The publishing industry is changing. I have heard this over and over again. But, as of yet, there is no follow-up to that declaration. Everyone seems to know that the large publishers are struggling, the development of digital texts and e-readers are changing the way people read, the emergence of self-publishing is changing the literary landscape, and independent booksellers are rapidly disappearing as online and chain bookstore dominate the market. All of this is fact. But it seems like everyone in the industry is just waiting to see how it will all shake out—none of the big players are willing to make a prediction, let alone take any action to adapt to the changes.
Because the experts are keeping quiet, I find it difficult to make predictions myself. If there was a loud and public debate raging among large publishers, I may be able to form some more solid opinions, but I haven’t worked in the industry, and I haven’t experienced the changes and challenges first hand. But based on the emergence of new technology, and the rumors I have heard, I have a few broad predictions for the future of publishing:
1.
I believe e-readers will become more technologically advanced and e-books will become more common. As the iPad and other devises are introduced to the market, their competition with one another will drive publishers to develop more digital content, and thus drive consumers to purchase that content. I think e-books will become more advanced and the devise on which the e-books are read will become more user-friendly. I also think the textbook market will drive e-book sales, and in ten years, if students are lucky, all course texts will be available as e-books.
2.
I believe the use of online bookstores will grow and these virtual stores will dominate the market more and more in the coming years. I think some company at some point will be able to give Amazon a run for its money, but I think the online sales model will be much the same. I also believe at least one chain will hang on. Ten years from now the baby boomers will still be out and about, and traditional bookstores will still find a viable market. I think independent bookstores are more or less doomed. But I would love to see an emergence of specialty book shops. I think the book has an opportunity to become more of a specialty object, and I think there will be stores to reflect that, and to serve the specialty markets, in the coming years.
3.
I think more small publishers will emerge, especially those publishing e-books, and large publishers will get deeper into the development of e-books. But I don’t think large publishers will go away. Where there is money to be made (and I believe there is in e-books) there will be investors. Some large houses may fail if they don’t adapt to new formats, but I don’t think all large publishers will be so resistant. There are too many interested parties to let that happen.
This is an exciting time for the publishing industry. And I think this is just the beginning. All things considered, ten years is not a very long time, and I think the industry will still be in flux. I think people will still have confusion and worries. In fact, I think the changes the industry is facing now are only the beginning. We happen to live in a time when new technological development makes possible this week something that may not have been possible last week. I don’t think there is an end in sight as far as that is concerned, and these advancements will continue to be applied to all industries, not just publishing.
People will never stop reading. They may read even more now than they did twenty years ago because sharing ideas and information is so easy. And I don’t think people will ever lose interest in stories. The origin and delivery of content is changing, but people’s need for it is not. Therefore, I think literacy and culture only stands to benefit from the changes in the publishing industry. And because of the growing access to content and ease of distribution, the publishing industry itself can only grow—if it is willing to adapt.
2.28.2010
Gen-edge
Jeffery Selin (Writers’ Dojo) said something in his presentation last week that touched on a growing concern of mine: “You know more about social media [than me]—you’ve been using it since high school.” Umm…nothing about that statement is true. He was speaking to a room of mostly twenty-somethings, and while I believe his assumption was inaccurate, it’s not uncommon.
As I face my impending graduation from PSU and re-entry into the workforce, I fear this assumption. I have not been using social media since I was in high school. In fact, I was a junior in high school before I ever “surfed the net” (with the exception of email, utilizing the web to connect with people didn’t begin until I was well into college). I remember sitting at the bank of computers in the school’s library and opening the web browser, excited at the prospect of all this information at my fingertips, with absolutely no idea where to start. I think I went to J. Crew’s website to look at clothes.
Unfortunately, people even slightly older than me expect me to have an inherent knowledge social networking tools, and I simply don’t. I am slowly learning and tentatively branching into this world just like everyone else in the workforce. But I fear this assumption of my knowledge will follow me into the workplace, and my superiors are going to be sorely disappointed.
The problem is, at twenty-six years old, I believe that I belong to a narrow fragment of the population that I like to call Gen-edge—too young to belong to Generation X and too old to belong to Generation Y. People a few years younger than me have been using social networking sites since they were in high school. And not only are they more familiar and comfortable in just using the sites themselves, they are more comfortable communicating in this way. When I was in high school, I called my friends when I wanted to see them. I still do. And cyber-bullying, such a problem in high schools today (at least according to 20/20) would have sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie when I was sixteen. Generation Y is entrenched in the cyber-world, and utilizing social networking sites is fundamental to this.
Generation X, on the other hand, is safely employed (or at least would be if our economy wasn’t crap). They may be asked by their employers to explore this world of social networking and the potential benefits it could have in a professional capacity. But they are assumed to be learning along with everyone else. And any achievements they make in this arena are a happy surprise. Gen-edge, however, will not have this luxury, I fear. Employers will assume that Gen-edgers can achieve company growth through social networking because we’ve grown up with it, we just “work this way.”
I actually felt that I had a lot to learn from Jeffery about utilizing social networking sites in a professional capacity. I have my little Facebook page, but mostly ignore the frequent posts about the personal lives of people I don’t really know that well. How to use Facebook, or any other social networking site, to benefit a company is something I would have to sit and think about for a while. I am constantly surprised at the power of social networking. How to rein this in for the benefit of my employer is something I just don’t feel equipped to do. Thank goodness I have been studying this very problem for nearly ten weeks now in the Online Marketing course! At least now I know how much I don’t know.
As I face my impending graduation from PSU and re-entry into the workforce, I fear this assumption. I have not been using social media since I was in high school. In fact, I was a junior in high school before I ever “surfed the net” (with the exception of email, utilizing the web to connect with people didn’t begin until I was well into college). I remember sitting at the bank of computers in the school’s library and opening the web browser, excited at the prospect of all this information at my fingertips, with absolutely no idea where to start. I think I went to J. Crew’s website to look at clothes.
Unfortunately, people even slightly older than me expect me to have an inherent knowledge social networking tools, and I simply don’t. I am slowly learning and tentatively branching into this world just like everyone else in the workforce. But I fear this assumption of my knowledge will follow me into the workplace, and my superiors are going to be sorely disappointed.
The problem is, at twenty-six years old, I believe that I belong to a narrow fragment of the population that I like to call Gen-edge—too young to belong to Generation X and too old to belong to Generation Y. People a few years younger than me have been using social networking sites since they were in high school. And not only are they more familiar and comfortable in just using the sites themselves, they are more comfortable communicating in this way. When I was in high school, I called my friends when I wanted to see them. I still do. And cyber-bullying, such a problem in high schools today (at least according to 20/20) would have sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie when I was sixteen. Generation Y is entrenched in the cyber-world, and utilizing social networking sites is fundamental to this.
Generation X, on the other hand, is safely employed (or at least would be if our economy wasn’t crap). They may be asked by their employers to explore this world of social networking and the potential benefits it could have in a professional capacity. But they are assumed to be learning along with everyone else. And any achievements they make in this arena are a happy surprise. Gen-edge, however, will not have this luxury, I fear. Employers will assume that Gen-edgers can achieve company growth through social networking because we’ve grown up with it, we just “work this way.”
I actually felt that I had a lot to learn from Jeffery about utilizing social networking sites in a professional capacity. I have my little Facebook page, but mostly ignore the frequent posts about the personal lives of people I don’t really know that well. How to use Facebook, or any other social networking site, to benefit a company is something I would have to sit and think about for a while. I am constantly surprised at the power of social networking. How to rein this in for the benefit of my employer is something I just don’t feel equipped to do. Thank goodness I have been studying this very problem for nearly ten weeks now in the Online Marketing course! At least now I know how much I don’t know.
2.26.2010
An oldie but a goodie.
I have read some amazing books as a “grown-up” (and I guess by that I mean post-college, although it could be argued that the grown-up part of this life hasn’t even begun yet). The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck and The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos especially stand out. And Anna Karenina will be one of my proudest reading achievements, once I make it through the whole thing. (I was half way there a couple of years ago, and I fully intend to pick it up again one of these days.)
As much as I would like to claim one of these respectable, “grown-up” books as life-changing, however, I have to be honest with my faithful blog reader(s). There are two books that stand on my bookshelf, each tied together with ribbon to keep their covers from falling off. They are dog-eared and stained. And they were both written by Beverly Cleary: Fifteen (1956) and The Luckiest Girl (1958).
