A Newfangled Online Bookstore
There are compelling reasons to create an online bookstore specializing in academic titles. Such a bookstore could be linked to physical community spaces and may even have a life as a component of library catalogs.
How Barnes & Noble Can Take a Bite Out of Amazon
Barnes & Noble can compete more effectively with Amazon by moving to a strategy of making its infrastructure available to numerous companies, many of which formerly saw B&N as a rival.
Trickle-Down Thinking — Does Anyone Understand Why Universities and Not-for-Profits Have Large Endowments?
Follow the money in academic publishing, and you find ponds that resemble the larger lakes of academia in general. By mimicking endowment practices originating at large universities, are not-for-profits limiting their ability to grow?
A Dialogue on Patron-Driven Acquisitions
A dialogue on patron-driven acquisitions by a librarian (Rick Anderson) and a publishing consultant (Joe Esposito). Patron-driven acquisitons may evolve into patron-driven access. But publishers ultimately will have to bless the plans.
Getting Real About Amazon — Taxes, Prices, Competition, and Long-term Strategies
Amazon’s retail juggernaut has many people upset, but perhaps we should all reflect on the fact that a company devoted to customer service, thin margins, and a long-term disciplined strategy can thrive.
YouTube — Long-term Strategy Pays Off With Amazing Stats for 2011
How many views did YouTube have in 2011? More than you might imagine. Is it any wonder YouTube is front and center in so many cultural shifts?
"Hating Amazon Is Not a Strategy" — The World Reacts As Amazon Opens a New Front in the Pricing Wars
The misplaced anxiety and consternation publishers and authors showed in the face of Amazon’s Price Check app revealed an industry and culture rooted in the past. And that’s not where the readers of the future are coming from.
The Broader Context of Patron-Driven Acquisitions
A new book edited by David Swords on patron-driven acquisitions (PDA) provides a good background on the topic, but there is a broader context of PDA, which is not fully addressed.
Blinded by Ideology — Open Access Advocate Continues to Fight the Battles of Yesteryear
More tired OA rhetoric, this time wielding an argument that copyright approaches of some OA publishers aren’t pure enough to qualify as “real” open access. Get ready to feel the burn.
The Costs of Print
The question of when print will end is often framed as if it is a natural occurrence, an evolutionary question, or the likely outcome of a sporting event, rather than a business decision that publishers may revisit on a regular basis.
Another View of DRM for Publishers
Publishers’ practice of clinging to DRM may be strengthening Amazon’s already overwhelming market position. Publishers should consider dropping DRM and even assisting in the creation of new digital venues.
eLife: Can a Top-Tier Journal Run Without Professional Help?
Can a new open access journal that relies on working scientists to oversee its review process compete with other top-tier journals that employ professional editors?
Healing the House Divided — A Side-Effect of Shifting to the Attention Economy?
Editors need to act more like publishers, and publishers need to have more editorial skills. Will the demands of the Age of Attention finally mend the editorial-business divide?
What We Should Learn from the Collapse of Borders
The collapse of Borders should be a wake-up call to publishers that assume that the core infrastructure of their legacy businesses will always be there to provide essential services.
Realistic Approaches to the US Federal Public Access RFIs
The two Requests for Information recently put forth by the federal government require a realistic set of responses, and hint at some changes in attitudes and approaches.