Publishing News -- 12/7/2008

We're entering what promises to be a long, difficult period. The Internet provides an excellent opportunity to market and touch people who might need help or be in the position to help you. It seems more important than even to develop both traditional and online networking skills.

As a result, I intend to devote a portion of this blog to social networking and the opportunities it provides beoth for publishing and for building a network in case a job goes away.

Publishing and the Economy
All the Bad News in One Spot -- The midweek layoffs, salary freezes, and general bad news in the publishing industry.

Wall Street Walks Away from Newspapers -- Most major newspapers trade at less than $10 per share.

The Death of the Middle -- It's not the big books or little books that doom publishers; it's the books in the middle.

Behind Publishing's Wednesday of the Long Knives -- Publishing's business model simply doesn't work.

Wall Street Journal Says Advertising Recovery Has Begun -- AAlthough there are no numbers to substantiate this claim, it's good news...or a mirage.

Content and the Business
Patricia Cornwell on the Future of Crime Fiction -- Although she considers her part of the cause of the problem, she doesn't like what she sees.

Gender Bias in Fiction? -- Author Michelle Gagnon ponders whether there's more encouragement for male writers.

CNN Launches Site with User-Produced Content -- Outside monitoring for inappropriate content, CNN keeps its hands off ireport.com.

Coping in a Down Economy
Ten Essential Steps to Take before You're Laid Off -- Anyone who's been laid off knows how hopeless it feels. These steps might make the process easier if it happens to you, and might help you avoid it.

Five Ways Web Professionals Should be Proactive in a Recession -- Timely advice for anyone, not just web pros.

Publishing News -- 12/3/2008

Publishing and the Economy
Stop the Presses? -- Analysis about the ramifications of Houghton Mifflin's decision to stop buying manuscripts.

Houghton Mifflin Publisher Resigns -- Resignation follows announcement HF would no longer acquire manuscripts, increases rumors of sale.

How to Publish without Perishing -- One view of how book publishers can survive in the digital age.

Digital Publishing
Academic Publishers Debate the Digital Future -- Academia is divided on the future of the book and the universities' place in pushing foward the digital frontier.

Social Networking
Twitter Considers Charging for Business Use -- As Twitter grows, the changes may be necessary to attract venture capital.

Social Networking Provides Raw View of Mumbai Attacks -- Some of the first and most gut-wrenching pictures and works came via sites like Flickr and Twitter.

The future of social media -- One man's guesses on the changes that will be caused by social media.

Publishing News -- 11/28/2008

Publishing Displays Its Split Personality -- While Houghton Mifflin suspends acquisitions, Hachette Book Group (Little, Brown) passes out extra bonuses.

Vatican Publishing House Goes Online -- A few of the art and spirituality volumes from Vatican Publishing House can now be purchased online, thanks to an agreement with HDH Communications.

Publishing Bigshots Told to Open Canned Tuna, Eat at Desk -- The days of doing business over expensive lunch are fading in the new climate of economic austerity.

How to sell a novel on the Amazon Kindle -- An author's experience putting a novel out for Amazon's new reading tool.

Kindle 2.0 available next year -- The new version is smaller and ergonomically advanced, but competitors should soon emerge as well.

More older users dipping toes into social networking -- They're a little more hesitant than younger users, but they're starting to experience the MySpace/Facebook/LinkedIn world.

Social Networking Traffic Up as Ads Fall Flat, per IDC -- Social networking usage continues to soar, but ad click-thrus are declining.

Chief Marketing Officers not Enthusiastic about Social Networking -- "55% of marketing executives surveyed by marketing services company Epsilon said they’re not too interested, or not interested at all, in incorporating the social networking sites into their marketing strategies."