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JK :: Sep.10.2011 :: writing, book publishing, self-publishing :: No Comments »

“‘[M]ateriality matters.’ The reading experience includes manual activities and haptic perceptions (what the skin and muscles and joints register), and so as activities and perceptions of that kind are changed from one kind of reading experience to another because of the object, the reading experience, too, will change.”

There’s an interesting article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that compares reading, especially textbook reading, to reading a physical, printed, ink-on-paper book. Conclusion? One effect . . . is that the digital text makes us read “in a shallower, less focused way.” That, I think, is a critical factor for all writers to consider as they write both for print and for on-screen media. JK

Read more.

JK :: Sep.21.2010 :: literacy / right to read, writing, book publishing, self-publishing :: No Comments »

Next time you’re cruising down the road in air conditioned comfort or sleeping soundly on a hot, humid night, take a moment to give thanks for the publishing industry. Willis Carrier invented air conditioning in 1902 to combat inking problems for his employer, the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company in Brooklyn, New York. Believe it or not, its initial intent was not to improve comfort levels for people but was instead to control humidity so ink would adhere to paper more consistently. TK

TK :: Aug.02.2010 :: odds and ends :: No Comments »

In order to gain market for its Kindle e-book reader, Amazon has been buying books from publishers for $13 each and selling the Kindle-formatted version for $9.99 each. At a loss of three bucks a book, how long can this continue?

Donald B. Marron, visiting professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute and president of Marron Economics LLC., writing on April 22, 2010, in the Christian Science Monitor said, “By the end of last year, Amazon accounted for an estimated eighty per cent of all electronic-book sales, and $9.99 seemed to be established as the price of an e-book. Publishers were panicked. David Young, the chairman and C.E.O. of Hachette Book Group USA, said, ‘The big concern—and it’s a massive concern—is the $9.99 pricing point. If it’s allowed to take hold in the consumer’s mind that a book is worth ten bucks, to my mind it’s game over for this business.’ ”

How long can this go on? JK

JK :: May.23.2010 :: book publishing :: 1 Comment »

Writing in the New York Times,  Verlyn Klinkenborg sings the praises both of electronic and traditionally produced ink-on-paper books. Of printed books, he appreciates that  “[t]hey do nothing. . .what I really love is their inertness. . .The book is the book, whereas, in electronic formats, the book often seems to be merely the text.”

Regarding e-books, Klinkenborg confesses, “The truth is that I need. . .help to keep reading, especially as much as I always have. The question isn’t what will books become in a world of electronic reading. The question is what will become of the readers we’ve been—quiet, thoughtful, patient, abstracted—in a world where interactive can be too tempting to ignore.”

Are there so many bells-and-whistles distractions inherent in electronic books that our abilities as readers are diminished? JK

JK :: Apr.15.2010 :: literacy / right to read, book publishing :: No Comments »

Here’s a note I received from someone who, for the sake of courtesy and his / her protection from the language police, shall remain nameless. I have made no editorial changes or corrections. The message’s nearly 300 words boil down to

Wanted: Purchasing manager for educational publisher. Computer skills required.

“I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to share the following role with you in case you know anyone in your area that has solid experience in the educational book publishing arena.

“I am representing an international multi-billion dollar company. They are a highly regarding organization within the managed services space.

“I am seeking a Vendor Manager, Production Planning who will be part of the Marketing Solutions Division, N.A.

“The Vendor Manager will be supporting a significant long term client engagement and will be based out of Chicago, IL. For the right individual, candidates in the Boston area will also be considered and is a possible location.

“The focus of the role is capacity planning, looking in-depth at the capacity of the current supplier base and ensuring they have the correct mixture in place in terms of vendors and ability to supply. This individual will be responsible for making sure they are appropriately leveraging that spend based on capacity and the best price.

“Requirements:

“Candidates are required to have an in-depth educational publishing print background with knowledge of supplier base and have the ability to articulate key vendor players within the same space.

