Looking over some of the websites of publishers that seem to be directed primarily towards the consumer I think it's pretty obvious that this is just another marketing tool. It's about giving the consumer more information about both books and authors. It's a way to get consumers to become fans and to get them involved in a community built up around an author, a book, or a series of books.
It seems highly unlikely that these websites are designed to actually foster direct sales from the publisher to the consumer. In my review of several websites that allow someone to buy a book directly form the publisher there were absolutely no discounts being offered. As a matter of fact at the Simon and Shuster site they have links to other online bookstores for you to buy the books. It's hard to believe that they really expect consumers to purchase directly from them.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Rediscovering the Spirit of Copyright Law
Copyright is a way of creating an artificial monopoly for authors and inventors as a means to promote creative activity for the greater good of society as a whole. This monopoly is meant to be temporary. Yet we have seen the time allotted to authors, inventors, and media corporations extended to what seems far outside the range of anything that is primarily to the benefit of society as a whole. If I live to be seventy years old this particular blog will be protected under copyright law until 2123, that’s 113 years from now.
It is highly likely that corporations and the media conglomerates will continue lobby our government officials to extend copyright protection to infinity. It is easy to imagine at time when copyright monopoly will keep literature, music, art, and movies out of the public domain for 500 years and upwards. This will be tragic for society and the creation of culture to come. If this does happen, then the spirit behind the origins of copyright law is dead. Simply put, copyright law cannot take precedence over technological innovation. It is incredibly important for the world to reevaluate the importance of the original philosophy behind intellectual property and copyright law and how we can reacquire a healthy and vibrant public domain.
Perhaps, it is technology that will force us to do this. With the advent of the internet, legally or illegally, users are de-commodifying much of culture. Peer-to peer file sharing is good for creative artist because it lowers the cost of production, marketing, promotion, and distribution. Media companies should consider the possibilities of the internet's promise as a means for creative new ways to make profit. They should learn to capitalize on the changing technology and begin to let go of out dated business models. If artist and corporations wish to still be a part of this economy, then they must construct new models that benefit not only their own personal bank accounts but enrich and promote creation of new artistic works to the advantage of society as a whole.
Having a vital public domain and ensuring that laws continue to favor innovation over copyright for copyright’s sake is incredibly important. The Congress and the Court should not encourage media companies in pursuit of creating an oligopoly of information, distribution, and technological innovation.
Is There a Neighborhood Bookstore Around Here?
As I finish reading Lynne Tillman's Bookstore: The Life and Times of Jeanette Watson and Books & Co. I can't help but wonder what the future of the independent bookstore will be. The description of the store is very romantic. Some sections came and went depending on who the book buyer was (sometimes there was a fly-fishing section, other times Books & Co. had a great philosophy section.) Jeannette was dedicated to promoting authors and hosting readings and events at the store. She threw parties, sponsored joint events with the Whitney Museum, and even tried her hand at publishing. She created a salon-like atmosphere that drew many very loyal patrons. Yet, after twenty years, for a number of reasons, the institution that was Books & Co. closed it's doors. The story is not only filled with information regarding Books & Co. but with interesting and relevant narratives from: writers, artist, actors, publishers, CEO’s, socialites, and bookstore owners. Tillman’s book reveals the romance and magic of this New York institution as well as exposing the day-to-day difficulties of managing a bookstore.
Recently, a Portland bookstore, 23rd Avenue Books, closed after being in business for twenty-nine years. It was a very small store and had a selection that didn't particularly appeal to me. But they had readings there and events there. And I'm sure that if there was a particular book that I wanted I could have gotten it through them. But instead I chose to go to Powell's or much worse (right?) Amazon.
I admit I feel a little guilty because even though this was my neighborhood bookstore, and I walked by it on an almost daily basis, I rarely went in, and I don't know if I ever bought a book there. Honestly, it didn't capture my attention like a Powell's or one of the larger bookstores tend to. It was too small and I was never able to "get lost". If for some reason I did go in to look for a particular book i never found it, and I'm not one to order something from a store, especially when I can order it online. I tend to want it when I want it.
