365 x 365: a digital experiment that's a missed opportunity

James Robertson's daily 365-word stories are a promising idea let down by poor digital designNew Year's Day saw the launch of 365, a collaboration between Scottish writer James Robertson and Hamish Hamilton, a Penguin imprint. It sounded promising: one 365-word story to be published online every day, with a print collection at the end of the year.I was disappointed to find out Robertson wrote them all last year. The best thing about digital publishing is its immediacy, so it would have been nice to publish the stories as soon as they were written. That way, 365 could have been a gripping feat of endurance, as well as an experiment in form.Robertson's stories are published on fivedials.com, the home of Hamish Hamilton's literary journal. I read Day 13, about a government minister who discovers the "five a day" initiative is poisoning the public. It's wry and imaginative, not bad for 365 words, but leaves me wanting more. I look for the stories from the last two weeks but can't find them. The website only displays the latest one.There are no links to the previous stories. The only way of reading them is by scrolling down @fivedials's Twitter feed or manually adding /day12 or /day3 to the URL.Navigation and usability are so fundamental to design it seems strange that they have been overlooked. If the Five Dials site was unable to cope with an archive of posts, why not build a microsite? And how about a daily mailing list so the stories get delivered direct to your... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #twitter feed #delivered direct #print book

Other Publishing stories related to: '365 x 365: a digital experiment that's a missed opportunity'


Amazon's new imprints give opportunities to debut authors, short story writers

Amazon's Little A imprint will release novels, memoirs, and story collections, while Day One will focus on short stories and new writers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut authors #short stories


Wiley announces 'Digital Classroom'

John Wiley has launched subscription e-learning resource www.digitalclassroom.com, combining... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital classroom #john wiley


The FT Has “Crossed Over” to Become a Digital Business — but Can Anyone Else Replicate that Feat?

A new profile of the Financial Times is the latest piece to hold up the company as a model for traditional publishers that want to create a digital-era business. It sounds great, but it’s not very realistic. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latest piece #traditional publishers


RH US alters controversial terms for digital lists

Random House US has adjusted its proposed terms for authors with Random House's new digital... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #random house


Literary Magazines Adapt to the Digital Age

There are 866 publications in Poets & Writers’ database of literary magazines, 14 of which were added in early 2013. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital age #literary magazines


How Bookshop Windows Can Support Digital Promotion Campaigns

Dressing bookshop windows is a dying art, but if done with a sense of theatre, it can be a stepping stone to a digital campaign – one that the public unknowingly runs for you. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookshop windows #stepping stone #digital campaign


Hearst hires Microsoft's Stephen Edwards for digital role

Hearst Magazines UK has appointed Microsoft ad executive Stephen Edwards to the new role of group digital sales director. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2013-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital role


Forget Digital-First, How About Technology-First?

Cygnus Business Media CEO John French, who was brought on three years ago just as the b-to-b media company came out of bankruptcy protection, has spent that time making some dramatic moves in an effort to turn the company around. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media company


Lewis Lapham: The Digital Age Will Produce “a Montaigne and a Shakespeare”

Lewis Lapham, editor of Lapham's Quarterly, believes we are still in the experimental phase of digital media, waiting for the next online Shakespeare to emerge. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital age


Lagardère Active Launches Unified Digital Platform for the Elle International Network

Editor's Note: This story originally appears on FOLIO: sister site, minonline.com Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sister site


Digital raunch on top in Japan

Homoerotic “Boy Love” manga aimed at young women and raunchy teen literature made up... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young women


Faster Digital Growth Key At MegaConference

Digital revenue will be foremost on the minds of newspaper publishers as three of their trade organizations converge on New Orleans next week. “It’s really important that we just keep pushing forward on how to maximize the digita ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital revenue #newspaper publishers


Digital writing bursary launched

The Literary Platform and Bath Spa University have partnered on a new bursary for partnering... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary platform


Hearst president David Carey: Apple taught people 'how to buy digital content'

David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, sat down with AllThingsD's Peter Kafka to kick off Day 2 of D:Dive Into Media here in Dana Point, California, with the interview centering on Carey's take on how digital magazines are working out in a world that seems less and less intrigued by... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital magazines #physical books #magazine websites #digital front


The Growing Interest in Digital Backlist

Whether they call themselves publishers or distributors, whether they promise elaborate marketing plans, or the basic production tasks necessary to get an ebook up for sale, there are a growing number of companies selling (and acquiring) backlist books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #growing interest #digital backlist #growing number


Is Licensing an Opportunity for Self-publishers and Start-ups?

Today, perhaps the most ambitious and aggressive community in publishing is self-publishing. How practical is it for a self-publisher to pursue licensing deals? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Google backs French digital publishing innovation initiative with €60 million incentive

Google's long had a contentious relationship with France. But it seems the Mountain View-based company has come up with a way to squash that problem: by throwing money at it. Taking to the company's official blog today, Chairman Eric Schmidt announced the creation of a €60 million Digital... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #contentious relationship #increase revenues #publishing houses #digital offerings #search giant #cultural center #bottom line


CREATe centre to research digital copyright

A new research centre at Glasgow university will examine "the changing nature of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Distribution: Midpoint and Digital Leaf Agree

Midpoint Trade Books has signed a distribution deal with Digital Leaf, a London-based children’s book and app publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #distribution deal


Advance Publications Buys Digital Marketing Agency, POP

Advance Publications, parent company of Condé Nast, has stepped up its efforts on two fronts with the acquisition of digital marketing agency, POP. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advance publications