News Headline: Fight breaks out over e-books in Gaylord Michigan barber shop

While making the long trek north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last week I looked in the mirror and decided it was time for a haircut. Sixty miles south of the Mackinac Bridge is Gaylord which is a mecca for snowmobiles in the winter and golf during the warmer seasons.

Pulling off the Interstate I drove through the downtown and discovered City Barber Shop, an old fashioned barbershop that would remind one of Floyd's from the timeless Andy Griffith Show. I parked my car and went inside. There, sitting on their barber chairs, were three barbers: A young woman, a middle age man and a older man. The young woman showed me to her chair and we soon were all focused on CNN playing on a small TV at the front of the shop.

Soon we started conversing. The young woman asked where I lived and what I did for a living. When I told her I was in publishing immediately the three barbers began to banter. The middle age barber asked what I thought of Kindle. Before I could answer the young woman said there was no way she would ever give up printed books. That led to a full scale outbreak of back and forth, sometimes heated, conversation on the merits of e-books. I weighed in to say that I thought tablets such as the iPad were going to be bigger than the Kindle due to their ability to stream video and other technology innovations.

Two points were interesting about the exchange. First, it was taking place in a small town barbershop in northern Michigan. Second, the middle age man was so excited about reading using a electronic device while the young woman wanted to hold onto the printed book. Research has told us for years that the typical reader in the United States is female and that young women are far more interested in books than young males. In other words, since females are already reading they are showing their satisfaction with conventional books by their actions. Young men, on the other hand, are more likely to be interested in video games than books.

Therefore, if the tablet reading experience can duplicate some of the live action from video games then it is more likely young men will be interested in reading.

In marketing the goal is to widen or enlarge existing markets. We know women are already reading. To grow the book market the key will be making the experience more interesting to younger men through disruptive technology. The market is now wide open for those who innovate with the content available in their books. This year over a hundred tablet devices similar to the iPad will be introduced. Those authors and publishers who are early adopters in their respective niche will surely benefit.

Because it works so darn well

The other day I finally broke down and purchased a Starbucks travel mug. After trying several cheaper varieties over the years, and not being happy with any of them, it was time to buy something better. My new Starbucks mug is perfect for its intended use and I'm 100 percent satisfied with it.

I'm sure you can think of items you use every day that you may have paid a little bit more for but are so happy with its performance, you are glad you purchased it.

Looking around for other items that come immediately to mind would surely include my Mac and all the related Apple products, from the iPod to the iPad. When I purchased my first Mac it was in the mid 80s when the initial model was introduced. It was the first computer I could easily operate and remains the same to this day. In addition, every other Apple product seamlessly works with it. Sure, I could pay less for my computers and other electronics. But I can't believe I'd be as satisfied.

Another item within my reach is the case for my iPod touch from a little company in San Francisco called WaterField Designs http://www.sfbags.com whose tiny bag fits perfectly and is so functional.

The truth is that we rely on many products in our everyday life that help us in so many ways.

This is also true of the books we own. The books I turn to with regularity are those that reliably help or inspire me. I'm always picking up my copy of David Ogilvy's classic Ogilvy on Advertising because the advice he provided decades ago is still true today. Other books I've practically worn the covers off include Thomas Woll's Publishing for Profit (great information for budding publishers), David Burns' The Feeling Good Handbook (for help overcoming anxiety) and Roger Finke and Rodney Stark's The Churching of America (tells how the church spread from coast to coast as our nation grew).

What those and other books have in common is that the information they contain is as good today as it was years ago. They are timeless.

The point is that as formats change from printed books to electronic books, the same will always be true. A book that provides helpful information is valuable to its owner.

These are not books that one throws away. They do not grow old like bananas but instead age gracefully.

If you are a lover of books and the information contained therein, you can look to your bookshelf and immediately find those that have become reliable sources of information.

As an author it is vital that before you publish, you take another look at the contents of your book and ask the question: Is this information timeless enough to publish? Does it work darn well?

Selling Books is Hard Work!

An entire generation of authors have dreamed of one day sitting on Oprah's couch and talking about their book. Well forgetaboutit! Oprah's pulling up stakes, moving to LA and starting her OWN network. The couch will soon be gathering dust at the Smithsonian or in a warehouse somewhere.

Authors have long thought that bookstores are where their books will sell. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, certain books sell in bookstores (or in the book department of a megastore like Walmart or Target). But the books that sell in the conventional bookstore (or book department) are mostly bestsellers by well-known authors. These are not venues where lesser-known books sell.

Why?

Because for a book to sell people have to know about it. They are not going to find it in a bookstore if they are not looking for it. And the bookseller is not going to place a stack of your books on the front display unless your book is well-known.

So how ARE most books sold?

The most successful authors are themselves visible to the public in one way or another.

Successful authors appear at events, give talks, hold signings and are active on the Internet.

By doing so, an author begins to establish their public identity or platform. They also begin to attract a following.

What might an author's platform look like?

Let's say you have written a book about cycling in out of the way places (my obsession) and have titled your book, The Long and Winding Road (with apologies to The Beatles).