I discovered these books long ago on one of the many bookshelves that lined my grandmother’s basement walls. Every summer my family would spend a week at my grandparent’s house, and sometimes the only comfortable place to be on those hot afternoons in Lewiston, Idaho was the cool basement, where she kept a full stock of art supplies, dress-up clothes, stuffed animals and dolls, board games, ice cream, and, of course, books.
My sister Tova would spend the days planning grand fashion shows compete with numerous costume changes for each of us; my sister Carrie would build elaborate, multi-room dollhouses out of shoe boxes and fabric scraps; and my sister Dena would sew clothes for her Cabbage Patch dolls. Meanwhile, I could be found huddled in a corner, or laying in the hammock outside, reading one of the garage-sale paperbacks my grandma had purchased during the year. But of all the books I read at my grandparent’s house, or anywhere else for that matter, these two are the books that have stayed with me.
I find great comfort in familiarity, and I have returned to these stories many times in order to find solace in a life that seems to be in constant flux. I first read them in my early middle school years, which can be just plain agony for a girl. And I read them again through the tribulations of high school, and the transition to college. Through the pain of heart breaks and the anxiety of first jobs. When I am sad, exhausted, restless, bored, or nostalgic, I can go to these stories and let go of worries for a while. They don’t require me to think too much, or consider new ideas or perspectives. They don’t elicit strong emotions. They are simply an escape.
Even though both of these stories are about a high school girl in the fifties, I have found them to be relevant in every phase of my life. Before I entered high school or fell in love for the first time, the girl’s lives were something to aspire to. When I went on to experience trouble with school work, fights with friend, or the humiliation of getting dumped, I related to the stories and felt comfort in knowing I was not the only one that felt this way. And now that I have been through the hardships of adolescence and I feel like I might just make it through to the other side, I go back to these stories to remember what I have been through and find strength in what I have learned along the way.
I feel a little silly. Nearly twenty-seven years old and so dedicated to these tattered paper-backs that I first picked up when I was about eleven. And, faithful blog reader(s), I do read age appropriate things these days. (I do! Really!) But I still connect with these melancholy stories of adolescent angst because I have been so connected to them for so long. Every phase of my life is now in these pages.
I will leave you with one of my favorite passages, not in an effort to make you understand why I connect with these books, but just because I love it so much that I would like to share with you:
Jane walked to the window and stood looking out over the lights of the town at the fog that billowed over the bay, blotting out the bridges and the city. The sound of a car driving up the road only made the house seem lonelier. In the distance the foghorns had begun their melancholy chorus. Yoo-hoo boomed a horn far away. Yoo-hoo. Come back moaned another near the bridge. Come back.
Jane pressed her forehead against the cool glass. The dance had started and Stan was dancing with the other girl, the girl he had asked because he did not want to take Jane. And when the girl singer who had made the record that was tenth place on the Hit Parade began to sing, everyone would stop dancing and gather around the bandstand. Stan and the girl would stand close together and Stan would put his arm around the girl…
Tomorrow Jane would know who the girl was. Julie would tell her, but she might never know why Stan invited the girl to go to the dance. The humiliation that Jane had felt turned to something else—grief perhaps, or regret. Regret that she had not known how to act with a boy, regret that she had not been wiser. Perhaps next year when she was sixteen…
The creeping fingers of fog began to blot out the lights of Woodmont below. Come back, come back moaned the foghorn, only to be mocked in the distance. Yoo-hoo, yoo-hoo.
Ten years from now I’ll look back on this night and laugh, Jane thought. But she knew in her heart it was not true. In ten years she might look back, but she would not laugh, not even then. This night was too painful to laugh about ever. Jane knew that. Slowly two tears brimmed her eyes and slid down her cheeks.
Come back, pleaded one foghorn. Yoo-hoo, mocked the other.
—Fifteen
Beverly Cleary, 1956
As much as I would like to claim one of these respectable, “grown-up” books as life-changing, however, I have to be honest with my faithful blog reader(s). There are two books that stand on my bookshelf, each tied together with ribbon to keep their covers from falling off. They are dog-eared and stained. And they were both written by Beverly Cleary: Fifteen (1956) and The Luckiest Girl (1958).
I discovered these books long ago on one of the many bookshelves that lined my grandmother’s basement walls. Every summer my family would spend a week at my grandparent’s house, and sometimes the only comfortable place to be on those hot afternoons in Lewiston, Idaho was the cool basement, where she kept a full stock of art supplies, dress-up clothes, stuffed animals and dolls, board games, ice cream, and, of course, books.
My sister Tova would spend the days planning grand fashion shows compete with numerous costume changes for each of us; my sister Carrie would build elaborate, multi-room dollhouses out of shoe boxes and fabric scraps; and my sister Dena would sew clothes for her Cabbage Patch dolls. Meanwhile, I could be found huddled in a corner, or laying in the hammock outside, reading one of the garage-sale paperbacks my grandma had purchased during the year. But of all the books I read at my grandparent’s house, or anywhere else for that matter, these two are the books that have stayed with me.
I find great comfort in familiarity, and I have returned to these stories many times in order to find solace in a life that seems to be in constant flux. I first read them in my early middle school years, which can be just plain agony for a girl. And I read them again through the tribulations of high school, and the transition to college. Through the pain of heart breaks and the anxiety of first jobs. When I am sad, exhausted, restless, bored, or nostalgic, I can go to these stories and let go of worries for a while. They don’t require me to think too much, or consider new ideas or perspectives. They don’t elicit strong emotions. They are simply an escape.
Even though both of these stories are about a high school girl in the fifties, I have found them to be relevant in every phase of my life. Before I entered high school or fell in love for the first time, the girl’s lives were something to aspire to. When I went on to experience trouble with school work, fights with friend, or the humiliation of getting dumped, I related to the stories and felt comfort in knowing I was not the only one that felt this way. And now that I have been through the hardships of adolescence and I feel like I might just make it through to the other side, I go back to these stories to remember what I have been through and find strength in what I have learned along the way.
I feel a little silly. Nearly twenty-seven years old and so dedicated to these tattered paper-backs that I first picked up when I was about eleven. And, faithful blog reader(s), I do read age appropriate things these days. (I do! Really!) But I still connect with these melancholy stories of adolescent angst because I have been so connected to them for so long. Every phase of my life is now in these pages.
I will leave you with one of my favorite passages, not in an effort to make you understand why I connect with these books, but just because I love it so much that I would like to share with you:
Jane walked to the window and stood looking out over the lights of the town at the fog that billowed over the bay, blotting out the bridges and the city. The sound of a car driving up the road only made the house seem lonelier. In the distance the foghorns had begun their melancholy chorus. Yoo-hoo boomed a horn far away. Yoo-hoo. Come back moaned another near the bridge. Come back.
Jane pressed her forehead against the cool glass. The dance had started and Stan was dancing with the other girl, the girl he had asked because he did not want to take Jane. And when the girl singer who had made the record that was tenth place on the Hit Parade began to sing, everyone would stop dancing and gather around the bandstand. Stan and the girl would stand close together and Stan would put his arm around the girl…
Tomorrow Jane would know who the girl was. Julie would tell her, but she might never know why Stan invited the girl to go to the dance. The humiliation that Jane had felt turned to something else—grief perhaps, or regret. Regret that she had not known how to act with a boy, regret that she had not been wiser. Perhaps next year when she was sixteen…
The creeping fingers of fog began to blot out the lights of Woodmont below. Come back, come back moaned the foghorn, only to be mocked in the distance. Yoo-hoo, yoo-hoo.
Ten years from now I’ll look back on this night and laugh, Jane thought. But she knew in her heart it was not true. In ten years she might look back, but she would not laugh, not even then. This night was too painful to laugh about ever. Jane knew that. Slowly two tears brimmed her eyes and slid down her cheeks.
Come back, pleaded one foghorn. Yoo-hoo, mocked the other.
—Fifteen
Beverly Cleary, 1956
2.21.2010
Try to sell, but don’t try to sell (in italics)
When looking at the eRoi website in preparation for the guest speaker last week, I came across a quote under the section describing their blog services. The section was titled, “Not Just for Kids Anymore,” and the line went: “This [the blog] isn’t the place for hardselling. It’s a place for trust and community.” I thought that was such a clear way to describe the purpose of blogging, especially in light of the required blog post from last week, when many in the class switched into “marketing voice.”
It seems like blogging is becoming more and more prevalent as a marketing tool. This medium provides a business the opportunity to create a community with their customers and to enter into a dialog with them. They can reveal information about their mission and their culture as a company in addition to describing the product or service they have to sell. A blog is also an ideal place to offer customers in-depth information about the items they have for sale and why those items are superior.
