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 ]
News tagged with:
#marie curie
#albert einstein
#bill clinton
#digital learning
#snew book
Simon Scarrow is “leading the charge in redefining what it means to be an author brand... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#simon scarrow
Author George R.R. Martin, the creator of the "Game of Thrones" series, will introduce a new character in one of his upcoming books thanks to a $20,000 charity auction prize. Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#author george
#upcoming books
Ala Alsallal, founder of the website Jamalon, says there will be an entire section on the website devoted to selling banned books. Alsallal hopes to make banning books so pointless that governments stop doing so. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Just under 3m book sales registered through Nielsen BookScan for the week ending the 31st of May... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#nielsen bookscan
#week ending
George R.R. Martin's editor recently said that she 'begin[s] to wonder]' if Martin's story can be wrapped up in seven books. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Fans of the popular book and film franchise The Hunger Games will recognize the hand signal instantly: the middle three fingers of the hand, raised to the sky. A gesture of resistance against the repressive government in the fictional world of Panem, it has now become a very real symbol of... Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#popular book
#film franchise
#hunger games
Following the notice B&N sent to customers that it is shutting down its downloadable audio section, a spokesperson for the retailer told PW the company plans to re-enter the market at some point in the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital audiobooks
#company plans
Osprey has developed its own video game, the first in a planned series, slated for release this... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#video game
#planned series
Living Language has partnered with HBO Global Licensing to offer a course in Dothraki, a language from George R.R. Martin's popular series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#popular series
The best games for book lovers, including "The Legend of Zelda" and "Candy Crush Saga." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book lovers
Chinese publisher and printer Phoenix Media has agreed to acquire the children's publishing unit of Lincolnwood, Ill.-based Publications International Ltd. (PIL) for $80 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishing unit
#chinese publisher
#$80 million
HarperCollins Christian Publishing announced yesterday it has acquired Olive Tree Bible Software, a maker of online and mobile software and apps for Bible study and devotional use that will complement HCCP’s online Bible website. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#mobile software
#bible study
F+W Media is rebranding itself and will change the company’s name to F+W, a Content + eCommerce Company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Much as predicted at the time of its acquisition by Amazon, Comixology is removing in-app purchasing from its iOS apps, eliminating the 30% sales commission to Apple. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ios apps
Quercus CEO and cofounder Mark Smith will be leaving the company, but aiding in the transition. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#quercus ceo
DC Entertainment has announced plans for a year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of Batman, the iconic Golden Age comic book character that debuted in 1939 and helped launch the superhero genre. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#dc entertainment
#warner bros
#announced plans
#75th anniversary
#helped launch
#superhero genre
Amazon Publishing plans to release more than 500 titles in the UK this year, the company's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Waterstones, children's laureate Malorie Blackman, poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Phillip Pullman among supportersA national campaign to stop children's books being labelled as "for boys" or "for girls" has won the support of Britain's largest specialist bookseller Waterstones, as well as... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#early years
#work directly
The bankruptcy court overseeing Cengage Learning’s Chapter 11 proceedings has approved the company’s plan of reorganization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Still captivated by the distinctive small Virginia town where he grew up, Billy Coffey returns to its proxy in his latest novel, which explores what happens when 20 years’ worth of guilt about a young man’s untimely death overtakes three high school classmates. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#young man