Penguin 2.0 Mashes Up Essays and Short Texts

Penguin’s new project — dubbed “Penguin 2.0” — incorporates elements of customization and remixing found in Web content. Jeff Gomez, Penguin’s senior director of online consumer sales and marketing, discusses the program with the New York Observer:

… in 2009 the company will introduce a program that allows customers to choose from a variety of short stories, essays, and other short standalone texts and combine them into custom-made collections. Mr. Gomez said the program is part of Penguin’s effort to incorporate elements of so called ‘Web 2.0’ into publishing without abandoning print …

… He cautioned, however, that he “would never want to break apart an entire book” and thereby render the full-length volume obsolete the way iTunes has done to the 74-minute LP.

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