This forum is ideal for both business and customer. The challenge of using a blog as part of a marketing strategy, however, lies in not trying to actually sell the readers of your blog anything, while still ultimately trying to sell them something.
Internet audiences are often quite skeptical, and if they feel “marketed to” through a blog, a forum that is supposed to build trust and open dialog, they will not only walk away, they will share their negative impressions with their friends. A company must keep the blog as a space for communication and feedback, not a space for hardselling, as it’s called by eRoi.
This can be difficult, as we all realized last week. When you have a product you believe in, you want people to buy that product, and it’s natural to try to sell it to them, in the traditional sense of the phrase. Marketing messages, using the “marketing voice,” have been the primary type of dialog between businesses and customers for ages, and changing that is not easy—for either group. It is essential, however, if a business wants to keep the respect and trust of their internet customers.
It seems like blogging is becoming more and more prevalent as a marketing tool. This medium provides a business the opportunity to create a community with their customers and to enter into a dialog with them. They can reveal information about their mission and their culture as a company in addition to describing the product or service they have to sell. A blog is also an ideal place to offer customers in-depth information about the items they have for sale and why those items are superior.
This forum is ideal for both business and customer. The challenge of using a blog as part of a marketing strategy, however, lies in not trying to actually sell the readers of your blog anything, while still ultimately trying to sell them something.
Internet audiences are often quite skeptical, and if they feel “marketed to” through a blog, a forum that is supposed to build trust and open dialog, they will not only walk away, they will share their negative impressions with their friends. A company must keep the blog as a space for communication and feedback, not a space for hardselling, as it’s called by eRoi.
This can be difficult, as we all realized last week. When you have a product you believe in, you want people to buy that product, and it’s natural to try to sell it to them, in the traditional sense of the phrase. Marketing messages, using the “marketing voice,” have been the primary type of dialog between businesses and customers for ages, and changing that is not easy—for either group. It is essential, however, if a business wants to keep the respect and trust of their internet customers.
2.16.2010
Buying online? The stars must align.
I have five email accounts—one for personal use, one for junk mail, and three for school. I very rarely get personal email, and school email stresses me out. I hate to say it, but I enjoy checking my junk email account most of all. Here, I receive information about flight deals from Expedia, Kayak, Travelocity, and Vayama. I receive sales announcements from DSW, Fossil, Gap, Old Navy. I receive newsletters from American Farmland Trust, and Powell’s Books. I receive a lot of junk email, and I could go on and on about where it comes from. But I asked for it. All of this mail comes from companies I have purchased something from, donated money to, or expressed interest in. I feel like a stranger could look through the junk email I receive and learn quite a bit about me.
My point is that the vast majority of junk I receive was solicited by me. And while I am glad I don’t get these twenty-five junk emails per day sent to my personal email address, I am actually interested in most of what lands in my junk email inbox. That said, I rarely purchase anything based on the junk emails that are sent to me.
I have three main reasons for this: I don’t have any money and I don’t like putting a purchase on my credit card knowing I probably won’t be able to pay it off, I am impatient when it comes to getting what I want (waiting five days for shipping is usually not an option for me), and, even if I see something I am actually interested in, I rarely take the time to click through on the email message and get to the webpage where I could actually make the purchase. I will look at something, say to myself, “Hmm…that’s cute,” or “Hmm…that’s a good deal,” and move on.
Occasionally, however, one of these emails will reach me at the perfect time. Much to the dismay of the people actually sending these emails, a purchase is entirely dependent on my “mood.” I have to have the time, be in the mood to spend money I don’t have, and be presented with something specific that I was hoping to buy anyway. No matter the deal offered via email, or the flashy graphics used on the email promotion, if these factors aren’t met, I won’t buy.
The most recent experience I had with buying something based on an email campaign was through a sales announcement from Old Navy. I had wanted a khaki colored skirt for a long time, but it wasn’t something I actually needed and thus had never gone out to a store to look for. I was quickly going through my junk email inbox one day, clicking on those items that interested me and immediately deleting those that did not. In the midst of this, I happened upon an Old Navy “ad” that showed a number of items that were currently on sale via their website. Lo and behold there was a khaki colored skirt on the email; it was just what I had been looking for. I clicked through to their website and bought that skirt, as well as a dress. I thought, heck, I was already there and putting a purchase on my credit card, may as well look around and see if there was anything else I wanted.
The vast majority of online purchases I make are for items that I have sought out. I will think to myself, “I would like some new shoes,” or “I would like to travel to LA to visit my good friend,” or “I need to buy this book for school,” and onto the internet I go. But every so often the stars will all align, and I find myself making a purchase based on one little email that has landed in one of my many email accounts.
I suspect my attitude toward online purchases based on email campaigns is not unusual. As was mentioned in class, direct email campaigns can expect an average response rate of two percent. How could marketers expect a better result? Their customers are fickle. Their only option is to inundate our email inboxes with their constant promotions hoping they may reach a small portion of these people at their “perfect time.” With all of this in mind, I have no problem with the amount of junk emails I get, even if they rarely result in a sale for the company and an exciting purchase for me. We’re all just trying to make a living after all.
My point is that the vast majority of junk I receive was solicited by me. And while I am glad I don’t get these twenty-five junk emails per day sent to my personal email address, I am actually interested in most of what lands in my junk email inbox. That said, I rarely purchase anything based on the junk emails that are sent to me.
I have three main reasons for this: I don’t have any money and I don’t like putting a purchase on my credit card knowing I probably won’t be able to pay it off, I am impatient when it comes to getting what I want (waiting five days for shipping is usually not an option for me), and, even if I see something I am actually interested in, I rarely take the time to click through on the email message and get to the webpage where I could actually make the purchase. I will look at something, say to myself, “Hmm…that’s cute,” or “Hmm…that’s a good deal,” and move on.
Occasionally, however, one of these emails will reach me at the perfect time. Much to the dismay of the people actually sending these emails, a purchase is entirely dependent on my “mood.” I have to have the time, be in the mood to spend money I don’t have, and be presented with something specific that I was hoping to buy anyway. No matter the deal offered via email, or the flashy graphics used on the email promotion, if these factors aren’t met, I won’t buy.
The most recent experience I had with buying something based on an email campaign was through a sales announcement from Old Navy. I had wanted a khaki colored skirt for a long time, but it wasn’t something I actually needed and thus had never gone out to a store to look for. I was quickly going through my junk email inbox one day, clicking on those items that interested me and immediately deleting those that did not. In the midst of this, I happened upon an Old Navy “ad” that showed a number of items that were currently on sale via their website. Lo and behold there was a khaki colored skirt on the email; it was just what I had been looking for. I clicked through to their website and bought that skirt, as well as a dress. I thought, heck, I was already there and putting a purchase on my credit card, may as well look around and see if there was anything else I wanted.
The vast majority of online purchases I make are for items that I have sought out. I will think to myself, “I would like some new shoes,” or “I would like to travel to LA to visit my good friend,” or “I need to buy this book for school,” and onto the internet I go. But every so often the stars will all align, and I find myself making a purchase based on one little email that has landed in one of my many email accounts.
I suspect my attitude toward online purchases based on email campaigns is not unusual. As was mentioned in class, direct email campaigns can expect an average response rate of two percent. How could marketers expect a better result? Their customers are fickle. Their only option is to inundate our email inboxes with their constant promotions hoping they may reach a small portion of these people at their “perfect time.” With all of this in mind, I have no problem with the amount of junk emails I get, even if they rarely result in a sale for the company and an exciting purchase for me. We’re all just trying to make a living after all.
2.14.2010
Stephen King's Outdated Take on Books
Tonight I read this quote from Stephen King: “Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn't carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.” I am not sure when King made this statement, but in the world of e-readers and digital books, everything about it has changed.
With the growing availability and popularity of the e-reader, the reading experience is no longer limited to ink on paper. There may not be commercials within e-books (yet) but in digital texts, it is possible to provide links within the manuscript so readers can navigate away from the story in order to learn more about the subject or to purchase something related to the subject, for example. And with the internet browsing capabilities of the iPad, I believe links such as these this will only increase in e-books.
The requirements of an e-reader are also greater than that of a print book. In fact, reading a print book requires nothing at all. An e-reader, however, does require a battery…and a charger…and an internet connection. The e-reader screen may look like paper, and the devise may have the size and weight of a typical book, so when you sit down on the sofa with it, the reading experience is much the same as a print book. However, the process of preparing to read that book is very different.
