Tips for Cutting Costs Without Cutting Staff

2008-12-21T00:30:00.000-05:00

(Book Business, James Sturdivant, 12/1/08)With a battered economy dragging down just about every retail sector, a salient fact making headlines has been the ability of discounters to maintain sales growth—a sure sign that the “Wal-Mart Effect” has permeated every corner of the business world, and that raising prices is probably not the way to realize profits. This leaves cost-cutting, which, for

I see the light...

2008-12-21T00:18:00.000-05:00

Everywhere I turn, publishing professionals are concerned with the state of the economy and our industry, and wondering how long their own jobs will be secure. When asked my opinion, I have said one of two things, depending on the context:publishing is not dying, it's just evolving, and hopefully for the better;without excess inventory and returns, our industry would be a lot healthier.Although

Digital Directions: Does Design Matter in Digital Distribution?

2008-12-13T22:46:00.000-05:00

(By Andrew Brenneman, Book Business)An important characteristic of digital content is its ability to deliver to multiple platforms simultaneously—to print, Web and mobile channels. Invariably, the same content will look different when viewed on various output devices, and it should. Each device has its own display characteristics, and the design of the presentation should be optimized for that

Don't judge a book by it's cover...or by it's container

2008-12-04T17:41:00.001-05:00

I recently finished a spin-off series by an author I've been following for a while, and since I enjoy her books so much, I logged on to find and buy the original series this was based on. To make a long story short, the publisher--a major publisher who I will not name--let this go out of print and did not reprint her backlist when this new series came out.I understand that in this economical

Q&A With Co-Creator of Classics iPhone E-Reader

2008-11-30T20:01:00.000-05:00

(Mac Slocum, November 26, 2008)We've covered iPhone-based e-readers in the past, but the Classics application offers a few twists: it's not free, and the app's book content is updated along with the software itself. Classics co-creator Phill Ryu discusses the application's design and development in the following Q&A. Why did you develop a book-centric application? When we started comparing the

BoSacks on the State of the Publishing Industry

2008-11-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

In the current economic times, all industries are suffering and all jobs are a little less stable, yet publishing seems to be getting the brunt of the recession since, for many, it represents a luxury and not a need.I have always believed, and still do, that although publishing as-we-know-it may be on the way out, the industry is not, nor never will be; BoSacks says this brilliantly on the

RH Unveils POD Collection

2008-11-23T22:22:00.000-05:00

Random House is to begin marketing its print-on-demand titles as a distinct list, Random Collection, in January. Random is launching a dedicated website, which will be interactive and searchable and there will be a launch list of 750 titles with further books added throughout the year.Deputy group sales director Faye Brewster, who is co-ordinating Random Collection, said: “We have a massive

Don't Pull the Plug on Print Yet

2008-11-16T14:28:00.000-05:00

(C) 2008 Business NH Magazine. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved - Business NH Magazine Jack Cummings has been around the printing industry for pretty much all his life. His grandfather stalled Cummings Printing in 1914. Young Jack forged his printing career working after school and during the summers, toiling in the mailing department, bindery and the pressroom.

HP Partners with Timsons on New Digital Inkjet System for Book Production

2008-11-08T22:14:00.000-05:00

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP has announced a partnership with U.K.-based Timsons, the world's largest book press manufacturer, to develop a digital inkjet system for short- and medium-run book production. According to HP, the new solution will be designed "to take digital book production beyond niche applications to mainstream production."Next year, European book printer CPI will be installing an

Vanishing Paper in Higher Education

2008-11-04T10:45:00.001-05:00

(Posted: 03 Nov 2008 02:40 PM CST) Christopher Conway has a thoughtful essay at Inside Higher Ed on the seemingly inevitable trend towards digital text consumption:"It is becoming increasingly easier to put together affordable 'readers' or anthologies culled from existing print material without bypassing rights and fees and without overloading students with unnecessary expense. If this

Google, Authors Win

2008-11-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

Google is coughing up $125 million to US authors and publishers for the right to include excerpts from over 4 million out-of-print books in its online search results.The pact - two years in the making and still subject to court approval - settles a pair of copyright-infringement lawsuits brought against the company in 2005 over its Google Book Search service.Most publishers already have deals in

What If Amazon Bought Borders?...

2008-10-26T17:40:00.000-04:00

Be honest. Isn't that a question you've asked yourself a time or two over the past several months? I read this New York magazine article again last night and when I hit this part I wondered about it all over again:Recently William Ackerman, a major Borders shareholder, suggested they should sell to Amazon instead (of B&N). That probably won't happen, but his reasoning is clear. Barnes & Noble

I Own Every Great Book Ever Written and They Are All in My Pocket

2008-10-25T20:41:00.000-04:00

Perhaps that is a slight exaggeration, but it feels that way. For years now, I have used my Palm TX as my primary way to read books. The only exception to that reading pattern in the last two years has been the "Harry Potter" books, which are not available in a digital format. When I give my lectures on the future of publishing, I invariably reach into my pocket and tell the audience proudly that

The Textbook Evolution

2008-10-20T00:26:00.000-04:00

It's going to happen. It's just a matter of time. Far too many parents and students are up in arms over the cost. I'm talking, of course, about the current state of the textbook industry. Here's a related article I read earlier today from The Christian Science Monitor.I'm always thrilled to see textbook publishers who are looking to innovate, so I was particularly delighted to see the efforts

Lots of E-Reader News

2008-10-11T20:06:00.000-04:00

Flexible E-reader to Be Presented at FrankfurtPolymer Vision announced that it will present its Readius—the “first pocket e-book reader”—at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which will run Oct. 15-19. The new device will feature a flexible display and a wireless connection for downloading books, magazines and even e-mail. The Readius is about the size of a cellphone when it’s rolled up, and unrolls into a

