Mashable recently published a list of “15 Twitter Users Shaping the Future of Publishing,” compiled by Maria Schneider. I was tickled to be on the list (as @hughmcguire … though most of my publishing tweets happen on @bookoven). It was a great list, and I agree heartily with all the selections (though there were a couple of unfamiliar names, added to my follow-list).
But, there’s a whole host of missing names, so here is my list of:
“15 Other Twitterers I Follow for Insight about the Future of Publishing.”
I’m missing some more names for sure, but these are a great start. Also, an up-front disclosure: I’ve gotten to know, and like, many of these Twitterers over the past year. I’ve even met a few of them in person.
The List
@jafurtado: The Human News Feed. José Afonso Furtado, Portuguese university prof and Director of the Gulbenkian Foundation, has been called the “Associated Press” of digital books. His twitter stream catches just about every major event, announcement, and interesting blog post about the future of publishing before anyone else. Essential reading for anyone wanting to keep tabs on new developments in digital and books.
@booksquare: Defender of the Reader. Kassia Krozser writes the BookSquare blog, and is a passionate defender of “the reader” in the debates about the future of books. She was one corner of the sadly-demised Quartet Press. Not sure what she’ll be up to next, but she’s always worth reading, if only to remind everyone in publishing that in the end, it’s the readers who matter most.
@eoinpurcell: The Small Publisher: Eoin Purcell is a driving force behind digital publishing in Ireland, and a and thoughtful blogger about the changes as seen from the inside of the industry.
@liza: The Queen of epub: Liza Daly is doing more interesting work in pushing the future of books than just about anyone I know.
@andrewsavikas: Vice President of the Future, Now: Andrew Savikas is the VP of Digital at O’Reilly Media, the most digitally innovative publisher in the world (followed by Harlequin). Andrew preaches the successful future of digital, from the perspective of the “canary in the coal mine:” O’Reilly looks now like most (surviving) publishing houses will look in ten years, and many of the questions we all have are being answered as we speak by Andrew and the folks at O’Reilly.
@mdash: The Off-Centre Thinker: Mark Bertils is a Toronto blogger who continues to write some of the most incisive posts about what publishing will look like in the next decade. Mark always seems to come from a fresh angle, and poses questions no one else seems to be asking.
@jane_l: The Romance Reader: Jane Little ostensibly reviews romance novels on her blog, but like many romance readers, she is deeply engaged with technology. Connecting readers to writers is what publishers ought to do; new technologies help them do it; and Jane is a prolific advocate for doing just that.
@katmeyer: The Perfect Hostess: If Mike Cane is the crazy uncle, Kat Meyer is the perfect hostess guiding you through the future of books. Another corner of the missed-before-it-arrived Quartet, Kat’s mission is connecting readers, publishers and writers together, and finding new ways to use the web to do it.
@brianoleary: He Who Knoweth What DRM Hath Wrought: Brian O’Leary seems to be the only guy in the universe who has asked, and tried to answer that all-important question: “Well, what is the impact of DRM?” He didn’t just start writing moralist screeds – as everyone else on either side of the question seems to do – he actually studied empirical data. But is anyone listening? Not yet, it seems. But it ain’t all Digital Rights Management & data with Brian: he’s also among the more entertaining pub-mates in the digital book game.
@danwagstaff: The Book Fetishist: Dan Wagstaff, of Canadian book distributor Raincoast Books, has one of the prettiest blogs about books: Casual Optimist. He occasionally takes to task the self-anointed digital punditry (me included) for not being sufficiently knowledgeable about the actual constraints of running a small publishing house.
@stml: The Mad Genius: Brit James Bridle should be celebrated high-and-low for his brilliant experimentations in the future of publishing, but he seems to fly under the radar of the mainstream. James is behind such initiatives as: Bookkake, Bkkeepr, BookSeer, BookCampLondon, the first Tweet Book.
@naypinya: The Radical Librarian: Peter Brantley, Director of the Internet Archive, is the best kind of librarian: he defends access above all else, embracing technology as a means for people to get, and interact with text in new ways. He’s also picked a public fight with Google’s book project, arguing in favour of what might be called the bookish public option. Some call him “the most powerful man in publishing.”
