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Amazon bans junk ebooks

Just got a note from them highlighting this rule: Some types of content, such as public domain content, may be free to use by anyone, or may be licensed for use by more than one party. We will not accept content that is freely available on the web unless you are the copyright owner of [...]

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Using ebooks to promote ebooks

It sounds like an infinite loop, but it’s actually quite smart. The people most likely to buy an ebook are people who are already reading them, and unlike blads, galleys and other printed samples, the cost of producing one more copy of a sample is precisely zero. Some authors have had success promoting new books [...]

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Book content as a solo endeavor

Some would argue that books need to evolve into apps or other forms of multimedia–that books won’t be appreciated by large numbers of people until appreciating a book ceases to involve reading it. While this may be an accurate discussion of the public’s habits (far more people saw the Hunger Games than read it), it [...]

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It’s nice to be nominated

No, actually, not so much. About 20 years ago a film/VHS project I produced was nominated for a prestigious American Film Institute Award. I know it was prestigious because they told me it was, and because a lot of celebrities were going to be at the gala. I got my tux, used money I didn’t [...]

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The real threat to (big time) book publishing

The people who run the big publishing houses feel threatened by Amazon and by ebooks and by pricing and by the death of chain bookstores, not to mention the Justice Department. All of these are contributors to the future, but they cloud the core issue. The narrative of their fear is that book publishing will [...]

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Powerful (and powerless) merchants

The following things are so commonplace that they are almost beyond noticing: A visit to Costco turns up quite a few items produced by a brand called “Kirkland,” which is owned, naturally, by Costco. Checking out of Barnes and Noble in many large cities and you’re likely to see the Zagat’s restaurant guide near the [...]

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Brick by brick–building a digital platform right

Amanda Palmer (leaving out her middle name, which is a story for another day) didn’t used to be a superstar. She is now. Her Kickstarter project is instantly oversubscribed. Her concerts sell out, wherever she goes in the world, and she goes everywhere. Her Twitter account has more than half a million followers. Classic overnight [...]

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Tracts, manifestos and books

Has a non-fiction book ever changed your mind? For me, it has happened literally dozens of times. Books have changed the way I think about sales, evolution, marketing, governance, interpersonal relationships, mindfulness, the invention of the Western world, government power and more. Next question: How far into the book did you get before your mind [...]

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A simple challenge to publishers: books for Ghana

Laura Hazard Owen has a good overview of what’s going on with Worldreader. Give a kid a Kindle and lives are changed. Not just in Ghana but in Kenya and Uganda as well. One of their costs is buying the ebooks that go on the Kindles they’re giving to students. Really? Tell me again why [...]

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Piracy? You wish.

Publishers are spending a lot of time debating DRM on ebooks. Many of the powers that be are worried about piracy, they say, and they are resolute in making sure that there are locks on the books they publish. There are countless interesting conversations on whether this helps Amazon with lock in (you can’t move [...]

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