From Print to E, Some Items To Consider

2008-10-05T15:54:00.000-04:00

September 29th, 2008, by Kassia KrozserExcept for the annoying crashes that require hard restarts (which require the acquisition of a paper clip), I’m pretty happy with the Kindle reading experience. It’s not a device that will light the world on fire, nor is it the “iPod of ereaders” (stop with the dumbness, people). It’s a good gateway device, however. The next generation of ereader will surely

BoSacks Speaks Out: On E-Ink, Esquire and Mankind

2008-10-04T20:08:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here with my copy of the October issue of Esquire with the now famous e-ink cover. I thought I would take a moment to reflect on what it is and what it isn't. So what is it? It is a flashing billboard on the cover of a magazine. It flashes the message "The 21st century begins now." It's somewhat glitzy and underutilizes the real possibilities and significance of e-paper. But it is

5 Better Inventory-Management Tips for Book Publishers

2008-09-28T23:19:00.000-04:00

Mike Shatzkin, founder and CEO of New York-based The Idea Logical Company, offered book publishers a number of tips on making more intelligent inventory-management decisions at the 2008 Publishing Business Conference in New York. A better approach starts with regularly collecting and analyzing data that is available to each and every publisher, he said.“Most of the major accounts to which

An Alternative to Destroying Overruns: A Q&A with Books for Asia Director Melody Zavala

2008-09-27T20:35:00.000-04:00

The Asia Foundation is providing publishers with an alternative to incinerating or pulping overruns and excess stock. Through its Books for Asia program, which the foundation started in 1954, publishers may instead donate these books for distribution to remote and impoverished areas throughout the Asian continent.Books for Asia delivers nearly one million books and educational resources to 17

College Bookstores to Offer Ebooks through Kiosks

2008-09-27T20:30:00.000-04:00

Mac Slocum, September 26, 2008 Seven college bookstores will soon offer movies and ebooks through in-store kiosks. From the Chronicle of Higher Education: Movies will be the first product offered at the kiosks, which are scheduled to appear at seven stores next month.

Publishing and the New Yorker

2008-09-20T23:56:00.000-04:00

So all week I kept hearing about this article that foretold the death of publishing as we know it. I first heard it from an editor at work, then several NYU alumni at our meetup. Each time I made a mental note to Google it as soon as I could and then forgot, given the crazy week I had. So after forgetting it for the third time, I was surprised when my husband pulled our copy of The New Yorker out

Perseus Announces New “One-Stop” Digital Publishing Service

2008-09-13T23:40:00.001-04:00

The Perseus Books Group, publisher and provider of sales, marketing and distribution services to independent publishers, announced this week the launch of a new digital publishing service called Constellation, which will enable independent publishers to offer their content in a variety of digital formats—including e-books, online content sampling services and digital files for

Will Sony's new device spell the end of the traditional book?

2008-09-07T00:23:00.000-04:00

IT IS small enough to fit in a handbag or a large pocket – but contains the contents of around 160 books. The race to convert book-lovers to electronic novels will intensify on Thursday with the launch of the £199 Sony Reader.But writers are split on whether the gadget will ever challenge

Facing Today’s Manufacturing Woes

2008-08-30T21:36:00.000-04:00

(By Alex Brown of Publishing Executive)Publishers are being buffeted by cost increases on all fronts, and while there are no magic wands to wave, we can gather round to share our sorrows and consider a few basic cost-control tactics.The latest blow is a 10-percent to 12-percent increase in ink prices announced by ink suppliers. Printers will differ in their implementation of this, but if yours is

Choose Your Own Adventure E-book?

2008-08-23T21:29:00.000-04:00

James Bridle of booktwo.org discusses what to me, and to another of his readers, sounds like the Choose Your Own Adventure series via e-book:Imagine a book that told a different story every time it was opened. The story might change depending on the gender of the reader, or the sex. It might depend on the location of the reader, or the position of the book in time; the time of day, or time in

Combating Rising Costs: United Business Media’s SVP Manufacturing on Her Company’s Cost-Reduction Strategies

2008-08-23T21:24:00.000-04:00

(Book Business, August 22, 2008)With magazine publishers increasingly feeling the crunch of rising paper, postage and gas prices, Publishing Executive Inbox checked in with Marie Myers, United Business Media’s SVP of manufacturing, about the effects these costs are having on the global media company, and some of the cost-reduction strategies it’s employing going forward.Inbox: How much of a

Can a New Startup Profit From Offering Free Textbooks?

2008-08-17T22:13:00.000-04:00

Flat World Knowledge Co-founder Eric Frank on his new vision of publishing.(By Peter Beisser, BookBusiness, August 15, 2008)Nyack, N.Y.-based Flat World Knowledge, which launched this month, publishes free and open college textbooks online, with the option to purchase alternate formats of its content, including print and audio, and other study aids. While offering university-level course material

Mega Printers: Pros and Cons

2008-08-10T18:53:00.000-04:00

From the buyer’s perspective, there are pros and cons in working with a mega printer (a printer that represents $500 million or more in sales volume). Print Buyers Online.com’s (www.printbuyersonline.com) major print buyer members, of whom 60% give business to mega printers, recently shared their thoughts on the subject. Here are some of the reasons why buyers consider it an advantage to work

Free Textbooks?

2008-08-03T23:36:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 03 August 2008 Free textbooks coming near you Brittani Lusk - Daily Herald