The High Cost of Low Prices — Why Incrementalism Online Could Be Fatal
Incrementalism is a tempting path forward, both familiar and seemingly safe. But the squeeze is on.
Stick to Your Ribs: The Editorial Fallacy
Revisiting a popular and important post — the editorial fallacy, that belief that more or better manuscripts can save you from disruptive change.
Stick to Your Ribs: When Did Print Become an Input?
The mental models associated with print are still defining how we work and design. Why has this persisted?
Authors — Only One Reason Why the Revolution in Book Publishing Continues
The revolution in book publishing shares some aspects with revolutions everywhere. Here’s a short slideshow by the founder of Smashwords examining current motivations for authors.
Government Printing Office Introduces “Squeaks the Mouse,” Celebrating the Miracle of Print
In the Internet age, the GPO celebrates print with a comic book — a video worth watching for its throwback charm.
Information Brunching — “Amazon Singles” Finds Space Between Essays and Books
Amazon’s latest play is aimed squarely at academics. Will it revive the moribund monograph market?
Making Ink: A Movie About an Amazing Craft
The crafts of print are refined and amazing, truly mature and interesting technologies in their own right. Here’s to the technology of liquid color.
Why the Open Access Financial Model Will Continue to Transmogrify
The OA financial model has morphed, and will continue to do so. The same realities will reveal the manufacturing biases of the initial model, and require new funding choices — just like it will for traditional publishers.
Apple’s iPhone 4 and iOS4: What Do They Mean for Publishers?
Apple announces a new model iPhone and an updated operating system for all iPhones/iPads/iPod Touch devices. What impact will these new technologies have on publishers?
From a Production Industry to a Technology Industry
How can publishers maximize the value and reach of their content using new technologies? The ACS, Cell Press, and PubGet offer their solutions.
Trade Publishing and Ebooks: W(h)ither the Supply Chain?
The supply chain around trade publishing is “broken,” according to publishers. But are they what has broken?
E-Readers Will Take Centerstage If Prices Drop, Yet Publishers Still Have Two Left Feet
E-readers are poised to go mainstream, yet publishers continue to be wallflowers. Haven’t we learned to dance at all during this last digital decade?
Traditional Measures of Quality: Irrelevant, Miscast, Outdated, and Inhibiting?
How we measure quality may be a form of vestigial elitism, stemming from the print age. And it may be holding us back.
Publishers Risk Losing to Authors: Why the E-Book Waiting Game Will Backfire
The e-book age is here — infrastructure, readers, storefronts. Publishers should heed the warning signs and stop delaying the inevitable.
Short Stories and Comics: Niche Markets with Core Lessons for STM Publishers
The failure of the traditional music industry has become the standard cautionary tale for content industries adapting to a digital era. But for scholarly publishers, many factors make the music industry a poor comparison. We have more in common with smaller niche markets. Watching their electronic experimentation and new business models may be more informative as we seek new strategies for presenting and selling content.