Finally, the portability of the e-reader makes the idea of carrying a book (or an entire library) with you wherever you go much more feasible. Print books can be cumbersome and easily damaged. I think in the years to come, as more people adopt the e-reader as their primary method for reading, it will be hard to imagine leaving the house without it. Life no longer has to have those dead spots, for better or worse.
Even with all of these changes, however, one thing about King’s quote will always remain the same. Books are the perfect entertainment, and whether you pick up a paperback for $10, or purchase an e-reader for $400, books will always provide hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent.
With the growing availability and popularity of the e-reader, the reading experience is no longer limited to ink on paper. There may not be commercials within e-books (yet) but in digital texts, it is possible to provide links within the manuscript so readers can navigate away from the story in order to learn more about the subject or to purchase something related to the subject, for example. And with the internet browsing capabilities of the iPad, I believe links such as these this will only increase in e-books.
The requirements of an e-reader are also greater than that of a print book. In fact, reading a print book requires nothing at all. An e-reader, however, does require a battery…and a charger…and an internet connection. The e-reader screen may look like paper, and the devise may have the size and weight of a typical book, so when you sit down on the sofa with it, the reading experience is much the same as a print book. However, the process of preparing to read that book is very different.
Finally, the portability of the e-reader makes the idea of carrying a book (or an entire library) with you wherever you go much more feasible. Print books can be cumbersome and easily damaged. I think in the years to come, as more people adopt the e-reader as their primary method for reading, it will be hard to imagine leaving the house without it. Life no longer has to have those dead spots, for better or worse.
Even with all of these changes, however, one thing about King’s quote will always remain the same. Books are the perfect entertainment, and whether you pick up a paperback for $10, or purchase an e-reader for $400, books will always provide hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent.
2.12.2010
José Builds a Woman
Title:
José Builds a Woman
Description:
In a male-dominated culture, how does a fiercely independent woman contend with machismo and still find sexual and spiritual satisfaction? This is the question asked by author Jan Baross in her vibrant first novel, José Builds A Woman. Bringing her background as an artist to the written page, Baross paints a vivid portrait of Latin American culture with the brush of magical realism. Her writing celebrates the sensual, sexual, and supernatural as it challenges social and cultural taboos. It balances exaggerated masculinity with exhilarating feminine strength.
José Builds A Woman tells the story of Tortugina, a wild young woman who is destined to make her quiet family weep. Through the waters of the womb, Tortugina transfers her yearning for love and acceptance to her son, José, conceived during an otherworldly union with her drowned lover. It is José’s fate to also suffer the twining of flesh and spirit, earth and water, love and loss. In a melding of free spirits, earthly passions, and Latin American culture seasoned with irreverent humor, José Builds A Woman reminds us what means to be alive and in love.
Keywords:
Latin America, Mexican, Mexico
Magical realism, mysticism, mystical
Woman, feminine, mujeres, mama, mother, wife, sister-in-law
Man, masculine, machismo, padre, father, husband, brother-in-law
Coastal, coast, ocean, cliff(s)
Divers, dive
Little turtle, octopus, pulpo
Wedding, marry
Virgin, womb
Strength
Dream
Tragedy, tragic
Village
Tortillas
Legs, lips, hands, heart, head, face
Tortugina
José
Gabito
Miguel
Jan Baross
Article:
Readers of magical realism will be delighted with Jan Baross’ novel, José Builds a Woman. Magical realism is a literary element common in Latin American literature, and is defined as “an aesthetic style in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even ‘normal’ setting.”
Baross’ book incorporates mystical elements seamlessly into the lives of her characters, and particularly that of the protagonist, Tortugina, and her drowned lover, Gabito. The two grow up together in their small coastal village of El Pulpo, Mexico. Gabito is an octopus diver, one of the brave young men that dive off the high cliffs into the ocean below to catch the octopus that feed their village. Tortugina’s admiration of Gabito is only strengthened by her own to desire to become an octopus diver as well.
Early in the novel, Gabito dies in a tragic diving accident. But his role in the novel has only just begun. He and Tortugina “marry” shortly after his death in a private, dream-like wedding ceremony, and they conceive a child, José. Tortugina remains committed to Gabito throughout her life, although she marries another, Miguel, and must keep her devotion to her deceased husband a secret.
In the midst of the magical elements woven throughout this story, very real issues are addressed as well. Readers will identify with the power struggle between man and woman as Tortugina must assert her feminine strength to survive her mortal husband’s brutal machismo. Other issues touched on in this book include infidelity, loyalty, and the relationships between mother and daughter, father and son, mother and son, and wife and sister-in-law.
This is a beautifully written story that readers will appreciate especially for its strong descriptions of tactile sensation. Her descriptions of the body and the physical sensations of the characters are powerful, and her use of simple words such as legs, lips, hands, heart, head, and face make the reader feel connected to the characters in an intimate way.
José Builds a Woman
Description:
In a male-dominated culture, how does a fiercely independent woman contend with machismo and still find sexual and spiritual satisfaction? This is the question asked by author Jan Baross in her vibrant first novel, José Builds A Woman. Bringing her background as an artist to the written page, Baross paints a vivid portrait of Latin American culture with the brush of magical realism. Her writing celebrates the sensual, sexual, and supernatural as it challenges social and cultural taboos. It balances exaggerated masculinity with exhilarating feminine strength.
José Builds A Woman tells the story of Tortugina, a wild young woman who is destined to make her quiet family weep. Through the waters of the womb, Tortugina transfers her yearning for love and acceptance to her son, José, conceived during an otherworldly union with her drowned lover. It is José’s fate to also suffer the twining of flesh and spirit, earth and water, love and loss. In a melding of free spirits, earthly passions, and Latin American culture seasoned with irreverent humor, José Builds A Woman reminds us what means to be alive and in love.
Keywords:
Latin America, Mexican, Mexico
Magical realism, mysticism, mystical
Woman, feminine, mujeres, mama, mother, wife, sister-in-law
Man, masculine, machismo, padre, father, husband, brother-in-law
Coastal, coast, ocean, cliff(s)
Divers, dive
Little turtle, octopus, pulpo
Wedding, marry
Virgin, womb
Strength
Dream
Tragedy, tragic
Village
Tortillas
Legs, lips, hands, heart, head, face
Tortugina
José
Gabito
Miguel
Jan Baross
Article:
Readers of magical realism will be delighted with Jan Baross’ novel, José Builds a Woman. Magical realism is a literary element common in Latin American literature, and is defined as “an aesthetic style in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even ‘normal’ setting.”
Baross’ book incorporates mystical elements seamlessly into the lives of her characters, and particularly that of the protagonist, Tortugina, and her drowned lover, Gabito. The two grow up together in their small coastal village of El Pulpo, Mexico. Gabito is an octopus diver, one of the brave young men that dive off the high cliffs into the ocean below to catch the octopus that feed their village. Tortugina’s admiration of Gabito is only strengthened by her own to desire to become an octopus diver as well.
Early in the novel, Gabito dies in a tragic diving accident. But his role in the novel has only just begun. He and Tortugina “marry” shortly after his death in a private, dream-like wedding ceremony, and they conceive a child, José. Tortugina remains committed to Gabito throughout her life, although she marries another, Miguel, and must keep her devotion to her deceased husband a secret.
In the midst of the magical elements woven throughout this story, very real issues are addressed as well. Readers will identify with the power struggle between man and woman as Tortugina must assert her feminine strength to survive her mortal husband’s brutal machismo. Other issues touched on in this book include infidelity, loyalty, and the relationships between mother and daughter, father and son, mother and son, and wife and sister-in-law.
This is a beautifully written story that readers will appreciate especially for its strong descriptions of tactile sensation. Her descriptions of the body and the physical sensations of the characters are powerful, and her use of simple words such as legs, lips, hands, heart, head, and face make the reader feel connected to the characters in an intimate way.
2.07.2010
Apple iPad vs. Amazon Kindle
It’s a showdown that people have anticipated for a couple of years now. With the dawn of the Amazon Kindle, consumers began asking when Apple would join the fray and develop an e-reader of its own. Apple kept us all on edge, waiting, perhaps rightly so.
Just as people become accustomed to the notion of reading e-books, and publishers learn how to negotiate e-book prices with distributors, Apple unveils their version of the e-reader, which is that, but so much more. Furthermore, people have had a chance to get used to using the Apple format—the touch screen interface, the applications—and have come to love it. Apple waited until the market was good and ready for the iPad, and I believe they will reap the benefit of that in sales.
As there are sure to be strong advocates for each platform, I thought I would take this opportunity to explore the features, strengths, and pitfalls of each. I will no doubt be asked about this at some point (because I am getting a master’s degree in book publishing people seem to think I have something to say about such things as e-readers…) and I would like to sound educated on what each has to offer.
