By Daniel Kalder MILAN: “The problem in Italy and in Europe in general, is that data on e-books is scarce, says Cristina Mussinelli, a digital publishing consultant for the Italian Publishers Association and European member of the IDPF board. “There is no central entity collecting information in an organized way, and the ways in which different countries collect data may not …
Building an Author Platform from Scratch
• Publishers want to work with authors who have an existing audience. • Following-up on last Friday’s article about personal marketing, model, author and self-publisher Isobella Jade, shares how she’s built her own impressive platform. By Isobella Jade Whenever a girl comments on my Facebook page saying she just bought my books, I know it is because she Googled words that …
Behold, It Lives! Frankentext! (Or How Textbook Publishing Got So Scary)
• The textbook, the revered embodiment of knowledge for more than 150 years, had turned into Frankentext, The Monster: overstuffed, overpriced, and unloved. • Eric Frank, co-founder of Flat World Knowledge, explains why and what might be done to thwart the monster. Editorial by Eric Frank, co-founder, Flat World Knowledge (with a little help from Mary Shelley and Mel Brooks) …
Our Evolving Publishing Vocabulary: Why Do We Use the Words We Do?
• The traditional vocabulary we’ve used to describe publishing is breaking down. We now have traditional publishers, digital first publishers, self-publishers, and quasi-professional vanity presses all vying for our attention. • When is it appropriate to use each term? What are the differences? Here, we at Publishing Perspectives will try to explain the words we use and why. Editorial by Edward Nawotka As …
Hong Kong is Eager to Follow the Fashion of Mobile Reading
By Wuping Zhao Reading e-books on Kindle-like e-readers is out of fashion, according to various reports from the 21st Hong Kong Book Fair which was held from 21st to 27th July, 2010. Mobile is the new e-reading platform of choice. Like the Paris Salon du Livre, the annual Hong Kong Book Fair is mainly for the local public to buy …
Disruptive Innovation: What Health Care Teaches Us About the Future of Publishing
By Todd Sattersten In the March 4th, 2010 issue of Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Harvard Business School professor Clay Christensen wrote an op-ed about his views on the then-active debate over health care. The essay was written from his unique vantage point having studied companies and industries faced with the challenges of innovation. Christensen has authored or co-authored five books and countless …
Have Passport, Will Publish: Publishing Expats in Prague and West Australia
By Daniel Kalder In part two of Publishing Perspectives’ series on publishing professionals working abroad, Daniel Kalder, himself a Scot transplanted to Texas via Moscow — talks to two Americans who discuss their experiences working in publishing abroad and how it has enhanced their careers. Walnut Liquor to Warm You Up Erin Ferretti Slattery is managing editor at Channel V …
Career Reinvention for Publishing Professionals
By Andrew R. Malkin NEW YORK CITY: Fifteen years ago, after I already had spent ten years in trade book publishing with three major houses, I thought I had figured out my dream destination: a marketing manager spot under the tutelage of Carl Lennertz, at Knopf. I had held two field sales positions for the Knopf Publishing Group in what …
Best of '09: Analysing the Global Ranking of Publishers
As 2009 comes to a close we wanted to celebrate by bringing you a week’s worth of your favorite articles that we’re run on Publishing Perspectives. We’ll be back on Monday, January 4, with our next new feature. In the meantime, enjoy the best of ‘09 and check our news blog for updates and analysis. Today, industry consultant Rüdiger Wischenbart …
What’s Hot in Romance? E-books, Baby!
By Lori James PALM HARBOR, FL: Digital publishing is a popular topic at the moment, and it should be. During a time when our overall world-wide economy is struggling, digital sales are up, way up. The top selling genre? Romance. At AllRomance.com we’re carefully watching this rapidly shifting market. With over 30,000 romance titles, and close to $3 million in …