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Jack Dorsey on 60 Minutes

03.18.2013, No Comments, Uncategorized, by .

Last night Lara Logan profiled Twitter and Square co-founder Jack Dorsey on 60 MINUTES.

It was a very good piece and worth watching.

Although a coder by training (self-taught), Dorsey gets inspiration from maps, trains, subways and The Golden Gate Bridge.

He believes for a site to be successful it must be simple. It must allow the user to easily do what they want and the software just blends in and is forgotten.

Twitter is a way to quickly tell anyone what you are doing. Anytime, anything, anywhere.

Square allows you to easily use your credit card anywhere through your smartphone or tablet.

Dorsey is a visionary that sees the obvious we all miss and then creates what we didn’t think we needed, but once we use it — can’t believe what we did before.

He ends by saying he wants to one day be mayor of New York City. Working in NYC, I would welcome him. Given his childhood love of trains and subways, imagine what he could do with the largest metro system in the world?

 

 

 

 

Academy Awards for Best Picture

02.19.2013, No Comments, Uncategorized, by .

One of the most effective ways to sell more books is to have a movie based on it. The ad budgets for movies dwarfs books. Even a bad movie can create a book best-seller. People just say, “the movie really sucked but you should read the book.”

Generally the book is always better. A book can get much more detailed and develop the characters. A movie only lasts two hours. A book can last days.

Sure, some movies are better then the book. But those are the more visual ones.

There are nine movies up for Best Picture.

  • AMOUR – original 
  • ARGO – based of a Antonio Mendez’s book (non-fiction).
  • BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD – based on a play.
  • DJANGO UNCHAINED – original.
  • LES MISERABLES – based on the classic Victor Hugo book and inspired by the long running Broadway play.
  • LIFE OF PI – based on the award-winning novel from Yann Martel.
  • LINCOLN – based on a sliver of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s biography of Lincoln, A TEAM OF RIVALS.
  • SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – based on the debut novel from Matthew Quick.
  • ZERO DARK THIRTY – original screenplay based on true events.

So five of the nine were based on books. Three based on novels and two true stories.

The Rolling Stones

02.09.2013, No Comments, Uncategorized, by .

Are the Rolling Stones the Greatest Rock n Roll Band?

They are celebrating their 50th year as a band. 50?

I’m listing to Pandora — MIDNIGHT RAMBLER.

  • Reading MICK a bio by Chris Andersen. Mick is having sex with everyone on every page.
  • Finished LIFE by Keith. Took me a year. I thought it a great book, didn’t want to end.
  • I have Bill’s STONE ALONE, but haven’t read it. I should.
  • I read Ronnie’s book. But it wasn’t as deep. I love his art.
  • Loved EXILE ON MAIN STREET by Robert Greenfield – the book written about the making of the album.
  • Charlie should write a book.
  • Stanley Booth’s classic THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF THE ROLLING STONE is good reading.
  • I’ve read a few others too, but noting come to mind.

I have 150 Stones singles on my iPod. Put on ‘shuffle’ and listen to it all.

CROSSFIRE HURRICANE on HBO, Seen it a few times.

Logo is timeless.

 

 

Super Bowl XLVII

02.04.2013, No Comments, Uncategorized, by .

As like most Americans, I watched the Super Bowl yesterday. Even non-football fans attend parties and casually watch the game. Sure many do not in an almost defiant manner. I understand all perspectives. I like pro football and almost have a feeling that I want boycott the game. But I don’t.

What started out as a championship game between two rival leagues (the established NFL and the up-start AFL), has now taken on a new meaning. It is a cultural event. The ads get as much attention as the game with many people jokingly stating they “watch it for the ads and the football game is just in the way.” But there is a level of truth there. With today’s social media, the discussion of the ads can be done in real time or even before the game.

VW received criticism for their ad having a white guy from Minnesota speak in a Jamaican accent. Some deemed it racist, but many (including the Jamaican Department of Tourism) found it funny. The ad received a ton of publicity and was one of the most talked about ads. I thought it was funny.

Go Daddy always gets into some hot water over their ads. They generally use scantily clad women and Danica Patrick to promote their site. Every year, they get grief for their ads. But it does seem to work for them. This year, they had a super-model french kissing with a nerd. Probably got the most groans and the biggest gross out of all the ads. But again, a lot of attention.

