Editorial by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez The year 2010 will undoubtedly be the year of “e,” but it’s not going to stand for e-book; it will stand for experimentation. Experimentation with contracts, rights, formats and distribution channels; experimentation that will certainly include e-books, and rightfully so, but they won’t be the central focus — for publishers nor readers. Upon the Kindle’s …
A Free Library for Every Family (in Sharjah)
By Chip Rossetti SHARJAH, UAE: While many countries would like to encourage a “culture of reading” in their citizens, perhaps no government has taken a more direct role in promoting reading than the United Arab Emirate of Sharjah, through its official initiative known as “Knowledge Without Borders.” Conceived under the auspices of the ruler of Sharjah, H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan …
Bonus Material: Knowledge Without Borders’ Top Ten Reasons to Read
By Edward Nawotka In March, Marwan J. Al Sarkal, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee of Knowledge Without Borders project in the UAE emirate of Sharjah (as described in today’s lead article) acknowledged, “Nowadays, we all spend so much time in front of our computer and TV screens that reading is dying as a pastime.” He added, “When people stop …
Let’s Go to the Mall (For a Book Fair)
By Edward Nawotka AL AIN: In the United Arab Emirates book fairs have traditionally been held outdoors in what amount to open air bazaars, so in 2006 when the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair was moved indoors to the city’s new high tech exhibition hall, it was a break from the norm. Today, KITAB — the organization responsible for the …
Hugo Chávez’s Color Coded “Revolutionary Reading Plan”
By Emily Williams No friend to publishing (see our earlier coverage here) Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez has nevertheless started to implement his four-part color coded “Revolutionary Reading Plan.” Announced in May, the goal of the project as stated by the Venezuelan government, is “the democratization of books and reading, with a new conception of reading as a collective act under …
Bonus Material: How to Increase Word of Mouth by 29,900%
By Siobhan O’Leary Liebestänze – Der Trailer BERLIN: Author Rainer Schmidt has taken the art of word of mouth to a whole new level. Instead of relying on a friends, family members and the staff of his publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, to talk up his book, he took the concept literally and filmed 300 people in Germany — ranging from DJs …