The Future of the Book
January 19, 2009
Who’s Afraid of a Big, Bad Screen? 1
by Anne K. Yoder
Lately, critics have been swift to announce the death of print culture, and thus pronounce the end of literacy. Even two technology critics whose opinions usually reside on opposite ends of the spectrum – Kevin Kelly of Wired and Christine Rosen of The New Atlantis – agree that culturally, we are now “people of the [...]
November 19, 2008
Pocket Paperbacks and Digital Editions 13
by C. Max Magee
What better time than now to bring back the pocket paperback? People have no money to spend on hardcovers, and even the full-sized trade paperbacks are a pricey, given the economic times. There are also strong trends in our society that encourage less waste and the downsizing of our myriad possessions. A return of those [...]
November 6, 2008
The New Yorker Offers Digital Access 0
by C. Max Magee
Paidcontent.com pointed out that the New Yorker has unveiled a new digital edition of the magazine. It’s basically a replica of the magazine — ads, cartoons, and everything — that you can “page through” using a special interface. This is pretty nifty and probably useful for New Yorker obsessives who want to get the full [...]
October 30, 2008
Google Settlement Could Change the Literary Landscape 9
by C. Max Magee
After once being a hot topic, prompting many in publishing to vocally take sides, the dispute between Google and the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers simmered quietly in lawyers’ offices for more than two years. But this week Google’s book scanning effort was back in the news with the announcement of a [...]
October 29, 2008
Oprah Incurs Booksellers’ Wrath 6
by Edan Lepucki
Over at the Vroman’s Bookstore blog, Millions contributor emeritus Patrick Brownweighs in on Oprah’s endorsement of the Kindle, saying, “I never thought Oprah was anything more than she is — a corporate shill.” Vroman’s president Allison Hill (a beloved and admired figure in the bookselling industry) also shares her thoughts: Oprah, if you’re reading this, [...]
August 26, 2008
Amazon Buys Shelfari; Bookfinder Announces Its 2008 Top 10 0
by C. Max Magee
A pair of interesting addenda to my post on Amazon from earlier in the month: The online bookselling giant went ahead and snapped up the piece of book cataloging site Shelfari that it didn’t already own. As we had noted, after buying AbeBooks, Amazon suddenly owned the two big rivals in the book cataloging space, [...]
