Entries tagged with “bloomsbury” from Tools of Change for Publishing

Calling Out Risk-Averse Publishers

Mac Slocum
October 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Listen

Bloomsbury Academic is testing the theory that increased awareness from free distribution boosts book sales. The recently-launched imprint is releasing all of its titles online under a Creative Commons license while also selling print-on-demand editions. Discussing the rationale with the Chronicle of Higher Education, Bloomsbury's Frances Pinter cites the unnecessary chasm between envelope-pushers and conservative publishers:

"I'm tired of the divide between open-access people who have nothing but disdain for publishers, and publishers who don't really know how to take a few risks and try some new models," she said. She would like Bloomsbury Academic to demonstrate that publishers can add editorial value to scholarship without having to choose between locking it down or giving it all away.

(Via Jose Alonso Furtado's Twitter stream)

Related Stories:

• How Do Publishers and Authors Get Paid in a "Free" World?
• Taking the Leap into All-POD
• Author Notes Risks and Opportunities in Free Ebooks
• Do Publishers Have the Stomach for Innovation?

Publishers and Amazon Locked in Price War

Mac Slocum
April 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Listen

The UK's Times Online says Penguin, Bloomsbury and other publishers are trying to woo customers with steep discounts on their own Web sites. Amazon isn't happy about the cuts:

There are fears that Amazon may retaliate by regarding a publisher’s online price as the recommended retail price and applying its trading terms to that. If a publisher discounts a £20 book to £15 online and Amazon has a contract for a 50 percent discount on the full price, Amazon would pay the company £7.50 instead of £10. Publishers say that this would be unfair and could ultimately drive up prices.