More than two decades into its digital transition, book publishing has evolved so that a capital-intensive infrastructure is no longer a requirement to successfully develop a book, or a list of books, and bring the books to market. This has resulted … [Continue reading]
A lot has changed in book publishing in the last ten years
I am returning this September to speak at Digital Book World, a conference I helped to found and then programmed for its first seven years. (One motivation to go back is to promote my new book.) The occasion calls for some reflection. DBW itself has … [Continue reading]
The sale of B&N again calls the question of the future of America’s bookstores
The most important question in the world of trade publishing is "what will happen to the book trade", meaning, primarily, the bookstores (but also the other retailers that sell books, the libraries and the wholesalers that supply them). That was the … [Continue reading]
Tamblyn sees a new era for bookselling that might be a new era for publishing as well
Michael Tamblyn, who heads up the Kobo global ebook operation, delivered a brilliant talk at the BISG Annual Meeting last week. The meat of his speech was to instruct publishers in very specific terms how to title, price, release, and identify their … [Continue reading]
Getting an award and getting caught up with innovation with BISG
The Book Industry Study Group, or BISG, is a book publishing trade organization now headed by Brian O'Leary that was formed to be pan-industry. They were preceded by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the American Booksellers … [Continue reading]