Publishing Trendsetter is a production of Market Partners International and Publishing Trends.

Monthly Archives: August 2012

31Aug | '12
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5 Top Publishing News Stories, Week of 8/27-8/31

By Elisabeth Watson | Published: August 31, 2012

Every week we recommend 5 links to publishing news that the young professional should read to feel more informed and connected to what’s going on in the industry. There are only 5, so even if you weren’t able to read a thing all week, these should help keep you in the know.     This week’s cause for righteous indignation: the discovery of just how many glowing online book reviews were bought at a price. (One blogger’s infographic on how one might be able to detect shady book reviews on Amazon.) ... Read more

0 Comments | Category: Book Biz Now | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

30Aug | '12
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How to Become an App Developer: The Infographic

By Elisabeth Watson | Published: August 30, 2012

AppNewser (a mediabistro blog, much like Galleycat) found and shared this handy (if huge) infographic from Schools.com about all that might be involved to become an app developer. It breaks things down into skill groups, university programs, and more. As “mobile strategy” gradually becomes more “house standard” than “novelty item deluxe” on many publishers’ menus, the idea of making app development a book-biz career is not at all unreasonable–especially if you’re just now starting out. What I find really interesting is how specialized and numerous the formal training programs for app ... Read more

0 Comments | Category: Professional Paths | Tags: , , , , , , ,

28Aug | '12
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6 Lessons Learned After My First Year in Publishing

By LauraL | Published: August 28, 2012

  This post launches Laura Laffoon‘s tenure as a regular columnist for Trendsetter. It’s great to have a Big Six editorial perspective on board, especially since we spend so much time on less iconic career paths ’round here. This piece is a charming long-form spin on one of Trendsetter’s first pieces, the “Eight-Word Memoir of My First Year in Publishing,” and it’s full of very practical wisdom that’s applicable even if you’re not in Editorial.     In less than two weeks, I’ll be celebrating my first anniversary at my publishing job. ... Read more

5 Comments | Category: Industry Insight, Professional Paths

17Aug | '12
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5 Top Publishing News Stories, Week of 8/13-8/17

By Elisabeth Watson | Published: August 17, 2012

Every week we recommend 5 links to publishing news that the young professional should read to feel more informed and connected to what’s going on in the industry. There are only 5, so even if you weren’t able to read a thing all week, these should help keep you in the know.     Google has acquired the Frommer’s travel guide brand from Wiley, all part of their expansion from information delivery into information creation. Back to everyone’s favorite Soap Opera–er, Court Case: We’re not taking this lying down, says ... Read more

2 Comments | Category: Book Biz Now | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

16Aug | '12
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Pulp Fiction (and Non-Fiction): What Happens to Unwanted Books

By Elisabeth Watson | Published: August 16, 2012

Ah, publishing arcana. We’d probably be OK without knowing lots of it, but the massive Houghton Mifflin Harcourt “recall” of Imagine a few weeks ago highlights the moving parts and practical concerns behind “hidden” corners of the industry. New York magazine did a fascinating little history of book pulping the other day. And why would they bother? Because apparently Every year, millions of books are sent to the “cruel machines,” as one young editor calls them, simply because their sales didn’t meet projections. Aha. Well, even though the article was ... Read more

0 Comments | Category: Industry Insight | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

14Aug | '12
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Guest Post: Mentors in My Publishing Past

By Elisabeth Watson | Published: August 14, 2012

This piece originally ran on August 8, 2012 on Yours in Books, the blog of Meredith Rutter, author and veteran publishing professional. Meredith’s career has run the gamut from her first job at a textbook company in Boston to founding her own packaging company that grew to employ over 100 people. After selling a trade publishing house she also founded, she finally settled down to being a full-time writer. She’s published a family biography/memoir, The Cleveland Rutters and is now at work on a novel. Meredith’s “chronology” of mentors both spectacular and lackluster wonderfully demonstrates how ... Read more

0 Comments | Category: Professional Paths | Tags: , , , , , ,

10Aug | '12
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5 Top Publishing News Stories, Week of 8/6-8/10

By Elisabeth Watson | Published: August 10, 2012

Every week we recommend 5 links to publishing news that the young professional should read to feel more informed and connected to what’s going on in the industry. There are only 5, so even if you weren’t able to read a thing all week, these should help keep you in the know.     Last week, Fifty Shades had sold more copies than any other in the history of Amazon.co.uk. As of this week, it’s sold more than any other book sold in the UK ever. Period. Speaking of Amazon (and when ... Read more

0 Comments | Category: Book Biz Now | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

3Aug | '12
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5 Top Publishing News Stories, Week of 7/30-8/2

By Elisabeth Watson | Published: August 3, 2012

Every week we recommend 5 links to publishing news that the young professional should read to feel more informed and connected to what’s going on in the industry. There are only 5, so even if you weren’t able to read a thing all week, these should help keep you in the know.     This week’s Book-Biz Bad Boy (and not many weeks have those) is undisputably Jonah Lehrer, author of Imagine. First, he admits to fabricating Bob Dylan quotes, then he resigns from The New Yorker, and THEN Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ... Read more

0 Comments | Category: Book Biz Now | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1Aug | '12
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Are Publishing Certificate Programs Worth It?

By Elisabeth Watson | Published: August 1, 2012

We’re preparing for descent from the high days of summer, and most publishing certificate programs have already finished or are winding down.  You might be aware that professional education in the publishing arena has grown in prominence and ubiquity over the past 10 years or so. That certainly includes Masters programs, but there are also certificate programs that run a few weeks and serve as crash courses in the basics–and many of them take place during the summer months. The roll of these programs in the making of a publishing ... Read more

4 Comments | Category: Professional Paths | Tags: , , , , , , , ,