Apple iPad:
The iPad is an e-reader, but it is so much more. The diversity of the devise, the reasonable price, the advanced touch screen technology, and the sexy Apple brand will make the iPad a hit with a wide range of consumers. It’s for surfing the web, it’s for email, it’s for reading, it’s for listening to music, it’s for watching movies, it’s for keeping photos. There seems to be something for everyone here.
For all its flash, however, there are already a number of complaints coming from bloggers internet-wide regarding what the iPad lacks. For example, the iPad has no ability to multitask (forget listening to Pandora while surfing the web); there is no support for Adobe Flash (forget watching anything on Hulu); there is no access to magazines or periodicals through the iBooks store (sorry print journalism, looks like you’re going to die out after all); there is no camera or video chat (sorry to those hoping to use this sleek little devise to Skype with friends).
The list goes on regarding the iPads shortcomings. But truth be told, it’s still pretty cool. And Apple enthusiasts will likely overlook the cons in exchange for the hot new Apple product.
Amazon Kindle:
The Kindle is an e-reader—just an e-reader. But Amazon was the first runaway success in this market, and there is something to be said for the first out of the gate in this brave new world. Apparently millions of people already own this devise; the prices (at least for the time being) are rock bottom; the paper-like display makes for a comfortable, book-like reading experience; the 3G wireless coverage allows for access to reading materials from anywhere—no hunting for hunting for WiFi, no monthly contracts, no annual fees.
Amazon has sold the Kindle well. But it is still just an e-reader. It has no ability to surf the web; no color display; it’s expensive for its limited functions; there is no touch screen interface. There is nothing sexy about it. I suspect that those people who are most likely to read e-books are those who are most interested in having the newest, hottest technology on which to do so. Not good news for the Kindle.
It’s still early in the game for the Apple iPad and the Amazon Kindle. The conversation has just begun. The iPad hasn’t even hit shelves yet. In the coming months and years, each devise will see changes, and loyalties will settle among consumers. One company may come out on top. But I think each can maintain a viable share of the market in years to come, it’s just a question of niche.
Apple and Amazon are now in direct competition in the e-reader market, but the consumers in this market are diverse. Discovering their appropriate segment of the market and reaching that audience will allow both companies to find success.
Just as people become accustomed to the notion of reading e-books, and publishers learn how to negotiate e-book prices with distributors, Apple unveils their version of the e-reader, which is that, but so much more. Furthermore, people have had a chance to get used to using the Apple format—the touch screen interface, the applications—and have come to love it. Apple waited until the market was good and ready for the iPad, and I believe they will reap the benefit of that in sales.
As there are sure to be strong advocates for each platform, I thought I would take this opportunity to explore the features, strengths, and pitfalls of each. I will no doubt be asked about this at some point (because I am getting a master’s degree in book publishing people seem to think I have something to say about such things as e-readers…) and I would like to sound educated on what each has to offer.
Apple iPad:
The iPad is an e-reader, but it is so much more. The diversity of the devise, the reasonable price, the advanced touch screen technology, and the sexy Apple brand will make the iPad a hit with a wide range of consumers. It’s for surfing the web, it’s for email, it’s for reading, it’s for listening to music, it’s for watching movies, it’s for keeping photos. There seems to be something for everyone here.
For all its flash, however, there are already a number of complaints coming from bloggers internet-wide regarding what the iPad lacks. For example, the iPad has no ability to multitask (forget listening to Pandora while surfing the web); there is no support for Adobe Flash (forget watching anything on Hulu); there is no access to magazines or periodicals through the iBooks store (sorry print journalism, looks like you’re going to die out after all); there is no camera or video chat (sorry to those hoping to use this sleek little devise to Skype with friends).
The list goes on regarding the iPads shortcomings. But truth be told, it’s still pretty cool. And Apple enthusiasts will likely overlook the cons in exchange for the hot new Apple product.
Amazon Kindle:
The Kindle is an e-reader—just an e-reader. But Amazon was the first runaway success in this market, and there is something to be said for the first out of the gate in this brave new world. Apparently millions of people already own this devise; the prices (at least for the time being) are rock bottom; the paper-like display makes for a comfortable, book-like reading experience; the 3G wireless coverage allows for access to reading materials from anywhere—no hunting for hunting for WiFi, no monthly contracts, no annual fees.
Amazon has sold the Kindle well. But it is still just an e-reader. It has no ability to surf the web; no color display; it’s expensive for its limited functions; there is no touch screen interface. There is nothing sexy about it. I suspect that those people who are most likely to read e-books are those who are most interested in having the newest, hottest technology on which to do so. Not good news for the Kindle.
It’s still early in the game for the Apple iPad and the Amazon Kindle. The conversation has just begun. The iPad hasn’t even hit shelves yet. In the coming months and years, each devise will see changes, and loyalties will settle among consumers. One company may come out on top. But I think each can maintain a viable share of the market in years to come, it’s just a question of niche.
Apple and Amazon are now in direct competition in the e-reader market, but the consumers in this market are diverse. Discovering their appropriate segment of the market and reaching that audience will allow both companies to find success.
2.05.2010
Amazon is not so scary.
Amazon’s decision to pull Macmillan titles from its virtual bookshelves last weekend sent publishers whirling. E-book price disputes have been raging between Amazon and the six large U.S. publishers for some time, and this was the first time any one publisher took a stand against Amazon’s low e-book prices—and for a moment seemed to lose. That must have been a terrifying moment.
At the end of the forty-eight hour standoff, however, was a small victory for publishers everywhere. In an article published by the New York Times on January 31, titled Publisher Wins Fight with Amazon Over E-books, we learn that “under Macmillan’s new terms, which take effect at the beginning of March, the publisher will set the consumer price of each book and the online retailer (Amazon) will serve as an agent and take a 30 percent commission. E-book editions of most newly released adult general fiction and nonfiction will cost $12.99 to $14.99.” This new deal is what publishers were asking Amazon for in the first place, and is the same deal they expect to make with Apple for the new iPad format.
Amazon definitely put fear in the hearts of book publishers everywhere when they stopped selling Macmillan books, but all quickly breathed a sigh of relief when they realized this was a game Amazon could not win.
I mention all of this to demonstrate my position on this week’s blog topic. We were asked to consider Amazon’s dominance in the literary marketplace and what dangers and benefits that poses for publishers. Amazon is the largest bookseller in the world, and thus a vital customer for publishers. They currently dominate the market in e-reader sales. Their print-on-demand services allow them to essentially act as publisher to anyone who gets the notion to publish a book. The literary marketplace would not be what it is today without Amazon, and because of this a publishers’ success is directly linked to Amazon’s. That’s a little scary. Codependent relationships are always fraught with dangers and challenges.
But the keyword there is codependent. Despite Amazon’s dominating stature, they still need publishers to provide them with the books they sell. They didn’t think so, but they learned this was true last weekend. They own the format the supports dominant sales in the marketplace, but they don’t own the content. And like it or not, they are going to have to cooperate.
I think in the coming months, the playing field will level. Everyone is on edge right now with the e-book price war being waged, and a potentially game-changing new e-reader platform being introduced (the iPad, of course). Change is scary, and the industry has been in the throes of change for a number of years now. People are exhausted and are making drastic decisions (or throwing temper tantrums…however you want to look at it). I think a point will come however, when reader loyalties will settle between the iPad and the Kindle, and the players in the literary marketplace will realize that each separate entity is essential to the success of the whole.
At the end of the forty-eight hour standoff, however, was a small victory for publishers everywhere. In an article published by the New York Times on January 31, titled Publisher Wins Fight with Amazon Over E-books, we learn that “under Macmillan’s new terms, which take effect at the beginning of March, the publisher will set the consumer price of each book and the online retailer (Amazon) will serve as an agent and take a 30 percent commission. E-book editions of most newly released adult general fiction and nonfiction will cost $12.99 to $14.99.” This new deal is what publishers were asking Amazon for in the first place, and is the same deal they expect to make with Apple for the new iPad format.
Amazon definitely put fear in the hearts of book publishers everywhere when they stopped selling Macmillan books, but all quickly breathed a sigh of relief when they realized this was a game Amazon could not win.
I mention all of this to demonstrate my position on this week’s blog topic. We were asked to consider Amazon’s dominance in the literary marketplace and what dangers and benefits that poses for publishers. Amazon is the largest bookseller in the world, and thus a vital customer for publishers. They currently dominate the market in e-reader sales. Their print-on-demand services allow them to essentially act as publisher to anyone who gets the notion to publish a book. The literary marketplace would not be what it is today without Amazon, and because of this a publishers’ success is directly linked to Amazon’s. That’s a little scary. Codependent relationships are always fraught with dangers and challenges.