I am not going to run down all the ads, but these two seemed to be the ones that stuck in my mind the most. There were some funny car commercials but I don’t remember which ad went with which car company. I also found the Coke, Pepsi and Budweiser ads forgettable. Except the Bud ad with the clydesdale. Made me cry. It was an excellent commercial. But I won’t drink anymore beer because of it.

The interesting thing is because of Twitter and others, but my preferred choice to follow the game and the ads is Twitter. I could get a completely different perspective of the ads. It is like the entire country is watching something in real time. In this day and age of “watch when you want to,” the Superbowl is one of the few events that everyone watched live. No one tapes it for later. So, that adds a special angle to the game.

Back to the actual game. I enjoyed it. I was rooting for Baltimore although it really didn’t matter to me who won. It was a competitive game with momentum shifts that are generally not so profound in football. The 34-minute blackout (and all the Twitter jokes) made it a game to remember. It also shifted the momentum. Prior to that, the Ravens were cruising 28-6 and it looked like the game was over. But what a difference in the 49ers after the power outage.

Other aspects of the game worth noting is the head coaches are brothers. A very cool side-story. I am glad the older brother John won.

Another season, another Super Bowl. I enjoyed it throughout.

Digital Book World (DBW)

01.19.2013, No Comments, Uncategorized, by .

I attended the 4th annual Digital Book World this week. I have made it to every one of them. I find it a great way to start out the year, learn what is going on, network and feel the pulse of the industry. This is also the third year I have moderated a panel. I enjoyed this year and look forward to #5 in 2014.

Great Way to Kick off the Year – as a consultant with clients and potential clients strewn across the world, DBW is the gathering place to meet all of them face-to-face. Technology has allowed us to do so much remotely, but nothing replaces meeting in person. I find January perfect for everyone has made it through the past year with holiday sales and vacations over. Many in the industry are ready to work on new initiatives and projects. DBW fits into that mind-set. It is Spring Training and everyone has an opportunity for the World Series. New budgets, new initiatives. new scoreboard.

Learn What is Happening – no single presentation or panel is going to answer every question. If I can get at least one bit of wisdom; one idea; one new way of thinking about an issue per session, I am satisfied. DBW more than delivers in that sense. Plus the informal chats are invaluable. I get tons on ideas and it helps understand our ever changing industry. Again, there will never be the “golden ticket” to success (the world has never worked that way), but there is a lot of collected wisdom. I have pages of notes of thoughts and ideas.

Networking – This is one of those things that every book tells you is invaluable for success. It is. But saying it and doing it two different things. Plus networking isn’t something one just does at these meetings but is a constant, year-long process. DBW is a key component for it though. I am still counting, but I have calculated that I spoke with close to 150 people. Some were exchanges of greetings with people I have known for years, others new introductions and many people I currently work with or for. This part could take a dozen posts to describe. But, I meet people I have met “virtually” through Twitter and LinkedIn. I also randomly run into many people. The key is to be there. Must get out and see people. Show up!

The Pulse of the Industry – This can not be quantified. It is an overall feeling. By having all these industry people in the same place and thinking about the same issues creates an overall vibe. This year, I felt industry confidence. In past years, it was more fear and wondering what will happen next. Sure there is always that. But digital has been integrated into every publisher. It is an accepted part of sales, marketing, editorial and publicity. The tools are available and many publishers are making tremendous headway. So that base is solid. But there is also a sense of what happens next? That curiosity is what will continue to drive our industry.

Digital Book World 2013 was very valuable. It is a great launch to the year. As with any conference, you get from it what you put in. I want to thank Shatzkin, Cader, Nussbaum, and Jess Johns (and I am sure many others) for their tireless work and insight for another tremendous conference.

It is January. It is time for everyone to make predictions about the next year. I have read as many as I can. For even if I disagree with the predictions, I do like to understand the logic. Many say the same things. Certain predictions are easy (the eBook growth will flatten a bit and the years of triple-digit growth are over). Some are crazy. But then in a transformative time, crazy can quickly seem normal.

As Jimmy Buffett sings,“If we weren’t all crazy, we would go insane.”

Maybe these are just continuing trends rather than predictions. Everything is in motion and what I see in 2013 is some intensifying and others easing.