To establish your platform to support your book you might do the following:

• write a daily blog about your biking experiences
• talk to a local bike shop about giving a talk to riding clubs
• locate events where bike enthusiast's gather and contact the organizers about speaking opportunities
• submit articles to cycling publications
• make sure the content of your book is easily searchable on search engines
• contribute articles to cycling websites

Key to your success will be getting in front of people who are as excited about the topic of your book as you are. It makes sense when you think about it. 

What books do you buy? 

I'm sure you only purchase books that are of interest to you. If your book is about knitting find venues where those interested in knitting go. Since I have no interest in knitting, myself, any efforts spent on me are wasted. To sell a book on knitting one might better spend their time and energy on those who are feverishly excited about the topic. 

As your public profile grows in your topic area, so will your book sales. 

While it may seem like hard work, if it is time spent with people who are interested in the same things as you—then it is more joy than work.

Borders Books and Best Buy—do they matter anymore?

A quick glance of articles on business pages reveals that there are struggles for two large merchants: Borders Books and Best Buy. The former being having such dire issues with its cash flow that is in negotiations with its vendors to extend payments of its bills and the latter trying to reboot its business model.

While we certainly would not want to wish any ill will toward either of these fine companies, or toward their stockholders and employees, they represent the latest in the ebb and flow of big retailing. Remember Circuit City and Montgomery Wards? Both chains were once thought invincible yet, still, they have exited the scene.

The truth is that large retailers, like all organizations, have natural life cycles that eventually lead to their demise, extinction or being absorbed by someone else. Though it sounds ruthless, it is what happens in a free market society.

In the case of Borders their business model was rooted in the notion that people would continue buying books in brick n' mortar stores. They were slow at responding to opportunities to sell via the Internet having long since ceded that position to Amazon.com. Further, as mass merchants such as Walmart and Target heavily discounted the price of bestselling books, Borders could not compete without matching their price. Now as readers are beginning to switch to e-books, they are left without the capability of developing their own e-reader or tablet device. With their stock price tumbling they are left with the prospects of reducing their overhead along with closing a number of stores. But it may be a case of too little, too late.

As for Best Buy, their business model was all about generating weekly traffic for small items—such as Cd's and DVDs—in the hope of becoming the destination for all things electronic. That strategy worked well until demand for these high traffic producing products diminished. This was due to the customer having more convenient options such as downloading music to their mobile devices or having movies directly delivered to their door. Additionally, fierce competition from big box discounters such as Walmart for large ticket items like flat screen TVs and computers further reduced their profit margins. Looking forward, it is hard to see Best Buy continuing to hit the sales and profitability targets that made them a Wall Street darling.

While we hope both companies survive, in order to do so they will have to reboot their business models and redefine their niche. In the case of Borders Books, because they waited so long and are in a weakened position, this will be just that more difficult. However with Best Buy, since it is still a strong company, they have the luxury of time and resources on their side. Key for both companies will be to ramp up their customer service and product offerings to differentiate themselves from the competition.

The fact is that we live in a time when the convenience of purchasing products online has resulted in far too many stand-alone retail stores. Just take a drive around your own neighborhood or business district and see how many empty storefronts are littering the landscape. Do we actually need so many stores?

In the world of publishing we live with the same reality. In the past decade, due mostly to self publishing, the number of new book titles published each year has more than quadrupled. This as the same time as the overall demand for printed books has shrunk. Do we really need so many books? Or might some of the intellectual content being produced be better served through blogs, websites, iPad applications and e-books? Only time will tell as the best produced book content continues to be essential to readers while those books that are ill conceived—or poorly written, designed and edited—are left to the scrap pile of history.

Putting ones life on autopilot

Today I received a notice from Plaxo, the social networking site, that I can now send out so-called e-cards to my entire birthday list and plan them up to a year in advance. While I've never been much for Plaxo, since most of my "friends" are on Facebook, it does command a sizable following.

In thinking about the whole idea of preplanning the delivery of birthday e-cards it hit me that the notion of doing it represents the epitome of laziness; something perfectly designed for our overly automated lives. Now without even having to think about it I can have my birthday list managed for me so I no longer have to give it another thought. Perish the thought that someone decides to include ones own spouse or partner on the list only to forget about it when the special day arrives.

Okay, now what does all of this have to do with publishing?

It has been my experience that many authors put their own book on autopilot once it is published. They seem to figure that after their book is listed on Amazon and carried by some stores that their work is finished.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The most successful authors I know work much harder after their book is published. Sadly, however, they are in the minority. Instead, more often than not, an author will give up on their own book once they hit an obstacle that looks overwhelming. Rather than go back to the emotion that drove them to write their book in the first place, they adopt a defeatist attitude. Almost as if they think something miraculous will happen if they walk away and leave their book to promote itself.

One of my Facebook friends is Christine Romans, the award winning CNN anchor and correspondent. Her newly published bestselling book, Smart Is the New Rich: If You Can't Afford It, Put It Down, is a terrific read that itself is hard to put down. Even though she has an international platform on CNN she continually is promoting her book. In fact Romans now hosts a new weekend show that shares the name of her book along with co-hosting the popular program Your $$$$$. Additionally she has placed her book cover alongside her photo on Facebook and each day posts new information on her page; often asking viewers for their opinions on an issue that corresponds with the content of her book.

