EDITOR IN CHIEF &

AUTHOR:JANE BRONTE

From Books to Blogs

Your faux news source for publishing in the digital age
V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 6 M A R C H 1 5 , 2 0 1 0

INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:

The Modern
Author’s
Edge
1 Publishing Companies at Crossroads
New technology is expanding iently allows customers to have created a presence on
Kindle vs. 2 and evolving at lightning buy it digitally also makes it social networking sites like
Ipad speed, and it is changing the easy to steal and distribute. Facebook and Myspace. By
way people buy and read Like the rest of the business harnessing the advertising
A Book by 2 books. This has left publish- world, they are beginning to possibilities of the internet,
Any Other ing companies scrambling to wise up to the amazing adver- publishing companies and big
Name evolve along with the pace of -chain bookstores have shown
digital progress. However, their ability to adapt to the
Which is 2 many publishing houses have digital world.
Cheaper? also been able to harness and
use technology to their advan-
Inside Story 5 tage, especially as a market-
ing tool.
With the digitizing
Inside Story 6
of books, there comes a much
higher possibility of theft and
piracy which results in mil-
lions of dollars of lost profits.
The skill set of this genera-
tion’s hackers is far more tising opportunities the inter-
advanced than those of their net presents. They have
predecessors. When a book adapted their sales tactics by
becomes digital, the simplic- making their websites attrac-
ity of format that conven- tive and user-friendly, and

The Benefits of Digital Printing

The new technologies that money and time. E-books also
are available to publishing save money, since they cost
companies also help them nothing to create and dupli-
save money in the process of cate. Now that many publish-
printing. Digital printing and ing houses are expected to
the new ability to print on follow in Macmillan’s foot-
demand (POD) allow publish- steps by contracting with e-
ers to print books in a more reader companies, they can
cost efficient manner. Simply also enjoy selling thousands
put, POD gives the publisher of titles without the burden of
the ability to sell a book be- inventory or the costs of
fore they print it, which saves warehouse storage space.
 PAGE 2

The Modern Author’s Edge

How has the technologi- keywords can deliver them the last ten years that
cal revolution changed the the information they seek in wouldn’t exist without the
game for the most cele- minutes, not days. technological revolution.
brated component of the A query search on any The modern author can now
publishing industry – the popular search engine will simply go around the pub-
authors? Do new technolo- bring a freelance writer lisher all together, and pub-
gies and quick internet thousands of possible writ- lish their book independ-
search engines play a role in ing opportunities in a matter ently.
the actual writing process of of minutes. Things like If an author self-
the twenty-first century spell-checking tools, helpful publishes, they can have
author? Absolutely. It has punctuation and grammati- complete creative control
changed the ways they re- cal assistance programs are over the content of their
“The number search, and also may have synonymous with any word book without the hassle of
had an effect on their tech- -processing system, and censorship or market con-
of options and nique as well. make the technical aspects sideration or meddlesome
The number of options of a writer’s job much more editors. Granted, it will still
features that and features that modern efficient. need to be coherent and
writers have available at If an author is brand new well edited in order to have
modern writers their fingertips that their to the industry and can’t a chance on the market, but
predecessors did not is stag- find an agent or a publish- that is something many peo-
have available gering. If an author would ing company ple can accomplish without
like to find the details about (notwithstanding all of the the assistance of a profes-
at their a particular place, person or technological resources sional editor.
thing they are thinking of they have at their disposal)
fingertips that writing about, a quick inter- there is a new option which
net search with the proper has developed rapidly over
their

predecessors

did not is

staggering.”

Although authors have changed their tools, creativity and originality are still required
to write a great book.

FROM BOOKS TO BLOGS

 From Books to Blogs
‘From
Editor & Author: Jane Bronte
Books to
Blogs’ has
123 Happy Place Way
San Francisco, Ca, 94536 been your
Phone: 510-884-3245 up-to date
Fax: 510-679-3422 source for
E-mail: [email protected]
all things
Your Faux News Source for Publishing publishing
in the Digital Age
since 2004.

