Lots and lots (and lots) of links today. There is so much “future of publishing news” this week my head is spinning. Let’s get to it!
First up, those of you who have e-Readers may have wondered on occasion why there are lots of books missing from the e-libraries. Well, AP reporter Hillel Italie wrote a recent article assessing some of the reasons, which include skepticism about the whole e-book thing and a strong disagreement over royalties. You might see the CEO of a certain agency interviewed in the article. A certain agency that likes the color orange. Okay, it’s Curtis Brown.
Speaking of e-Readers, via HarperStudio (love those guys) comes a blog post at the NY Times about the effect e-Readers are going to have on books, including making them easier to buy (and stop reading), a great jockeying for search engine optimization, and the possible return of the cliffhanger as a way to entice buying. I love the idea of cliffhangers making it
Speaking of the New York Times and e-Readers, they have a separate article, crucially, about the Kindle’s effect on literary snobbery. In other words, who is going to try and impress everyone on the subway by reading ULYSSES when no one can see what they’re reading? It’s the end of literature as we know it, people.
And now for the corporate side of the future of publishing, some big news afoot as Barnes & Noble launched an mp3 audio book store, and Amazon acquired the company that makes the iPhone e-Reader app Stanza, possibly in anticipation of an Apple/Verizon tablet-sized device that could be a serious game-changer in the e-book world.
And lastly in future of publishing news, my awesome colleague Katie Arathoon passed along two articles, one about the launch of the Espresso in England, a machine that can print and bind a (warm) book in five minutes, and which is probably the future of many paper books as it will allow even the smallest of bookstores to offer the same level of selection as online booksellers.
The second article is about a partnership between hip-hop group De La Soul and Nike (yes, the shoemakers), a sponsorship relationship that could perhaps be a model for authors of the future.
Whew. Things are changing quickly around here.
In agency news, William Morris and Endeavor got married, and I’m told they registered at Bloomingdales. I already got them a rice cooker, so don’t even think about it.
Agent Rachelle Gardner (who I had the pleasure of meeting in Colorado Springs) has an awesome post this week compiling some of the horrible Amazon reviews some beloved books received. If you need a pick-me-up (or laugh) after receiving a rejection, check it out.
And speaking of pitch sessions, Janet Reid has a sure-fire guide to bombing one.
Whew. That’s a lot of links. AND THERE’S MORE.
In news that surprises absolutely no one, Susan Boyle is shopping a book.
Slate’s site The Big Money discovered that there may be some moms out there who are obsessed with TWILIGHT.
Over at Murderati, Allison Brennan has another terrific post on Agent for a Day, musing about whether marketability is more important than story. It’s a terrific defense of the importance of story.
Almost finally, via PublicAffairs Editor Niki Papadopolous comes word of a cool project by Perseus. They’re going to be compiling a book based on user entries and then publishing it in as many formats as possible in 48 hours at BEA. All you have to do is submit your first line to the sequel of a great book.
And finally, finally, via the Huffington Post comes an amazing video of a dancing parrot, which scientists are using to prove that not only do some animals actually have rhythm, they have horrible taste in music, too:
Someone get that parrot a book deal.
Have a great weekend!
Writer from Hell says
I need that Espresso.
Writer from Hell says
Is it a mind block? Knowing that Twilight appeals to teenagers’ (esp girls!!) sense of romance, I would never pick it up, never go near it. Pls do not blight all moms over 30 by saying they seem to love it. May be only the kind who…
KathyF says
I’m pass the half century mark, and I find I read more and more YA. (Although Twilight didn’t appeal to me so I haven’t read that.)
But maybe I’m going through a second teenager-hood.
Anonymous says
kindle is bundle
espresso is impresso
coz it’ll help
the writers who are fighters
n agents can’t run pageants.
editors are predators
publishers paper pushers
’nuff
bring on espresso
n let meek inherit the scrolls
Laurel says
Writer from Hell,
Lighten up! It’s okay to be a stereotype sometimes. Or not.
