The Future Of Publishing Blog by Thad McIlroy
January 26th, 2025
First revision, February 3, 2025 I’ve realized that amidst all of my excitement around what AI can do for authors and publishers (in the midst of a great many AI threats, challenges and concerns), I’ve neglected to be explicit about what publishers can do, from a strategic perspective. Here’s my first revised draft conjuring a…
September 24th, 2023
I just checked my calendar: it was Friday, April 28 when Peter Brantley and I met for lunch at the quirky Café Macaroni in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. I had only met Peter face-to-face for the first time at last fall’s PageBreak conference. I was struck then by just how damn smart he is,…
July 26th, 2023
Yesterday Lagardère Publishing released its six-month financial data. Sales declined at Hachette Book Group by 8.6%. In its earnings release the company said that “operational efficiency plans, particularly in the United States,” mitigated some of the impact of revenue declines. In May, HarperCollins reported flat sales and profits declines, “driven by ongoing supply chain, inventory…
June 9th, 2023
Last Monday Publishers Weekly issued my article “A Manifesto, of Sorts” about AI and book publishing (titled “AI Is About to Turn Book Publishing Upside-Down” in the online version). The article has been popular, even earning some buzz on LinkedIn and Twitter (in fact, more than I’ve ever had). I’ve been doing this for a…
May 26th, 2023
I’m borrowing this title from another newsletter deliberately — there’s no need to try to improve on it. It gives me a chance to alert my readers to the person who I think is the finest commentator on practical AI — Ethan Mollick, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, who…