In Web Age, Library Job Gets Update

On a page about Christopher Columbus   “It says the Indians enjoyed the cellphones and computers brought by Columbus!” Nozimakon exclaimed, pointing at the screen. “That’s wrong.”  It was an essential discovery in a lesson about the reliability — or lack thereof — of information on the Internet, one of many Ms. Rosalia teaches in her role as a new kind of  librarian.  NY Times

Possible Web Strategy

Web site based on a not-for-profit model. MinnPost.com sells ads and sponsorships, but much of our revenue comes from annual donations from people who care about serious news coverage of Minnesota. Serious publishing is a community asset, not just a consumer good, and people (and foundations) should support it, as they support museums. We’ll see if that argument persuades enough people.  NY Times

The Standalone Kindle Won’t Stand Alone for Long

Do consumers really want to carry another device for reading when they can read on a device they’re already carrying, such as phone or notebook? I’ll grant that the reading experience on a Kindle is better than on a handset, but it’s impossible to read a book when you’re not at home and your Kindle is. More often than not, consumers have a multi-purpose handset or computer with them.  Salon.com

So much for the Book Club - Scholastic Accused of Misusing Book Clubs

Scholastic Inc., the children’s publisher of favorites like the Harry Potter , Goosebumps and Clifford series, may be best known for its books, but a consumer watchdog group accuses the company of using its classroom book clubs to push video games, jewelry kits and toy cars.   NY Times

Publishers looking for new model

The main point is that virtually any business can benefit from thinking about making its data more open, allowing others to remix and manipulate it to see what comes out, and then taking advantage of what can be learned from those experiments.  Salon.com

Amazon unveils a Kindle that can read to you

For the new model, Amazon improved many existing features. The most novel aspect is the text-to-speech feature, which enables users to listen to their material.  “Any book, blog, magazine, personal document could be read aloud to you,” said Bezos, as he had a Kindle 2 read the opening lines of the Gettysburg Address with crisp, staccato enunciation.  L.A. Times

Why people will read e-books

Just because e-books are available on better (the new Kindle) and more (all cell phones) devices doesn’t mean people will read them. But mark my words, read them they will. Six trends will conspire over the next year to drive e-book reading to levels that will surprise just about everybody.   ComputerWorld.com

Google and Amazon to Put More Books on Cellphones

In a move that could bolster the growing popularity of e-books, Google said Thursday that the 1.5 million public domain books it had scanned and made available free on PCs were now accessible on mobile devices like the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1.  NY Times

Hybrid Medium - Avantoure - A new Journey?

If “Life is a Game,” then Avantoure (www.avantoure.com), a London-based exclusively digital interactive magazine, is the board to play on.  Launched in March 2006, this groundbreaking format publication utilizes the capabilities of YUDU Media software and the flexibility of the Internet to create a new magazine reading experience. By embedding rich media elements into stories written by a unique cast of characters from around the globe, Avantoure is sure to excite and inspire.  The magazine’s unusual concept came from the desire to produce a publication that would make people want to strive for something unusual, to experiment, and to encourage them to play with their lives a bit.  The title of the magazine is a combination of the French word “avant,” meaning forward, and the English “tour.” The result, a title that, loosely translated, means, “let’s set on a journey,” is one that readers instantly understand has to do with adventure.  What sets Avantoure apart from traditional magazines, however, is its creative use of the Internet as a medium of expression. While other magazines are completely online or feature online additions, few, if any, utilize the Internet’s capabilities so completely.  Rich media elements such as Flash animation, video, audio, and hyperlinks embedded within the magazine create a completely new reading sensation. Instead of simply seeing a story, viewers can interact with it like never before. In terms of on-page interactivity and creative uses of multimedia, Avantoure is ahead of the field.    Avantoure .

Self-Publishing Hurdles

In my opinion, the Time  article (see post below)  has an overly optimistic tone with respect to a novelist’s chances for success in self-publishing. While I firmly believe self-publishing is a viable route for a non-fiction writer with a niche market, I think fiction writers have still not overcome the three biggest hurdles in self-publishing. 

(1) The need to develop a system to vet books for bookstores and libraries to ensure a quality product;

(2) The need to develop a system for marketing (just slapping a book on Amazon or eBay will not drive traffic to it); and

(3) The need to overcome a justly deserved reputation for publishing crap.