App Development

HarperCollins Publishers has announced that it is making digital content available for the iPhone platform. The pilot program will allow users to sample from 14 new HarperCollins titles, available online, in an iPhone-compatible format via the HarperCollins Browse Inside application. Browse Inside allows consumers to view pages of HarperCollins titles online. LibreDigital—a division of NewsStand Inc., and strategic partner in the development of HarperCollins’ global digital warehouse and its online application—has adapted Browse Inside for the iPhone platform. iPhone users will be able to view the first 10 pages of chapters one and two of 14 books, with the option to click to

Martin Rowe labels his view of the book business “cynically optimistic.” The director of publishing for Lantern Books, a relatively small, independent publisher of spiritual, social, environmental and animal advocacy titles, Rowe draws upon a diverse career that has led to his well-rounded view of the business of book publishing. And this view, he says, is changing as rapidly as the industry itself. Prior to co-founding New York-based Lantern Books with the company’s CEO and president, Gene Gollogly, Rowe held positions in distribution, research and promotions, as an author, and in a handful of other roles that even included a job in a bookstore.

he idea is pretty straightforward: Release a book, create a Web site to go along with it, and, voila, you’ve got yourself a surefire marketing tool. Just putting something on the Web is no guarantee of success, however, which may be why, for many publishers, this simple formula ends up having a lot of variations. Book-companion Web sites—portals providing access to authors, blogs, online forums, games, contests and other multimedia offerings—play a significant role in the world of online book promotion. Standing at the intersection of traditional, publisher-designed marketing strategies, author-driven promotion and self-perpetuating “viral” marketing, thoughtfully planned book-companion Web sites offer

The June release of British writer Ian McEwan’s “On Chesil Beach” was accompanied by screenings of a 28-minute film profiling the author at dozens of bookstores in the United States. According to producer Powell’s Books, the film aimed to go beyond the traditional author reading to inspire “spirited discussion about great new books and their impact on readers’ lives.” This was, perhaps, an innovative and effective tool for promoting McEwan. But if proponents of the emerging tool of webcasting are proven right, the logistical challenges accompanying such an operation (and those inherent in luring a finite set of audience members to bookstores to watch

Italian author Robert Bernocco has completed his first book, which he wrote completely on a mobile phone and it will be published on Lulu.com, an online marketplace for digital content. The 384-page sci-fi novel, “Fellow Travellers,” was written on Bernocco’s daily commute to work on the train, via his Nokia 6630 phone, using the T9 system. “We live in an age when individuals are strapped for time due to work and family commitments, and this can often stifle creativity,” said Cristel Lee Leed, European vice president, Lulu.com. “Mr. Bernocco is a great example of the type of author we often encounter on Lulu—he has

Simon & Schuster Inc. and Internet video company TurnHere Inc. recently released the first of a series of online videos showcasing Simon & Schuster authors and sneak previews of new books. The videos are located at Simon & Schuster’s YouTube channel, BookVideos.TV. The channel will be cross-linked to many sites and also available at SimonSays.com. “By incorporating online video in our marketing efforts at BookVideos.TV and elsewhere, we are able to provide our readers with unprecedented access to their favorite authors, foster lasting emotional connections and create dedicated fans,” said Sue Fleming, vice president, online and consumer marketing for Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing

Lance Fensterman, event director of BookExpo America (BEA), has immersed himself in many areas of technology in order to promote BEA and gain valuable feedback from industry professionals. One of the ways he has done so is through his blog, BookExpo-Lance.BlogSpot.com, where he claims to blog from his travels around the world via his Blackberry. Prior to his current position, he was an independent bookseller for several years, and he says he draws on that experience frequently. Book Business Extra spoke with Fensterman to discuss the theme of BEA 2007, its online community, his blog and more. EXTRA: BEA 2007 had the overall theme

As a writer, I have been a member of MySpace.com for several years and have been taking advantage of the social networking opportunities that exist. When I joined, the site had around 70 million members; today it has surpassed 183.7 million members. Many in publishing are realizing the value of making a connection via social networking. At this year’s Book Expo America, authors and publishing executives shared social networking tips at a session titled “MySpace for Authors and Publishers: Everything You Need to Know to Make it Payoff.” The panel included Richard Nash, publisher of Soft Skull Press; Barry Lyga, author; Josh Kilmer-Purcell, author;

The Association of American University Presses (AAUP)—an organization of nonprofit publishers whose members strive to advance scholarship through their offerings—believes that the university press segment’s fundamental mission has not changed since America’s oldest university press, The Johns Hopkins University Press, was founded in 1878. However, the landscape in which its members operate has changed greatly, and the forecast calls for additional change in the future. As throughout the rest of the publishing industry, driving this change are advances in digital technologies. A varying segment According to Steve Maikowski, director of NYU Press, the university press world is divided into four major sales groups

Amazon.com has officially launched its Amazon Podcasts network, an original podcast series offering customers four unique channels of free content—Amazon BookClips, Music You Should Hear, Significant Seven and Amazon Wire—available at Amazon.com. The company is planning on offering several additional channels in the coming months to reach what it calls its customers’ increasing demand for rich content related to the products they shop for every day on Amazon.com. Amazon BookClips is a weekly podcast offering customers a free sneak preview at some of what the company considers the most popular soon-to-be released audio books. Significant Seven is a monthly podcast where editors