ENTRIES TAGGED "digital disruption"
Publishers, this is the time to be brave
John Ingram on the importance of taking risks in our environment in transition.
One of the major themes at the recent TOC conference in New York was addressing — and overcoming — the fear of change many in the industry are experiencing in today’s volatile publishing environment. I had an opportunity to sit down with John Ingram, CEO and chairman of Ingram Content Group Inc., to talk about those fears from a publisher’s perspective and how he and his company are approaching the changing landscape. Read more…
Publishing News: Google and publishers settle lengthy legal battle
Google settles with publishers, publishers are getting back to actual business, news gets mobile, and Google wants to charge for content.
Here are a few stories from the publishing space that caught my attention this week.
Publishers and Google reach an agreement to disagree
Seven years of litigation came to a close this week as Google reached a settlement agreement with McGraw-Hill, Pearson Education, Penguin, John Wiley & Sons, and Simon & Schuster. Hayley Tsukayama at the Washington Post reports:
“Under the settlement, the publishers … will be able to choose whether or not to make work that Google has already scanned available for the project. If they choose to make the material available, Google will provide a digital copy for the publisher’s personal use. If they choose not to participate, Google will remove the material. Going forward, publishers can negotiate directly with Google to allow additional material to be included in the database.”
Claire Cain Miller at the New York Times notes that all questions regarding Google’s digitization project are not answered: Google has yet to come to an agreement with the Authors Guild about copyright infringement issues with its book-scanning project, and the issue of orphan works still remains unaddressed. The settlement, Miller writes, “essentially allows both sides to agree to disagree, and gives publishers the right to keep their books out of Google’s reach.”
Depth and immersion give static print images new digital life
Laura Maaske on creating captivating digital imagery.
In this TOC podcast, medical illustrator Laura Maaske talks about creating digital imagery, the move from print to digital, and how publishers need to adjust their thinking.
Publishing News: Wattpad raises $17.3 million in series B funding
A storytelling platform gets funding, publishers are missing the mark on digital, and an overview of the ebook industry.
Wattpad gets funding for its social ereading and storytelling platform, Brett Sandusky muses on digital publishing, and Jeremy Greenfield takes a big-picture look at the publishing industry.
Publishing News: Kindle Fire and "your ad here"
Amazon pitches Kindle Fire home screen ads, Apple says DOJ complaint is "fundamentally flawed," and Craig Mod muses on covers.
Amazon is reportedly peddling new ad space on its Kindle Fire home screen, Apple responds to the DOJ, and Craig Mod says its time to hack digital book covers.