How Social Media is Changing the Publishing Industry

How Social Media is Changing the Publishing Industry | Social Media Today: "The days of having a book in your head and never seeing it in print are long gone. Any writer or author can now bring their book to life with self-publishing and a viral social media campaign. Many people believe the publishing industry is dying, but it’s not, the game is just changing. Social media has now given a voice to so many authors who’d never stand a chance with giant publishers. While writers need a pen in their right hand, they need social media in their other hand—it’s the best free marketing tool out there and it has revolutionized the publishing industry. Publishers don’t always have a winning strategy, they invest in a few books a year they hope will make it big and pay off, but they never know for sure what will become a best seller and what will flop. And now, more than ever they’re facing competition from bloggers, self-published authors and a new type of writer who has built their own audience. PubSlush is the newest crowd funding company that is helping authors raise money for their books. Authors share a summary and excerpt from their book and set a fundraising goal while readers back their favorite submissions in exchange for a reward, such as a first edition of the book. This is just another new advantage for authors that helps levels out the playing field with traditional publishers. . . " (more at the link above)


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Techstreet Standards Publishers Innovation Forum

Thomson Reuters Hosts Inaugural Techstreet Standards Publishers Innovation Forum to Address Future Industry Challenges | Reuters: "Leaders from the standards publishing industry convened November 9th in Alexandria, Virginia, for the inaugural Standards Publishers Innovation Forum (SPIF), presented by Techstreet, part of the Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters and the world's leading provider of industry codes and standards. Representatives from ASTM International, American Petroleum Institute, IEEE Standards Association and elsewhere participated in the forum, sharing their expertise, shaping consensus and defining parameters for the adoption of new publishing technologies. At the event: Moving Beyond PDF: New Formats, New Frontiers, standards developing organizations, information professionals, and technical experts engaged in informative and stimulating discussions on the adoption of new content delivery technologies and solutions. Keys insights shared include an overview of the history and evolution of content delivery formats, the use of video as a medium for sharing standards, keys to developing a mobile access strategy, and the importance of SDO's and IP protection. . . . "
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How a Small New York Press Is Trying to Reinvent Publishing

How a Small New York Press Is Trying to Reinvent Publishing | The Measure: ""With the advent of digital publishing, a lot of people ask me if I’m opposed [to it], thinking as a publisher I’m obsessed with the book as object. My answer is no. If you want to read a throwaway paperback that you may forget about, then read it on a Kindle. If you want something in your collection to last, if you love it, then it should be bound in a more caring manner."

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Publishing: A whole new chapter?

Publishing: A whole new chapter? - Chicago Tribune: "A futurist author could help direct the publishing future. David Houle, author of “Entering the Shift Age,” is participating with Naperville-based Sourcebooks Inc. in an initiative that could redefine the definition of a book and how books are published. Sourcebooks refers to it as its “agile publishing model,” which seeks to hasten the publishing process, to shape a book's content as it's being written through feedback from an interactive community of readers and to nurture branding by releasing advance segments of the book in progress. Houle's book will be the first published under the Sourcebooks initiative — among at least a few innovative and interactive approaches that writers and publishers are attempting to further bring the market into the 21st century."


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