Entries tagged with “reading” from Tools of Change for Publishing
New Project Examines Close Reading and Web Collaboration
Mac Slocum
October 31, 2008
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On Nov. 10, Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook will be read and discussed by seven readers in a new experiment that explores "close reading" and the mechanisms of online conversation.
The project is the brainchild of Bob Stein, founder of Institute for the Future of the Book. Stein outlined the project's goals in an email announcement:
Fundamentally this is an experiment in how the web might be used as a space for collaborative close-reading. We don't yet understand how to model a complex conversation in the web's two-dimensional environment and we're hoping this experiment will help us learn what's necessary to make this sort of collaboration work as well as possible.
The seven readers will discuss the book through margin notes and a group blog, and a public forum will be available for others to join the conversation. Further details are available through the project site.
Open Question: Do You Re-Read Books?
Mac Slocum
September 8, 2008
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Proponents on both sides of the ebook debate point to the archival/re-read nature of their chosen format, but I'm curious to see if re-reading is a common activity or one of those things we'd all like to do but can't find the time. Here's a few questions toward that end:
- Do you re-read books?
- If yes, how often? (i.e. You re-read 1-2 titles per year.)
- Which titles or genres do you re-read?
- Does a book's format -- print or digital -- make you more or less inclined to re-read a title?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area.
Ebooks and Print Books are Not Mutually Exclusive
Mac Slocum
July 16, 2008
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Ebook discussions invariably lead to the "tactile experience" counter argument. Many folks love the sensory associations of a printed book, and they'll defend those feelings vociferously -- even when no one is challenging them. The simple suggestion that an ebook could offer functionality beyond the scope of a printed book causes some book lovers to pull up the castle gates and light the moat on fire.
But here's the odd thing: A small group of bleeding edgers believe print's demise is imminent, but in many more instances the people taking a pro-ebook stance are also fans of printed books. They're not looking for printed books to go away, rather, they want to consume content in the best possible format for their particular needs.
I've witnessed a number of lively discussions in which the sensory argument overwhelms a broader analysis of future reading behaviors, and that's where the problem lies. In each case, the print defenders run through the "sensory checklist":
- Reading in bed
- Reading to your children
- Slowing down, sitting down, curling up ...
- Holding, feeling, smelling, experiencing ...
All of these are excellent print book defenses, but each is a counterpoint to debates that were never raised. The bigger conversation -- and something that often gets pushed to the back burner -- is about the reading ecosystem. Print books, ebooks, Web sites, mobile and whatever emerges down the road are merely conduits for content. Unnecessary defense of one format of another obscures the opportunity to customize and improve the reading experience on a title by title and consumer by consumer basis.
Sara Nelson summed up this same idea in a recent column:
... the e-worriers are, I predict, way wrong, just as those who worried that audiobooks would supplant "real" books, and DVDs would demolish cinemas were wrong. Sure, there is some cannibalizing and crossover, but just as there are certain books you would rather listen to than read (and vice versa) and some movies you'll rush to the theater to see, there is room in the world for another way to enjoy written narrative.
Open Question: How Can Ebooks Improve the Reading Experience?
Mac Slocum
June 24, 2008
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In "Random thoughts about the Kindle," Seth Godin suggests three ways the Kindle could improve the "act of reading a book":
* Let me see the best parts of the book as highlighted by thousands of other readers.
* Let me see notes in the margin as voted up, Digg-style, by thousands of other readers.
* Let me interact with hyperlinks and smart connections not just within the book but across books.
What suggestions do you have? How can digital books -- or, more broadly, digital content -- improve the reading experience? Please share your thoughts in the comments area.
The Importance of Viewing the World as Readers Do
Andrew Savikas
May 14, 2008
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In the rush to experiment and innovate with technology for printing, selling, writing, and marketing books, there have been some recent and relevant calls to take pains to remember the reader in all of this.
For a publisher (and in particular an editor and especially an author), energy and effort is understandably often directed at the book itself. But echoing a point made during this conversation between Kathy Sierra and Tim O'Reilly, customers don't really care about you or your products -- they care about what they're trying to accomplish, and successful product marketers remember that.
At Friday's BISG Making Information Pay event, Michael Cader drove the point home nicely using the Alex Rider series of books as an example. "I want to buy my son the third book in the series, and he wants to read it." But just looking at the books on the shelf, "I can't figure out which one is the third one." These are books that are competing just fine with the Wii and MySpace and World of Warcraft, yet (at least according to Michael -- I should acknowledge I'm unfamiliar with the books) they don't include an easy way for novices to navigate from one book to the next.