But the keyword there is codependent. Despite Amazon’s dominating stature, they still need publishers to provide them with the books they sell. They didn’t think so, but they learned this was true last weekend. They own the format the supports dominant sales in the marketplace, but they don’t own the content. And like it or not, they are going to have to cooperate.
I think in the coming months, the playing field will level. Everyone is on edge right now with the e-book price war being waged, and a potentially game-changing new e-reader platform being introduced (the iPad, of course). Change is scary, and the industry has been in the throes of change for a number of years now. People are exhausted and are making drastic decisions (or throwing temper tantrums…however you want to look at it). I think a point will come however, when reader loyalties will settle between the iPad and the Kindle, and the players in the literary marketplace will realize that each separate entity is essential to the success of the whole.
1.31.2010
Who succeeds in the Long Tail?
In The New Rules of Marketing and PR, author David Meerman Scott references Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail. Scott is a proponent of this theory, which states that “our culture and economy is moving away from a focus on a relatively small number of ‘hits’ at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail” (Scott 18).
This is a viable theory. The shelving constraints of the brick-and-mortar store do not exist on the Web, so consumers now have access to essentially anything they want to buy. They don’t have to wait for the product to appear on shelves. Furthermore, the searching and browsing capabilities of Web-based shopping allows consumers to find products that they may have never known existed otherwise. This gives consumers complete control of their shopping experience—they can find exactly what they want when they want it, and their choices are no longer limited to whatever the hottest items of the month are.
While the theory makes sense, I question the reality of it. In his book, Scott references three companies to demonstrate the truth of the Long Tail theory:
“Some of today’s most successful Internet businesses leverage the long tail to reach underserved customers and satisfy demand for products not found in traditional physical stores. Examples include Amazon, which makes available at the click of a mouse thousands of books not stocked in local chain stores; iTunes, a service that legally brings niche music not found in record stores to people who crave artists outside the mainstream; and Netflix, which exploited the long tail of demand for movie rentals beyond the blockbuster hits found at the local DVD rental shop” (Scott 18).
I believe that all three of these companies bring consumers products—be it book, song, or movie—that may not be available in stores. But all three of these companies bring consumers everything—blockbuster hits as well as niche choices. Therefore, I think it’s inaccurate to say that they owe their success to their exploitation of the Long Tail. They may sell a small number of niche products to niche markets, but I believe their profit margins depend on the sale of hits, and their homepages prove it.
• Right now on the Amazon books homepage, placed above-the-fold, is a list of books they would like to sell me placed under the heading, “Spring Reading Preview: Blockbusters.”
• Right now on iTunes is a list of top singles and albums that I can conveniently purchase with the click of a mouse right from the homepage. I heard each and every one of these on the radio yesterday.
• Right now on the Netflix browsing homepage is a scrolling list of newly released DVDs that I can rent from them. The new Bruce Willis movie is up there, along with Michael Jackson’s This Is It, and a number of other options, all of which I have seen advertised on TV.
If I dug deep and knew exactly what I was looking for, I could find products on these sites that I have not seen in the bookstore, previewed in the theater, or heard on the radio. But I am a mainstream girl. I have mainstream friends. I exist in the head of this long-tailed beast, and based on a quick glance at the homepages of these leading Web-based companies, I believe that I represent the consumer demographic they are catering to. They know where they make their money, and that is in selling the hits. Based on Scott’s example of the Long Tail theory, I believe a company must be an industry leader in the first place—able to offer their consumers everything that is available—in order to find any success in the Long Tail.
This is a viable theory. The shelving constraints of the brick-and-mortar store do not exist on the Web, so consumers now have access to essentially anything they want to buy. They don’t have to wait for the product to appear on shelves. Furthermore, the searching and browsing capabilities of Web-based shopping allows consumers to find products that they may have never known existed otherwise. This gives consumers complete control of their shopping experience—they can find exactly what they want when they want it, and their choices are no longer limited to whatever the hottest items of the month are.
While the theory makes sense, I question the reality of it. In his book, Scott references three companies to demonstrate the truth of the Long Tail theory:
“Some of today’s most successful Internet businesses leverage the long tail to reach underserved customers and satisfy demand for products not found in traditional physical stores. Examples include Amazon, which makes available at the click of a mouse thousands of books not stocked in local chain stores; iTunes, a service that legally brings niche music not found in record stores to people who crave artists outside the mainstream; and Netflix, which exploited the long tail of demand for movie rentals beyond the blockbuster hits found at the local DVD rental shop” (Scott 18).
I believe that all three of these companies bring consumers products—be it book, song, or movie—that may not be available in stores. But all three of these companies bring consumers everything—blockbuster hits as well as niche choices. Therefore, I think it’s inaccurate to say that they owe their success to their exploitation of the Long Tail. They may sell a small number of niche products to niche markets, but I believe their profit margins depend on the sale of hits, and their homepages prove it.
• Right now on the Amazon books homepage, placed above-the-fold, is a list of books they would like to sell me placed under the heading, “Spring Reading Preview: Blockbusters.”
• Right now on iTunes is a list of top singles and albums that I can conveniently purchase with the click of a mouse right from the homepage. I heard each and every one of these on the radio yesterday.
• Right now on the Netflix browsing homepage is a scrolling list of newly released DVDs that I can rent from them. The new Bruce Willis movie is up there, along with Michael Jackson’s This Is It, and a number of other options, all of which I have seen advertised on TV.
If I dug deep and knew exactly what I was looking for, I could find products on these sites that I have not seen in the bookstore, previewed in the theater, or heard on the radio. But I am a mainstream girl. I have mainstream friends. I exist in the head of this long-tailed beast, and based on a quick glance at the homepages of these leading Web-based companies, I believe that I represent the consumer demographic they are catering to. They know where they make their money, and that is in selling the hits. Based on Scott’s example of the Long Tail theory, I believe a company must be an industry leader in the first place—able to offer their consumers everything that is available—in order to find any success in the Long Tail.
1.29.2010
In publishing, what is the brand and what is the product?
When considering the question for this week’s blog post, “What is the difference between brand marketing and product marketing?” I began to wonder if this question would cause quite as much confusion if applied to any other industry. A car manufacturer makes many different models (products), but they all clearly belong to that manufacturer (brand). For example, Volkswagen would never release a car without their brand—represented by a VW emblem, in this case—firmly affixed to the hood. And while Volkswagen markets each of their products individually—each model has its own ad, for example—the Volkswagen brand is apparent throughout. A consumer can typically spot a Volkswagen car, or recognize a Volkswagen ad, without needing to see the familiar VW sign. This is because the brand has been developed and marketed so effectively and consistently.
In publishing, however, the line between product and brand is not so clear. Sure, a book published by Random House will have a Random House logo printed somewhere in the front matter. But when a consumer sees marketing material for a Random House book—on a poster in the bookstore or on a booksellers’ website, for example—the logo is difficult, if not impossible to find. And thus the consumer has no idea who published that book. And they don’t usually care. This is because the Random House “brand” is not consistent. They don’t publish in only one genre. They don’t have a standard book cover. They don’t have a catch phrase. I would be surprised if a person who has no interest in the book industry even knows what the Random House logo looks like. (It’s a house, duh.)
The reason the question “what is the difference between brand marketing and product marketing?” is so confusing for the book industry is because it is not entirely clear what is the brand and what is the product.
Merriam-Webster defines brand as “a class of goods identified as the product of a particular firm or producer.” The Marketing Spot blog describes a brand as “the emotional and psychological relationship you have with your consumers. Strong brands elicit thoughts, emotions, and sometimes physiological responses from customers.” According to traditional understanding and consumer expectations, Random House is the manufacturer and would thus create the brand awareness for their products—the books. And using this logic, a consumer should be able to spot a Random House book from a mile away.
This isn’t the case, however, because Random House books, and just as importantly, Random House authors, are brands in themselves. And I believe that is just how Random House wants it. Random House publishes Suze Orman, Dan Brown, and John Grisham. Doesn’t each of these authors have a class of good that can be identified with them? Do they not elicit thoughts and emotions from the customers that buy their books? And even Random House titles published by unknown authors don't sell because Random House published them; they sell because they have affected some thought or emotion in the reader. In this way each book becomes a brand in itself—or a good that is identified as the product of a particular movement, thought, etc.
