Publishing News -- 1/22/2009

The Future of Our Industry
It's a short list of links today, but they all revolve around an issue that ought to be near and dear to our hearts: the future of the publishing industry. It's a distressing time. With all the economic turmoil and doomsaying in the publishing industry, discouragement is a reasonable emotion.

It's also the exact wrong emotion. Now is the worst possible time to be discouraged.

Publishing--along with the rest of the media--is trying to survive a perfect storm. The economy is struggling. Profits for the retail giants (Borders, Barnes and Noble) are dwindling. As noted in one of the links, whispers are making the rounds about Borders' demise. The Internet has turned everything on its ear. The bad news is this: if you're expecting the publisher to be the key to your success, your chances of being disappointed have never been higher. The good news is this: your power to create your own success has never been greater.

The best news is this: the good news far outweighs the bad news.

Today, we link to stories that provide anecdotal proof: TIME magazine bringing the digital book revolution into the mainstream, a diamond in the rough found by a small publisher who hit it big at the inauguration, a woman who bypassed the publishers to find success. We're linking to a new business model that gave three authors a shot they wouldn't have otherwise had and to a suggestion to help the publishing industry avoid some of the struggles the music industry went through. And finally, we see a well-known old-school publisher laying people off.

The conditions we have today aren't negotiable. They aren't going away. They may not be fair or right, but fairness and rightness are irrelevant now. As you read, think about the new reality and how your work, your gift, and your elbow grease put you in the position to make your goals in this reality.

The Little Publisher that Could -- Elizabeth Alexander's Poem for the Inauguration propels the small publisher with yet another hit.

Books Unbound -- Publishing isn't dying; it's evolving. TIME magazine goes mainstream with what we've all been talking about for months. We don't necessarily know where the industry is going, but we know it's not staying here.

Oxford University Press Lays Off 60 -- School and library budget cuts drive the job cuts.

HarperCollins Signs Three Books froom Manuscript Website -- "The bustling social networking site (authonomy.com) counts 100,000 users worldwide who have uploaded 2000 manuscripts. On average, community members spend about 20 minutes reading and critiquing stories when they log on to the site."

Would You Like Some Books with that Broadband Deal -- Blogger suggests the publishing industry allow unlimited access to digital libraries combined with other services in marketing deals.