Tag Archives: publishing

Enjoy reading, support writing

Want to support writing on the web while still having a great reading experience? Check out the latest Readability, a subscription-based reading platform that allows you to read wherever you are while directly compensating publishers and writers.

How it works: Readability detects your device to optimize your customizable reading view for articles on the web. You can also save articles for later and share your reading list with others. A portion of your subscription fees (70%) then goes directly to the content creators.

Of course, the original (and free) Readability add-on is still available.

Coming soon to a bookstore near you

I love going to the movie theater. There’s the smell of the buttery popcorn, the familiar routine of bickering over where to sit with my husband, and then the lights dim and my attention is captivated—it’s time for the movie trailers.

That sneak peek at special effects, snappy dialogue, and carefully crafted score promotes upcoming movies to an audience who are highly likely to come back for the rest. So what happens when you take that experience and translate it to books?

I have been coming across more and more book trailers lately, and it makes me curious about the strategy behind them. These are online videos for traditional books, promoted by both authors and publishers. It’s a creative idea, especially when a video link is easily shareable on social networks and the like. Here are a few examples:

What do you think—does a book trailer make you more likely to buy and read the book, or are you satisfied with the sneak peek?

Choose your own appventure, publishing edition

Actor and comedian Stephen Fry is proving his love of technology with the release of volume two of his autobiography, The Fry Chronicles, as a hardback, e-book, iPhone app, and audio book.

Why the variety of publishing platforms? Jeremy Ettinghausen, digital publisher at Penguin, explains:

“We’ve created the perfect format for dipping in and out of and exploring books in a more playful way. […] the design and technology have allowed us to create an experience that would not be possible in print, and discover a new way to present an author’s work.”

The iPhone app, dubbed myFry, includes the entire autobiography, but has a color-coded index so readers can read sections in any order. The app and the e-book also include additional photos and eight videos of Fry discussing events in the book.

Fry isn’t the first writer to take advantage of digital publishing. In July, Japanese author Ryu Murakami announced a deal with Apple to release his new novel directly to the iPad — bypassing his traditional print publisher completely. A Singing Whale (Utau Kujira in Japanese) will include video content set to music by Academy Award-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. And in August, marketing entrepreneur and author Seth Godin announced that he’s no longer publishing his books the traditional way.

“[…] my mission is to figure out who the audience is, and take them where they want and need to go, in whatever format works, even if it’s not a traditionally published book.”

It is yet to be seen how many writers will choose to follow Murakami’s and Godin’s lead. After all, these are two established authors (Murakami has published more than 15 novels, Godin has published 12) with devoted audiences, so their decision isn’t as risky as it would be for a lesser-known writer. But the number of authors experimenting with digital publishing will only continue to increase given the interactive content options and the demand for books on both e-readers and mobile devices. It will be interesting to see which of the four platforms will be the most profitable for Fry — numbers that I’m sure other authors will be watching closely as they consider the future of their own publishing endeavors.

E-readability

If you’re in the market for an e-reader and you’re concerned about readability, check out the test recently conducted by usability expert Jakob Nielsen where users were asked to read a short story by Hemingway on four devices: PC, iPad, Kindle 2, and printed book.

ereader-readability2

Users hated reading on the PC because it reminded them of work, but the tablets actually scored higher than the printed book in terms of satisfaction—even though the printed book won out in reading speed and level of relaxation. Nielsen predicts a promising future for e-readers as technology continues to close the readability gap. Check out his site to learn more about the study’s methods and findings.

Gourmet lives on in new app

Condé Naste made headlines last fall when it announced the closure of four magazines, including Gourmet. The oldest culinary magazine in America, which ceased print publication and moved entirely online, is now making another move in the digital publishing world with the launch of the Gourmet Live app.

Gourmet Live will bring together the usual print content—articles, menus, and photos—with interactivity such as videos, social networking, location-based technology, and monetization structures typical in gaming. While Gourmet Live won’t launch until later this year, Condé Naste has already released a preview of what’s to come.

President and CEO Charles H. Townsend had this to say about the new digital content:

By focusing on a new way to meet consumer needs, tap into our deep branding, and approach our content differently, we came up with a product that reimagines Gourmet and revalues engagement. We approached this like a tech company, utilizing the rich assets of a media company, keeping Condé Nast at the forefront of content innovation.

Part of that revaluation of engagement is the rewards concept of the new app. Tagged as “your reward for exploring great food and good living,” the app will be a free download with paid content options. Users will also be able to earn rewards by connecting and sharing the content with their friends via sites like Twitter and Facebook.

This app is pretty daring when you consider that just nine months ago, Gourmet was following a fairly traditional publishing model. At the time, Townsend said, “We know that we have to be more than simply a magazine publisher.” It looks like Condé Nast is doing just that, starting with Gourmet Live.

Weekend showdown: Amazon vs. Macmillan

It was a busy weekend in the publishing world after the unveiling of the iPad last week sparked a showdown in the e-book market between Amazon and Macmillan.

amazon-macmillan

In an effort to pre-empt Apple’s challenge to their share of the e-book market, Amazon reduced their e-book publishing cut from 70% to 30% one week prior to the iPad announcement. However, in order to get the higher royalty option, authors must acknowledge Amazon as a publisher, grant licensing rights to the company for the Kindle publishing platform, and let them set the e-book price — no higher than $9.99.