The point I'm making is that even those with huge media exposure still take the time to tirelessly promote their own books.

As authors we write for a variety of reasons. Whether we are telling a story, informing others or sharing a passion, once our book is published it is time to share its content with others. We owe it to ourselves to make the effort of promoting our own work to those who would most benefit from it. Even the definition of the word publish is telling; to prepare and issue for public distribution, and to bring it to the public attention. The definition of publishing does not say: Once your book is published put it on autopilot.

Debunking Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley"

The line between fiction and nonfiction is often blurred. A good case in point is John Steinbeck's classic Travels With Charley. Earlier this year former Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette journalist Bill Stelgerwald hit the road to retrace Steinbeck's journey, 50 years after the iconic author made his journey. On his blog, Travels Without Charley, Stelgerwald finds much of what Steinbeck reported did not happen.

 This uncovering along with other celebrated cases, of late, including James Frey's notorious A Million Little Pieces, which was initially called nonfiction until it was uncovered that much of his book was fiction, have made publishers reassess what constitutes fiction and nonfiction. This is especially true in memoir and narrative non-fiction. As Stelgerwald alludes to, there can be good reasons for injecting fictional content into something that is supposed to be true. One reason is that finding true characters who are interesting to the reader can be a huge challenge. Another is that good writers know what elements are required to create good reading. In Steinbeck's case, he ventured out to find an America that did not really exist. Or, at least, one that was difficult to find. Since he was breezing across the country, traveling over 10,000 miles in less than 75 days, he did not have time to locate the characters he needed in the amount of time he had. So, like all good fiction authors, he made them up.

Should Steinbeck's book been identified as fiction. In my opinion, no. He did make the trip and the places he visited were also, for the most part, true. But, in order for him to tell the story as he envisioned it required him to invent certain characters and events. If there is any culprit it is the publisher. After all, they edited it and should have been checking for the need for permissions and any rights violations. We also do not know the story of what went on inside the publishing house. There may have been red flags raised by the editor that were ignored by the publisher. Or, perhaps, because it was John Steinbeck's work maybe they decided not to question him.

The important thing for our purposes is that facts need to be checked prior to publication and whoever is holding the rights (the publisher or author) should at least place a disclaimer on the copyright page. Often authors, especially those who self publish, overlook issues relating to the holder of rights and copyright as well as the need for professional copy editing whose job, in part, is to ask questions that help determine if there is culpability.

These days, where all have free access to information via the Internet, it is easy to copy and paste content from one website to another. Ultimately, however, that content is owned by someone who has the right to protect any copyrighted material where they own rights.

Had Steinbeck written his Travels With Charley in the digital age, his fictionalizing of content would have surely been discovered within days of publication.

Book Review: A Primer for Snuggling Up with the Creator

We all have times when we are wanting to talk with God but wonder how or cannot find the words. In Henry Baron's excellent book, Talking with God we are provided thoughts and reflections that bring us closer to a creator who is there to listen when we are in wonder, comfort when we are in need and a companion when we are alone. 

Years ago I read Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People (The Practices of Faith Series) by Dorothy C. Bass. It is an excellent book that engages the practicalities and practices of the Christian faith. As a lifelong sceptic traveler her book is a good resource that helped me to understand why and how Christians believe. Henry Baron's book, while similarly organized, takes the reader to a more intimate place with the Divine. Every page is loaded with pearls of wisdom and thought that help the reader get into just the right frame of mind to engage the Creator; whether our mood is melancholy or joyous. 

"Talking with God" is aptly subtitled: "prayers, meditations & conversations with God-seekers." For me I was especially drawn to the word "God-seeker." For me it defines my own life as a seeker and spiritual traveler. Henry's book does not seek to judge or preach. Rather it is that constant companion there for us during thick and thin. 

After each entry there is a single simple thought to ponder. Each helps us to think beyond the meditation or prayer to contemplate for ourselves what we have just read. For example, in the chapter titled "Comforting the Sick and Sorrowing" is a wonderful "Prayer of the Incurably ill" which is followed by the pondering question: "What do you fall back on when bad things happen?" Another chapter titled "Forgiveness, Grace and Hope" includes a story simply titled, "Grace." The pondering question that follows it simply asks: "Recall an instance of grace-receiving and giving in your life." 

In "Talking with God" author Henry J. Baron helps us each to think more deeply about our faith or lack thereof, and then comes along beside us in our own God-seeking journey. It is a book that does not judge or condemn, rather it engages our minds to think, contemplate and explore. This is the kind of book that is a great gift for anyone, whether they are a devout follower or an explorer. It would also be good for use in a study class or small group. 

In our lives we all have to decide for ourselves what we are going to believe. For those who choose to believe in the God of Christianity I can think of no better roadmap than Talking with God by Henry J. Baron. Five stars plus two for good measure. 


Available at Amazon.com and select booksellers