Eoin Purcell’s Blog

Eoin Purcell

The Irish Times signs deal with Collins
Read this evening that our national quality daily signed a multi book agreement with Collins (as in HarperCollins):

Collins has signed a deal with the daily newspaper the Irish Times to publish a series of specially branded books. The publisher will release around four titles per year in areas like sport, quiz books and history. The first title in the venture will be released in September when Collins publishes the Irish Times Universal Atlas of the World. The hardback atlas will retail for £50. It will be presented in a gift slipcase and will contain special Irish content.

I think this is a big deal. I may not seem like it, but it is. The reason why it’s a big deal is that it is yet another example of the complete and total penetration of the Irish market and culture by foreign controlled publishers. I’m not oppossed to competition, in fact, I welcome it, but it is this type of market dominance that makes my job harder as every day goes by.

Slightly depressed,
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

Teacups threatened by Storms
The Irish Blogosphere is small and shallow. Its readership is growing, as is the total number of participants. The growth and success of the Irish Blog Awards indicates that the arena is widening but, as it stands, there are only a few thousand bloggers and in total they get only a few hundreds of thousands of visitors a day.

That in itself is impressive but hardly earth shattering. What is more, the bulk of these visitors swarm about some leading lights, as one might expect in any media/publishing landscape*.

Which is why I was very surprised by the recent kerfuffle (Good survey post on Rick O’Shea’s blog) about this little post. Here is the worst of it:

I can only assume that the A-listers of the Irish blogging world are lovely, lovely people because to be frank, some of them are shit-awful writers. I shouldn’t need to point out (but I will anyway) that this is intended as a critique of the blogs themselves, and not of the bloggers. There are an awful lot of people out there who need to get themselves a good editor, or whose blogs need a harsh fucking review.

Both sides are a little overwrought
For one thing, elites often look talentless and undeserving to those left outside them. We seldom see the complex networks, the years of hidden slogging or the subtle appeal to others that ensures such elites their position. That doesn’t mean they are entirely without merit.

On the other hand, elites deserve the odd lobbed grenade into their comfort zone and a decent rigorous review would be welcome. The strong reaction against this post was to my mind, unwarranted. It suggests that those criticised remain insecure about their position within the Irish Blogosphere (a misplaced insecurity given the targets of criticism I assure you).

Elites Form
The truth is that either because they were first movers or because they were already well connected with existing bloggers or because they have exclusive access and content. It’s a little like Power Laws.

The A list of Irish bloggers has formed by a variety of methods. Some of them have exclusive content, insider positions or name recognition. Others have posted and worked hard to get where they are. Some succeed for reason I cannot even begin to imagine, but then complex systems as I said above, are often beyond the comprehension of most humans.

To boil it down, criticism is good, elites have a function (and are in any case, largely avoidable). We should all accept both those facts and move on with it.

Enjoying Sunday morning Radio,
Eoin

* And lest we forget, the blog is simply a publishing platform.

Eoin Purcell

I was in Edinburgh on Wednesday
At the Scottish Publishing Centre for a training course in proofing. I really enjoyed the course as I needed the direction. The tutor was Barbara Horn who was incredibly friendly, very good at what she did and very efficient too. I really learned a hell of a lot.

The reason I bring it up is because, during our lunch break, Barbara showed us an very very exciting new program called Paperless Proofs.

The basic idea is to take the paper out of the proofing process and make the entire editorial workflow, digital. I like what it has to offer and I thought it worth posting about.

My only concern is that if one is going to proof online, why not cut out the unnecessary stages altogether and proof in Indesign or Quark and actually make the change. Using Paperless Proofs, at least record is created though and can be filed for tracking, even if in doing so you institute a whole extra level of process.

Still, it struck me as an interesting move forward.

