virtualDavis

Here’s a quick overview of just who the Big Six [publishers] are [and] where they fit in the modern corporate world.

Hachette Book Group (formerly Warner Books)
HarperCollins (owned by Ruper Murdoch’s News Corp)
MacMillan Publishers Ltd 
Penguin Group 
Random House (largest English-language trade publisher in the world)
Simon & Schuster (owned by the CBS Corporation)

I heard Brad Inman give a speech at O’Reilly’s Tools of Change conference, and he said trying to get stuff done in book publishing is like trying to swim through a jar of peanut butter. I nearly stood up and screamed “EXACTLY!” I have had the good fortune to work with a lot of entrepreneurs and tech people, and they are doing circles around my publishing colleagues because they don’t put up the roadblocks and draw the lines in the sand. If I had to guess, the peanut butter people have no idea what that means.

Here are 10 signs you might be……….The Peanut Butter:

1) You can’t think of anything to show for your work in the last six months.

2) You think your job is to prevent mistakes from being made.

3) You believe that the more people invited to a meeting, the more successful the meeting will be.

4) Meetings take months to schedule.

5) You would rather be “politically correct” and “cc everyone” than make something great happen.

6) You’re paralyzed by the concept of “scalable.”

7) You think you have the upper hand in nearly all business dealings , but deep down inside, in those quiet moments late at night, you know you’re losing “control.”

8 ) You resort to bullying tactics to get your way without ever considering what might benefit everyone.

9) You spend your days trying to figure out how to gain control.

10) You’re an information hoarder.

via theharperstudio.com

This is a great posting by Debbie over at HarperStudio. I’m especially drawn to numbers 8 and 10. Tip: Consider what benefits everyone, and share (don’t hoard) information. Win-win!

via theatlantic.com

Related articles

• Publishers still missing the point on e-book prices (gigaom.com)

In the emerging world of e-books, many consumers assume it is only logical that publishers are saving vast amounts by not having to print or distribute paper books, leaving room to pass along those savings to their customers.

Publishers largely agree, which is why in negotiations with Apple, five of the six largest publishers of trade books have said they would price most digital editions of new fiction and nonfiction books from $12.99 to $14.99 on the forthcoming iPad tablet — significantly lower than the average $26 price for a hardcover book.

But publishers also say consumers exaggerate the savings and have developed unrealistic expectations about how low the prices of e-books can go. Yes, they say, printing costs may vanish, but a raft of expenses that apply to all books, like overhead, marketing and royalties, are still in effect.

All of which raises the question: Just how much does it actually cost to produce a printed book versus a digital one?

via New York Times

“What I really love is that after working for (gulp) over twenty years in publishing, the game is still changing. Though no one really knows what the new business model(s) will look like, or how they’ll generate revenue, I am optimistic (or foolish) enough to think that these challenging times will give way to an exciting new landscape when all the details shake out. And I am honored to bear witness to this rebirth.”

via Lydia Dishman’s blog

The game is changing for sure, and it’s damned exciting! I feel like book publishing and storytelling in its purest form are re-converging. Storytelling in the digital age will grow more and more engaging, more and more compelling. I share Lydia Dishman’s optimism; only a lack of imagination can inhibit the exciting new means of sharing stories.