Bookslut was born in an era of internet freedom. Today's web has killed it

The books community that my site joined was driven by enthusiasm not clicks, goodwill and not money – and that culture has goneI miss the internet. I know that, technically, the internet still exists. It’s the Facebook-, Twitter-filtered series of algorithms designed to put cat videos, think pieces, and advertisements in front of you. But I get nostalgic for the days before money invaded the internet – the early 2000s, in particular, when I created the literary blog and webzine Bookslut.com.Back then, nothing you did mattered. And that gave you freedom. Back then, the online book culture was run mostly by enthusiasts and amateurs, people who were creating blogs and webzines simply for the pleasure of it, rather than to build a career or a brand. I know that nostalgia is a stupid emotion, but still I regret the day money found the internet. Once advertisers showed up, offering to pay us to do the thing we were doing just for fun, it was very hard to say no. Or understand exactly what the trade-offs would be.The most disappointing revelation about the books world: even an intellectual is susceptible to clickbaitYou click on it, you own it. Related: Jessa Crispin: 'We're not allowed to say the Paris Review is boring' Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #books world #jessa crispin #paris review

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Bookslut was born in an era of internet freedom. Today's web has killed it'


Faber's Tebbutt killed in Kenya

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 12/09/2011 - 10:08 Faber finance director David Tebbutt is understood to be the British man shot dead in Kenya during the weekend. Tebbutt had been with Faber since 2002 and previously was managing director of The Harvill Press and finance... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nielsen Ratings Tool Designed to Compare TV, Web

Measurement company Nielsen has long offered the industry standard for TV ratings, but can it do the same for the Web? Later this month, Nielsen will release a new service that measures online ad campaigns in a way that’s similar to how branded ad campaigns are measured on television. Online... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #provide advertisers #brand advertisers


From "Most Effective Digital Mag Brands" to "7 Magazine Web Sites That Suck"

Media research firm Affinity LLC has issued its latest American Magazine Study, which ranks 170 digital magazine brands on attributes ranging from "Most Trusted" to "Most "Useful" and "Most Entertaining." Rankings are based on the percent of a magazine's digital audience that cites the brand as... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital audience


Time Magazine Rolls Out Print/Digital Subscriptions -- And Puts Up Another Web Pay Wall

Time magazine is making it easier for readers to subscribe to its digital and print editions. And harder for non-subscribers to read the magazine on the Web. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time magazine #print editions


Hewson to adapt TV's The Killing

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 07/06/2011 - 10:47 Crime writer David Hewson is to novelise the Bafta-winning Danish crime TV series "The Killing" for Pan Macmillan, following the publisher's acquisition of world novelisation rights. Acquiring editor Trisha Jackson said:... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pan macmillan #wonderful writer #female characters


Financial Times Thumbs Nose at Apple with Web App

Just as mainstream publishers are hitching their digital futures to Apple with a deal to sell subscriptions through the company's new Newsstand, one major publisher is saying, in effect, who needs it? On Tuesday, the Financial Times launched FT Web App, a browser-based app for tablets, which is... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stronger position #follow suit #digital business


Metamarkets Raises $6 Million To Help Big Web Publishers Corral Big Data

A ad tech startup that promises to help Web publishers make sense of all the data their ad sales generate. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Internet Advertising Hits Record $7.3 Billion in First Quarter

Internet advertising in the U.S. totaled $7.3 billion in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2011, up 23 percent over the same period in 2010 and set the highest first quarter level ever for the industry, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan buys The Killing novelisations

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 23/05/2011 - 09:39 Pan Macmillan has acquired the novelisations to Danish TV series "The Killing", shown on BBC4 in the UK this spring and which triumphed at last night’s Baftas. Senior commissioning editor for fiction Trisha Jackson... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Internet companies must fund creativity, claims French minister

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Mon, 23/05/2011 - 15:35 French culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand has said internet companies must contribute more to financing creativity. Setting the tone for the e-G8 forum, to be held in Paris May 24-25, he said in an interview with the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #internet companies #saturday edition #internet giants


Waterstone's plans ebook push for post-HMV era

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 15:49 Waterstone's could soon bring e-reading front of store in its physical bookshops in a manner similar to Barnes & Noble with its Nook in the US, according to e-commerce manager Alex Ingrams. Speaking to delegates at the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #physical bookshops #barnes noble


AUDIO: Are ebooks killing off paper books?

The Publishers Association have released new figures which explain how much damage ebooks are doing to their paper based alternatives. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #paper books #publishers association


IAB Reports 2010 Internet Ad Revenues Up Almost 15 Percent

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) shared in its 2010 full year report that annual Internet advertising revenues increased by 14.9 percent from 2009 to 2010, rising from $22.66 million in 2009 to $26.04 billion in 2010. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers back new PEN freedom initiative

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 11/04/2011 - 15:34 Penguin, Hachette Livre and Random House have all joined with PEN International for the launch of the literature-championing organisation’s latest initiative, the PEN International Publishers’ Circle. The scheme will see... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hachette livre #random house #pen international #financial support


The Daily Will Release Subscriber Numbers Some Day That's Not Today [MediaMemo]

News Corp.'s Daily tablet newspaper had a high-profile launch in February, but didn't start charging customers until two weeks ago. So how's it selling? "We're happy with where we are," publisher Greg Clayman told the Ad Age Digital conference today. What about that study showing a marked... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #study showing #ipad app


20 Game-Changing Events That Shaped the Internet, Part 2

We continue to look at the events that made the Internet into what it is today. In this part we examine blogs, Napster, Skype, online books, Facebook, and more. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online books


Adobe Introduces Proposal For Magazine-Like Web Layouts

Adobe introduced a proposal this week that would allow publishers to incorporate layouts similar to those used in magazines for websites. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Dealmakers Summit: "The Web Is Dead"

New York--There was a question during the morning session today at the Media Dealmakers Summit that crystallized what a lot of people are thinking about the future. "Are tablets and e-readers the future of media?" For George F. Colony, CEO of Forrester Research, the answer was simple: "Yes.... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forrester research


No Dead Ends: Creating the Modern Web Site

While magazine Web sites are starting to take a back seat to other channels that reach readers on a daily basis (such as Facebook and Twitter) they remain the centerpiece for many publishers' digital strategies. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #back seat #reach readers #daily basis #digital strategies


Web Site "Fans" Worth 50x as Much as "Fly-Bys"

If the old adage that 10 percent of your staff does 90 percent of the work rings true, the same could be said for your Web site traffic. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #web site