Poll: Who is Driving the Digital Transition in Publishing?

In Discussion by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson Brian Wafawarowa, Executive Director of Publishers’ Association of South Africa, told Publishing Perspectives: I do not think that the e-book shift is being proactively driven by publishers, but by consumer demand. The shift to or inclusion of e-books is still something publishers begrudge. Publishers are comfortable with the analog book and would like to continue that way. …

Following Recent Events, Will You Explore the Mid-East and North Africa for Opportunities in 2011?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

The landscape for publishers to explore the Middle East and North Africa for opportunities has never been better. By Edward Nawotka Earlier this month on Publishing Perspectives Egyptian e-book publisher Ramy Habeeb argued that Western publishers had a responsibility to bring “pluralism” to the Middle East publishing community, something they can do by participating in the rebirth of the free and open …

Are You Using Enhanced Metadata?

In Discussion by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson So we’ve got metadata to tell everyone what our books are called and who wrote them, but now there it’s possible to include enhanced metadata, like media reviews, author bios and jacket copy in your metadata entries. Our feature story today looks at what enhanced metadata is and what it can do for your book sales. As …

Survey: E-book Usage in Publishing

In What's the Buzz by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson Inspired by the presentations and discussions at Digital Book World, Publishing Perspectives has created a short survey on e-books for the folks who work in publishing. Please take a minute to answer the questions below. We’ll post the results shortly! Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

Which Gadget is on Your Holiday Wishlist?

In What's the Buzz by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson The holidays are upon us! We are all eyeing up that growing pile of presents and wondering what is inside each box. Are you hoping for a new digital camera or a sleek iPod nano, the one with a touch screen? Perhaps you’ve hinted to your family that the price of e-readers has gone down and reminded …

Take our Enhanced E-book Survey

In What's the Buzz by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson Inspired by today’s discussion question, “Which E-book Enhancements Do You Prefer?” (and some interesting comments about integrating Google Earth into e-books), we have set up a new, two-part survey. We’re asking you to tell us which e-book enhancements you think are the best. If you don’t see your favorite enhancement on this list, leave a comment! The …

Poll: Do You Assign Individual ISBNs to Each E-book Format?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead story, Erik Christopher looks at the various issues publishers have to face when considering whether or not to assign individual ISBNs to each and every e-book format that they publish. No consensus answer to the question has emerged, so for this week’s Publishing Perspectives poll, we wanted to know how you handle e-books and …

PP Weekly Poll: How Should Publishers Price Newly Released Ebooks?

In What's the Buzz by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson There is a price war going on in the UK. Apple, Amazon and customers are putting pressure on publishers to lower the price of ebooks. Authors and agents want higher royalty rates and higher ebook prices. Publishers need to cover the costs of using new technology and potentially losing hardcover sales to lower-priced ebooks. Ebook sales continue …