Category Archives: Media

A bunch of Chip Kidd

The folks over at GalleyCat posted a link to mediabistro’s design blog unbeige which featured a year-end wrap up of Chip Kidd highlights. If you’re interested in bookcover design, Kidd news is always colorful and insightful.

I especially liked this article in The Telegraph, but only in the celeb-news junkie kinda way. Not sure why it’s important that I know what Kidd has over his sofa, but I enjoyed the piece none-the-less. Sort of a pop-ish look, at the man that puts out some of the best book covers, on the planet.

Also, here is a link to the USA Today page which is posting the serialized version of Kidd’s sophomore novel effort The Lerners.

Ok, enough with the love-fest…

Readers get to vote on what gets published

There’s a new site in town, Worthy of Publishing. It sort of mashes the Threadless and MySpace democratic business models, to unpublished authors.

Basically, you sign-up and submit a synopsis, samples, etc. of your book. Then other people in the community go around reading and voting. The idea is that the cream will rise to the top and get the most votes/attention. Once that attention has hit a ‘critical mass’, publishers will step up sign the author and publish the book, banking on that ‘critical mass’ as an indicator of potential sales and interest in the title.

I’ve yet to find a self-published book that I enjoyed. I tend to have to lean on the profesional book folks to weed out the weaker stuff. Which I’m always greatful for them doing.

But this model intrigues me and I’m anxious to see if the “wisdom of crowds” theory applies here. I could see it happening…

Indie bookstore blog is no more

I noticed a couple of days ago that the Friends of Independent Bookstores blog was down. All I get is a big blank error page whenever I visit. I was hoping it was just technical trouble. But it seems Larry Portzline has pulled the plug on his project to travel/support/raise awareness of the value of independent bookstores. For more than five years…

Continue reading Indie bookstore blog is no more

The convergence continues

I am facinated by the conversion of print to digital process. There are so many opportunities, techniques and startegies to explore that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Which is why I’m glad that folks like Chris Anderson are around to think about such things. Specifically, the new business model of making money by giving away your creative property for free! Continue reading The convergence continues