@ljndawson: The Trusted Advisor: Laura Dawson, a consultant who works with writers, publishers, big companies, and little guys. She seems to get just about everything going on in publishing.
@mtamblyn: The BookSeller: Michael Tamblyn, is VP of Sales and Shortcovers, a digital book reading platform and bookstore (owned by Canada’s big retailer, Indigo). Always thoughtful and energetic, and you have to cheer for the little guy, eh, in the context of the big gorilla in the digital book retail space.
@anjelajames: The Editor: Angela James is an editor who is “passionate about digital publishing.” That just about sums it up.
So, that’s 15 more that I suggest you follow. How about you? Who are your 15? (Or 5 or 10?).
14 Comments
Hugh, these are great additions, and between this one and the one yesterday, most of my “can’t miss” tweetdeck group are covered, but I have a few more, but there is one that really needs mentioning:
The most glaring miss in the two lists is: @jane_l – who must never sleep and who’s interest in publishing seems unbounded, in either furvor, or in breadth of interest, from reading experience, writing style, legal issues, to the business of publishing.
Great additions, Hugh! I’ve created a TweepML list for it so people can follow everyone on the list in one click: http://tweepml.org/?t=41005
Ha! Thanks for this great post. Now that I’ve went down the list and followed everyone on it I see the list Guy left up above me. LOL, now that’s service! I just wish I had noticed that at first.
REMOVE my name from the damned list.
@mikecane is stricken from the list (by request); @jane_l added …
that mike cane. he’s a real crack-up. :+)
-bowerbird
I can’t agree that Jane Litte contributes to the future of publishing in any way, shape or form. In fact, I would consider some of her opinions about publishing to be counter productive to the extreme.
Hi Jane D, care to elaborate? Which of Jane L’s opinions do you find counterproductive?
I am very much honored to be part of this list, and could not agree more your choices, starting with the inestimable Jose Afonso Furtado (I want to study his news gathering system). While I am sad that Mike Cane was removed (at his request) — he certainly does move the conversation forward — I was going to suggest that @jane_l be considered as well.
What I find most interesting is how we all define these lists. I’m not sure I could up with 15!
jane said:
> I can’t agree that Jane Litte contributes to
> the future of publishing in any way, shape or form.
hugh responded:
> Which of Jane L’s opinions do you find counterproductive?
oh please, just let it be. what part of “doesn’t contribute in
any way, shape or form” do you have trouble understanding?
hugh made a list, and someone else disagrees with a part of it.
big deal! who cares?
i’d be surprised if _anyone_ on this list has much effect at all
on “shaping the future of publishing”. heck, i’d be astounded.
the only one who even comes close, in my mind, is liza daly,
and that’s only because running code trumps everything else,
which is a reflection of _my_ bias, which won’t matter to you.
(and if you look, you’ll see liza has recycled much of her code.)
you might as well argue what flavor of ice-cream is “the best”.
but seriously, check back in 5 years and you’ll see what i mean:
none of these people will have had any effect on the landscape.
-bowerbird
p.s. it’s strawberry cheesecake ice-cream for me! no wait,
it’s mint chocolate chip! no, no, no, i mean it’s maple-nut!
p.p.s. but we can all agree mike cane is the most entertaining!
Bowerbird, it’s good to see you’ve brought your “contrarian talk, ineffective action” methods from the performance poetry scene to the bigger world of publishing. You were a pest back then, but at least one with a sliver of skin in the game, admittedly entertaining at times, and on the rarest of occasions, had a valid point to offer.
What’s your angle on publishing beyond juvenile trolling?
guy-
i may have taken your bait earlier in the decade,
but i ain’t gonna let you waste my time in 2009.
-bowerbird
bowerbird, thanks for the level-headed response – thought I was going to have to start moderating comments – yuk.
hugh said:
> thought I was going to have to start moderating comments
no problem; moderated comments is fine by me, albeit clumsy.
although it does cut down on the ad hominem crap. but still…
and would you believe, the last time guy ran into me,
i bought him a beer! next time, the drinks are on him!
-bowerbird