We used to know what it took to be a writer – you had to publish a book. But electronic publishing is piling pressure on myths of the author's lifeWhat's the difference between making money out of books and writing books that people want to buy? Turns out it's about 40% – if, that is, you believe this year's Digital Book World (DBW) survey.Only 20% of the 1,600 self-published authors surveyed, and just a quarter of the almost 800 writers with a traditional book deal, judged it "extremely important" to "make money writing books". Shift the issue to publishing "a book that people will buy" and the figures leap to 56% and 60% respectively.But of course, you say – this is literature we're talking about. These authors have loftier concerns than the grubby business of making money. Art is their province. If they must consort with the commercial world to find an audience, then so be it. But heaven forfend they should be interested in something so base as raking in the cash.Except, in the digital age this kind of logic just doesn't wash. If all you're interested in is finding an audience for your work, then electronic distribution allows you to find it without any connection to the marketplace at all. Write your masterpiece, stick it on your website, and sound the trumpets for the victory of Pallas Athene. Or, if what you're really looking for is the grateful adulation of your adoring fans, stick it on Scribophile or WritersCafe and get ready to feel the love. These days the only... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Magazines Digital Media announced several changes to its roster today. Julie Hocheiser is now site director for Seventeen.com. Hocheiser served previously as the senior web editor for the Hearst Teen Network. Neha Gandhi also joined Seventeen.com as a web editor. Gandhi is the former... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 22/02/2011 - 09:15 Expanded digital delivery and sales in emerging markets have led Taylor & Francis parent company Informa to an increase in adjusted operating profit of 1.2% to £313.2m in its latest financial year. In its results, for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Timonium's Diamond Comic Distributors to experiment with digital comics distribution with retail partnersDigital entertainment has shaken the retail industry, shuttering your local brick-and-mortar record store, book seller and video rental outlets. Could the neighborhood comic book shop be... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 22/02/2011 - 09:08 The International Publishers Association is urgently trying to locate an Iranian publisher on women's issues after she was named in an alleged blacklist of Iranian publishers. The blacklist, reportedly circulated by a chapter... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Forbes is launching an ad platform that combines the Forbes Media Network with a new audience segmentation effort called FAST and offers custom units that blend advertising with content according to user preferences. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#ad platform
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 21/02/2011 - 08:47 Michael O'Mara has acquired an anthology about the writers of "Hancock's Half Hour" and "Steptoe and Son", dubbed "the fathers of the British sitcom". Commissioning editor Kate Moore bought world rights with Elly James of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 18/02/2011 - 08:18 Virago is publishing a new collection of 13 early short stories by Daphne du Maurier, including five discovered by a Cornish bookseller and du Maurier enthusiast. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 18/02/2011 - 08:15 Publishing staff at Cambridge University Press (CUP) have voted to reject a pay increase of 2%. The proposed pay increase, which CUP has described as reasonable and in line with other pay settlements, has led the Unite union to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#economic downturn
There may not be a ton of enthusiasm in the publishing world for Apple's new policy for subscription services--particularly when it comes to giving Cupertino a... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A day after Apple stirred up online publishers with its digital subscription plan, Google announced a service that aims to be more publisher-friendly. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 16/02/2011 - 07:42 Orion chief executive Peter Roche has called increasing ebook sales "welcome" but cautioned that they will put "more of a strain on bricks and mortar" bookselling. Roche was speaking to hundreds of authors, agents and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#central london
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By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Somebody call the cops -- eh, antitrust authorities. Apple's subscription plan is here, and it's as bad for many, if not most, publishers as rumored. The first of several key sentences from Apple's press announcement: "Publishers may no longer provide links in their apps... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#book sold
Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 08:53 Publishers' demands for control of pricing in Borders' closing sales are delaying its impending bankruptcy ruling. Reuters reports the retailer is in discussions with liquidators over a plan to close around 20 of its 650... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 09:39 Indie publisher Salt has launched a digital imprint, Embrace Books, comprising four series of erotica and romance titles. Red Velvet is billed as "sexy, sophisticated romance", while After Dark is an "intense,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#historical fiction
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Apple has officially rolled out its long awaited subscription-model for content publishers in the App Store. Under the plan, if subscribers come to a publisher's app organically through the App store, Apple gets a 30 percent share. If the publisher brings a new or existing subscriber to the App,... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 11/02/2011 - 08:28 An open letter to culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and culture minister Ed Vaizey calling for a halt to library closures after the success of last weekend's protests has been signed by high-profile authors including Sarah... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#terry jones
At a press conference this morning, Time Inc. announced it is launching an "all access" digital subscription plan in an effort to offer their brands to readers on any platform. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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European publishers have added their voice to the chorus of criticism of Apples plans for iPad newspaper subscriptions. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 10/02/2011 - 16:00 The National Maritime Museum is looking to publish its "unrivalled" archive of images. The London-based museum has appointed the Creative Rights Agency to pursue publishing opportunities and also seek product licensees for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 09/02/2011 - 07:00 Profits at Indigo Books & Music have dropped by $4.4m year-on-year in its fourth quarter. The Canadian book retailer reported profits of C$30.1m in the fourth quarter ending 1st January, down from C$34.5m in the same... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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