Macmillan, one of five publishers who has partnered with Apple, met with Amazon on Thursday to request the price of e-books be raised from $9.99 to about $15 to prevent book devaluation. Amazon response? To remove all books published by Macmillan — e-books, hardcovers, and paperbacks — from its site on Friday, excepting those available from third party sellers.

In a statement to its authors, illustrators, and agents, Macmillan CEO John Sargent said:

In the ink-on-paper world we sell books to retailers far and wide on a business model that provides a level playing field, and allows all retailers the possibility of selling books profitably. Looking to the future and to a growing digital business, we need to establish the same sort of business model, one that encourages new devices and new stores.

[...] It also needs to insure that intellectual property can be widely available digitally at a price that is both fair to the consumer and allows those who create it and publish it to be fairly compensated. [...] Our disagreement is not about short-term profitability but rather about the long-term viability and stability of the digital book market.

The move by Amazon was met with anger and frustration from the literary community as the news of the “Amazon Fail” quickly spread online. Amazon was silent on the matter until Sunday:

[...] We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan’s terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books.

Amazon customers will at that point decide for themselves whether they believe it’s reasonable to pay $14.99 for a bestselling e-book. We don’t believe that all of the major publishers will take the same route as Macmillan. And we know for sure that many independent presses and self-published authors will see this as an opportunity to provide attractively priced e-books as an alternative.

In their carefully worded capitulation statement, the company shows they believe customers will side with them by refusing to pay $14.99 for an e-book. Some people have commented on the statement with support for Amazon’s “pro-consumer” model and $9.99 price cap, citing a “Macmillan Fail“. Others support Macmillan and believe $14.99 is a fair price. Only one thing is certain: the weekend battle may have ended, but the war is far from over.

Apple’s latest innovation: the iPad

There was much discussion (and premature, unsanctioned confirmation) about what must-have, can’t-live-without product would be revealed at this year’s Apple conference. On Wednesday, CEO Steve Jobs officially introduced Apple’s take on the tablet: the iPad.

apple-ipad

Apple’s latest “magical and revolutionary device” was met with both oohs and ewws. Design and tech specs aside, let’s take a look at some of the reactions from publishing and branding perspectives.

Digital reading

The publishing industry continues to evolve as traditional print practices are challenged by the demand for online content. With the iPad, Apple is making sure it’s a part of that shift:

Apple isn’t just entering the e-book reader market — it’s also challenging Amazon with its new bookstore app, iBooks. Publishers Penguin, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Hachett have already made deals with Apple.

What’s in a name?

As for the name of the new tablet, my initial reaction to “iPad” was “iNotepad”. But the negative responses to the name choice should give Apple pause:

The tablet won’t start shipping until late-March, which gives the company time to listen, react, and hopefully improve upon people’s first impressions. What was yours?

Condé Naste and Disney make publishing news

Gourmet Magazine ceases print publicationThere has been some big news in the publishing industry recently, beginning with Condé Naste announcing the closure of four magazines. Gourmet, the oldest culinary magazine in America, will cease print publication after a final November issue, but continue to offer content via its website. Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride are also being shut down.

Magazines and newspapers alike continue to struggle to generate profits with print publications — and print ads.

[...] publishers can no longer rely on the traditional print advertising model alone to see them through to profits. [..] Not only is the future of print in adapting to new models, be it digitally or beyond, but it also will be about finding several revenue streams from their content to offset losses from advertising, and rethinking the old — and sometimes cost inefficient — processes for producing magazines.

But as nice as “go digital” sounds as a solution, there is still the issue of how to generate revenue from online content. Should it be ad-based? Subscriber-based? Will readers pay for online content? These are just a few of the questions that are debated as publications move online and e-publishing continues to grow. Now the industry will have a big-name example to potentially follow: Disney.

Today The Walt Disney Company launched a subscription-based website — DisneyDigitalBooks.com — where it offers hundreds of digital children’s books for $79.95 a year. Users can choose stories that they read themselves, or follow along on the screen as voice actors read the books to them.

By pursuing a subscription online model — as opposed to focusing on downloads and sales for devices like the Kindle — Disney is placing a specific bet about where the children’s market is going, at least in the next three to five years. The move could send ripples through this corner of publishing, if only because of the size of Disney, which annually sells 250 million children’s books.

Disney’s plan is to utilize the online space to lead into other areas of the market that were previously unavailable to them, such as language learning. But as more content is being made available digitally, there are some fears that the increase in electronic publications will lead to widespread online file sharing and abuse of copyright, causing the publishing industry to suffer the same fate as the recording industry.

From choosing a revenue generating plan to choosing the best medium for their content, it’s clear that magazine, newspaper, and book publishers have many hard decisions ahead of them. It will be interesting to see how successful the industry is as a whole at adapting their business strategies to the digital world.

Open Editor Position at MSU Press

The Michigan State University Press has an opening for an Editor.

Job duties: Assists managing editor in team environment to expedite the publication process for highly specialized scholarly journals; follows established work flow for assigned journals from manuscript delivery through print and dissemination, including copyediting of electronic files; assists with production of marketing and advertising materials; tracks conference schedules and sends related shipments according to required timeframes; assigns and monitors student projects.

The deadline to apply is Jan. 29, 2009. Visit www.jobs.msu.edu for more information. The posting number is 2925.

Good luck!