This is a slide presentation on freemium marketing, which was delivered at the 2013 SSP conference. The key argument is that freemium marketing is a form of product sampling, which must be integrated into the overall marketing plan. Continue reading
The university press world is operating under circumstances that are somewhat tighter than they were even a few years ago. While most presses now publish ebooks, ebooks in themselves do not provide a strategic path to growth. Continue reading
While we tend to think of publishing as an attempt to make objectively true comments about the quality of research, in fact publishing is driven by personality. Services that try to eliminate such personality are likely to see personality reassert itself in other ways. Continue reading
The first-sale doctrine was a key component of the print world, but now many people want to extend this doctrine to digital media. Such a move would likely change the nature of content to make it less shareable. Continue reading
PLoS has announced the departure of both its CEO and CFO, but has provided no explanation of what led to the management change. PLoS should explain the situation to all its shareholders. Continue reading
There is a predictable path for society publishers as they explore their options. Their programs may be under pressure today, leading many of them to seek alliances with large commercial firms, though many societies are unhappy to do so. Continue reading
A summary with slides of a presentation for the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP). The argument is that professional societies are now fighting on three fronts: with the new open access mandates, with the large commercial competitors, and sometimes internally when governance is an issue. Continue reading
The recent policy promulgated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy is likely to have the unintended consequence of putting further budgetary pressure on libraries. Continue reading
The Digital Public Library of America has launched, and it is an impressive achievement that is bound to grow over the coming years. Continue reading
Editor’s Note: This post is being republished to coincide with the launch of the Digital Public Library. Continue reading