Just buy it on your Kindle…no one has to know 😉
In all seriousness, I am that demographic and so are all my friends. We are M.D.s, lawyers, M.F.A.s, and PhDs so we aren’t a dumb crowd and we all loved Twilight. We also all feel like we probably shouldn’t. Plain old junk food for the brain. Even health nuts like Pringles every now and then!
Anonymous says
There’s no telling for music tastes. My Goffins Cockatoo boogies to “Love Me Like a Rock,” by The Dixie Hummingbirds.
No electronic books in this house, other than the free ones on the Internet. I sometimes just browse them for info. The less time spent on the information highway, the better, these days.
Mary Jo
BarbS. says
Heard about the Espresso. Thought it was a joke. The fellow who passed along the info said he had to recheck the date of his source to make sure it wasn’t April 1.
Word ver: COWINO. So that’s why they moo…
Writer from Hell says
Yea Laurel I agree. sorry I didn’t complete the sentence.
I meant it only appeals to the kind who are… phds, MDs, M.F.A.s, lawyers, intelligent etc.. I aspire to be all or any of these.
Mira says
Hey fellow writers,
Anyone up for getting their party on?
The demon band, Maelstrom, is getting down with a concert today!
Before and after party at:
Come In Character, pre and post Party!The concert, and chat with the demons is here:
Maelstrom, the Concert!So, come on! Party down, party on, party hard!
Let’s party, baby!
(Thanks, Nathan!)
Laurel says
I think Espresso sounds kind of cool. Sort of like POD for the end user…
I still don’t think it will take off like a Kindle type device since you have to actually go to a bookstore and know what you’re buying first. If I know what I want already I go to Amazon but I go to the bookstore to browse.
I wonder if the titles available would be restricted like the ones on Kindle? Seems like yes.
historywriter says
My parakeet, Petie, loved John Phillip Sousa. He could whistle the piccolo part to Stars and Stripes, bopping his head up and down and strutting along his perch. He also loved to sing to my mother’s piano. Needless to say, she covered him up when she taught lessons in her studio.
Anonymous says
Hey, regarding Moms (raising hand here) and YA:
I always read with my daughter. It was something we shared that we both have treasured.
As she got into her teens, I didn’t read *everything* but I still read Harry Potter and all the fantasy books with her.
Then after she grew up and left home, I still read her books.We continue to share a love of fantasy novels.
I was pretty lonely without her, watching Disney and fantasy movies though.
So I made my husband stop mocking them so he could watch them with me too, which he now admits that he likes too -though he won’t touch the YA books.(He’s way to manly!)
Laurel says
Anonymous,
Thanks for the shout out in defense of moms reading YA. I don’t have the “my kids are reading it” excuse yet since one is just starting to read Dr. Seuss independently and the other is just now mastering letters.
From a business perspective it seems that publishers should be (and are) aware of who is buying their books. Aspiring authors should also have a good feel for where their book would be positioned in the market. How can you sell something if you don’t know who your consumer is? And why would you leave money on the table by ignoring people who want to buy it? Whether we should or not, thirty-something moms do like popular fiction that was originally intended for the YA market. Not all of us, but enough to put the Twilight books on half of Amazon’s top ten seller slots.
I bet it’s a lot harder than we think to write a “bad” book that sells as well as some of the ones we like to trash at cocktail parties.
Mira says
That parrot video was incredible. So funny! And cute. He was having such a good time.
Hey Nathan, I just want to mention I was very polite to your visitor from the publishing industry. I didn’t bring up anything about marketing and dodo heads.
I did it out of respect for you. Which is cool, but while imposing such an unfamiliar self-discipline upon myself, I’m pretty sure I broke something.
I’ll be sending you the medical bill. It’s only fair.
