Random House hired Zogby International to get out there and find out what is going on in the world of reading and book-buying. They polled a little over 8,000 people and here are some of the highlights and lowlights:82% say they still prefer to "curl up with a printed book" rather than reading online or using an e-reader or smartphone.Only 3% of those surveyed currently own an e-book reader, and only 4% have plans to purchase one.A whopping 80% reported that they have no plans to purchase an e-book reader!Independent bookselling did not fare so well in the survey either:The...
In Defence of Amazon : Their New POD Strategy as Opportunity.
Much has been written about Amazon's new strategy of offering print on demand titles sold on their website exclusively through their POD company, Book Surge. Cries of monopoly and unfair business practices have permeated the discourse but there are I believe, potential opportunities for publishers and authors within this new paradigm.Just as the arrival of Amazon changed the bookselling landscape forever their new POD strategy is sure to alter the publishing landscape in similar ways and how the publishers respond will ultimately determine their chance of survival. Will we lose as many publishers as we have book stores?I see nothing...
The Dark Side of Seattle’s Rise in the Publishing World
Is there a downside to Seattle's anointment as one of the most influential cities in the publishing world?Julie Bick's recent piece in the New York Times Book Lovers Ask, What's Seattle's Secret? paints only a partial picture of the effect the new bookselling triumvirate; Amazon-Starbucks- Costco, has had on the world of publishing and its "increasing influence of what America reads."There is no doubting the merits of Seattle as a literary town, books and book culture have played a significant role in the city's rise from an outpost to a leading 21st century city but there is doubt as to...
Beautiful Children for Free
***********************************************Update 3/4: According to Random House during the 72 hours that the book was available to download for free they received:- just under 30,000 pageviews,-20,000 unique visitors-just under 15,000 copies of the book were downloaded.Download results from Amazon and the other publishing partners who participated are not yet available.***********************************************Just days after throwing open their digital doors and committing to DRM-free audiobooks Random House has announced that they will be opening the digital door for printed books as well. The newly released and heavily hyped debut novel by Charles Bock, "Beautiful Children," will be available for free via a PDF download.The...
Dear Bookseller. Marketing the Self-Published Book
This was found in a recently acquired book of poetry by Bill Knott. It was printed on a standard sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, folded and laid in.With the glacial shift underway in the world of publishing one can easily see a wave of similar messages accompanying self-published books. The "review material", the publicity component of the book that is inserted in copies going to reviewers and booksellers, can become a great source of creativity for the self-published author and just might make the difference as to whether or not your book gets read.Knott, an ardent self publisher for...