So what gives an independent bookstore a chance at success? How can small neighborhood bookstores appeal to enough people to cancel out the selection and price that larger bookstores can offer to the consumer. What level or type of service will a shopper choose over cheaper and a more varied selection? And perhaps most importantly how can an independent bookstore convince consumers that shopping with them is to the benefit of their families and communities. These are just a few of the first questions that someone will need to answer before they hope to open a successful independent bookstore.
Recently, a Portland bookstore, 23rd Avenue Books, closed after being in business for twenty-nine years. It was a very small store and had a selection that didn't particularly appeal to me. But they had readings there and events there. And I'm sure that if there was a particular book that I wanted I could have gotten it through them. But instead I chose to go to Powell's or much worse (right?) Amazon.
I admit I feel a little guilty because even though this was my neighborhood bookstore, and I walked by it on an almost daily basis, I rarely went in, and I don't know if I ever bought a book there. Honestly, it didn't capture my attention like a Powell's or one of the larger bookstores tend to. It was too small and I was never able to "get lost". If for some reason I did go in to look for a particular book i never found it, and I'm not one to order something from a store, especially when I can order it online. I tend to want it when I want it.
So what gives an independent bookstore a chance at success? How can small neighborhood bookstores appeal to enough people to cancel out the selection and price that larger bookstores can offer to the consumer. What level or type of service will a shopper choose over cheaper and a more varied selection? And perhaps most importantly how can an independent bookstore convince consumers that shopping with them is to the benefit of their families and communities. These are just a few of the first questions that someone will need to answer before they hope to open a successful independent bookstore.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Don't Fear the Challenge
Popular consensus seems to be that Amazon and the possibility of it's dominance in the bookselling, publishing, and printing industries is all in all a really bad thing. There is a part of me that agrees. When one company can control pricing, distribution, supply, etc., etc., etc,. in the long-run it's bad for the consumer and the economy in general. Having said that, what Amazon is doing is using technology and ingenuity to help create a new buisness model in the publishning and bookselling industires. It behooves everyone involved in publishing to begin to really make changes in the way books are published, distributed, priced, and sold.
Is it the reponsibility of consumers to choose supporting a local biusness rather than buying a product at a better price? Isn't that sort of a privelage for those that can afford to make that choice? If someone only makes 30k a year and support a family of four shold they pay $4 for a gallon of milk at the local gracery store rather than $2.50 at Walmart? Don't get me wrong, I don't always like the way these large corporations do buisness, but change is inevitable. Smaller companies (and large corporations for that matter) must divise ways to compete. Perhaps, it's not a matter of cheaper prices, maybe it's better service or a unique selection.
The music industry has seen a great deal of change in the way music is sold, distributed, and priced in the last few years and now the publishing industry is dealing with this as well. Like the iPod there will be more and more consumers using devices like Kindle to do their reading, it is inevitable. So, now the rest of the industry needs to catch up with Amazon and for new companies to emerge into the market. I think this is a very exciting time to be entering the publishing industry. So much change is at hand, and I for one look forward to participating in the creation of a new publishing model.
Is it the reponsibility of consumers to choose supporting a local biusness rather than buying a product at a better price? Isn't that sort of a privelage for those that can afford to make that choice? If someone only makes 30k a year and support a family of four shold they pay $4 for a gallon of milk at the local gracery store rather than $2.50 at Walmart? Don't get me wrong, I don't always like the way these large corporations do buisness, but change is inevitable. Smaller companies (and large corporations for that matter) must divise ways to compete. Perhaps, it's not a matter of cheaper prices, maybe it's better service or a unique selection.
The music industry has seen a great deal of change in the way music is sold, distributed, and priced in the last few years and now the publishing industry is dealing with this as well. Like the iPod there will be more and more consumers using devices like Kindle to do their reading, it is inevitable. So, now the rest of the industry needs to catch up with Amazon and for new companies to emerge into the market. I think this is a very exciting time to be entering the publishing industry. So much change is at hand, and I for one look forward to participating in the creation of a new publishing model.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A Self-Publishing Future?
