Editor's Note: The Constant
So let's see. What's happened in publishing since the last issue of Book Business? Why don't I just take a peek into my inbox and browse the subject lines of Publishing Business Today (bookbusinessmag.com/newsletter), the daily email newsletter of aggregated publishing news headlines James Sturdivant and I put together…
• The United States Department of Justice suing Apple and five of the Big Six publishers over alleged price fixing around their adoption of the agency model…
• And three of the defendants settling out of court…
• And Apple and the remaining two defendants refusing to settle…
• And Barnes & Noble partnering with a little outfit called Microsoft to give some oomph to its Nook line of products…
• And Nook launching an e-ink reader that glows…
• And Apple launching a brand new iPad with more pixels than your high-def television…
• And reports of Kindle Fire's market share waning thanks to that fancy new iPad…
• And Target announcing that it will stop selling Kindle devices in its stores…
• And a Pew report indicating that ebook trends are marching ever upward…
• And a novel, "50 Shades of Grey," that began its life as self-published erotica ravaging the bestseller lists…
• And vaunted sci-fi publisher Tor (followed by Duncan Baird) abandoning digital rights management just in time for Day Against DRM…
• Oh, and the much-anticipated J.K. Rowling juggernaut Pottermore working its magic on the ebook world, selling tons of DRM-free ebooks and increasing print sales…
As the old saying goes, the only constant around here is change.
For instance, it wasn't so long ago that apps and mobile seemed about as relevant to book publishing, well, as the concept of an electronic book once did. But now that the initial rush to the app market has subsided and cooler, more analytical heads have prevailed, publishers of all stripes are finding innovative ways to deliver their content via the mobile channel—ways that make financial sense for the publisher and enhance the reader experience.
For this issue's cover story, our James Sturdivant talked to four publishers at the forefront of book app development in order to glean some of their strategies (p. 12). It's a great read, and one that should get you thinking about how your publishing operation might use mobile and apps more effectively.
Elsewhere in the issue, Andrew Brenneman posits that in order to increase ebook revenue, publishers need to increase the quality on their digital products (p. 34); J.S. McDougall provides you with a handy, five-point checklist to consult before you put anything on the Internet (p. 29); publishing legend Nan A. Talese expounds on the value of authors (p. 10); plus we provide coverage (p. 24) from the 2012 installment of our Publishing Business Conference and Expo (publishingbusiness.com), including a profile on Hachette Book Group, who received the nod as our prestigious Publishing Innovator of the Year (p. 23).
Hope you enjoy.
