“You don’t understand,” the three-time, big-six published author told me. “Books aren’t designed for you, the customer. Today, non-fiction books are business cards--for speaking, consulting, and deals.” I was meeting this friend for dinner in New York City and had mentioned a trend I had noticed in nearly every book I’d seen in the last year: They never say what they’re about. Almost as a rule, hardcover books (and increasingly ebooks) favor laudatory “blurbs” over descriptions--opting for short quotes from important authors, CEOs, celebrities, or media outlets to make their case. At the time, I was in the middle of designing the back cover of my own book, and being somewhat new to the game, I could not understand the benefits of doing this. Wouldn’t it be better to use that space to describe the contents of the book? Isn’t that what “customers” would want? Why bury the content on the inside? I was missing a fundamental change that has occurred in the publishing business, particularly for authors. Faced with declining sales and the disappearance of book retailers like Borders, authors have diversified their income streams, and many make substantially more money through new business generated by a book, rather than from it. Today, authors are in the idea-making business, not the book business. In short, this means that publishing a book is less about sales and much more about creating a brand. The real customers of books are no longer just readers but now include... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2012-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#bad news
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“You don’t understand,” the three-time, big-six published author told me. “Books aren’t designed for you, the customer. Today, non-fiction books are business cards--for speaking, consulting, and deals.” I was meeting this friend for dinner in New York City and had mentioned a trend I had... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2012-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#best-seller lists
#bad news
#million copies
Tethered to our smartphones, over-scheduled, spiritually and physically fatigued--all symptoms of a society gone crazy busy. Is running from work to school to church to practice to home and back again really the best way to live? A crop of new books says no. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Editors and literary agents on the mechanics—and the emotions—behind the publishing business, what makes a bestseller, and how book bidding wars can cloud expectations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid some 250 events in August's hybrid edition of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, a group of programs welcomes industry players. The post In-Person, Online: Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Business of Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-07-09 18:10:26 UTC ]
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PW talks to Fernando Esteves, Managing Director of Ediciones SM in Mexico, about the state of the Mexican book business, and what lies ahead in 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A decade after the first Kindle, Amazon looks toward disrupting books themselves. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle praised the slow, but continuous growth of the book business around the world and noted the “healthy co-existence" of the print and digital markets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small business owners are getting a new feature tailored just for them in Microsoft Office 365—a full-service system for scheduling appointments for their services over the internet. Microsoft Bookings is a new service that makes it possible for business owners to create their own scheduling... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2016-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British publishers discuss how transatlantic collaboration can boost books’ performance and the work it takes to maintain mutually beneficial relationships. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The journalist spoke to the 951 booksellers attending Winter Institute about the Race Card Project, which she launched 14 years ago, and how it has evolved into a much-needed dialogue about both race and identity in the U.S.—and a new book, 'Our Hidden Conversations.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen Blake Mettee died from a heart attack while snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands on November 18. A serial entrepreneur across many sectors, Mettee founded independent publisher Quill Driver Books in 1994 and Hummingbird Digital Media, a hybrid e-book distributing/retailing company, in 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Our new Google calendar, to be updated throughout the year and to which readers can subscribe, keeps track of the dates of select trade shows, book fairs, and awards and prizes in 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The book business in 2023 in a nutshell: Amazon got hit with a federal antitrust lawsuit, Scholastic got mired in a censorship controversy, Simon & Schuster finally found a buyer, AI fever gripped the book business, and publishers stepped up to book bans. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-29 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Amy Edmondson's book on 'learning to fail' puts her at the top of the Business Book shortlist this year in London. The post Amy Edmondson’s ‘Fail’ is a Win: England’s Business Book of the Year appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-05 21:52:47 UTC ]
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From new series to high fantasy, rom coms to chilling horror, your guide to fall 2023 ya book releases has everything. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-09-28 10:36:00 UTC ]
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The results of this year's Association of American Literary Agents biannual membership survey indicate that the agency sector of the book business is diversifying, but is still predominantly white, and issues including burnout and unequal pay remain. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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"What took so long?" That was the prevailing sentiment among many industry members upon hearing the news that the FTC had filed an antitrust lawsuit against the nation's largest e-tailer and dominant bookseller. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The FT Business Book of the Year issues a 15-title longlist, with a six-title shortlist ahead and a winner to be named in December. The post London’s FT Business Book of the Year: A 15-Title Longlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-16 16:57:51 UTC ]
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