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February 8, 2010
Live Webcast: From the Frontlines of the E-book Wars
From the debut of the iPad to MacMillan’s challenge of Amazon’s pricing model for Kindle book downloads, the news in recent weeks on the multiple fronts in the electronic publishing revolution has raised many questions and heightened concerns for the future of our industry. Without any doubt, E-books Wars is the first break-out story of the year in book publishing. And we can expect it to remain a leading headline-maker throughout 2010.
As host and producer for “Beyond the Book,” I take seriously our commitment at the non-profit Copyright Clearance Center to serve authors and publishers with innovative licensing solutions that lead to expanded markets and systems that facilitate content reuse. The Beyond the Book series strives to be a premium resource for knowledge on the latest business issues facing today’s dynamic publishing industry - from initial research to final publication, and beyond.
On Wednesday, February 10, from 2 to 3 p.m., I look forward to hosting a special live streaming edition of “Beyond the Book” that will look at all sides of the e-book story and what future battles in the e-book wars may bring to the print and digital marketplace.
Joining me will be the leading journalists and analysts who have been covering the war:
- Andrew Albanese, features editor at Publishers Weekly
- Sara Nelson, Books Editor, “O” Magazine
- Brian O’Leary, Founder & Principal, Magellan Media Partners
- Mike Shatzkin, Founder & CEO, The Idea Logical Company, Inc.,
Here’s the really exciting part for me. On Wednesday, for the first time at “Beyond the Book,” we will take your calls at 1-646-378-1949. With my panel and your help, I plan to peel back the layers of this complex story in the search for clarity.
Thanks in advance for joining me on Wednesday, February 10, at 2 p.m., on our new Live Webcast page or our channel at BlogTalkRadio. But if you can’t be with us “live,” remember that the show will be available shortly after it ends in our regular podcast series, too.
You can learn more about this and other stories at the Beyond The Book Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can also follow what the publishing industry has to say by clicking on the #ebookwars hashtag on Twitter.
Cheers,
Christopher Kenneally
February 5, 2010
Live Webcast
From the Frontlines of the E-book Wars, A Beyond the Book Special Report
February 10 at 2 pm, EST
From the debut of the iPad to MacMillan’s challenge of Amazon’s pricing model for Kindle book downloads, the news in recent weeks on the multiple fronts in the electronic publishing revolution has raised many questions and heightened concerns for the future of our industry. Without any doubt, E-books Wars is the first break-out story of the year in book publishing. And we can expect it to remain a leading headline-maker throughout 2010.
As host and producer for “Beyond the Book,” I take seriously our commitment at the non-profit Copyright Clearance Center to serve authors and publishers with innovative licensing solutions that lead to expanded markets and systems that facilitate content reuse. The Beyond the Book series strives to be a premium resource for knowledge on the latest business issues facing today’s dynamic publishing industry - from initial research to final publication, and beyond.
On Wednesday, February 10, from 2 to 3 p.m., I look forward to hosting a special live streaming edition of “Beyond the Book” that will look at all sides of the e-book story and what future battles in the e-book wars may bring to the print and digital marketplace.
Joining me will be the leading journalists and analysts who have been covering the war:
- Andrew Albanese, features editor at Publishers Weekly
- Sara Nelson, Books Editor, “O” Magazine
- Brian O’Leary, Founder & Principal, Magellan Media Partners
- Mike Shatzkin, Founder & CEO, The Idea Logical Company, Inc.,
Here’s the really exciting part for me. On Wednesday, for the first time at “Beyond the Book,” we will take your calls at 1-646-378-1949. With my panel and your help, I plan to peel back the layers of this complex story in the search for clarity.
Thanks in advance for joining me on Wednesday, February 10, at 2 p.m. , right here on this page. But if you can’t be with us “live,” remember that the show will be available shortly after it ends in our regular podcast series, too.
Cheers,
Christopher Kenneally
January 31, 2010
BTB #150: Electric Literature Is Shiny New Home for Fiction
Tired of hearing that literary fiction is doomed in the digital age? Well, Scott Lindenbaum and Andy Hunter, were – in fact they became so tired of hearing that Kindles and computers were killing literary fiction, the pair from Brooklyn College started an online literary journal with a twist: They charged real money for it, and they paid the contributors.
Today, Electric Literature publishes its third issue. As before, the quarterly features five pieces of short fiction for which the editors have paid the writers $1,000 each. Readers can subscribe in every viable medium: paperback; eBook; Kindle; and iPhone editions are all available, priced from $3.95 to $9.95 each. The enterprising approach has even caught the attention of old-line media at the New York Times.
Then, last fall, Electric Literature sponsored a literary first – and generated controversy, too – by publishing a novel through Twitter. “Each tweet came out every ten minutes for about three days,” Lindenbaum explains. “It was a micro serialization, if you will.” It was also not entirely a success, but not a failure at all either, as he tells Chris Kenneally.
