By Edward Nawotka, Editor-in-Chief
We want to hear what you think about the future of publishing. So fill in the following mad lib, replacing the blank spaces with your own words.
With ___________ the publishing industry and book market will likely _________. For most publishers the worst thing to do is __________. My best advice would be ___________.
Please copy and paste your response in the comments below. Also be sure to include your name, profession and position. The best responses will be reprinted in our Frankfurt Book Fair editions.
[Note: Thanks to Bloomberg Businessweek for the inspiration!).
9 Comments
With the current madness and fear the publishing industry and book market will likely broaden. For most publishers the worst thing to do is to copy the indies. My best advice would be completely rework the business plan to cut costs and move corporate offices and operations out of New York City.
With all its diversity, the publishing industry and book market will likely evolve differently in different sectors. For most publishers the worst thing to do is to assume that what happens in one sector, like trade publishing, will happen just the same way in another sector, like scholarly or textbook publishing. My best advice would be to know your own sector well and watch closely what your chief competitors are doing.—Sandy Thatcher, Director Emeritus, Penn State University Press
With increased focus on specialization the publishing industry and book market will likely be increasingly for niche markets. For most publishers the worst thing to do is to underestimate the power of authors and illustrators as key business partners. My best advice would be to provide authors and illustrators training and tools to become active players in your company.
With toilet paper the publishing industry and book market will likely swallow. For most publishers the worst thing to do is barf. My best advice would be skip!
– Lara Starr, Publicist
Chronicle Books
PS: Don’t know about y’all, but this is how Mad Libs always eneded up when I was a kid
With amazing foresight, urged on by the adventurous spirit of marketing executives and shareholders alike, the publishing industry and book market will likely sign up the latest bumper crop of tedious ramblings from Z-list celebrities, secure in the knowledge that as Christmas approaches, literary aficionados will be vastly outnumbered by those out looking for a last-minute stocking-filler for Uncle Bert who doesn’t really read much anyway. For most publishers the worst thing to do is encourage new talent. My best advice would be to make sure all those nice shiny dust jackets are somewhat reminiscent of those for Nifty Shades of Whey (or whatever it’s called).
With a little bit of love, imagination and opening of closed minds, the publishing industry and book market will likely rise above it’s current stagnation and fly like a proud eagle once more, instead of the overweight, tired-looking pigeon it has become. For most publishers the worst thing to do is continue following what everybody else is doing for a quick buck. My best advice would be chill out, take a gamble once in a while, smile and remember why you got into doing this in the first place. Peace out.
Chris White. Poet, Writer, Illustrator, Performer. Also does a paper round.
With foresight the publishing industry and book market will likely make an effort to look for new authors. For most publishers the worst thing to do is to continue to rely on the traditional and the known quantity to the exclusion of others. My best advice would be to give additional new talent a chance. Who knows how many best sellers might be found.
Rosemarie Kaupp
Author
The Amberella Tales: Amberella in the City
With excellent writing being routinely ignored for the safety of formulaic trash, the publishing industry and book market will likely fade away in its traditional form and be replaced by less monolithic structures representing a broader, more dynamic range of written material to satisfy an increasingly diverse demand. For most publishers the worst thing to do is what they are presently doing. My best advice would be to stop doing it, and if they can’t, try fading away as gracefully as possible, for like human aging, the inexorable inevitable is upon them..
With new, revolutionary ideas and publishing concepts, such as the Angry Birds Books from Rovio, the publishing industry and book market will likely grow dramatically. For most publishers the worst thing to do is to stick to “traditional publishing” . My best advice would be to look for new authors, new brands and new international literature – there are plenty of excellent authors & characters in Finland to be explored, such as Angry Birds, Leena Lehtolainen, Ricky Rapper, Johanna Sinisalo and many others.