Comments on: Bookcamp: The Books Are All Right

By: adam

adam — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:29:31 +0000

Great post – thanks for sharing!

By: Kat Meyer

Kat Meyer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:30:45 +0000

Thanks so much for your fantastic coverage/round up of this fantastic event, Hugh! Were I the independently wealthy publishing maven I one day hope to become, I would have been there with bells on. But, this is the next best thing (and I didn’t have to subject myself to icy cold temperatures this way).
And Mark, what’s a laptop?

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:55:41 +0000

It is nice to see people with laptops at publishing related event for once.

By: Hugh McGuire

Hugh McGuire — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:17:22 +0000

yes, it’s going to be interesting to see how the business models develop. but, if you take music as an example, i doubt that ever in history has there been such a wide variety of great music to choose from. If the corporate music business is struggling, the listener and the musicians seem to be doing just fine, thank you, if by “fine” you mean: making & listening to lots of great music.

I’m fairly confident that something similar will happen with books. X-fingers.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:45:19 +0000

I think books are here to stay, but then I’m an “addict.” I’ll read cereal boxes if I have to. The model is, obviously, changing. It’s harder for publishers of books, music, and other content to control that content “end to end”. As you pointed out, anyone can start a book business in their back room. I do think, however, that editors are still important. I can’t read or find everything, and there’s a lot of garbage out there. I want someone to sift through it all and make recommendations for me.

To survive, and continue to earn money, writers (or musicians) will have to devise ways to make the book (or music) part of a larger experience: a blog, ARCs to devoted readers, first notice of new books to fans, joining in on discussion groups, and so on.