Wednesday, August 4, 2010

GrubStreetPrinting Newsletter #18 - August/September 2010


B&N For Sale

Barnes & Noble announced that it will investigate a possible corporate sale to enhance stockholder value.

Kindle News

The introduction of the iPad seems not to have hampered Kindle Reader sales which experienced a sharp increase when the price was lowered to $189.00

Amazon also announced that ebook sales for the Kindle reader have surpassed their sales of hardcover books by a ratio of roughly 1:1.4.

Mid-Year Sales Reports

Sales figures for the first half of 2010 are being released that show that publishers are actively adjusting their market sector mix.

Book Production Methods

While letterpress is no longer commonly used in book printing, even seasoned publishers ask about the differences between offset and digital book production. Here's a primer.

Amazon Exclusive

The Wylie Agency has seized the ebook rights for titles it represents and is offering them exclusively through Amazon, angering brick and mortar bookstores and some copyright holders.

Impressing Booksellers

Suggestions by booksellers for improving publisher relationships with booksellers can be followed on Twitter.

ISBN Info

As more of the publishers I work with are breaking into the industry via digital printing, I've been explaining ISBN numbers more frequently. How much do you know about buying one ISBN number?

Green Printing Tax Credits

Paper mills, printers and publishers may be eligible for federal tax credits under a proposal that would encourage eco-friendly print production. The proposal over-reaches in a few areas but expect a slimmed down version of the credit to become law.

Chasing 13%

Articles in the latest edition of Publishing Executive focus on electronic distribution of magazine content.

Yet in a poll of 1,000 magazine subscribers earlier this year, 87% said they prefer print over digital editions.

Gibson Guitars Busted

Perhaps the first citation under the enhanced Lacey Act protecting rain forest woods occurred when U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel raided Gibson Guitars in Nashville TN and seized office records, computers and wood samples showing Madagascar rosewood was illegally imported for the manufacture of its guitars.

The Gibson CEO sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance.

Do you know where the wood pulp used in your book's paper is from? You need to find out.

Enhanced ebooks

In an interview some years ago I was quoted saying that ebooks would command a set portion of the market until they were capable of sound, video and web links.

Meet the enhanced ebook from Simon & Schuster.


Past GrubStreetPrinting.com newsletters available at http://grubstreetnews.blogspot.com/




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