Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet undercut iPad but come with trade-offs

Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet undercut iPad but come with trade-offs

Paying for the newspaper on the Internet: The Gray Lady has pulled it off

A couple years ago I made the prediction that newspapers like The New York Times would soon be charging for their content. That prediction came to pass this year when it put up its paywall. Now if you want to read anything but the latest headlines in The Gray Lady (as The Times has historically been called by those who both love and hate it) you have to pay a subscription. Since The Times is seen as an industry bell weather, as more people opt to pay for its content, other newspapers and magazines are following its lead.

Gradually, over the next few years, the amount of reliable information for free over the Internet will diminish.

While this may be seen as bad news for the average online browser, it is actually a good thing. For the past decade, newspapers and periodicals have seen their profits erode as more and more people canceled paid subscriptions in favor of accessing information online for free. Yet, newspaper and magazine reporters, editors and photographers still expected to be paid.

Initially news and feature publications thought advertising would pay their overhead. But that didn't work because display and pay-per-click ads never generated anywhere near the amount required to keep them in business.

So now, as we travel back to the past, we will need to once again start choosing which publications we are willing to pay to access.

Personally if the choice is between paying to read my favorite newspapers and periodicals or to see them go out of business, I'll choose to pay.

The same is true for books. On occasion I may choose to download an ebook or audio book over a printed version, but I do expect to pay for the books I read.

Once all the best content is locked behind a paywall, what will be left on the Internet? Shopping, blogs, websites, email, etc. All manner of items people are willing to share for free. The Internet will remain free. Just don't expect authors, writers reporters and photographers to work for free. What we once willingly paid for we should once again support. Do we actually think that content should be free? If someone comes to our home to fix the plumbing we expect to pay. Same as when we go to the theater, see a concert or visit the zoo. When we receive a service we compensate those who provide it. Same for books, newspapers and periodicals.

When someone provides us with a service we reciprocate by paying. As the old saying goes, "ain't no such thing as a free lunch."

Don't Be Afraid to Fail

This short motivational video provides an important lesson for all us humans who sometimes fail.

First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy

"Bookish" just another crazy idea from drowning publishers?

The problem for the largest book publishers is that their control over the book market is waning. If predictions are correct, and the book industry follows the music industry, pretty soon it will be nearly impossible to find a full-service bookstore with a deep selection. A decade ago there used to be record stores with thousands of recordings to peruse. But those days are over. Long gone are major chains like Sam Goody and Tower Records. In their place are online sellers like Amazon and digital download applications like iTunes.

As a result the major book publishers are scared. Borders Books has declared bankruptcy, can Barnes and Noble be far behind? Not to mention the local independent bookseller.

Their solution, coming this summer, is Bookish. A place where book publishers, authors and readers can get together. On its surface, it would seem to be a good idea. But is it?




So far there are three major publishers involved: Simon and Schuster, Penguin Group and Hachette Book Group (Random House). They have not indicated whether the website will be open to all publishers, large and small, or just the major publishers. If they open the site to every publisher and it is well organized and easy to navigate—and fair to all—it could just work. But can a tiger change its stripes? The large multinational publishers have not demonstrated any inclination to work with others over the years. In fact, they have done their best to intentionally keep the playing field anything but level.

Going back to the music business. At one time, there were a handful of major record labels who controlled the sales and distribution of records. As a result they could pick which artists the public listened to and which records were purchased. But that all changed with the dawning of the Internet age and with it the ability for musicians to reach the public directly. The music business changed and the major record labels were left behind.

Will what happened to the major record labels happen to the large book publishers?

The very thought is keeping big publishers awake at night.

But, how do the major publishers suddenly begin cooperating when they have fought, tooth and nail, for so long to keep their grip over the distribution and sale of books? And do they allow other lesser-known small publishers a seat at the table when they have been instrumental in keeping they out of many of the markets?

What will happen with this latest initiative is unknown. But unless they open it up for all publishers and all authors, it will just be one more lame attempt at protecting something that will surely slip out of their grasp anyway.

Where were you when you first heard about the death of Osama bin Laden?

We all remember where we were on 9/11 when we were attacked. Now we hear about the death of Osama bin Laden. However, this time most of us were asleep since the news was not released until after 11 PM Eastern Time.

Interestingly, I had placed my iPod Touch on the bed stand. All of a sudden a light went on in the room. It was the iPod. One of the Apps on my iPod is CNN. At around 11 they issued an emergency bulletin which turned on the device. I immediately got up, turned on the television and heard the news.

Most people in the eastern portion of the United States, I'm sure, heard the news when they awoke this morning. But as we determine what technology each of us has access to (and how that technology can access us), it is interesting to ask the question about where we were when we first heard the news.

Seth Godin just returned my email—God is good!

Pretty much anyone in the blogosphere is familiar with Seth Godin whose daily emailed blog populates the inbox of hundreds of thousands with his incredible wisdom and breakthrough thoughts. Godin's books include bestsellers such as Unleashing the Idea Virus, Linchpin and the newly released Poke the Box. Long a proponent of building a crowd of followers through the Internet in order to market products and ideas, he recently dropped his own publisher so that he could sell directly through Amazon and other online channels.

Yesterday in his daily blog Godin commented on self publishing superstar Amanda Hocking, whose books are only available through Kindle and are selling over a hundred thousand downloads each month. It was his assertion that she did not need a publisher to thrive. Today, however, in The New York Times is an article about Hocking being in negotiations with traditional publishers to get a contract.

I wondered what Seth Godin thought about it and was surprised when he answered my email. His comment, "when people with $ can take bigger risks, it's smart business to use that leverage if it's important to you.


Wonderful advice and so true. 


Big media operates in its own world and is only open to those who have already proven they either don't need it—like banks only lending money to those who have no need—or who are wanting to leverage their own celebrity to earn maximum money. 


So what is a budding author to do?


Just as an actor must first prove her worth by taking any gig that opens up and is willing to sacrifice everything to start up her career, so too do authors. New and emerging authors must be willing to invest in their own writing career by promoting what they have written. There are no shortcuts. 


First, write what you know. 
Then promote what you write. 


How? It depends on your situation and what you have written. 


Are you comfortable with the Internet and related technologies? If not, either learn or find someone who can help. We live in a digital world and all communication comes through the Web, Apps or other new media. 


Is your topic something others are interested in? This is where many authors make their mistake. Instead of finding a niche audience they try to engage everyone within a broader market. That is something that can only work for the so-called big media conglomerates and well known authors. Instead look for a small audience that few are marketing to. This will allow you to gain a toehold so that you can establish yourself as a key player within that narrow niche. For example, if you are writing a how-to marketing book for small business, concentrate on a tiny sliver of that marketing pie. Something like "How To Market Non-Pasteurized Milk from Your Small Dairy Farm." Once you are able to establish credentials with a very small audience then you can widen your scope to include other areas within your niche (small dairy farms) or to reach others with similar businesses (example, small craft cheese producers or egg farmers marketing organic eggs might be similar markets to the non-pasteurized milk market). Bottom line, if you find a niche where few are concentrating their attention you can more easily own that market in terms of Internet search and ultimately for selling books, ideas or products. 


The days are over where people look to stores for new ideas or cutting edge products. Just trying to get established in conventional markets is far too expensive. Instead focus on where the competition is lacking by establishing whole new categories in terms of products, services and intellectual property.