Encyclopaedia Britannica, the 244-year-old company, recently announced it would stop printing encyclopedias. Of course this triggered a flurry of talk about the end of printed books, magazines, and newspapers and a once-great company humbled by shifts in technology. But to fall into that narrative is to miss the greatest lesson of the story. Innovating, creating something new, playing the beginning of the game is the easy part. Britannica offers us invaluable insight into the much harder half of the innovation process: how to play the end game.You see, every game--chess, tennis, business--has an end. Every business will eventually die. We cannot escape this inevitability. Yet we hold on to the fantasy that somehow OUR company will be different, that our company is “built to last.” The key to long life in business is knowing how to play the end game so that you can position yourself to play the next game. Britannica seems to be doing that well.The Wi-Fi PatternTo understand what is going on here, think about Wi-Fi (wireless Internet) service. Ten years ago when you walked into a Starbucks you had to pay for Wi-Fi access. Now you get it for free. If something doesn’t cost anything to provide, eventually someone will give it away for free. Or as an economist would say, over the long run, the market price of any competitive product or service reaches its margin cost.Wikipedia has proven that there are lots of smart people out there who are willing to write content for free.... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2012-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New stores are opening in Midlothian, Va.; Anchorage; Plattsburgh, N.Y.; and Houston, Mo. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With the rise of ad blocking and fraud concerns, publishers continue to get ads in front of consumers. One startup called Free All Media thinks it may have found a business model that works around those blockers by plugging content directly into publishers' sites. The Hopatcong, N.J.-based... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2015-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Ingram Content Group has acquired Aer.io, a service that allows publishers, retailers and authors to sell and fulfill print and digital books directly to readers via their websites, blogs and social networks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New stores are opening in Philadelphia; Decatur, Ga.; Rosalyn, Ore.; and Dorchester, Mass. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers are rolling out their Christmas advertising, with chains divided between emphasising the power of giving a book as a gift and recommending individual compelling titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On Snapchat's Discover feature, users get quick app access to a wide variety of mobile video channels from the likes of CNN, Vice, Buzzfeed and a dozen other media brands. Starting Friday, U.S. users get an option just for the holidays.Online publishing and retail start-up Brit + Co will deliver... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Self-publishing companies have long been seen as sharks in the publishing waters," writes Ronan Colgan. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Katniss Everdeen may have come out on top of the weekend box office with an estimated $101 million in domestic ticket sales, but the new "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2" fell short of industry expectations and, unlike the "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" young-adult juggernauts, her "Hunger... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As we know in the publishing business, audience is key. We sell more advertising because of it, we beat our chests when we reach a certain number, and we believe what we are doing is ultimately for “our audience.” Looking a ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Family Christian Stores is reemerging with pledges of better customer service, no active solicitation for its charities, and improved merchandising and product mix. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New bookstores will open in the next few weeks in Dallas, Flint, and Savage Mill, Md. And BookHampton's store in Southampton, Long Island, found two "white knights," both former employees, who purchased it last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four months after emerging from bankruptcy, Family Christian Stores is counting on better customer service, no active solicitation for its charities, and improved merchandising and product mix to lift year-end sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Russian editions of YA author’s bestselling Kane Chronicles will now depict his African American character accuratelyThe bestselling American author Rick Riordan has thanked his Russian publisher for no longer “whitewashing” its jacket illustration of his character Carter, an African American... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Titles set to follow former rivals Loaded and Nuts in folding as young men turn to mobile phones, social media and free magazinesFHM and Zoo are to close by the end of the year, marking the end of the lads’ mag era that dominated UK magazine publishing in the late 90s and early 2000s.Publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eight years ago, we featured the 22-year-old creator of a site with 19 million users. 1.5 billion members later, the adventure continues.In early 2007, Fast Company senior writer Ellen McGirt got a rush assignment from the magazine's editor, Bob Safian. Both were newcomers to the publication,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The future of 50 Devon libraries was secured last week after council members passed plans to set up a new private organisation owned by staff that will run the library services. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson investors have “little visibility” on what the company may do in the next few months, one analyst has warned, while another has said further restructuring at the academic publisher was “almost inevitable.” Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week marked the grand opening of a new store in Michigan, with two other stores--in Washington and Florida--prepping to open new locations before the end of the month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TELL and Agatha Christie Productions (ACP) have launched a new storytelling app based on Christie's short story collection The Mysterious Mr Quin, starring "Game of Thrones" actor Gethin Anthony in the lead role. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The dystopian YA franchise that has made an indelible mark on popular culture has reached its final chapter with the release of Lionsgate's 'Mockingjay Part 2' on November 20. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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