Monthly Archives: November 2008

Is Plastic Logic’s Reader a Kindle Killer?

Posted on November 29, 2008 by Tom Masters

New technology from Plastic Logic could threaten the Kindle’s brief reign as king of the e-reader hill.  Plastic Logic officially entered the e-reader wars when it unveiled its digital reader at the DEMO technology convention in September.  Its reader is based on plastic electronics … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism & Newspapers, open publishing, publishing technology, readership strategies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Beneath the Pale Surface of Book Marketing – An Interview with Author Janey Bennett

Posted on November 25, 2008 by Tom Masters

Here’s a scary story for you.  Imagine laboring on your novel for seven long years.  Finally – it’s complete.  You deliver your finished work to your publisher, who, at that decisive moment, closes his business.  As far as the marketing of your book goes, … Continue reading →

Posted in author tools, book marketing, Interviews, open publishing, readership strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On Being Visual – Author Video Blogs

Posted on November 23, 2008 by Tom Masters

Authors have one more tool they can use to build community around their work – the video blog.  A video blog (also called a vlog) is essentially a blog that uses video vs. text as its primary way to communicate.  According … Continue reading →

Posted in author tools, blog to book, blogs & writers, book marketing, Book videos, open publishing, readership strategies | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Author Lofts and Pyramids of Value

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Tom Masters

Why do authors write?  They want a wide exposure for their ideas and stories.  Publishers have generally focused on playing the role of Darwinian gatekeeper for those ideas; determining which will live and die accoring to often opaque criteria.  This … Continue reading →

Posted in author tools, blog to book, blogs & writers, book marketing, open publishing, publishing analytics, publishing networks, publishing strategy, readership strategies | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Extra! Extra! – Read All About It (then Cash in on eBay)

Posted on November 8, 2008 by Tom Masters

By any measure, the presidential election this past week resulting in a decisive win for Barack Obama, was a stunning news story: The first African American president A redrawing of the longstanding electoral map. A firm mandate for change and a … Continue reading →

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DIY Book Widgets May Soon Be Sprouting Up All Over

Posted on November 4, 2008 by Tom Masters

Today, authors and publishers have a number of powerful online book marketing tools at their disposal.  One example is the book trailer or book video.  In just a few years, this has become an important adjunct to the book PR … Continue reading →

Posted in author tools, book marketing, open publishing, publishing technology, readership strategies | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments