The Future Of Publishing Blog by Thad McIlroy
September 26th, 2009
I missed this story a week ago in the San Jose Mercury-News. According to its web site: “President Barack Obama…picked Adobe Systems co-founders Charles Geschke and John Warnock to receive…the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.” According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, “The National Medal of Technology and Innovation… is the highest honor…
September 24th, 2009
I was asked tonight by a friend the simple, “How’s it going?” I’m generally in a positive mood and responded: “Times are still tough, but I remain optimistic about the future of publishing.” It’s later now and I got to thinking: There are still more deaths than births in the publishing business. And that can…
September 23rd, 2009
I’m occasionally forwarded the e-newsletter of the Canadian Booksellers Association. It’s very good. While I suspect you must be a member to receive it regularly there’s some implication that an email to Ms. Sinkins (esinkins@cbabook.org) may produce a subscription. From the September 22, 2009 edition: An item from last Thursday in The Bookseller UK revealed:…
September 21st, 2009
I’ve been preaching ad nauseum that a dedicated eBook reader just doesn’t add up. In Thad’s The Laws of the Future of Publishing I’ve often quoted law #19: “There is a limit to the number of separate digital devices people want to carry. That limit is one.” People often say, “But what about the cellphone…won’t…
September 19th, 2009
A colleague of mine who is a noted Canadian historian, and a prolific writer, asked today what makes a great web site for an author. So I began an exploration: Most publisher websites for authors are pathetic, placeholders with short bios and links to books. A case in point is Canada’s “most venerable” old publisher,…