Eoin Purcell's Blog

Eoin Purcell

Thoughts on digital

Watching a fascinating (if worrying) documentary the other night on Tsunamis [Yes it has been said to me that between my obsession with documentaries of all sorts, my extreme non-fiction bookshelf and my actual daily work I come close to being the real life nerd] and the potential for a devastating one in the aftermath of an earthquake in thePacific Northwest and a certain point struck me squarely. That was that the idea that the real cause of damage and change is not the initial wave front which is devastating in itself but the flow of water often at the same of slight lower levels as the initial wave front. The quote below from Wikipedia illustrates what I mean:

Most of the damage is caused by the huge mass of water behind the initial wave front, as the height of the sea keeps rising fast and floods powerfully into the coastal area. The sheer weight of water is enough to pulverise objects in its path, often reducing buildings to their foundations and scouring exposed ground to the bedrock. Large objects such as ships and boulders can be carried several miles inland before the tsunami subsides.

And why is this relevant to Digital Publishing and Digital Content?
Because the real damage to the traditional model is not the initial wave of digital content. That after all has been around now for some time and Publishers (Newspaper, Music, Film and Books) are still robust and profitable. It is the wave after wave after wave blows that have followed that initial front that are doing the damage. The only difference is that this wave is not going to subside or reduce or return to its normal flow, this tsunami is going to continue to flow.

And Realities

So what are the signs of real change?
Well for one Adobe have launched a new e-reader and so have Sony. The Adobe product is software and based on your desktop. It is slick and flashy but I don’t like it. I guess that just me. You can get it here but be warned it is still a BETA product.

The Sony product gave rise to rumours of $500,000 sales of e-books in the first weeks of its Sony Connect Store.

It is a tough world out there. Paidcontent.org one of the shrewdest sites and certainly the most prolific poster of news had two interesting pieces on the economics/realities of digital publishing for the newspaper industry. One pointed out that a pessimistic view of online revenues would suggest that it would be: 30 Years Till Online Represent 50% of Total Newspaper Revenues while another highlighted how the: FT Editor Mulls ‘High Stakes’ Of The Digital Evolution.

But some people get it. If you think that the Sony Connect story is real then here is the Real GETTING REAL. 37signals, the web applications company behind backpack (A service I use and love) recently published in PDF format their story. Since it was released they have sold 23,000 books at $19.00. Now that is $437,000 in revenue from one title, with little or no production cost and only the cost of downloads and site maintenance. The actual paper copy will cost $29.00 an amazing price for such a slim volume and I imagine they will get it! Good for them. The real kicker here is that they did all this in digital first not print and then digital.

So what to make of it all?

You may make of it what you will but from it all I draw this:

1) Digital will continue to pound traditional.
2) It is likely to be profitable (Scott Karp wonders how profitable)
3) Traditional Media will have to move more rapidly
4) WOW you can sure sell e-books when there is a demand!
5) Sounds like what I have been saying for a while.

Enjoying the length of this post.
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

WordPress Domain Mapping

I have been waiting for this feature for some time and now that it is here and works excellently. There are a few items that might need to be looked out for but the basics should work fine. Just so every knows what is happening I have the details below.

I have adopted a new web address: www.eoinpurcellsblog.com
My wordpress.com address www.eoinpurcell.wordpress.com points to the new domain so youd on’t need to change the address, but if you can it wouldn’t hurt.
So far so god with the feed service so if you have any trouble please let me know by e-mailing
eoinpurcellsblog AT gmail.com.

Let’s hope this works well!
Eoin

Technorati Profile

Eoin Purcell

I love Google Reader

I know I have been quiet the last few weeks but I have made one huge change and I love it. I have shifted all my blog reading to Google Reader.

It is actually the business and enables me to do something I have longed to do for some time. The real hint for this though i have to admit came from Robert Scoble who writes the phenomenally successful blog Scobleizer.

I now have a links blog.

I will still be highlighting some features that just are too good to leave in the side column but I love this feature and really want it to work out well. The selection will be much more diverse than the focussed Links of Interest (At Least to Me) posts so do check it out.

I have a post in the works on the Coming Digital Tsunami. More soon!

Wondering at my poor poker play.
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

Snowbooks MD Emma Barnes makes some interesting points about the future of Publishing.
Here

Apparently you can now get Wikipedia on your ipod.
Here & Here Apparently this is a dangerous link! Do not visit!

Some interesting Long Tail stuff. Music sells when it can be bought it seems!
Here

Eoin Purcell

Change is Afoot

When I read this news it gave me a little shock. Thomas Nelson, a publisher which began its life in Scotland in the 18th Century is to cease using its 18 imprint names and instead from 1st April 2006 switch to a single brand and identity Thomas Nelson Publishers. From the Publishers Weekly piece:

In a move called the One Company Initiative, Thomas Nelson is eliminating all of its imprints and reorganizing its publishing functions around strategic publishing units keyed to BISAC category codes. The company’s 18 imprints (as well as the three it just acquired with its purchase of Integrity) will be phased out effective April 1

At first I was stunned that such a venerable publishing would almost callously discard tried, trusted and tested brands. But on reflection the logic of Thomas Nelson’s move is unquestionable.

