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Category: Miscellany

Published October 1, 2008

Midweek Miscellany Oct 1, 08

Great book covers and  design by pioneering graphic designer Erik Nitsche on Flickr  . (Via Ace Jet 170 who has more Nitsche images).

On the subject of Flickr , the San Francisco Chronicle visits the offices of the popular photo site and talks to Director of Community Heather Champ:

“I can’t think of any successful online community where the nice, quiet, reasonable voices defeat the loud, angry ones on their own.”

Photo District News considers the market for limited edition photography books.

10 Things Epublishers Should Do For Readers : a nice wish list from Dear Reader.

And Kassia Krozser has further thoughts on moving from Print to E on Booksquare:

“eBooks are not going to be the next big thing; they’re going to be a thing. A part of a complex mix of reading choices. With that in mind, let’s think about ways we can blend ebooks into the publishing culture without pain.”

Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing:  Hugh McGuire  responds to that New York Magazine article on the Huffington Post:

“There’s been much teeth gnashing and lamenting over the impending collapse of the publishing business… Well, the traditional publishing business might be in for a rough ride, but I think we’re poised to see a flowering of a new kind of independent writing, book-making and reading, driven by the web but rooted in the old-fashioned book.”

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Published September 29, 2008

Monday Miscellany Sept 29, 08

James Bridle of booktwo.org puts his money where his mouth is and launches the entirely print-on-demand, web-based publisher Bookkake: “Bookkake is a project born… of my desire to see publishing move with technology and survive as the guardian and helpmate of literature.”

Faber Books’ on Flickr: “We’re gradually uploading some of our favourite covers, photos and various other ephemera from our archive. Our archivist uncovers new material every day – we hope you enjoy his discoveries as much as we do!”

The 7 Sentence Online Marketing Plan and 4 Myths About Internet Marketing from Monique Trottier of So Misguided and Boxcar Marketing.

Five Ways Amazon Can Improve the Kindle from Gadget Lab on Wired.com: “The rumblings in the ground are pointing to an imminent Kindle 2.0, a successor to Amazon’s loved but flawed e-book reader.” Lots and lots of comments. (Is planned obsolescence going to be a problem for the e-book reader in the long-term? Anyone?)

The Muxtape story – or how the music industry is conspiring to alienate fans and kill itself? There’s almost certainly a lesson for the book industry in there somewhere…

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Published September 22, 2008

Monday Miscellany

My favourite response to  New York Magazine’s gossipy  hit-job on the current state of publishing ‘The End’ came from author Jeff Gomez: “even though I wrote a book called Print is Dead, even I don’t think that publishing is over.”

Are book jacket designs more conservative in the UK than in the US? The Bookseller takes a look: “UK designers are saying their creativity is being stifled by commercial concerns. Designers can only attempt new, more daring things if they are given the space to do so, but in the current climate this does not appear to be happening.”

Author Jeanette Winterson wishes all bookstores could be like Shakespeare & Company in The Times:  “[B]ookshops have, or should have, a special place in our culture. We need books, and books are best browsed in the energetic peace of a small store where the owner loves reading, just like we do.”

Variety examines the Kindle: “Amazon’s Kindle is the big kid on the block. With a few improvements, the gadget, which Amazon introduced in November, could well be a game-changer.” Or not.

And finally, there’s a lovely line from comedian Ricky Gervais in this interview with the Globe and Mail’s Joanna Schneller published at the weekend: “I always think, ‘Just aim a bit higher.’ Because even if you fail, you’ve still landed a little bit higher. Aiming low and not quite making it… that’s what I couldn’t stand.” A lesson for all of us  there I think…

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