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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April marks the opening of two stores with a children’s connection: one is a children’s only bookstore, the other showcases indie authors and was launched by a children's book author. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is currently seeking a law change in the US that would enable third parties to preserve older games that are no longer supported by their publisher in ways that, currently breach copyright law. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I B Tauris has commissioned a book which explores the medieval world that inspired George R R Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series and the television programme based on the books. Carolyne Larrington, a tutor in medieval English literature at St John’s College Oxford, will look at how Martin... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Between 1 million and 2 million people will watch the return of Mad Men on Sunday night, but based on digital buzz, it seems only die-hard fans and not newcomers will be tuning in. Digital research from publisher and social media agency Moviepilot predicts that showrunner Matthew Weiner's... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2015-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite several store closings, independent bookstores continue to open in greater numbers, like B&F Books in West New York, N.J. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the Bologna Book Fair, toy company Mattel announced new plans to publish books and digital stories for Barbie, Thomas & Friends, Fireman Sam and others. The post From Bologna: Mattel Publishing Has New Plans appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The potential fragility of new bookstore ventures was driven home when two-year-old Granada Books in Santa Barbara announced that it needs $50,000 to stay open. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Watch highlights from the opening panel session at the Changing Media Summit 2015 Speaking at the Guardian Changing Media Summit 2015, a panel of leaders from Hearst Magazines, the Financial Times, Guardian News & Media, Johnston Press and FremantleMedia, describe how their businesses are... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Hearst Magazines president, David Carey is constantly on the lookout for growth, from Hearst's longstanding titles, acquisitions and new launches. But publishing a monthly magazine isn't what it used to be. In the first of our media CEO Q&A series, Carey talks about challenging... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Europe's research universities have called on the academic publishing sector to stop double-dipping when charging researchers and their institutions for subscriptions and fees for processing contributed articles. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lhooq Books opens, while Sparta Books marks its 50th anniversary. And Independent Bookstore Day (May 2) moves forward with a new interactive map. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German ebook distribution platform Bookwire's international expansion is rolling across Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. The post Ebook Distributor Bookwire’s Plans for Global Domination appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New media titans have shown they can attract investors' money, raking in millions in venture capital funding, but they have not answered clearly whether they can show a profit.At South by Southwest, sales chiefs for three heavily-funded digital publishers said they can do that too, or can soon,... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2015-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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(Reuters) - A little-noticed change in the way Google selects search results has allowed company statements to top the list of news links shown when users search for information on businesses. The measure may cost news publishers web traffic a ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two bookstores changed hands this week—Main Street Books in Davidson, N.C., and Partners Village in Westport, Mass. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Audible, the largest producer and seller of audiobooks, has reportedly begun commissioning original audio works. A book by Jeffery Deaver is one of the works currently being created by the company. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ashley Highfield says the ‘economics’ of digital news require the publisher to rely more on a ‘fluid’ selection of contributorsJohnston Press chief executive Ashley Highfield has warned that the number of full-time journalists working across the group’s local titles will fall from its current... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Want to get through to the hard-to-reach millennial male? Thrillist Media Group thinks it knows the formula. The digital publisher announced the creation of The CoLab, its own in-house agency that will work with brands to create native activations and content. "We wanted to have one cohesive... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2015-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate has created a spin-off company to further develop its Letters Live series of events. Five shows, which will feature actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey, will run at the Freemasons’ Hall from 31st March to 4th April 2015. The live events will celebrate the “enduring power of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The NEA’s Read Across America program continues through Saturday with a number of locations around the country celebrating children's literacy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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