On this blog I have said before that the drive of the industry will force publishers into more and better branding; both of themselves and their authors.

This move can be seen as a crucial first step in that process. No need to spend money identifying a new imprint or establishing a profile for it. You brand the publisher and ensure quality then build each author and each book separately.

Those of you who wonder about that and the decision made should read some of Michael Hyatt’s views on his excellent blog Working Smart. You will see that he is perceptive and thoughtful and would not have made this move without due consideration.

I wonder will this start a trend to towards consolidation of publishing within companies and under one central imprint?

Wondering why I haven’t blogged in so long
Eoin

[Via Terry Whalin's blog]

Oh what a wonderful world. I have been getting really annoyed at the links and links and more links that The Big Bad Book Blog have been serving up (I am conscious of the hypocrisy/irony here) and then today they served up a wonderful piece going in depth into the mysteries of buying/getting front table exposure in superstore Borders.
Here

I found some interesting news today on a newly discovered blog called New Media Trends. The post covers the fascinating changes in the Danish Newspaper industry. Well worth reading and really offers a perspective on what the world of rapid innovation looks like.
Here

Jeff Jarvis posts some nice thoughts on the whole Google/YouTube thing.
Here

Two others that really deserve a look: The Rejecter is a literary agent’s assistant’s blog and Working Towards the Betterment of Publishing is by a government contractor and amateur novelist.
Here

And last but not least: Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
Here

Again the news is slowly dawning on publishers that having your work highlighted might well result in actual sales. See this story for more.

Eoin Purcell

CONTRACTS ARE A WONDROUS THING

I talked in my last post about how to deliver a final text in Word. I thought today that I might also post some thoughts on manuscripts and contracts and how they relate.

All too often authors are so concerned with getting their book contract agreed that they pay a little less attention to the detail of the contract. They also tend not to think in terms of the editor and the publishers pressures. Now that is all fair enough in one sense. But in another this thoughtlessness can be exceptionally damaging to the working relationship because it creates big problems for the publisher.

Three main problems can arise that cause problems in my experience to date:

1) Late Delivery
2) Extent issues (manuscript longer or shorter than agreed)
3) Content issues (again substantially different from the agreed content)

And these are problems for you because?

Most publishers operate a rigid timetable. Six – nine months before a book is published the sales force will be briefed and they will attempt to pre-sell titles to large chains, independents and other outlets. That means things like price, page extent, cover design, image numbers and colour have to be locked down and ready for the sales department at an early stage.The contract forms the basis for these details.

From terrible experience I can assure you that missing these deadlines is exceptionally counter productive to the process, engendering only derision, discomfort and distrust on all sides. It may not seem very flexible (and it is not) but those are (at least for now) the rules of the trade game and if you want to play that game you play the rules.

As you can see then for the publisher to have all those details locked in delivery of the manuscript on time and to contract is literally vital. Some publishers will take manuscripts a year before publication others longer and for those who operate a little closer to the edge they may take manuscript delivery much closer to the date of release. That makes it especially disastrous if you deliver late. The schedule goes awry, work that should be done one month drifts into another and obstructs work that should have been done then. All in all late delivery endangers the timetable and thus the proper release of your book, never a good idea.

No one will have a problem with an early delivery. Though the author may wonder why matters have not happened earlier as he/she got the text in on time or early, the reason is of course the same reason why a late delivery is such a dramatic problem, publishing timetables.

Almost like the early delivery issues, a manuscript considerably shorter than envisaged is not the worst of issues. Unless the cover has been printed before delivery in which case large issues might arise and the cover may have to be scrapped and reprinted. A great way to cost your publisher money and lose their favour!

Text that exceeds the contracted length is a problem for so many reasons:

a) It may require printed covers to be scrapped and reprinted.
b) It increases costs of paper and thus forces the publisher to accept a lower/non-existent profit or raise the price.
c) If these issues arise after the book has been pre-sold the publisher is faced with pissing off retailers or cutting the book to length or taking a hit.

All in all you will have a very angry publisher on your hands simply because you failed to deliver the text at the right length. Bravo!

I am sure you have spotted the trend here, late delivery, not to contract delivery or substantially different to contract delivery makes for a very annoyed publisher, a messed up schedule and a book that needs very little to tip it into the also ran category. But all of this is avoidable.

Avoiding Disaster

Don’t sign up without fully considering the deadlines, delivery details and the conditions. It’s kinda simple but so often overlooked it hurts! Only agree to deadlines you can keep. Write the length agreed. Write the style and form agreed unless you agree before delivery to change tack. I could write more on reading the contract but that too is for another post.

