By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead story about Neal Stephenson’s The Mongoliad, writer Michael Bhaskar asserts that the projects represents “the next business model for publishing.” The project enlisted a team of top writers, working with computer programmers and business development personnel, to create an elaborate and sophisticated ‘verse in what, ultimately, amounts to an open-ended “conversation” with readers. Unlike a …
What is Your Greatest Fear for the Future of Publishing?
By Edward Nawotka Eric Frank, co-founder of Flat World Knowledge, describes the bizarre evolution of the contemporary textbook into “Frankentext,” — what he calls a “overstuffed, overpriced, and unloved” monster. To Frank, the current academic publishing scene is a horror story. Of course, Frank is not alone in looking across the book publishing landscape and seeing monsters. For some, it’s …
What is the Publishing Equivalent of Brain Surgery or a Heart Transplant?
By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead story we describe how changes in health care can teach us about the future of publishing. One argument says that smaller, inexpensive services don’t need the infrastructure of a big hospital (or publishing house) to be done well — read the full article for an explanation. But there are services that only a big …