Only the brave will reap the benefits of creativity

There’s an old saying in screenwriting: If you want to reveal the truth of a character, dial up the pressure and force him or her to make a choice. Well, it seems a choice is being forced upon our industry, and I think it’s a great thing. A recent Forrester report, “The Cost of Creativity,” suggested—or rather, lamented—that “The value of agency creativity is at risk of disappearing.” It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out how we got here. Margins tighten, media fragments, agencies diversify their offerings in order to “stay relevant” and grab new revenue opportunities. Play it out and it’s easy to see the cost: an industry plagued by short-termism, seeking guarantees that aren’t there from data and analytics, and searching for answers in old debates like big agency-vs-small and AOR-vs-not. Perhaps most importantly: A creative discipline that has forgotten its only truly effective product offering. If it sounds like the sort of rhetoric that we typically dish out to clients, it is. So, what happened? If it’s any consolation, where we are today is largely of our own doing.  Like most change, it didn’t occur in one sweeping, easy-to-detect moment, but in lots of small incremental steps, including: —Defining the quality and bigness of an idea by the variety of media placements in which it appeared. —Putting the priorities of the media platforms on which our our brands live before those of our own brands. —Taking way too long to realize that digital media... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-26 07:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #comfort zones #origin story #advertising campaign #ad campaign #real difference #digital media

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Creative Future names 2020 Writers' Award winners

Grief, male sexuality and the plight of pets in Covid-stricken Wuhan are some of the subjects of the 12 winning entries in the Creative Future Writers’ Award, chosen by judges including author Kerry Hudson and poet Anthony Anaxagorou. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-27 13:08:30 UTC ]
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Penguin Classics Science Fiction review – a fresh look at brave new worlds

Sci-fi preconceptions are challenged by little-known marvels from James Tiptree Jr, Angélica Gorodischer and othersThe border between science fiction and mainstream literature is more permeable than booksellers or publishers would have us think. Double Booker prize-winner Margaret Atwood’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-07-27 06:00:46 UTC ]
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Book Launches Get More Creative

Authors, shut out of holding in-person events at bookstores, have adapted to the digital book event, and book launches are getting more creative and collaborative as a result. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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UK’s National Literary Trust Research Finds Benefits of Audiobooks for Kids

A report commissioned by the Publishers Association says that during the COVID-19 lockdown, UK children listened to audiobooks, arguing to end their VAT. The post UK’s National Literary Trust Research Finds Benefits of Audiobooks for Kids appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-07-06 15:29:18 UTC ]
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Sale of Book-Themed Masks to Benefit Binc

The ABA and Out of Print have collaborated on a new line of book-themed face masks. A portion of each sale will be donated to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Dear black publishers and creatives...

I have been writing children's books for over 10 years now. I have worked as an editor in children's publishing houses for 15. For the last 18 months, I have been mentoring writers and illustrators of colour, and doing my best to try and explain how publishing works. How to navigate this... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-26 10:43:21 UTC ]
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Creative Access reports 40% of community 'running out of money' in wake of coronavirus

A survey of the Creative Access community, investigating the impact of coronavirus on under-represented communities within the creative industries, has revealed 80% are prioritising finding a new job or freelance work, with almost 40% saying they have run out of money already or are about to do so. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-18 17:26:02 UTC ]
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Novelist Tayari Jones braves COVID-19 and voter suppression in Georgia

In a new kind of quarantine diary, the author of the Oprah's Book Club bestseller "An American Marriage" dons a mask and waits nearly four hours to vote. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-06-16 15:00:07 UTC ]
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Walker Books signs two-book deal with creative duo Andy Jones and Olaf Falafel

Walker Books will publish Unleash Your Creative Monster: A Children’s Guide to Writing by Andy Jones and Olaf Falafel, the first title in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-10 19:22:38 UTC ]
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John Cleese's 'practical and amusing' book on creativity to Hutchinson

Hutchinson has acquired a book by John Cleese offering advice on the nature of the creative process. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-19 16:21:38 UTC ]
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Weldon and Shelley join call for government action on creative industries

PRH UK c.e.o. Tom Weldon and Hachette UK c.e.o. David Shelley are among more than 400 leading names from the creative industries warning half the UK's creative businesses could be lost due to the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-27 00:49:47 UTC ]
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Opportunity knocks: how lockdown is opening doors for new creative talent

Aspiring writers and directors now have a rare chance to impress producers and publishers with time on their handsCameras have stopped rolling, book launches are postponed and actors are all “resting”. It looks as if nothing is moving in the world of entertainment and storytelling, yet from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-04-18 13:05:09 UTC ]
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Comic Creators Unite to Benefit Stores

A large group of comic book creators will be using Twitter to auction books, art and more to benefit stores upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-04-14 13:49:17 UTC ]
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Fundraiser for booksellers affected by Covid-19 reaps over £100k in two weeks

A crowdfunder in aid of booksellers affected by the Covid-19 crisis has exceeded its fundraising target of £50,000. Penguin Random House pledged it would match donations, meaning over £100,000 will now be made available for hardship grants. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-05 21:08:28 UTC ]
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University of East Anglia launches 50th anniversary creative writing project

The University of East Anglia (UEA) has announced a major strand of its ambitious CW50 anniversary campaign, which celebrates 50 years of creative writing at UEA.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-01 15:44:04 UTC ]
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‘Everyone feels the pain’: Major digital publishers enact pay and benefits cuts to stanch the bleeding

Several publishers have begun announcing their pay cuts and furlough plans as ad revenue continues drying up. Seeing patterns from previous recessions, former media execs explain why these cost controls are only temporary fixes. The post ‘Everyone feels the pain’: Major digital publishers enact... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-03-31 04:01:00 UTC ]
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Trewin partners with Writing.ie to help authors 'accelerate their creativity' in lockdown

Literary agent Simon Trewin has partnered with Writing.ie – a resource site for unpublished authors – to launch a weekly one-hour show on Facebook Live.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-27 16:09:51 UTC ]
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Brave new worlds

Today we face, as a trade, as businesses and as humans, an unparalleled challenge in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus, Covid-19, across the country and worldwide. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-20 12:12:30 UTC ]
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Authors and publishers get creative as book launches are moved online

In response to the coronavirus outbreak and government advice to socially distance, authors, readers and booksellers are thinking of new, exciting and creative ways to launch their books and keep readers engaged after in-person-events get cancelled.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 11:27:40 UTC ]
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Curbside Pickup. Bicycle Deliveries. Virtual Book Discussions. Amid Virus, Bookstores Get Creative.

“We’re going to operate like a pizza takeout place,” one independent bookstore owner said. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-03-18 03:53:05 UTC ]
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