The annual winter lull
book printers deal with each year is coming to an end and the
printers we work with are reporting a sharp uptick in pricing
activity and order entry. Look for schedules to start to stretch out
a bit. You can assure that your title gets the best possible ship
date by checking and rechecking your files before submission.
Requesting an improved schedule only to get bogged down in pre-press
is as frustrating to the printer as it is to you.
This month's article on
“The Beauty of Print” reminds us that graphic design wasn't
perfected in the last decade, or even the last century. The timeless
beauty of the Bibliodyssey link displays paper and ink artwork from
rich, textured Gothic to light, delicate Minimalist interpretations.
Book
Sales Climb
The
American Association of
Publishers has announced a new monthly sales report, StatShot. In
its first report, trade book sales for January were up 27%,
Childrens/YA was up over 60% for conventional books and 475% for
digital editions.
Black
Liquor Tax Credit Lives
Black
liquor, a paper mill by-product, has long been converted to energy by
paper mills. A few years ago paper producers were surprised to learn
that the conversion qualified them for energy tax credits. It was
thought Congress would end the credit, but an
Idaho Senator thought otherwise.
Shocker
Smart
phones and tablets haven't found their audience in terms of content
yet, because social networking
and games account for 74% of their usage. Content grabs just 11%.
Magazines
Retail Sales Slump
As
those in the book business attempt to analyze the fallout from
Borders closing all of its stores in the summer of 2011, the magazine
industry reports that newsstand
magazine sales fell around 10%, with some like Vanity Fair losing
over 20%, in the ensuing six months.
Novelist
Discusses eBooks
Jonathen
Franzen considers
the value of paper and ink books in contrast to eBooks and
concludes that eBooks are damaging society.
Dangerous
Books
The
re-established Occupy Wall Street library in Union Square was raided
by the NYPD and virtually all of the books
were confiscated just days after the library had re-opened after
the last police raid.
McNally
Jackson
One
of my favorite publishers posted a link to a Soho
bookstore that had purchased an Espresso
all-in-one book
making machine for self publishers. It ain't cheap, but, hey,
it's NYC! McNally Jackson has also offered
support as well as a meeting place for the Occupy Wall Street
folks.
The
Beauty of Print
I
got an email from another printer the other day with the subject
line, “Don't make print as dull as digital media.” I was reminded
of that when I discovered Bibliodyssey,
a site so lush and large it will take a long while to survey its
display of the creativity and beauty of paper and ink.
End
of an Era
Once
considered the sine
qua non
of reliable research for term papers ,the Encyclopedia Britannica has
halted publication of its paper and ink edition and will only be
available online. The 2010 edition, at 32 volumes and an impressive
129 lbs., is the final edition and is
available, along with the companion 26 volume Student Encyclopedia,
for $1,995.00. The “copy and paste” term paper is now
inevitable.
Europe
Revisited
Sometimes
when a new title is reviewed, my first thought is, “That's so cool!
Why didn't I think of that!” Douglas Mack's Europe
on 5 Wrong Turns a Day retraces
his parents travel through Europe roughly fifty years ago,
relying on Frommer's Europe on $5 a Day
as their, and ultimately his, trusted guide.
Tips
for Freelance Writers
An
editor for The New York Times Magazine offers
tips on how to deal with editors who read, edit, and select
freelance submissions.
Hunger
Games Trilogy Book Sales
While
the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collin's book opened third best in
opening week-end sales, (behind another adaptation, first place in
opening sales, Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 2)
the significant icrease (see “Book Sales Climb”) in January's YA
book sales could be due to the
nearly 37 million total copies sold since publication of Collin's
trilogy.
Final
Thought
Having
your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into
bouillon cubes. - John LeCarre
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