Big Idea, Uncertain Reception The FutureBook Conference plenary was in an upbeat late-afternoon mood. Abbie Headon, managing and commissioning editor at Summersdale, had stepped forward during the Big Ideas session to recommend we all remember the value of “people power.” Her earnest and soft-spoken appeal — the phrase “warm and fuzzy” comes to mind —… Read More
The Marketing Muscle Behind The National Book Award Finalist ‘Station Eleven’
‘Six Weeks And 21 Cities’ I was signing in at a Global Entry / Trusted Travelers kiosk on the passport control floor at JFK the other day, just in from London. I put my passport in, let the machine check my fingerprints, looked at its camera so it could snap its shot. All routine. And then… Read More
The FutureBook's Big Idea for the 'Ethical Author'
Presenting ‘The Ethical Author Code’ — for writers of all stripes. Among Big Idea proposals in The FutureBook’s (#FutureBook14) final session of the day on Friday in London, Orna Ross’ presentation of the “Ethical Author” programme is the one that may trigger the most controversy among writers. Offered as “an author programme facilitated by the Alliance… Read More
Diversion Books Launches EverAfter App
Is The Romance Market Really Bottomless? An innovative independent publisher in New York City, Diversion Books has announced a new venture: EverAfter is described in its inaugural press release as “the first bookstore experience exclusively dedicated to romance ebooks,” offering “in-app purchase.” The consumer copy on the app’s landing page puts across its information in this customer-facing language: Always… Read More
George Berkowski's FutureBook Conference podium warmer
The Bookseller’s The FutureBook 2014 Conference programme on 14th November promises to have the widest scope and most inquisitive bent yet, in terms of signalling digital directions ahead. Keynote commentary will come from not only from author and entrepreneur George Berkowski, but also from WGSN’s Carla Buzasi, and — in conversation with Philip Jones — Penguin Random House’s Tom… Read More
Mission Critical At Writer Unboxed’s UnConfab in Salem
Reviewing? What’s Your Motive? Next week, I’ll be leading a session on criticism — “When To Listen And What To Hear” — at Writer Unboxed’s “Un-Conference” event in Salem, Massachusetts…where they know a few things about being critical. That session and this column are not about the more extreme moments in consumer review that have… Read More
Are we still not 'prepared' for digital progress?
Three signal keynote addresses open The FutureBook Conference in two weeks, from : George Berkowski, author of How to Build a Billion Dollar App: Discover the Secrets of the Most Successful Entrepreneurs of Our Time Carla Buzasi, Global Chief Content Officer with WGSN Tom Weldon, CEO, Penguin Random House UK in conversation with Bookseller Editor… Read More
Josh Malerman’s Tricks Are Treats: ‘Ghastle And Yule’
‘We Were…Making a Horror Movie’ No, there’s no film called Curate Your Own Death (1960). Yet. But there is one called Choose Your Own Death: The Babysitter(2009). And no, there’s no Bicameral Island (1961). Yet. But there are Shutter Island (2010), Gilligan’s Island (1964) and more Islands —Dinosaur (2014), Spike (2012), Fantasy (1977), Harper’s (2009),… Read More
AuthorEarnings.com: Kindle Unlimited On The Line
‘I wish our conclusions could be more . . . conclusive’ But all things being equal? Authors are working without a net right now. As with so many things in publishing at this point in its encounter with the digital dynamic, the potential contradictions loom large in the new AuthorEarnings.comreport, just out today from the… Read More
At Frankfurt Book Fair: Phoning up a book
At Frankfurt Book Fair, debate about how to position reading and publishing in the mobile space was a frequent topic of interest. Michael Cairns and Publishing Technology unveiled a new study based on the survey responses of some 3,000 consumers in the United States and United Kingdom. “An increasing number of people are now using their mobile… Read More