Author Archives: sboyle

Every week we recommend 5 links that the young book professional should read to feel more informed and connected. 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.       Maurice Sendak, beloved author of Where the Wild Things Are, passed away this week: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/books/maurice-sendak-childrens-author-dies-at-83.html Pocket Star will produce only digital books: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/51842-pocket-star-to-be-e-book-only.html Kindle snags Harry Potter…for a Limited-Time Only: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-57431938-501465/harry-potter-series-coming-to-kindle-owners-lending-library/ Time to write a strongly worded letter…if you think the DoJ should give Agency a chance: http://news.bookweb.org/news/aba-members-urged-make-their-voices-heard-re-agency-model ... Read more

Ever since an article on the subject in the New York Times several weeks ago, there’s been a lot of buzz about what it can mean for a young writer to self-publish. One such author, Max Leone, was kind enough to share his experiences with us, but also his thoughts about why self-publishing could be a smart move for his potential future career in book business. by Max Leone  I understand that the publishing industry is a rather unforgiving place at the moment, and steadily becoming more so, but I ... Read more

Every week we recommend 5 links that the young book professional should read to feel more informed and connected. 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.       Microsoft is investing in Barnes & Noble’s Nook ereader: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1729#m15967 And, in other Nook-news, Barnes & Noble is teaming up with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to produce preloaded schoolbook Nooks: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/nook-and-hmh-partner-school-deal.html Target will no longer carry Amazon’s Kindle: http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993142/target-stop-carrying-amazon-kindle-conflict-of-interest Remember how you forgot about Google’s ... Read more

You may have noticed the term “agency model” cropping up in industry news and blogs lately. But just what is the agency model and what does it have to do with the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit, filed April 11th, against Apple and five of the Big Six publishing houses? The case has the book industry buzzing, but why does everyone seem to care so much about the seemingly uninteresting question of how to price an ebook? The Cast of Characters Amazon: Mustache twirling menace to book publishers everywhere… ... Read more

Every week we recommend 5 links that the young book professional should read to feel more informed and connected. 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.       Biggest news: come this July, Tor/Forge will start selling their ebooks without digital rights management (DRM): http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1724#m15887 Watch out, Gutenberg. Amazon wants to print (on demand) books, too: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-26/amazon-vs-dot-publishers-the-book-battle-continues Speaking of Amazon and things that don’t shock us, digital books lead to a profitable ... Read more

Glimpses of Lisa Vanterpool’s first visit to the London Book Fair…

Every week we recommend 5 links that the young book professional should read to feel more informed and connected. 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.       Hot topics at the London Book Fair:  http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/london-book-fair/article/51581-london-book-fair-2012-the-doj–50-shades-of-grey-and-j-k-rowling.html Speaking of the London Book Fair, Ma Jian protests China’s censorship of authors and the nation’s status as the “market focus” of the Fair: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/19/ma-jian-paint-london-book-fair?newsfeed=true Will book buyers and readers soon have legal recourse if a ... Read more

Every week we recommend 5 links that the young book professional should read to feel more informed and connected. 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.       The Agency Model vs DOJ drama continues, but this week things get real, yo: The Department of Justice is suing Apple, Macmillan, and Penguin over eBooks (Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster have settled): http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402886,00.asp Some nitty-gritty on what this suit and settlements could mean for ... Read more

Every week we recommend 5 links that the young book professional should read to feel more informed and connected. 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.       The market share of the Big 6: http://gonepublishing.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/market-share-youd-be-surprised-what-the-big-6-controls/ Consortium creates an app to help readers discover new authors: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/promotionalss/article/51331-consortium-launches-app-for-consumers.html The Seattle Times‘ 4-part series on Amazon and its faults: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017883596_amazonintro25.html Speaking of Amazon, the Kindle’s Lending Library has over 100,000 titles: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/51363-kindle-owners-lending-library-title-count-tops-100-000.html Apple and ... Read more

Every week we recommend 5 links that the young book professional should read to feel more informed and connected. 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. Amazon, piracy, and Harry Potter books from the industry’s preeminent “idealog”, Mike Shatzkin: http://www.idealog.com/blog/whats-the-greater-fear-for-publishers-amazon-or-piracy Print and digital books see an increase in sales: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1703#m15549 The Department of Justice’s strict stance on the Agency Model collusion case: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1700#m15501 Adapting social media to bookselling: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/51296-don-t-be-bot-like–how-to-blend-books-and-social-media.html F+W subscription model gives ... Read more