Do Publishing Associations Match Publishing Realities?
Trade organizations grew up around traditional information containers and roles. Now that things are changing, is it time to consider collaboration and consolidation in the association space?
Questioning the Attention Economy
Rupert Murdoch’s plans to charge for access to his newspapers has been widely criticized as it will cut the material out of the wider online conversation. But what good is it to be part of a conversation that doesn’t bring in any revenue?
Ghostwriters & Ghostresearchers: Supernatural Forces in Scholarship
Ghostwriters and unnamed contract researchers might scare up controversy, and frighten away the truth. And they’re only part of the problem.
Will Feudalism Fade from Knowledge Exchange?
Feudalism was a necessary step in social organization, but is it the end-state for academic organization? A number of related events this past weekend make me think not.
Service or Content? Another False Choice
The more arguments I hear about service vs. content, the clearer it seems that this is a false choice.
Positioned to Fail the Future
If publishers of all types don’t invest in the next thing, they’re the only ones who will suffer. But the barriers are high, and new competitors may be better positioned to fulfill the future.
Sci Foo Camp – Day 2
Day 2 of Sci Foo Camp was full of interesting topics and discussions, including artificial intelligence, citizen science, and the future of scholarly publishing.
Amazon or Apple: Choose Your Invader
A writer for “Fast Company” accidentally reveals that there may be no respite for publishers as pure digital invaders come to plunder them.
Will Form Follow Function?
Will e-book readers lead to a new form of expression? Should they even bother trying to mimic the paper and ink format they’re replacing?
More Kindle Limitations Discovered
Two new undocumented DRM limitations make the Kindle a less appealing device.
Simon & Schuster to Sell E-books on Scribd
Last week, Simon & Schuster announced it would be selling digital copies of its books on Scribd. This is interesting news because it signals that major trade publishers are (finally) beginning to look for additional venues to sell digital copies of their books, and because it transforms Scribd from a host of miscellaneous documents into a potentially significant e-bookseller.
Two-Up Publishing & the Erosion of Print
The ACS’ new “rotated and condensed” printing model will give readers a new angle on print.
The Kindle DX — First Impressions
The DX, while too expensive, is a very good large-format e-reader with a lot of possibilities for publishers, not the least of which is PDF support.
The Tip of an Iceberg?
The Bentham experiment suggests that a poorly managed payment system may be the root of a larger problem emerging in academic publishing.
The Pseudo-Mathematics of Attention
The amount of attention or concentration a consumer is willing to devote to a resource is a function of the time they have available and the perceived relevance of the resource being consumed.