Ahh the weekend,
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

Blackwells Agree Deal for Espresso Machine Rollout
On any scale this is both interesting and a big deal. From the piece:

The deal makes Blackwell the first UK retailer to install the EBM. The academic chain will trial the machine from this autumn at a yet-to-be-determined launch site, and will then roll it out across its stores. It is also looking at possible international retail sites and library supply for the machine.

Blackwell c.e.o. Vince Gunn described the technology, the brainchild of former Random House US editorial director Jason Epstein, as “trailblazing and pioneering”. He added: “From a retailer’s point of view, even allowing for the first–generation technology and publisher challenges, this is a fantastic opportunity—sell to demand with no risk to inventory and an opportunity to create incremental revenue streams for ourselves and publishers.”

For their sakes I hope they roll it out fast and with fanfare before other steal their thunder. When you consider the customer breakdown and the likely purchases that Blackwell encompasses, you see that they are almost ideally suited as a launch customer for the Espresso in the UK!

My throat feeling slightly better and I’m rested. Lots of work next week,
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

Spotted on The Quillblog
This gem from Tony Farmar:

Our problem now is to move [Irish publishers’ market share] from 15% to 50%

In some senses he is right and in others he is wrong. It would be wonderful for Irish publishers to control 50% of the Irish book market. That much is uncontested.

But I think Tony’s words may have been taken a little out of context (NOTE: I don’t know though, as I wasn’t there) because the 85% of the market that is described as being held by British publishers, is held by international publishers and our chances of shifting that share are limited.

Still, I do think we can go toe to toe on a project by project basis. We need to choose the right books, the right authors and the right time for sure, but there is no reason why even small Irish publishers cannot deliver superior products and promotion for lead titles.

Let’s see what Autumn brings
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

I saw this today
It’s a site for a new book called Here Ends The Beginning, using a new platform called Quillr.

ReadWriteWeb has some discussion. I’m not very impressed I have to admit. I don’t see this working, but give it a look for yourself.

On the other hand
I do like both of these efforts for the very interesting Exact Editions:
Sawdays have launched digital access to their books via Exact Editions Book Publishers Platform. I rather like the way it looks and access for a year is very reasonably priced too.

And Exact Editions also launched access to Debrett’s Peerage & Baronetage as well. Again, the pricing is reasonable.

As a general point, the reasonableness of these online access prices makes a mockery of some of the e-book download prices I’ve seen.

Worth checking out all three, but if someone can see the first working, write and let me know how!
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

JK Rowling gave an amazing commencement address in Harvard. It is something special and worth watching.

She has a capacity to couch tough words in velvet language and calm presentation that I am slightly in awe of. For instance:

I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do. Choosing to live in narrow spaces can lead to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors. I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid.

What is more, those who choose not to empathise may enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy.

OR

But how much more are you, Harvard graduates of 2008, likely to touch other people’s lives? Your intelligence, your capacity for hard work, the education you have earned and received, give you unique status, and unique responsibilities. Even your nationality sets you apart. The great majority of you belong to the world’s only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden.

If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better.

She really put it up to them! Go on JK
Eoin

[via the snowblog]

Eoin Purcell

I was asked
To write a few words on poetry for the blog so I did. The very nice and very cool David Maybury seems to think it is okay and stuck it up for me. If you have time, go read it.

Me on poetry, seems odd I think you’ll agree!
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

Publisher’s Weekly has some brief notes on Harper’s free content exercise
You can read the details here. It’s very interesting.

We have not heard the last of this!
Eoin

Eoin Purcell

The Bookseller has a great profile piece
On John Blake the man behind Being Jordan (and many other bestsellers). It is fairly frank and honest:

“Big publishers are now thinking ‘been there, done that—let’s go back to doing proper books’. I’m going along after the Lord Mayor’s Show with my bucket and shovel picking all the books up again.”

It is well worth reading too. He is surely one of the most fascinating characters in modern publishing and someone we all could learn a thing or two from.

Finished The Spook’s Apprentice and loved it
Eoin