Read more…News Roundup: Google's Book Scanning, Kindle's Future Path, Authorship Increases Exponentially, Amazon Takes on "Amazon Tax," 5 DRM Messes
Mac Slocum
May 2, 2008
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A Glimpse into Google's Book Scanning
Google doesn't divulge specifics about its proprietary book scanning set-up, but the Associated Press offers a brief look into the manual scanning process used for old/fragile titles. (Continue reading)
Kindle's All-Encompassing Future Path
Jeff Nolan writes about the path of the Kindle:
It's clear that [Jeff] Bezos sees a day when any and all content can be delivered to a Kindle and not only won't Amazon have to store inventory, they also won't have to ship anything but the Kindle itself to support their book business. In that light, the Kindle totally fits and is an impressive disruptive strategy to boot. Having said that, we have 550 years of mechanical printing to overcome and in terms of simplicity and cost, it's hard to beat a hard copy book.
Book Reading Down, Book Writing Up
In a New York Times Sunday Book Review essay, Rachel Donadio notes the interesting discrepancy between book reading and book writing. Namely, people aren't reading, but they're certainly doing a lot of writing. (Continue reading)
Amazon Challenges New York's "Amazon Tax"
As expected, Amazon is challenging New York's recently passed sales tax statute. From Amazon's filed complaint (pdf):
Because some independently operated, New York-based websites post advertisements with links to Amazon and are compensated for these advertisements, Amazon is now presumed to have engaged in "solicitation" under this statue ... despite the fact that Amazon lacks any physical presence in New York and that no solicitation by Amazon actually exists. This presumption is effectively irrebuttable. Accordingly, Amazon seeks a declaratory judgment that the Statute is invalid ...
In the wake of MSN Music's authorization decision, Steve O'Hear from last100 looks at five DRM-based businesses that left customers high and dry. (Continue reading)
Book Reading Down, Book Writing Up
Mac Slocum
April 29, 2008
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In a New York Times Sunday Book Review essay, Rachel Donadio notes the interesting discrepancy between book reading and book writing. Namely, people aren't reading, but they're certainly doing a lot of writing.
In 2007, a whopping 400,000 books were published or distributed in the United States, up from 300,000 in 2006, according to the industry tracker Bowker, which attributed the sharp rise to the number of print-on-demand books and reprints of out-of-print titles ... In short, everyone has a story -- and everyone wants to tell it.
Bezos Hopes for Longer Attention Spans
Mac Slocum
April 21, 2008
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In his annual letter (PDF) to Amazon shareholders, Jeff Bezos discusses the Kindle's place in an "info-snacking" world:
... networked tools such as desktop computers, laptops, cell phones and PDAs have changed us too. They've shifted us more toward information snacking, and I would argue toward shorter attention spans ... If our tools make information snacking easier, we'll shift more toward information snacking and away from long-form reading. Kindle is purpose-built for long-form reading. We hope Kindle and its successors may gradually and incrementally move us over years into a world with longer spans of attention, providing a counterbalance to the recent proliferation of info-snacking tools.
(Via Peter Brantley's read20 listserv.)
Are You Ready for Free?
Mac Slocum
March 19, 2008
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A recent post on ReadWriteWeb looks at the relationship between traditional publishing (newspapers, magazines, books) and teen readership. The results are hazy at best -- experts can't seem to get past the "digital reading" vs. "print reading" debate -- but a short passage in the article's magazine section touched on a topic that's popping up all over the place: the power of free content.
"MediaTel managing director Derek Jones said the [magazine] industry must find new ways of engaging with the teen market which has suffered a steady decline in sales. The problem, according to ShortList chief executive Mike Soutar, is that the younger generation like to consume media for free and they have come to expect free content through online extensions." [emphasis added]
The expectation of free isn't just the domain of teens; Web consumers from all generations are used to getting their information for free as well. This is a powerful trend that's gaining steam.
If you're intrigued by free models (or concerned), take a look at Kevin Kelly's essay "Better Than Free," Chris Anderson's article "Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business," and coverage of Tim O'Reilly's TOC '08 keynote "Free is More Complicated Than You Think."
Will Publishers matter?
Allen Noren
February 11, 2008
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- More people are reading now. They are just reading differently.
- Facebook is the new threat to publishers, not Google.
- Publishing and writing, the sharing of ideas, is fundamentally a part of Web 2.0 technologies.
- Old formats die. The novel as we know it has only been around since the 1800s.
- To be relevant, publishers have to be available at the point of need.
- University of Alberta library doing all referencing in Facebook, and has 5000 visitors a night in Second Life.
- Syndication is increasingly important. If you're still trying to create a destination site, you're messing up.
- User intention paths. Have to adapt to your users, and not create barriers. Otherwise, they'll bypass you.
- Phone is the dominant global device. Is your content ready?
- 85% of Stephen's colleagues in China read books on their phones.
- Do you want to help create the world, or let it happen to you?
There's way more I could write about Stephen's talk, but Bill Burger from the Copyright Clearance Center is up next.
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