It could be argued that using Random House as an example for the entire book industry isn't 100 percent accurate. Harlequin, for example, publishes romance novels, and their readers are very loyal to that brand, reading every book in a series as they would watch every episode of a soap opera. But the Harlequin model, which has been successful for them, doesn’t represent the traditional book publisher as we know it today. Harlequin markets their books as products, with consistency in genres, cover design, and even authorship. It's not too hard to spot a Harlequin from a distance because they employ a consistent branding model, much as a car manufacturer would do.
So, in answer to the questions “do publishers rely primarily on brand marketing or product marketing?” and “are both forms of marketing equally effective?” I would have to say yes. Although books are a publishers’ product, they are each branded and marketed as single entities, thus falling under the category of brand marketing. And historically, this has been an effective way to market books. People are not interested in the publisher (manufacturer); they are interested in the book (product) they hold in their hands. See how blurry this line can become? Can you imagine buying a car with no care for who the manufacturer is?
As the face of the publishing industry evolves, it may make sense for the book industry to transition to a more traditional form of brand marketing, much as Harlequin has successfully done. Publishing books in a single genre, to a niche market, under a consistent brand may be the key to success as the Long Tail theory proves true.
In publishing, however, the line between product and brand is not so clear. Sure, a book published by Random House will have a Random House logo printed somewhere in the front matter. But when a consumer sees marketing material for a Random House book—on a poster in the bookstore or on a booksellers’ website, for example—the logo is difficult, if not impossible to find. And thus the consumer has no idea who published that book. And they don’t usually care. This is because the Random House “brand” is not consistent. They don’t publish in only one genre. They don’t have a standard book cover. They don’t have a catch phrase. I would be surprised if a person who has no interest in the book industry even knows what the Random House logo looks like. (It’s a house, duh.)
The reason the question “what is the difference between brand marketing and product marketing?” is so confusing for the book industry is because it is not entirely clear what is the brand and what is the product.
Merriam-Webster defines brand as “a class of goods identified as the product of a particular firm or producer.” The Marketing Spot blog describes a brand as “the emotional and psychological relationship you have with your consumers. Strong brands elicit thoughts, emotions, and sometimes physiological responses from customers.” According to traditional understanding and consumer expectations, Random House is the manufacturer and would thus create the brand awareness for their products—the books. And using this logic, a consumer should be able to spot a Random House book from a mile away.
This isn’t the case, however, because Random House books, and just as importantly, Random House authors, are brands in themselves. And I believe that is just how Random House wants it. Random House publishes Suze Orman, Dan Brown, and John Grisham. Doesn’t each of these authors have a class of good that can be identified with them? Do they not elicit thoughts and emotions from the customers that buy their books? And even Random House titles published by unknown authors don't sell because Random House published them; they sell because they have affected some thought or emotion in the reader. In this way each book becomes a brand in itself—or a good that is identified as the product of a particular movement, thought, etc.
It could be argued that using Random House as an example for the entire book industry isn't 100 percent accurate. Harlequin, for example, publishes romance novels, and their readers are very loyal to that brand, reading every book in a series as they would watch every episode of a soap opera. But the Harlequin model, which has been successful for them, doesn’t represent the traditional book publisher as we know it today. Harlequin markets their books as products, with consistency in genres, cover design, and even authorship. It's not too hard to spot a Harlequin from a distance because they employ a consistent branding model, much as a car manufacturer would do.
So, in answer to the questions “do publishers rely primarily on brand marketing or product marketing?” and “are both forms of marketing equally effective?” I would have to say yes. Although books are a publishers’ product, they are each branded and marketed as single entities, thus falling under the category of brand marketing. And historically, this has been an effective way to market books. People are not interested in the publisher (manufacturer); they are interested in the book (product) they hold in their hands. See how blurry this line can become? Can you imagine buying a car with no care for who the manufacturer is?
As the face of the publishing industry evolves, it may make sense for the book industry to transition to a more traditional form of brand marketing, much as Harlequin has successfully done. Publishing books in a single genre, to a niche market, under a consistent brand may be the key to success as the Long Tail theory proves true.
1.25.2010
I can't concentrate!
Over the past year, I have become increasingly concerned about my attention-span. I still consider myself a good listener, and I can still focus on a specific project for hours on end when necessary. But I have noticed a significant decline in the amount of reading that I do. It’s not because I’m uninterested, it’s because I can’t concentrate for longer than a few pages. This was not my reality as an undergraduate at Oregon State. I read like a mad-woman for school and pleasure. Today, however, it takes a really gripping book to keep my mind from wondering.
I am not sure why the change, but I like to attribute it to my increased use of the internet, as opposed to decreasing intelligence. The only thing I really used my computer for during my undergraduate years was word processing, email, and maybe a little research. I never shopped online, I never read news online, and I certainly never watched TV online. Today, all of those things are a part of my everyday life.
I am not all together pleased by this new reality. I like the direct access to information and entertainment, but I miss the days when this wasn’t a constant distraction. And it makes me wonder: If I am so affected by the internet after only a handful of years of regular use, what does the generation that is growing up with this new technology face? With all the benefits of the internet, it raises a serious concern over the sustained concentration abilities of the younger generation.
There is another way to look at this issue, however. The internet is still somewhat new to me. I never used it in high school, and my use in college was limited. I grew up with restricted TV time and a library of books in my bedroom. Could it be that my brain is simply over-stimulated by this new medium? Could it be that my four-year-old nephew, who has his own laptop and launched a discussion about On-Demand TV at dinner tonight, will be “wired” a little bit differently than me by the time he is my age?
The thought of reading a book online doesn’t really bother me. But the thought of having internet access at my fingertips while reading that book makes me sure that I would never read a whole book again. The book would bring up a question in my mind and I would leave the text, only to become lost in a maze of internet searches. Or, heaven forbid, what if the text actually had links embedded in it, where you could click to find further information on the subject? I would never read anything longer than a paragraph again.
Granted, having the internet available while reading might allow me to access more information and learn more about a subject than was ever possible before, but what about the depth of that subject? What about the satisfaction of becoming buried in a text and, when finished with it, placing the book on the shelf like a trophy, with a little sigh of satisfaction at your own accomplishment. No matter how our brains are “wired,” I think living in brief snippets instead of continuous text would be a loss for us all.
I am not sure why the change, but I like to attribute it to my increased use of the internet, as opposed to decreasing intelligence. The only thing I really used my computer for during my undergraduate years was word processing, email, and maybe a little research. I never shopped online, I never read news online, and I certainly never watched TV online. Today, all of those things are a part of my everyday life.
I am not all together pleased by this new reality. I like the direct access to information and entertainment, but I miss the days when this wasn’t a constant distraction. And it makes me wonder: If I am so affected by the internet after only a handful of years of regular use, what does the generation that is growing up with this new technology face? With all the benefits of the internet, it raises a serious concern over the sustained concentration abilities of the younger generation.
There is another way to look at this issue, however. The internet is still somewhat new to me. I never used it in high school, and my use in college was limited. I grew up with restricted TV time and a library of books in my bedroom. Could it be that my brain is simply over-stimulated by this new medium? Could it be that my four-year-old nephew, who has his own laptop and launched a discussion about On-Demand TV at dinner tonight, will be “wired” a little bit differently than me by the time he is my age?
The thought of reading a book online doesn’t really bother me. But the thought of having internet access at my fingertips while reading that book makes me sure that I would never read a whole book again. The book would bring up a question in my mind and I would leave the text, only to become lost in a maze of internet searches. Or, heaven forbid, what if the text actually had links embedded in it, where you could click to find further information on the subject? I would never read anything longer than a paragraph again.
Granted, having the internet available while reading might allow me to access more information and learn more about a subject than was ever possible before, but what about the depth of that subject? What about the satisfaction of becoming buried in a text and, when finished with it, placing the book on the shelf like a trophy, with a little sigh of satisfaction at your own accomplishment. No matter how our brains are “wired,” I think living in brief snippets instead of continuous text would be a loss for us all.
1.24.2010
What's a publisher to do?
When I shop for something on the internet, I know what I am looking for, and I have an idea of where I want to get it. If I need new running shoes, for example, I will visit a site such as Nike.com, where I am sure to find a selection of athletic shoes. And when I shop for a book, I will also visit a site where I am sure to find what I am looking for—most likely, Amazon.com. My point is that when I shop online, I want it to be efficient. If I feel like trying on fifty pairs of shoes, or browsing through stacks of books, I will go to the mall.
