"E" is for Experiment (Not E-books)
Editorial by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

The year 2010 will undoubtedly be the year of "e," but it's not going to stand for e-book; it will stand for experimentation. Experimentation with contracts, rights, formats and distribution channels; experimentation that will certainly include e-books, and rightfully so, but they won't be the central focus -- for publishers nor readers.

Upon the Kindle's introduction in 2007, Jeff Bezos famously asked: "The question is, can you improve upon something as highly evolved and well-suited to its task as the book? And if so, how?"

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Discussion:

What's in Your Publishing Laboratory?
by Edward Nawotka

Today's lead story by Guy LeCharles Gonzales asserts that experimentation will be the default mode for publishing in 2010 - and each different experiment entails some degree of risk. We've heard of a number of new start-up experiments that sound promising, such as Jane Friedman's Open Road Integrated Media company, Richard Nash's Cursor, and OR Books. There are small companies going after unusual niches, such as Hol Art Books and Stay Thirsty Press and Vook. Then, there are those publishing experiments that have come and gone...

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