I just read an email that
contained an updated
publisher's "fact sheet" revealing trends and patterns
that are developing in our industry. It's an interesting list for a
lot of reasons, but the thing that struck me first is how different
it was than statistical analysis of ten or fifteen years ago.
Dan Poynter (Para
Publishing) has probably assisted more people publish their first
book than anyone else. He hasn't updated his online
page of book industry statistics in a few years, perhaps because
so many metrics have changed. I used to print out his “publishing
facts” when I taught adult ed publishing classes and if you intend
to do the same, check your paper tray first: it's a very long survey.
But Poynter's snapshot of
the industry, updated in 2008, presents the industry as I knew it, as
I learned it. Publishing Executive magazine's scope includes
quantifying apps that smartphone users purchase per year, an
interesting number but not one I couldn't live without.
Book printing and
publishing have changed more in the last 15 years than the previous
150 years. It makes no sense to critique today's industry as better
or worse. It's as vibrant as ever and presents new challenges in
presenting and monetizing content. No sooner had publishers adopted
spreadsheets and databases than desktop publishing, Photoshop, web
sites, PDFs, and XML demanded their attention and it continues to
get harder to see the forest for the trees.
You
Can Own a Book, Just Not an eBook
An
Amazon customer in Norway recently had her entire eBook collection
wiped
off her Kindle by Amazon. Apparently she bought books which
Amazon had no rights to sell in Norway. Think she'll get her money
back?
Merger
News
Penguin
(Pearson) and Random House (Bertelsman SE) are discussing merger
plans. Combined they account for roughly a quarter of US
publisher trade revenues, and scale becomes more relevant as heavy
hitters like Amazon try to dictate market terms and conditions.
Profit
Centers
In
an effort to capitalize on its storehouse of intellectual property,
Random House has signed a deal with Fremantle Media to develop
and produce television shows. Random began working
in movies in 2005, although the publisher/media
business model hasn't totally proven itself yet.
Kobo
Goes Indie
Although
not as well known as Kindle and Nook, the Kobo eReader has 10 million
registered users and offers over 3 million eBook titles. A new
agreement
between the ABA and Kobo will make Kobo eReaders and books
available at participating indie booksellers (400 have already signed
on) and create additional and unique revenue streams for those
enrolled.
Going
Paperless is Eco-Friendly?
Some
years ago at a BEA seminar on ecologically responsible practices,
most publishers proudly announced they were working toward a
paperless office. I pointed out that electronic device recycling was
virtually non-existent with crude
dis-assembly in the third world causing major ecological damage.
Now a
New York Times study reveals the eco-cost of data-centers.
Paper may prove to
be a cleaner alternative for data flow and storage, but I think the
debate has already ended.
How
Long has Print Been Dying?
While
the digerati are anxious to throw the last shovelful of dirt on the
coffin of the print industry, it needed
to be pointed out that it's changing, not expiring.
Kodak
Down But Not Out
Kodak
has been a major player in supplying pre-press consumables and
digital presses
for years and continues to serve the print industry even as its
consumer division struggles through bankruptcy. Kodak was a major
exhibitor at last months Graph Expo trade show in Chicago.
How
Printers Think
When
the demise of Newsweek was announced a few weeks ago, printer's
reaction was 1.) who printed the magazine and 2.) how would they
survive? Turns out Quad Graphics, headquartered in Sussex, WI was
the printer and they're just fine, thanks for asking.
French
Critics Hate It, French Readers Love It
Selling
75,000 copies per day, the French translation of Fifty
Shades of Gray has broken every sales record for just released
titles. So much for the myth of innate French fashion sense.
Are
You a Writer That Uses Plot Outlines?
I've
never been good with lists, outlines or budgets but admire people who
can organize their life with such tools. If outlines help you write,
here
are five tools that can help you along.
A
New Meaning of “Content”
While
sorting books donated for the Porter County (IN) Library book sale
an employee made a startling discovery when a
small pistol was found hidden in a pocket carved into the text of
the book.
eNewsletters
and Me
I
still feel a little guilty about switching from paper and ink to
email for this newsletter, but I send it to three times more people
now than then, and email is much less time consuming and hyperlinks
make context so accessible. But this
promotion of eNewsletters talks about clicks and openings? I
should include coupons and start contests? Strange days indeed!
Final
Thought
Until
writing was invented, man lived in acoustic space: boundless,
directionless, horizonless, in the dark of the mind, in the world of
emotion...The
Medium is The Massage,
Marshall McLuhan, 1967