And this is precisely why publisher’s websites should not be targeted directly to the consumer. It is inefficient for both the reader and the publisher. I have no idea who published ninety-eight percent of the books on my bookshelf. So, why would I search for a title on a publishers’ site when I have no idea if they even published it in the first place. And how would a publisher use a website to increase their sales when it is not even targeted to their primary customer—the bookseller.
I believe publishers are aware of this problem. They already know that their primary customers are booksellers. However, under the traditional model of publishing, it wouldn’t make too much sense to design their site to target booksellers either. A publishers’ sales force visits book buyers across the country, and gives a presentation specifically tailored to each buyer. And they want that sense of control. Sure, the books are the same. But the price isn’t. The pitch isn’t.
So, what's a publisher to do?
In this day and age, it is essential for a company to have a website. It gives them credibility. It helps them reach their customers. The publishing industry has tried to conform to this new standard. But the industry is old, and the houses are huge, and I imagine the decision-makers within these houses have been in their positions since before the internet was a concern. So getting a big, old dinosaur like this to create a new, efficient, and stream-lined marketing tool such as a website is a lot to ask. They are just trying to keep up.
There are some smaller, innovative publishers that are trying to boost their direct sales and create sites that are more interactive. For example, Underland Press in Portland created the “wovel,” a web-novel. Readers can go on the website, read an installment, and vote on what should happen in the next chapter. This brings people to the site, and helps to drive up sales of the publisher’s other books. Other publishers have posted entire books online with an option to buy the book on each “page.” These publishers are adamant that people frequently buy a book even when they have this free access, just for the convenience of owning a copy.
While these are extreme examples, I think a similar approach would work for large publishers as well. Becoming an online “store,” with the primary goal being to sell books directly to readers is not realistic for a publisher like Random House. Their list is too broad and readers can buy their books cheaper elsewhere. But creating a site that provides readers interactive and frequently updated information—such as sample chapters of a new release, an option to vote on the cover design for an upcoming title, or live chat sessions with an author, for example—would result in a site that consumers seek out and visit again and again. And it would ultimately drive up sales through the publishers sales primary channel—the bookseller.
And this is precisely why publisher’s websites should not be targeted directly to the consumer. It is inefficient for both the reader and the publisher. I have no idea who published ninety-eight percent of the books on my bookshelf. So, why would I search for a title on a publishers’ site when I have no idea if they even published it in the first place. And how would a publisher use a website to increase their sales when it is not even targeted to their primary customer—the bookseller.
I believe publishers are aware of this problem. They already know that their primary customers are booksellers. However, under the traditional model of publishing, it wouldn’t make too much sense to design their site to target booksellers either. A publishers’ sales force visits book buyers across the country, and gives a presentation specifically tailored to each buyer. And they want that sense of control. Sure, the books are the same. But the price isn’t. The pitch isn’t.
So, what's a publisher to do?
In this day and age, it is essential for a company to have a website. It gives them credibility. It helps them reach their customers. The publishing industry has tried to conform to this new standard. But the industry is old, and the houses are huge, and I imagine the decision-makers within these houses have been in their positions since before the internet was a concern. So getting a big, old dinosaur like this to create a new, efficient, and stream-lined marketing tool such as a website is a lot to ask. They are just trying to keep up.
There are some smaller, innovative publishers that are trying to boost their direct sales and create sites that are more interactive. For example, Underland Press in Portland created the “wovel,” a web-novel. Readers can go on the website, read an installment, and vote on what should happen in the next chapter. This brings people to the site, and helps to drive up sales of the publisher’s other books. Other publishers have posted entire books online with an option to buy the book on each “page.” These publishers are adamant that people frequently buy a book even when they have this free access, just for the convenience of owning a copy.
While these are extreme examples, I think a similar approach would work for large publishers as well. Becoming an online “store,” with the primary goal being to sell books directly to readers is not realistic for a publisher like Random House. Their list is too broad and readers can buy their books cheaper elsewhere. But creating a site that provides readers interactive and frequently updated information—such as sample chapters of a new release, an option to vote on the cover design for an upcoming title, or live chat sessions with an author, for example—would result in a site that consumers seek out and visit again and again. And it would ultimately drive up sales through the publishers sales primary channel—the bookseller.
1.17.2010
What are we losing to the Internet?
We have gained a lot in this age of the Internet. Breaking news can now spread across the globe in a matter of seconds rather than hours or days. A question—no matter how trivial—can be answered with the touch of a button rather than a search through the encyclopedia. And no one has an excuse anymore for not getting in touch.
The Internet has not only changed personal lives—connecting people like never before—it has revolutionized the way we do business. For example, sales and marketing forces can reach customers around the world through their websites and other online marketing efforts. But with everything professionals have gained through the use of the Internet, what have they lost? Certain levels of professionalism, previously taken for granted, seem to have been forgotten in the wake of change.
While reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR, by David Meerman Scott, this blogger was struck by the casual tone the author uses. Phrases such as “how cool is that?” and “freaked out” make their way into this book and jump off the page as unusual, or even inappropriate, for a business book. The author is aware of his informality. In fact he explains it in the introduction. “You’ll notice that I write in a familiar and casual tone, rather than the formal and stilted way of many business books, because I am using my ‘blog voice’ to share the new rules with you...”
His blog voice? A casual blog voice seems appropriate for a personal blog. We all use jargon, slang, and casual language when speaking with family and friends. But professionalism in tone and word choice used to be essential for credibility and respect among colleagues. This man is a leader in his industry and he writes “freak out” in the introduction to his book?
And this new vernacular seems to be spreading. Even Robert Scoble wrote in the foreword to Scott’s book, “Most people don’t like running fast in business. They feel more comfortable if there are committees…to cover their asses.” Cover their asses? If this new blog voice has infiltrated professional, print material to this extent in 2010, I shudder to think what my children may someday read in their text books.
I understand that The New Rules of Marketing and PR is an instruction on using online tools, and therefore using a blog voice is understandable. But I noticed this voice, even before Scott’s disclaimer, and it made me wonder, where will it end? The Internet has already changed the way people do business and its potential is great; however, this blogger worries about the price we may eventually pay when something as basic as professional language—whether in a physical, print, or cyber setting—suffers.
The Internet has not only changed personal lives—connecting people like never before—it has revolutionized the way we do business. For example, sales and marketing forces can reach customers around the world through their websites and other online marketing efforts. But with everything professionals have gained through the use of the Internet, what have they lost? Certain levels of professionalism, previously taken for granted, seem to have been forgotten in the wake of change.
While reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR, by David Meerman Scott, this blogger was struck by the casual tone the author uses. Phrases such as “how cool is that?” and “freaked out” make their way into this book and jump off the page as unusual, or even inappropriate, for a business book. The author is aware of his informality. In fact he explains it in the introduction. “You’ll notice that I write in a familiar and casual tone, rather than the formal and stilted way of many business books, because I am using my ‘blog voice’ to share the new rules with you...”
His blog voice? A casual blog voice seems appropriate for a personal blog. We all use jargon, slang, and casual language when speaking with family and friends. But professionalism in tone and word choice used to be essential for credibility and respect among colleagues. This man is a leader in his industry and he writes “freak out” in the introduction to his book?
And this new vernacular seems to be spreading. Even Robert Scoble wrote in the foreword to Scott’s book, “Most people don’t like running fast in business. They feel more comfortable if there are committees…to cover their asses.” Cover their asses? If this new blog voice has infiltrated professional, print material to this extent in 2010, I shudder to think what my children may someday read in their text books.
I understand that The New Rules of Marketing and PR is an instruction on using online tools, and therefore using a blog voice is understandable. But I noticed this voice, even before Scott’s disclaimer, and it made me wonder, where will it end? The Internet has already changed the way people do business and its potential is great; however, this blogger worries about the price we may eventually pay when something as basic as professional language—whether in a physical, print, or cyber setting—suffers.
1.15.2010
On the cluttered Internet, less is more.
Publisher’s websites have a tendency to be very crowded. Whether it’s a cover image and description of every title on their current list, an endless column of links to their social networking pages and blogs, or a mish-mesh of authors’ faces, one look at a site such as Faber and Faber is enough to turn this novice blogger away. Granted, Faber and Faber’s site represents a wonderful publisher and has a plethora of information for a number of audiences, but just looking at the home page was overwhelming for me; I did not try to delve too deeply.
Book Selection: The New Rules of Marketing and PR
In picking a book for this course I looked for a title that would give me a general overview of new media tools, the marketing opportunities within this new framework, and the new consumer climate emerging from the use of new media. I was less interested in a book that would give me specific ideas for online marketing projects or a book that focused on one online marketing tool. With that in mind, I narrowed down the reading list to ten potential titles before I even began my online research.
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