As I prepare to gradate in March and am putting my portfolio together, I have been doing a little research into short-run, self-publishing options. I found several different options where I may be able to have just a few copies of my portfolio printed without spending a lot of money. The first place that I found that seemed promising was Blurb.com. I was drawn to this site because it offers the chance to use a template to put together a pretty professional portfolio at a decent price. I didn't get to terribly far into the process before realizing the format is too restrictive for my purposes. A little more investigation has lead me to a few other short-run printers that allow the user to upload files to be printed rather that working with templates. Lulu.com is a good example of such a company. 
Doing the research for having my portfolio got me to thinking about self-publishing in general. Though in the past, self-published books have gotten a bad rap in the publishing industry it is apparent to me that in the future there will be more and more writers that will choose to self-publish. There are bound to be writers like myself that will complete similar programs of study as offered at Portland State University and Ooligan Press. These writers and others are developing the skills now to self-publish professionally edited, designed, marketed, and hopefully, well-written books. Even those that don't study publishing have more and more resources and opportunities to circumvent the traditional publishing model and present their writing to the world. Paul Young's novel, The Shack, originally self-published has gone on to sell 3.8 million copies.
In addition to writers self-publishing their works, short-run printing makes it possible for the emergence of micro-publishers. Ken Arnold Books is a great example of how individuals or small partnerships can develop and reinvent the publishing business model. Though these examples aren't the norm as of yet, it cannot be denied that the publishing industry is in the process of monumental change. It's exciting and a little frightening to be entering an industry at a time when such transformation and potential for innovation is possible. I look forward to participating in and discovering what the future holds for publishing and self-publishing.
Doing the research for having my portfolio got me to thinking about self-publishing in general. Though in the past, self-published books have gotten a bad rap in the publishing industry it is apparent to me that in the future there will be more and more writers that will choose to self-publish. There are bound to be writers like myself that will complete similar programs of study as offered at Portland State University and Ooligan Press. These writers and others are developing the skills now to self-publish professionally edited, designed, marketed, and hopefully, well-written books. Even those that don't study publishing have more and more resources and opportunities to circumvent the traditional publishing model and present their writing to the world. Paul Young's novel, The Shack, originally self-published has gone on to sell 3.8 million copies.
In addition to writers self-publishing their works, short-run printing makes it possible for the emergence of micro-publishers. Ken Arnold Books is a great example of how individuals or small partnerships can develop and reinvent the publishing business model. Though these examples aren't the norm as of yet, it cannot be denied that the publishing industry is in the process of monumental change. It's exciting and a little frightening to be entering an industry at a time when such transformation and potential for innovation is possible. I look forward to participating in and discovering what the future holds for publishing and self-publishing.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Macmillan's Site Tromps Random House's
As I perused many different publishers websites I though about the various audiences they are trying to reach: readers, booksellers, authors, journalist, teachers, librarians, and those looking for publishing jobs. I looked at many different types and sizes of publishing houses: from small to large and from literary to religious. In the end, there were two sites that stuck out to me for different reasons. Let's start with the good one first.
I came to the Macmillan site via one of their imprints TOR books. I found this site because I wanted to look into the publisher of one of my favorite author's Charles de Lint. As I looked over the TOR site I discovered that they were an imprint of Macmillan and so I quikly moved over to their site. The thing that I liked right away were the drop down categories at the top of the page: books, authors, publishers, services. Right away there is easy access to the different books catagories, all of the author's that they publish in any of their imprints, all of the different imprints, and information for teachers, booksellers, and librarians. On the page itself is informatipn about a featured books, news and press releases, a book trailer, author tours and events, information for book clubs, and much more. Then if you just link to one of their imprints, such as TOR/Forge books, you find even more specific genre focused information: more book trailers, podcast, reading group guides, and links to their Facebook, Myspace and Twitter pages.
All in all I would have to say that they are doing a pretty good job covering most all of their bases over at Macmillan.
