Wikipedia

So What IS A Book, Anyway?
September 27, 2011

So what is the definition of "book"? If we can agree upon a very broad starting point of the book as a delivery mechanism for content, then we can move forward.

Barnes & Noble Introduces BN eReader for iPad
May 27, 2010

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today launched its free BN eReader app for iPad(TM), offering the most personalized and easy-to-use eReading experience for Apple iPad owners. The free app offers users access to the company's expansive eBookstore featuring more than one million digital titles in addition to their personal Barnes & Noble Digital Library. It is the only iPad eReading app that allows sharing eBooks with friends.

Can Infobase Successfully Usher the World Almanac Into the Digital Age? President Mark McDonnell discusses purchasing the iconic brand at a challenging time for reference publishers.
October 2, 2009

It's well-known that reference books generally have been suffering lately, another facet of the industry that has been affected by the Internet and consumers' easy access to free information. "For 2009, revenue-wise, … we estimated reference book sales would fall much [more] than that of the other categories we expected to do poorly this year …," says Michael Norris, senior analyst at Simba Information, a market research and consulting firm in Stamford, Conn. "The simple reason is that consumers have a different relationship with reference-book content than they do with, say, a great work of fiction or an engaging biography. They mostly just need a snippet of information here and there, and being that the Web houses a lot of what a consumer thinks he or she needs, few are bothering to buy traditional reference books."

Keepers of the Brand
August 1, 2009

After college graduation, I was saddled with the challenge of wielding a liberal arts degree in a tough job market. My strategy was to throw myself into technology and grad school. Many classmates of mine went the traditional publishing route, nabbing junior editorial roles. This was … ahem! … a few decades ago, and the starting salary was around $15,000. In New York City. The feeble compensation was rationalized by the fact that publishing was a “glamour” profession, and since the editor was at the epicenter of prestige, many jumped at the chance to get these positions.

DailyLit Launches Site Redesign Following Publishing of One-Thousandth Book
July 25, 2008

Following the addition of its one-thousandth title, DailyLit (www.DailyLit.com) has launched a site redesign that will include customer ratings and online book reviews. The redesign also more prominently features book covers, highlights the most popular titles in each category, and offers featured book lists that include titles selected by the DailyLit editorial staff. With over 125,000 subscribers who have subscribed to over 250,000 copies of books, DailyLit allows books to be sent in short, serialized installments via e-mail/RSS feed according to the schedule set by the reader or on demand. These can be read wherever e-mail/RSS feeds are received. DailyLit offers both classic and

Opportunity Knocks
April 16, 2008

Adult trade publishers with a “change is good” attitude are finding success in today’s market. From promoting literacy to experimenting with new marketing initiatives, such as social networking sites and author videos, and new distribution formats, such as e-books and digital downloads, industry leaders are now acting upon, not resisting, the significant turn the publishing world has been taking. Data indicates that while monthly sales fluctuate, overall, sales are still up, and many publishers are proactively striving to keep them that way. Last month, The Association of American Publishers (AAP) reported that adult hardbound book sales totaled $2.8 billion in 2007, a 7.8-percent increase

Community-Sourced Book Publisher Launched
April 11, 2008

WEbook, an online platform for authors, editors and writing groups to collaboratively create written works, has launched at www.WEbook.com. According to the company, it will publish the best works generated on the Web site in print, electronic and audio formats. “Whether it’s a fully collaborative writing project or a case of a talented writer sharing her work with a few friends to garner their private feedback, WEbook is the first online destination that provides the tools to unleash members’ full creative potential,” says Sue Heilbronner, president of WEbook, which is backed by Greylock Partners Israel and numerous individual investors. “It also gives active

Launchpad: Marketing on Cruise Control
March 1, 2008

If you look at “Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography” as an equation—say, America’s most controversial A-lister + one of the world’s most titillating celebrity biographers + a secretive, litigious religion (+ as a bonus, a Writers Guild strike that has much of the entertainment biz on its heels)—you might guess that a publisher needs simply to sit back and let the money roll in. But that’s just never the case, is it? Yes, the book’s publisher, St. Martin’s Press, is reveling in the eye of what we’ll call a perfect storm of self-perpetuating buzz with the Andrew Morton-penned celeb-bio. Yes, prelaunch reports

The Doers and the Out-Dones
May 1, 2006

“Like it or not, we have to embrace complexity,” said Merriam-Webster President and Publisher John Morse, during the 2006 Book Business Conference and Expo (story on page 10), addressing “Book Publishing: the New Business Model.” I don’t know about you, but when something I am working on seems too complex, my first inclination is to stifle the pain that has begun to fester around my eyes and move on to something I can get done quickly. Complexity means time. Time I just don’t have. But when it comes to today’s publishing environment, the complexities can seem so mammoth that the festering, behind-the-eyes pain and inclination