KathyF says
Laurel,
I think you’re right about the Expresso. But I’d use it. There have been several times that I’ve gone to the bookstore for a particular book. The store didn’t have it, and I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of ordering it (and having to wait for a call).
Because of some of the things Amazon has done over the last couple of years, I’m avoiding buying from them for now. (I’ll probably end up buying a couple of things from them, but not anywhere as much as I would have before.) But I do realize that most folks won’t feel that way and will do what’s easiest for them and Amazon is pretty easy.
As for the Expresso selection, from what I read it looks like it could be more than just the Kindle list since it’s supposed to handle a lot of different formats.
I wish the Expresso was in my local store so I could try it out.
KathyF
Jen C says
We’ve actually had the Espresso machine here in Melbourne since last year. Tsk tsk, late to the party you are!
Anonymous says
Nathan, thanks for taking so much of your time to keep up this fantastic blog. Quick question on YA/MG. What is the inside-the-publishing -industry scuttlebutt on the Alex Rider series? Are editors chomping at the bit, trying to publish hundreds of new books that appeal to the many fans of the Alex Rider series?
Anonymous says
I thought I bombed my pitch session this weekend, but after reading Janet Reid’s post, I feel better. I tried to follow your advice, Nathan, although it may take a little more practice unless the agent to whom I pitched adores my work.
I still hate the pitch sessions, but a writer must do what a writer must do.
Kim Kasch says
Ohhhh I’ve loved the Cliffhanger ever since Dark Shadows – and that tells you how old I am.
Mira says
The end of literature as we know it? That was funny, Nathan.
There was so much to discuss in these links, I don’t know where to start.
I’m very interested in the Espresso, and how it might change the business world of books. Seems like a really nice innovation for small bookstores and the ‘returns’ policy.
Also, a really interesting idea to have cliffhangers in books.
There so many new ideas coming forward due to new technoligies – it’s exciting.
Scott says
Allison’s article is a good one, but with all due respect, she seems to be in her own way searching for a way to justify what is essentially declining expectations in quality writing.
There are lots of good stories going unread because they don’t have an easily marketable profile, and I think it’s more to do with lack of marketing nous than anything. Why break it if it ain’t broke, right?
Yes, I’m one of those wannabes who had his MS rejected because the agent couldn’t figure out how to sell it. But somebody has to kick into a fresh trail at some point, don’t they? I would have done the leg work had I been asked.
I’m beginning to see “sampling” in the publishing industry just as I saw it in the music industry about a decade ago. Consumable and disposable entertainment that only needed to move an ass or two for a couple of weeks. Hey, I guess that’s fine if the public is buying it, but there is still a point to be made about entertainment that challenges and rewards in that sense.
If we use the dollar as our highest barometer for “good storytelling”, we may find ourselves lamenting a culture that’s simply biding its time rather than defining it.
Fawn Neun says
Well, my teenagers read Stephen King and Michael Moorcock, they only read YA when it’s assigned at school. But a lot of it is well-written and enjoyable, no different than watching a TV drama instead of going to the theatre.
Never got into the Twilight thing, but Prachett’s juveniles, particularly the Tiffany Aching series, is touching, intelligent and well written enough for someone who also reads Tolstoy, Nabokov and Steinbeck.
Dori says
Proof positive that white birds can dance.
PurpleClover says
This is off topic but I have a great interview with my sister if you guys and gals wanna check it out and meet her. She’s A FANTASTIC writer. But I am a little biased since we’re related an all.
🙂
karen wester newton says
My neighbor has macaws. They scream like someone is being murdered. Kinda scary for new neighbors the first time they leave the windows open.
lisanneharris says
Ooh, Nathan, I loved your use of polysyndeton in your opening line. That was a great use of a rhetorical device. 🙂
Lis’Anne
Venus says
Admittedly, the cuckatoo has bad choice in music but far more rhythm than I have seen in most people. Damn!
Carol S. says
Have you seen shelfari.com? Fun site for sharing books and networking with friends who love to read.