On the other hand, the Random House website left a lot to be desired. Though they try to appeal to many of the same audiences the organization of the site is just not as accessible. The top of the page does have drop down categories for books, authors, features, and newsletters and alerts, but the majority of links to specific information is found scattered throughout the sidebars and at the very bottom of the page. Additionally, there are no links to any imprints, only one book trailer, and too much moving around to see the things that were interesting to me. Fianlly, this may be a little nit-picky, but when I went to the book categories and look under gay and lesbian titles there were none listed. I found a drop down which allowed me to look through past months, and did find some titles, but honestly I found it to me a little silly to have a category without having a single title listed. Overall, I think that Random House needs to reorganize their website to make it more user friendly.
I came to the Macmillan site via one of their imprints TOR books. I found this site because I wanted to look into the publisher of one of my favorite author's Charles de Lint. As I looked over the TOR site I discovered that they were an imprint of Macmillan and so I quikly moved over to their site. The thing that I liked right away were the drop down categories at the top of the page: books, authors, publishers, services. Right away there is easy access to the different books catagories, all of the author's that they publish in any of their imprints, all of the different imprints, and information for teachers, booksellers, and librarians. On the page itself is informatipn about a featured books, news and press releases, a book trailer, author tours and events, information for book clubs, and much more. Then if you just link to one of their imprints, such as TOR/Forge books, you find even more specific genre focused information: more book trailers, podcast, reading group guides, and links to their Facebook, Myspace and Twitter pages.
All in all I would have to say that they are doing a pretty good job covering most all of their bases over at Macmillan.
On the other hand, the Random House website left a lot to be desired. Though they try to appeal to many of the same audiences the organization of the site is just not as accessible. The top of the page does have drop down categories for books, authors, features, and newsletters and alerts, but the majority of links to specific information is found scattered throughout the sidebars and at the very bottom of the page. Additionally, there are no links to any imprints, only one book trailer, and too much moving around to see the things that were interesting to me. Fianlly, this may be a little nit-picky, but when I went to the book categories and look under gay and lesbian titles there were none listed. I found a drop down which allowed me to look through past months, and did find some titles, but honestly I found it to me a little silly to have a category without having a single title listed. Overall, I think that Random House needs to reorganize their website to make it more user friendly.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Job Market Worrisome for Graduating Publishing Student
As I start this last term of my graduate program I am stressed. Not only do I have a lot to compete in a short amount of time but at the end of it all I wonder if there will be any jobs out there for me. When I started this program I did so with the intention of earning my masters and getting out of the restaurant industry. Now, my worst fear is that I will become another waiter with a graduate degree. I suppose I should count myself lucky if I even end up having a restaurant job.
It seems that everyday news of the economy gets worse and worse. According to the U.S Labor Department 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008--the worst job loss since 1945. The unemployment rate now sits at 7.2%, and you can be sure that is more than likely lower than the actual number.
I have actually considered postponing my graduation and taking a few extra classes in the Spring just to recieve additional student loans to live on. But, I know that isn't really a good plan. In December, while interviewing for an internship that I am doing this term, the head of the marketing and sales department asked, "Have you heard about the layoffs in the industry? So, what do you think you want to do with you publishing degree?" Ouch. The New York Observer reports that more layoffs are expected in the next three weeks at Crown, Knopf and the flagship Random House Publishing Group.
So, as I quickly approach a new chapter in my life I wonder what I will be doing with my degree. At this point, my hope is that I will be able to use my degree to get a job doing something, anything. I wonder how I can use the knowledge and skills that I have gained during my course of study to make a living. The publishing industry is most certainly going through some growing pains, so perhaps now is the time to be entering the industry. With an open-mind and a lot of creativity and innovation perhaps me and others just beginning their careers in publishing will have the chance to reinvent the industry.
Addendum: Ironically, as I finished writing this very lament filled post, a friend of mine called to say that the company that he has been in the plans to start for about two-and-a-half years is getting closer to taking off. This is good news for me because I have been promised a job a a newsletter coordinator and eventual editor of an online kids magazine and series of children's books associated with the company. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
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