“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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Hodder & Stoughton has won rights to publish a new business book "for the digital age" by podcaster Emma Gannon, called The Multi-Hyphen Method. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A partnership between MIT Press and the Internet Archive is digitizing important books from the press’s backlist and making them available to library patrons for free. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six titles ranging from the making of the iPhone to the evolution of financial markets have made it onto The Financial Times and McKinsey & Company Business Book of the Year shortlist. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The year so far shows 'modest growth' in Brazil's beleaguered market, says Marcos da Veiga Pereira ahead of Rio's book biennial and rights trading program. The post Rights Watch: Rio’s Biennial Book Fair Prepares Its Agents & Business Center appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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All you need is an internet connection, a library card, and a good e-reader to dive into your next page-turner. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2017-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 17-strong longlist for the 2017 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year has been announced, with perspectives on modern phenomena such as driverless cars, Uber and the history of the iPhone, and studies on Facebook, Google, and Amazon making the cut. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'A brutal pattern has become firmly established,' reads the new Frankfurt Book Fair Business Club white paper on the international industry. The post The Internationalist Viewpoint: A Report on ‘The Business of Books’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-published authors share what they wish they’d known from the beginning. If you haven’t written a book yet, you probably know someone who has—particularly if you’re an entrepreneur. A recent industry report found ISBN registrations for self-published titles have grown more than 375% since... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2017-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Book People has appointed former Troubadour sales director, Rob Kittlety, as managing director of field sales. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Located in Beijing’s central business district, the two-story Juvenile & Children Reading Experience Wonderland is a full-fledged subsidiary of China Children’s Press & Publication Group. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With publicity agents churning out releases and publishers' stands hectic with meetings, London Book Fair has opened its crowded three-day schedule. The post London Book Fair Opens on an Upbeat, Busy Note appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For a second year in a row, publishers arrived at the London Book Fair with the wind at their backs. Will Brexit change that? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From leading with grit to practicing deep work, these page turners introduced us to some new ideas this year. From leading with grit to practicing deep work, these page turners introduced us to some new ideas this year.Whether you wanted new ways to think about your... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2016-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook has launched #ReadtoLead, a social media campaign running from December 5 to December 9 that aims to spotlight books with a focus on leadership and business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gollancz has acquired High Stakes, the 23rd book in the Wild Card series, a long-running sci-fi and superhero series co-edited by bestselling author George R R Martin and Melinda M Snodgrass. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a combination of analysis, commentary, and rights-center deal-making, the 35th Sharjah fair clarifies issues and opportunities for industry growth. The post Sharjah Book Fair’s Professional Program: Boosting Business in the Arab World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Created as a premium setting for facilitated meetings, Frankfurt Book Fair's Business Club now is also a hub of specialized programming. The post At Frankfurt Book Fair’s Business Club: Programming Notes appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two titles from Bloomsbury have been shortlisted for the FT and McKinsey & Company Business Book of the Year award alongside entries from HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Princeton University Press and Harvard University Press. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author George RR Martin's epic science fiction story series Wild Cards is to be developed for TV following the success of Game of Thrones. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Antonio Garcia Martinez's Silicon Valley exposé Chaos Monkeys (Ebury) has been longlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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