Pocklington Post makes a virtue of parish pump stories written by readers

Pocklington - nicknamed Pock - is a small market town in the Yorkshire Wolds, about 13 miles (or 21 kms) from the city of York.Its population of 8,337 is served by a weekly newspaper, the Pocklington Post, which was chosen by its owner, Johnston Press, to pioneer the publishing of user generated content (UGC).Since January, the editor has aimed at having 75% of the paper originated by the town's residents and readers. Last time the paper's circulation was audited, in the final six months of 2012, it sold a weekly average of 3,302 copies.So Steve Dyson, the former Birmingham Mail editor who monitors local and regional papers, decided to take a look at "all this UGC palaver" for his HoldTheFrontPage column.The result? He was genuinely delighted and discovered that the readers also seemed to appreciate the initiative. After detailing pages of content, here are Dyson's key comments:"I know, I know - much of the above is parish pump stuff, but before you make that cynical leap remember: that's largely what very local papers should be about.The resulting copy may be a little loose in style, but there seems to me to be finer detail, more names and probably fewer factual errors."It will be fascinating to see what effect it has on both print sales and online subscriptions. The irritating thing, because the Pock Post's sales are now audited on a yearly basis, is that we won't know until spring 2015.Regional & local newspapersJohnston PressNewspapersCitizen mediaRoy... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #online subscriptions

Other news stories related to: "Pocklington Post makes a virtue of parish pump stories written by readers"


Post-Christmas digital sales rocket

Publishers have reported ebook sales surging by up to 355% post-Christmas, as Nielsen BookScan... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nielsen bookscan


Tablet and E-book reader Ownership Nearly Double Over the Holiday Gift-Giving Period

The share of adults in the United States who own tablet computers nearly doubled from 10% to 19% between mid-December and early January and the same surge in growth also applied to ebook readers, which also jumped from 10% to 19% over the same time ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook readers #early january #tablet computers


Sykes makes history donation to London schools

Author Adrian Sykes, with his publisher David Campbell, of Everyman's Library, is to donate a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


New York Post Launches New Kindle Fire App

Add the New York Post to the growing list of publications that are releasing apps optimized for the Kindle Fire and in this case, other seven-inch Android tablets too. “This app adds to our array of critically-acclaimed and successful app ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle fire #growing list #york post


Fnac making 510 redundant to cut costs

Fnac, the leading French cultural products chain, will lay off 510 of its 17,000 staff and may... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cut costs


Short story 'newspaper' hits bookshops

The team behind the successful book Change the World for a Fiver has launched a free newspaper... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short story


Berrett-Koehler Posts Another Profitable Year

Twenty years after he founded the indie San Francisco press Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Steve Piersanti continues to stay focused on the company’s original mission of stewardship and socially responsible publishing practices. That commitment has led B-K to be profitable for nine years in a row,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #twenty years #profitable year


News Corp. for First Time Details Tabloid Bribe for Story on Child Killer

News Corp. (NWSA) for the first time publicly detailed bribery by a journalist at its now-defunct News of the World, telling a court that a former editor agreed to pay a prison guard to get a story about a child killer. Matt Nixson, a features edit ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #prison guard


"Unprecedented" seven make Man Asian shortlist

An "unprecedented" seven novels have been shortlisted for the 2011 Man Asian Literary... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Ladies’ Home Journal to Move to Reader-Produced Content Model

In a new twist on the user generated content model, Meredith’s Ladies’ Home Journal is turning over editorial reins to its readers. As of its March issue, almost every story featured in the magazine will include some audience contribution. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #march issue #home journal


Reading Agency to cheer up readers

The Reading Agency is to launch a Mood-boosting Books campaign, teaming up with Vintage and its... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading agency


1 in 40 people now have e-readers

Over 90% of the e-readers bought over Christmas were Kindles, according to research released... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #research released


Police make arrest over Bertrams fraud

A man has been arrested and bailed in connection with a £1.9m fraud alleged to have taken... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


HMV makes a profit from Waterstone's, as losses deepen

The HMV Group made a profit of £11.5m from the sale of book chain Waterstone's, but the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Rodale Makes Digital Hire

Health and fitness publisher Rodale is bringing in a new executive to oversee the digital division it created as part of October's shakeup. Former Barnes & Noble GM Anthony Astarita will become Rodale's general manager of digital and new brand development, one of three divisions CEO Maria... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #strategic alliances #steve madden #coming year #nook e-reader #brand development


E-Book Readers Face Sticker Shock

Cheap new e-readers are expected to be one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. But new owners of Kindles and Nooks may be in for sticker shock on Christmas morning: The price gap between the print and e-versions of some top sellers has now narrowed to within a few dollars -- and in some... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dollars -- #top sellers #price gap #christmas morning #holiday season


Reader's Digest Association Cuts 150 Jobs Worldwide

Reader’s Digest Association has eliminated 150 positions across all of its business groups worldwide, with half the cuts affecting jobs in the U.S. and the other half international. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Sky's Crawford to write Libya story

HarperCollins has acquired an account of this year's Libyan conflict by Sky News reporter... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


History Press makes redundancies, grows digital

The History Press is in consultation with a "small number" of staff over redundancies,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #small number #history press


Head of Zeus makes fiction buy

Literary agent Fiona Spencer Thomas has sold a thriller by Alex Churton to Anthony Cheetham's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anthony cheetham #alex churton