“It is imperative that this person come from/understands the manufacturing end of the business and be able to hit the ground running.

“Potential candidates have to be extremely analytical as this is very much a capacity planning role. It is essential that these individuals understand how much allocation and capacity the suppliers have and be able to calculate how much used at any given month.

“In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Excel is also essential and being accustomed to using pivot tables in addition to V-looks ups(advanced filtering). Some exposure to SAP is a plus but not essential.

“I look forward to hearing from you.

“Best regards,”

—

Phew!

JK

JK :: Nov.20.2009 :: self-publishing :: 2 Comments »

As predicted, author Susan Hassett’s copyright infringement / plagiarism lawsuit against Elisabeth Hasselbeck, one of the panelists on ABC-TV’s “The View,” has been thrown out of court. [See “Author Beware!” below.] According to the Boston Herald, “It’s unclear why Hassett didn’t pursue the case. Her lawyer, Richard Cunha of Swansea, yesterday told the Herald, ‘I can [sic] talk about that,’ then hung up the phone.”

Hasselbeck continues to encounter some problems with her book as an open letter written by Elaine Monarch, executive director of the Celiac Disease Foundation, makes the rounds of blogs that discuss the disease. Monarch says, “While it is important to call attention to celiac disease, the information must be accurate—the inaccuracies in this book are potentially dangerous and detrimental to celiacs…”

This seems to be a case in which all the losers are winners and all the winners are losers. JK

JK :: Nov.17.2009 :: book publishing, self-publishing :: No Comments »

Once again it’s Banned Books Week.

Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Karin Perry cautions, “It takes only one—one parent, one family, one community member—to deprive [a child’s] right to read.” Your child. My child. All children.

Perry points out 85 books—most are commonly known to all of us—that have been placed on the American Library Association’s Banned Book list at the insistence of  zealots who are bent on preserving the moral purity of our youth, a purity promoted by self-appointed guardians who are determined to save our young people from (gasp!) ideas that differ from those of their protectors. Check out this list of banned books, and you’ll probably be surprised and disheartened to find just how much objectionable material you’ve been reading during the past several years. JK

JK :: Sep.30.2009 :: literacy / right to read, book publishing :: 1 Comment »

Hey, I’ve got a great idea. Why don’t we all write our books for, and sell them to, college students?

Students read a lot of books, right? And they’ve got money to burn. All we have to do is get our work adopted as required textbooks, and we’ll be rich. Students always buy whatever books they’re assigned for every course. We all know that. If we format our books for the Kindle DX, we’ll really corner the market because young readers love any kind of new technology.

Well . . . Maybe not so much.

Take a look at The Battle of College Textbooks Begins Anew, SurveyU’s examination of college students’ textbook buying habits. You may be surprised. Graphic by wordle.net. JK

JK :: Sep.11.2009 :: marketing, writing, book publishing :: No Comments »

July Meeting Reprise
There wasn’t an empty seat in the room as two-time IWOC past president Jim Kepler told a rapt audience how we could take material we might have already written, put it together in book form, publish it, and then use the book to promote ourselves for other jobs. He had a solution for those who don’t have enough related clips too. It started with “Take a box…” (or a virtual box, i.e., a computer folder). From there he gave us step-by-step instructions on how to compile materials on our topic of interest, how to define our chapters and our focus, and so on. Kepler also had a myriad of tips for shameless promotion using our newly minted book. Hint: if you’ve never written a press release, now would be a good time to start. He advised starting small by sending press releases to local civic and social organizations and offering to be a speaker. From there, you can parlay the little fish into bigger fish. To find out more about this excellent presentation, you can download or read the detailed handout on the members-only landing page.

[Not an IWOC member? Click on http://www.adamspress.com/, add a note under “Comments,” and I’ll send you the article and handouts. JK]

JK :: Jul.28.2009 :: marketing, book publishing :: No Comments »