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NaNoWriMo Now Underway

By Andrew Savikas
November 1, 2009

One of my favorite keynotes from TOC 2009 was National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) founder Chris Baty. It's November, which means the annual event is now underway. Check out...

Second "Open Feedback" Title Now Online

By Andrew Savikas
September 30, 2009

Over on the O'Reilly Labs blog, Keith Fahlgren talks about the latest title to go live in our Open Feedback Publishing System, which gives authors and readers a way to...

Four roles for publishers: staying relevant when you are no longer a gatekeeper

By Andy Oram
June 17, 2009

In many areas of publishing, there are enormous resources of free online material and innumerable forums where individuals can quickly and conveniently post their own observations. Since we are no longer gatekeepers, publishers have to focus on how we add quality.

New on O'Reilly Labs: Open Feedback Publshing System

By Andrew Savikas
May 21, 2009

O'Reilly engineer Keith Fahlgren has formally launched our new Open Feedback Publishing System over on O'Reilly Labs: Over the last few years, traditional publishing has been moving closer to the...

Authoring Tools from Alpha Geeks

By Andrew Savikas
May 11, 2009

Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) has posted a nice article covering some of the tools he's built or borrowed to make his writing life more manageable. I'm especially intrigued by the Flashbake...

Indigo's Shortcovers Launched Today: A Good Start, But Room for Reader Improvement

By Andrew Savikas
February 26, 2009

The Shortcovers website and companion iPhone and Blackberry apps launched today (we posted a sneak preview back in January). Put simply, it's a website for buying ebooks. But there's a...

At TOC: Best of TOC Writing

By Andrew Savikas
February 10, 2009

One of my favorite books of 2007 was The Best of Technology Writing, edited by Steven Levy. We decided to try something similar for this year's TOC Conference, and over...

StartWithXML Research Report Now Available for Sale

By Andrew Savikas
February 4, 2009

If you weren't able to attend the StartWithXML Forum last month in New York, the accompanying research report is available for sale. The report covers topics like: Where am I...

"None of this is good or bad; it just is"

By Mac Slocum
January 22, 2009

Lev Grossman takes a pragmatic look at the changing state of authors, readers, and the definition of publishing: Self-publishing has gone from being the last resort of the desperate...

Slides from "Essential Tools of an XML Workflow" Webcast

By Mac Slocum
December 12, 2008

Laura Dawson has made her slides available from the recent TOC Webcast, "Essential Tools of an XML Workflow." A complete recording of the event will be posted here soon. View...

Point-Counterpoint: Digital Book DRM, the Least Worst Solution

By Bill McCoy
November 24, 2008

In the second part of a point-counterpoint exchange, Bill McCoy examines two scenarios: a publishing industry that doesn't embrace interoperable DRM, and one that does.

Change Always Leaves Someone Behind

By Mac Slocum
November 11, 2008

Seth Godin discusses the realities of digital change and free distribution in an interview with HarperStudio's The 26th Story: ... the market and the internet don't care if you make...

The Barack SlideShow

By Peter Brantley
November 9, 2008

President-elect Obama has been very vocal about supporting an open government policy, and so far the signs are quite promising. See for example this page linked off Obama's transition website,...

Report: Random House Shifts Ebook Royalties to Net Receipts

By Mac Slocum
October 29, 2008

Richard Curtis says Random House has announced a shift in its ebook royalties in a letter recently sent to literary agents. From E-Reads: Commencing December 1, 2008, the new royalty...

How Should Authors Promote Themselves Online?

By Kate Eltham
October 23, 2008

Publishers can lend a hand, but authors will be best served by leading their own online publicity projects.

Web Publicity Grows Up, Learns the Value of Conversation

By Mac Slocum
October 20, 2008

Web publicity works best when the audience is spoken with, not at.

Why You Should Care About XML

By Andrew Savikas
September 24, 2008

There are two places to look for useful clues about how XML will actually fit into a publisher's workflow: Web publishing and the "alpha geeks."

TOC Recommended Reading

By Mac Slocum
August 6, 2008

What's Really Killing Newspapers (Jack Shafer, Slate) Other institutions do far better jobs at issuing social currency these days. What is Facebook but the Federal Reserve Bank of social...

O'Reilly Author and Editor Air Concerns on Industry Pressures

By Andy Oram
June 19, 2008

Andy Oram offers an open response to issues raised by Baron Schwartz, lead author of O'Reilly's "High Performance MySQL, Second Edition."

Cautious Optimism for Britannica's Hybrid Web Community

By Mac Slocum
June 11, 2008

There are a few red flags, but a new project from Britannica shows promise in connecting user-generated content and traditional editorial.

Publisher Offers Tips for Embedding Web Links in Ebooks

By Mac Slocum
June 2, 2008

Morris Rosenthal uses links to guide ebook readers to illustrations, diagrams and other Web material. He shares his best practices in this Q&A.

Author Notes Risks and Opportunities in Free Ebooks

By Mac Slocum
May 27, 2008

A post by Steven Poole looks at the arguments and counter-arguments surrounding free digital books.

Storytelling 2.0: Alternate Reality Games

By Liza Daly
May 16, 2008

Storytelling is no longer passive entertainment. Alternate reality games are one new way publishers are engaging readers and turning them into participants.

Measuring Success on Self-Published Titles

By Andrew Savikas
April 23, 2008

Standard sales measures sell self-publishers short.

Industry Questions Raised by "Potter" Encyclopedia Suit

By Mac Slocum
April 14, 2008

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling testified earlier this week against a publisher that wants to release the unofficial Harry Potter Lexicon, a print adaptation of Steven Vander Ark's popular Potter encyclopedia site. From the New York Times: ... Ms. Rowling...

Q&A with WEbook President Sue Heilbronner

By Mac Slocum
April 14, 2008

In this Q&A, WEbook president Sue Heilbronner discusses her company's Web-based collaborative publishing.

Experimenting for the Sake of Experimenting

By Mac Slocum
April 10, 2008

Satellite radio companies Sirius and XM are both touting aggregated programming that focuses on a popular artist or topic (e.g. the '08 election) for a period of time, then gives way to the next subject. Sirius calls them "pop-up channels."...

How Do Publishers and Authors Get Paid in a "Free" World?

By Mac Slocum
April 8, 2008

Kevin Kelly's eight generatives are a jumping-off point for author/publisher payment in a free system.

Survey of Publisher and Author Reaction to HarperCollins Move

By Mac Slocum
April 4, 2008

HarperCollins' new no-return/low-advance business is generating plenty of discussion. Kassia Krozser from BookSquare: If HC can pull this off, it will restore my faith in humanity. In a low-margin business, it just makes sense for everybody. And now that printing...