See, nothing too challenging there.

What is more if, despite doing everything right, you see an issue arise, contact the publisher ASAP and say so. They will welcome the early warning that might prevent expenditure and timetable difficulties and they will certainly prefer to know before they have started submitting the book to retail buyers.

Getting ready for the weekend!

Eoin

Eoin Purcell

One key stage for an author (and for their editor too) is the manuscript submission stage or delivery as we call it here. This is when the final document is given to the publisher.

The manuscript itself could be a simple text book, a more complicated book involving images and text or a highly illustrated book with little text. One thing that really helps authors and editors is if they are operating from the same sheet. I thought it might help to jot down a few suggestions. As ever it pays to hold in mind that all publishing houses differ and their delivery guidelines may vary so do ask your editor for their house specific guidelines.

I apologise if some parts of this little post are a tad dull (it’s often the dull stuff that is the most important).

I cannot stress enough the importance of ONE file (with a small exception)

If for no other reason than the strong likelihood that an error in combining the text could lead to an error in the running order of text at the proofing stage, writers should always deliver the text as a single file. There is nothing more frustrating for an editor than to be presented with a disc that has 40 or 100 individual files that need to be combined before the text is available for editing. It is so easy for something to go wrong with multiple files it is almost funny:

1) In copying and pasting a sentence might be missed.
2) In pasting a chapter might accidentally be pasted over, or pasted in the wrong order.
3) The formatting might change dramatically or be lost in the final document so that quotes loose their prominence or any number of issues may arise.
4) These are all compounded if the author has neglected to provide a contents or at the very least an overview of the document!

I mentioned an exception and that is if there is a separate caption list for the text. These are sometimes better set out in a separate document numbered to be exactly the same as the relevant image (more on images numbering below).

Remember: A word Document is NOT a book

One of the ever present temptations of an author is to try and make their word document look like it would in a book. This is not a good idea at all. Firstly the spacing will just annoy most editors who will have to rework the spacing and formatting before even starting a line or copy-edit! Extra work and unnecessary if the author just follows a few simple rules:

1) Avoid auto formatting that word just decides on (Quite possibly the single worst feature of word. I mean how lazy do they think we are?).
2) Avoid tabs. if you have lots of info and wish to place it in a word document learn how to make a table. It saves times, looks neater and will be a gift for your editor.
3) Avoid extra line spaces. Do not double space lines (if the book requires it this can be done very easily at design stage) and do not return or add a page break so that a page looks like it does in a book (again properly done at the design stage this will take about 10 seconds).
4) Make your heading style consistent i.e.: Make all chapter titles one format and sub headings another.

Just always hold in mind that while word is a wonderful program (and unless you are actually using it to page your own book which is a whole other story) your text will be lifted from word and transferred to one of the professional layout and design packages that publishers use. Therefore your efforts to make a text “look like a book”, will result only in work for everyone.

Images and illustrations

Resolution and size:
If you are submitting images in digital format make sure you have the correct resolution as required by your publisher. This may mean scanning an image at a higher resolution than the default setting on your scanner and ensuring too that when scanning the default size settings have been increased to meet and size requirements that your publisher has. These tasks are often fairly easily done and can make life very easy for both you and the editor when the time comes to it.

Numbering:
All too often people overlook number structure for images. I strongly favour either a three digit or a four digit system such as 000-999 or 0000-9999. This may seem a little crazy but if you use this system the images will always appear in numerical order on your computer or disc and will therefore be easy to locate and change/edit/replace. If you use a two digit system 00-99 the numbers bunch up in strange ways and annoy you and the editor.

Common Sense

Overall a little common sense is the best route forward. Call your publisher and ask their advice. Think of the ramifications of your choice decisions and act the way your thoughts suggest!

Enjoying a good Thursday

Eoin

Eoin Purcell

Jessica Coen moves to Vanity Fair

Some really intriguing news I have been meaning to post about is the news from The Huffington Post and Micropersuasion that Jessica Coen one of the keys to Nick Denton’s Gawker blog will jump over to Vanity Fair. She will become their deputy online editor. Read her own parting words here.

Seems to me that there has not been much made of this move even though I would say it’s a pretty big deal in one sense. It shows the power print still has.

But she will be the deputy ONLINE editor!!

How you are asking is that displaying the power of print. Well she is online editor for one of the most incredible print brands around. And part of the stable of Conde Nast titles that still carry enormous weight.

It just reminds us all that print is not going away. New online brands/blogs will struggle to beat off the competition of the big print brands as they move online in a real and effective way. Firstly talent will want to work there as with Jessica, secondly the inbuilt recognition will allow them to rapidly build readership online.

I am not saying that this is a death knell for blogs and new media companies, far from it, merely that they all need to remind themselves that the bar for survival is high and that the old media companies will have no mercy and deep pockets when and if they finally make the online plunge with gusto.

Stating the Obvious
Eoin