Elves Off the Shelf: Parody of Bestseller Approved by Judge

In Children's by Dennis Abrams

By Dennis Abrams The busy worker elves at F+W Media and its Adams Media line are undoubtedly breathing a heavy sigh of relief (and counting their more than $167,000 in anticipated profits). CCA and B, the publisher of the best-selling title, Elf on the Shelf, had filed suit in June against the media company asking for a temporary restraining order …

Is the Print-and-Pray Model of Book Publishing Dead?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Publishers typically can’t predict bestsellers. Wouldn’t a better model be to bring the customers to them first? Today’s lead story looks at F+W Media’s development of vertical market communities. The traditional model of book publishing has been “horizontal”: print, distribute (usually through intermediaries), publicize and hope for the best. The “vertical” model is predicated to a large …