January 4, 2010
BTB #144: Aims & Aimlessness of ‘A Good Talk’
Don’t expect A Good Talk: The Story & Skill of Conversation to improve your conversation skills, though it just may. For his new book, published today by Twelve Books, Daniel Menaker set out not to write a “how to” but a “what for” volume. He finds the mysterious origins of conversation in pre-verbal ape behavior. And he reports that stress so effectively suffocates conversation that refugee camps are among the quietest places on earth.
A former Random House editor-in-chief (before that, he was a New Yorker senior editor), Menaker engages his readers with an examination of the aims and aimlessness of conversation between individuals who have just met. “This book is about people who don’t know each other very well, and are getting to know each other, and seeing if they want to have a stronger connection in the future.” He names four steps in such a conversation: survey, discovery, risks, and roles.
For more, check out this interview with (and by) Daniel Menaker:
December 23, 2009
BTB #141: Words of the Year from the Dictionary Man
At Merriam-Webster, the editors are always adding new words, of course, but now with online tracking technology, they can also tell what words we look up the most – something not possible before the Web. In 2009, this online vocabulary traffic took inspiration from Michael Jackson, H1N1, the economy, and, of course, politics.
John Morse returns to Beyond the Book to count down with Chris Kenneally the top ten list. Merriam-Webster.com now exceeds 1.3 billion individual page views per year, or about ten lookup requests per second. During peak hours, this traffic may increase to more than 100 requests per second.
December 6, 2009
BTB #136: At MediaBistro, Jason Boog Learns What’s Next
A week ahead of the Mediabistro-sponsored E-Book Summit in NYC, Jason Boog tells Chris Kenneally that the audience can expect to learn practical information on how “you can start with the digital product, blend in video, blend in some audio elements, not to replace the printed word, but to augment it.”
A month into his new post as GalleyCat editor and host of Morning Media Menu, Boog reveals, “I feel like I’m one of the luckiest people in publishing. It’s such a warm community, and it’s just cool to be here at this moment as publishing’s changing… No one really knows what’s going to happen next, and it’s fun to be able to talk to all these different people who have good ideas about what will happen next.
As for the year past, Boog gives Kenneally a rundown of best and worst stories for 2009 (PDF).
November 29, 2009
BTB #135: A Book Report From Sara Nelson
“Publishing as we know it will die if changes are not made,” observes Sara Nelson, one of the industry’s leading pundits. Now with O, The Oprah Magazine, as its books director, Nelson is a former editor-in-chief at Publishers Weekly.
Unlike many, though, she doesn’t blame the digital revolution. “I don’t even think that Google, per se, is the culprit. It’s not that simple. I think that publishers need to think about the business model in which they operate… - in other words, advances against royalties.”
August 30, 2009
BTB #115: Survey Finds Google Settlement ‘Unsettled’
Over the last several months, Copyright Clearance Center has produced programs to inform authors and publishers – in the US and around the world – about the choices they face over the proposed settlement in the landmark Google Books case. Because it is a class action lawsuit that pulls together thousands of rightsholders with published works going back decades – and because it involves the world’s leading Internet company – the so-called “Google Books Settlement” focuses concern about the future of book publishing in ways that almost no other story in the business has for years. The deadline for when rightsholders must act – Friday, September 4, 2009 – is approaching fast.
Late last week, Christopher Kenneally had an opportunity to learn from Andrew Albanese, Features Editor for Publishers Weekly about a survey of its readers asking penetrating questions about the Google case. What authors, publishers and librarians said is revealing, though he cautioned, “It’s worth noting that the deal will be approved or rejected by a judge, not a vote.”
In the days ahead, Beyond the Book will repeat a series of programs featuring Michael Healy and Allan Adler, two leading figures in the Google Books Settlement, as well as Lois Wasoff, one of the nation’s most respected experts on copyright law and publishing.
And on Wednesday, September 23, CCC will present a free Webinar with the very latest news about the settlement. Beyond the Book and copyright.com will provide details about how to register for that free program in coming weeks.
SharedBook has created a community platform to facilitate
an independent discussion of the
proposed Google Books Settlement.
August 2, 2009
BTB #110: So Much Media, So Little Time
As Senior Editor for Reason, a monthly journal covering “politics, culture, and ideas … [and] making a principled case for liberty and individual choice,” Michael Moynihan now sees his reporting appear in numerous forms: print, blogs, video, and more.
“There’s a hunger for material. From a journalism perspective, this creates a problem. We have too many things to do.” But the proliferation of media has this upside: “The only great thing about repressive regimes is they make people incredibly clever about technology,” Moynihan says, crediting such inventiveness for the Twitter phenomenon in Iran. Moynihan spoke with Chris Kenneally as part of a panel discussion on social media at the recent SLA conference.
May 31, 2009
BTB #102: Meet The Editor
What makes an author’s book proposal stand out? What is it about “American history” that makes the subject so appealing in 2009 to readers? Can a blog be a source of material for a book?
Saunders Robinson of The History Press takes these and many other questions from a recent Boston bookstore appearance with Chris 
Kenneally. The story behind the success of Duck Hunting in Currituck County will surprise you!
Download the History Press Publication Proposal (PDF).
