Saturday, January 02, 2010

Best of 09: Why Publishing Cannot Be Saved (As It Is)
Publishing Perspectives

Happy New Year!
This is our first posting of 2010, which was our most popular posting of 2009: Richard Eoin Nash outlines why and how publishing must change if it is to continue to thrive.
Happy New Year! Publishing Perspectives will be back on Monday, January 4, with the third part of Emily Williams' series on scouting, which looks at the future of the profession in the light of challenges to territorial copyright being made by digital publishing.
Also, look next week for another piece by Nash prognosticating on what publishing might look like in 2020. In the meantime, check out our news blog for the latest news, opinion and updates.

Editorial by Richard Eoin Nash

The book business is a tiny industry perched atop a massive hobby. But rather than celebrate and serve the hobbyists, we expect them to shell out ever more money for the books we keep throwing at them (a half million English-language books in 2008 in the U.S.). Cutting back might work for individual companies, but not for an industry -- s/he who truly believe that the best thing for our customers is less choice shouldn't let the door hit them on the way out of this industry, indeed this culture.

Why Publishing Cannot Be Saved (As It Is)


What Do You Predict for Publishing in 2010?
By Edward Nawotka

It's the start of a new year, the start of a new decade, and for many -- like Richard Eoin Nash, author of our lead story today -- the start of a new era in publishing.

So, the question is: What do you predict 2010 holds for publishing? What do you most look forward to? What worries you?

(read on ...)


Warm thanks to Publishing Perpectives for their great blog during 2009. Their site is a compulsory visit for me every day. Happy New Year to you all.

2 comments:

Oswald Bastable said...

I predict the rise of the ebook.

transpress nz said...

We predict the rise of e-commerce for books generally. Traditional high street booksellers were hit hard by the property boom of recent years as building owners ratcheted up rents to reflect a suitable return their ever-soaring property values. Maybe the chances of rent increases have dimished for a while, but they are still a killer overhead. e-shops offer a comfortable shopping alternative, and as long as publishers make their websites as interesting as possible (we try but most are pretty hopeless) then ever more people will browse that way. After all, as far as NZ is concerned, you can see a hugely greater range of books online than you will in even the good bookshops.