A Brief History of the E-reader

Among all of the specific de- considering the fact that you can up exciting doors of creativity that
vices and advances that are have a library’s worth of volumes were never available to readers or
available to the average reader at your disposal in a device that is authors before.
now that weren’t available a dec- usually the size of a pad of note-
ade ago, the most significant is book paper. They weigh in at
the e-reader. Mentioned earlier, around ten ounces (give or take),
an e-reader (also known as an e- depending on the model you
book reader or e-book device) is choose.
a lightweight electronic device A feature that also makes the
that is designed to read books, new breed of e-books and e-
magazines, or any other print- readers more advanced than their
based publication. electronic predecessors and
Although one of the first e- printed books alike is the fact that
readers came onto the market in they can incorporate multimedia
1993, they have only recently files directly onto the page.
begun to catch on with main- While a person reads an Ipad,
stream manufacturers due to they have the option to listen to an
increased memory capabilities audio file of the passage simulta-
and battery life. The modern e- neously. Videos, too, can easily The Amazon Kindle has a wide
reader is lighter and much more be displayed on the screen along
variety of accessories available,
compact than traditional books, side the written word. This opens
like the book cover seen here.
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 PAGE 4

Kindle vs. Ipad: The battle of the e-readers

With the introduction of the Kindle (as well as Ama-
Amazon Kindle e-reader in zon.com) on its head. Publish-
2007, publishing houses were ing power-house Macmillan has
introduced to a competitor struck a deal with Apple in or-
unlike any they had ever experi- der to make their books avail-
enced before. Amazon.com was able through the Ipad, and many
created with the goal of elimi- more publishing houses are ex-
nating the middle-man price pected to follow suit.
markup of books by selling and Amazon.com is struggling to
delivering books directly to cus- modify its business plan so it
tomers. The Kindle worked well doesn’t lose all its loyal custom-
within that business plan, and The Amazon Kindle ers to the lure of Apple’s shiny
helped Amazon become one of new e-reader. “In 2010, Apple
the top booksellers in the busi- However, in 2010 Apple in-
ness. troduced the Ipad which turned introduced the

Ipad which

A Book by Any Other Name

turned Kindle

(as well as

Amazon.com)
Is the printed and bound book grand piano. It will simply af- Will it always mean a bound
going to become extinct? Most ford readers more options to collection of paper pages on its head.”
industry insiders and experts choose from when selecting a printed with ink? It may soon be
don’t believe so, for many dif- book. If the publishing industry known as no more and no less
ferent reasons. Instead, the continues to evolve along with then the creative intelligence
emergence of e-books and e- technology, the book will not property of the author, regard-
readers will be an addition to become a dusty relic of the past. less of whether it is printed on a
the traditional form that books Truly, only time will be able to page or downloaded and read
have, but it can’t replace them tell for sure; however, the defi- on a screen.
any more than the electronic nition of what is considered a
synthesizer could replace a book may be changing as well.

Which is Cheaper?
The popularity of the E-book is fact that a newly released hard- space fetches in the twenty-first
absolutely not due to the fact cover novel can cost anywhere century. Our world is expand-
that it is less expensive than a between fifteen dollars and ing, but unfortunately it is also
library card. The cheapest ver- thirty dollars. The average con- becoming more cramped in the
sion of an Amazon Kindle will sumer would need to buy process. E-books assuage the
cost around two hundred and around forty books before they pressure of not having enough
sixty dollars. However, when it began to save money. space to fit all of your favorite The bookshelf has
comes to individual books it is Additionally, an E- books on a bookshelf, because
gone digital.
more cost effective to purchase book reader saves space. Any the bookshelf has now gone
them as e-books if you already apartment dweller in New York digital.
have a Kindle; brand new titles City would be able to testify of
only cost $9.99. That is an in- the incredibly high price that
credible savings considering the