Yule Heibel's Library tagged publishing →  View Popular, Search in Google

This could get interesting!
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Right now Adobe and WoodWing are charging magazine publishers something like six figures just for a system that will transform their magazines into apps that can be sold through Apple. And magazines are basically just enhanced ebooks. Meanwhile, companies like OnSwipe are trying to become the de-facto system for publishing content to tablets—but only on the web. Companies like Arcade Sunshine, whom I've written about before, are also limited to Apple's App store.

The Atavist Platform, meanwhile, promises to do all of that, and then maybe turn its competitors' bones into bread when it's done.
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atavist e-books platforms publishing mit_techreview

More on Amazon.
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One thing is certain, however. Publishers are in trouble. They think their problem is that they are losing their retailers. But the real danger is that, over time, they are going to lose their authors as well. No wonder they are afraid of Amazon.
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virginia_postrel amazon books publishing

Forceful critique of Amazon, not as book publisher, but as book retailer. Eg.:
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Writing has become badly debased when a $4.99 e-book is thought overpriced, but people will line up at six in the morning in front of an Apple store to pay $499 for the skinny tablet to read it on.
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amazon thad_mcilroy publishing e-books

Seth Godin on books and publishing today.

seth_godin publishing

Another indication that authors have to think entrepreneurially themselves, perhaps figuring out (ahead of their publishers or distributors) where their books might go, aside from the traditional bookstore...
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Publishers have stocked books in nonbook retailers for decades — a coffee-table book in the home department, a novelty book in Urban Outfitters. In the last year, though, some publishers have increased their efforts as the two largest bookstore chains have changed course.

Barnes & Noble has been devoting more floor space for displays of e-readers, games and educational toys. Borders, after filing for bankruptcy protection in February, has begun liquidating some 200 of its superstores.

“The national bookstore chain has peaked as a sales channel, and the growth is not going to come from there,” said David Steinberger, chief executive of the Perseus Books Group. “But it doesn’t mean that all brick-and-mortar retailers are cutting back.”

A wide range of stores better known for their apparel, food and fishing reels have been adding books. The fashion designer Marc Jacobs opened Bookmarc in Manhattan in the fall. Anthropologie has increased the number of titles it carries to 125, up from 25 in 2003. Coldwater Creek, Lowe’s, Bass Pro Shops and even Cracker Barrel are adding new books. Some mass retailers, too, are diversifying — Target, for instance, is moving away from male-centered best sellers and adding more women’s and children’s titles this year.

Having a physical outlet for books is extraordinarily important, publishers say. While online and e-book sales are huge channels, lesser-known books can get lost in that world if they do not have a physical presence to spur interest. The ability to catch a shopper’s eye in a store is almost impossible to mimic online.

So publishers are approaching just about anyone with a shelf.
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publishing books nyt bookstores retail

Fascinating proposal:
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Where is publishing heading?

We have Kindles and iPads, iPhones and Androids. Print on demand is cheap — and good. Everyone shops at Amazon.com. Most books are a click away.

Contemporary publishing is engulfed by a forest of question marks. What defines a beautiful book? Is it printed or digital? How much does it take (time, money, energy) to produce? How do you get it to your audience?

There are so many questions because there are presently so many available options. Advancements in affordability of printing, promotion and distribution has significantly lowered the barrier to entry for would-be publishers.

We choose the medium.
We build the audience.

And now, with Kickstarter, we also raise the money.
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kickstartup publishing craigmod books fundraising kickstarter

Scott Karp's article is a useful recap of what makes links so powerful, and why traditional media have to get over fears around losing what they think is an edge they have, namely being able to contain the user. And on making money, Karp writes: "Whenever I give talks to traditional publishers who have been afraid to link to other sites because it will “send people away” instead of keeping them trapped in the publisher’s own content, my now standard response is to say that there’s a site that does nothing but link to other sites — all it does is send people away. And yet remarkably, people keep coming back. So much so, that this strategy has translated into $10 billion+ in advertising revenue. (Yes, Google of course.)" ...There you go.

blogs influentials links publishing scott_karp web_2.0

Interesting idea from Kevin Kelly on extending the "free" with advertising through Adobe. (Via IF!)

adobe advertising downloads e-books kevin_kelly on_demand publishing revenue