The Future Of Publishing Blog by Thad McIlroy
April 9th, 2011
An informative article in today’s Globe & Mail highlights the plight of Canada’s largest book chain, Chapters/Indigo (formally, Indigo Books & Music Inc.). Unlike in the United States, Chapters/Indigo is already the “last man standing” among bookselling conglomerates. It’s like Barnes & Noble would appear after it ate Borders. As with many flagship corporations Chapters/Indigo…
April 2nd, 2011
Which ebook formats do we really need? By “need” I’m thinking only about consumer needs, not what the vendors want. * I think the only ones we need today are: 1. ePub – Not because it’s any good, but because it’s an industry standard, not just one vendor’s idea. 2. PDF – Because there’s already…
February 23rd, 2011
Last evening I wrote to a colleague who runs a regional association of trade book publishers. I thought I would share the letter: Hi xxx, I thought of you when I read this just now in today’s Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703529004576160421561955208.html I think it’s a very good article just because it presents the unvarnished truth…
November 30th, 2010
The New York Times is positively bursting with fun and fascinating reading for publishing technologists. There’s a nifty little tablet comparison feature, which will allow you to create your own comparison chart like this one: Your chart will be larger, and might just compare the two tablets you’re lusting after the most. Keep in mind that if…
October 22nd, 2010
Daddy: Please don’t burn the books. Then there won’t be any books in the house and I kind of like them. Some folks dined recently with Ross Dawson. Dawson apparently wrote his future-of-publishing-themed blog entry while dining. Here’s a snippet: A critical issue is the physical space that books take. Some have tried to get rid of…