Fast

Fast-selling ‘New Adult’ Genre Vying for Shelf Space in Bookstores
August 26, 2014

Countless authors have taken advantage of a new and growing genre of literature aimed at primarily female readers between 18 and 25. Known as "new adult," the genre features mainly university or college-aged protagonists dealing with early twenties life, in particular romance and sexual relationships. The segment of the book-buying market is hard to quantify as the wider industry has been slow to embrace the genre and the bulk of sales are made online. But a recent report by author and publishing data website authorearnings.com found that self-published books make up

Well, That Went Fast! A Few Last-Minute Reflections on a Year as President of SSP
May 30, 2014

The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) has a name that trips up people new to it. They often want to write or say the Society of Scholarly Publishing. But, no, it's for. The organization has a mission that is about advancing the field and helping its members develop through education, collaboration, and networking. And it's willing to stick its neck out to make it happen, through blogs like this, meetings, webinars, and other activities.

The Rising Value of Land in Book Titles
September 12, 2013

 On Sept. 24, Jhumpa Lahiri's new Booker Prize-nominated novel, "The Lowland," will be released on this side of the Atlantic by Knopf in what promises to be a highlight of this most literary season. And yet surveying recent offerings in the bookstores, one can't help but notice a strange echo reverberating behind the esteemed author. Even the world of publishing, it seems, is not immune to the whims of fashion. 

"No one wants to be derivative in book-titling," said Ms. Sohn, an occasional Times contributor whose novel was released in paperback this past summer.

Books So Tiny That Unabridged Often Means Unread
April 23, 2013

He browsed the books like a giant looking for something to read. Some were small enough to fit into a fold of his hand. Many of the books were illegibly small, and he didn’t know what they were all about. But reading them was never the point.

Neale Albert, 75, is a collector of miniature books, and he may be the most serious collector living in New York. By definition, miniature books are properly printed and bound, and for the most part no larger than three inches. Mr. Albert has over 4,000 of them, some the size of matchboxes

NOOK® Introduces NOOK Press™: Innovative New Publishing Platform for Authors
April 10, 2013

NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced the launch of NOOK Press, a new and innovative self-publishing platform offering authors a fast, easy and free way to write, edit, collaborate and publish the highest quality eBooks and directly distribute them to millions of avid readers. By removing the technology barrier from self-publishing and offering easy-to-use tools for writing, editing and publishing eBooks, NOOK Press makes it even easier for authors to focus on writing and reaching new readers. To get started today, visit www.nookpress.com.

OverDrive Announces Streaming Video and Audio Services for Libraries and Schools
January 23, 2013

Today OverDrive announced that it will enhance its industry-leading library service platform with streaming video and audio technology. The new services will improve ease of use and device compatibility for OverDrive-hosted video, audiobook and music collections at libraries and schools around the world. OverDrive will demonstrate its streaming technology this weekend (Jan. 25- 28) at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting at Seattle’s Washington State Convention Center, Booth 1115.

Same book but not: Publishers offer titles in adult, kid versions
September 27, 2012

When HarperCollins publishes the memoir of a Rutgers University football player who was paralyzed in a fourth-quarter tackle, it's doing so with two different titles targeting two different audiences.

"Believe" by Eric LeGrand is being simultaneously published this week with twin titles -- one for adults with the subhead "My Faith and the Tackle That Changed My Life," and another for middle-grade readers, subtitled "The Victorious Story of Eric LeGrand."

 

Guy Kawasaki Compares Google+ to Apple, Calls it a ‘Religious Experience’
May 23, 2012

Former Apple software evangelist Guy Kawasaki thinks that Google+ has a lot in common with Apple.

“When I saw Macintosh for the first time it was somewhat of a religious experience for me,” said Kawasaki during a talk at the Google+ Photographer?s Conference Tuesday. “Fast forward about 25 years and I had a second religious experience — which is when I saw Google+ for the first time.”

 

Online Bookpublisher Challenges Establishment
May 15, 2012

While traditional book publishers are still struggling to find a viable business model for eBooks, Bookboon.com is taking a different approach. With their free eBooks, they offer an alternative to the often unfair priced eBooks. In the US, half a million eBooks were downloaded in the last 12 months.

PayPal, You've Met Your Match: Erotica Writers
April 20, 2012

Mark Coker of Smashwords became the leader of indie e-book writers — including some with dirty minds — in a fight against censorship and PayPal. He also has strong feelings about the DOJ's e-book pricing lawsuit. Mark Coker is the CEO of Smashwords, an e-book publishing and distribution platform. Coker recently won a highly publicized battle against PayPal, which briefly refused to work with Smashwords unless Coker removed certain naughty titles from the site. Fast Company caught up with Coker and learned, among other things, that writers of incest erotica can be very articulate.