So my thoughts for 2013:

  1. Ebook growth will continue to flatten. The growth will continue to be healthy but in double digits.
  2. Digital sales will end 2013 as 33% of the overall trade book business. It is around 20% now.
  3. Children digital will continue to be more and more about subscriptions and web sites. Disney, Scholastic, Ruckus and Amazon to lead. Consuming children’s content continues to blur the lines. What is an eBook? Video? game? etc….
  4. There will be a serious new player in selling eBooks in America. The last major platform was Apple iBookstore.
  5. There will be more consolidation among the corporate publishers. Everyone is saying this. So, I almost feel bad putting it in. But there needs to be a few easy ones so my overall prediction rate is better.
  6. A major author will split from his/her Big 6 publisher and branch out independently.
  7. Amazon will continue to be the eBook sales leader, but will have growing pains in their publishing operations.
  8. Publishers will lighten up a bit and start to experiment much more in 2013 than in the past five years.
  9. Magazines will continue to create eBooks from their content. But will start to question if this is actually helpful and worth the efforts.
  10. Porn will not dominate the top of the best-sellers lists as it did in 2012. 50 SHADES has brought it out of the darkness (and that is a good thing) and stores will continue to stock and sell. The category will continue to grow, but the huge sales at the top will erode.
  11. Physical bookstores will continue to evolve and offer consumables in the store. First it was coffee; then food; then wine; maybe weed in CO and WA?
  12. Graphic novels and comics will have an explosive year in growth. Many will read on their smartphones.
  13. The New York Mets will win the World Series.
2012 was a tremendous year. It was a lot of fun.
2013 will be another great year.

 

 

Barnes and Noble – Xmas 2012

12.30.2012, No Comments, Uncategorized, by .

I have not been very upbeat regarding B&N’s position in the book industry. I have felt that they were too tied to tradition and not enough to the future. I also felt that they have lost focus on the stores and reality — and too much on the lack of planning for the Nook. Although these two seem at odds, they are actually very much connected.

I wish B&N well. I want them to succeed. But I feel the storm clouds are coming and not going away.

I had though this Fall would have been a stellar quarter for B&N and that their stock would rise. I was wrong. Looks like this quarter has been a disappointment.

eBooks and Digital:

B&N jumped out last year and grabbed 25% of the eBook market. I predict they have peaked. That their market share will start to decline. Now competitors will enter and take it from B&N. Apple, being sleepy in eBooks continues to sell more and more iPads. There will be some residual benefits as some people will just use the IBookstore to buy eBooks. Amazon will continue to solidify their lead. They continue to innovate.

So, I see three places where B&N Nook will lose share. I don’t see how MSFT will help.

I was in a Microsoft store last week. It was empty. The employees didn’t know anything about the Nook. One even suggested the Kindle. MSFT also has their troubles with Surface tablet selling slow and Windows 8. The Nook investment of $600-million over 5 years sounds like a lot. But it seems MSFT has other problems to deal with.

B&N sold another 5% to Pearson. Maybe this will help. But they continue to sell off pieces of the company. Sounds like a fire sale and not as much an investment.

Physical Books and B&N superstores:

B&N is the only national book chain in the nation, They operate over 600 superstores (Plus n additional 600 college bookstores). These stores have been reporting disappointing sales figures. As the leases come up, they generally close the store. Regardless of the success of the store, operating a 30,000 square foot bookstore is no longer a business model that works.

B&N will not be able to increase the sales of physical books. It is a tide that is not turning back. Sure they can try to get more share from others, but who is left? B&N has used the stores as outposts for the Nook. That is how they grabbed so much share. But now the newness is gone and this advantage is past. So what was once a major asset (having all these locations) is quickly becoming a liability. It also appears upper management is not interested in running these stores.

B&N has diversified their offerings. Many more games, cards, toys,etc are available. Although I applaud this move, I am just not sure it is enough. I feel they will need to push even further away from the book/non-book mix.

Walked around a B&N store yesterday. As I walked through the aisles and looked at the bargain tables, I was still struck by the enormous amount of inventory. There were piles of books everywhere. It is so inefficient. It doesn’t seem to be something that will work long term, Retail has changed. The biggest inventory does not guarantee the best selection. The Internet will always be that.

I want B&N to survive. There are some wonderful professionals working there.

But I fear 2013 is going to be a very difficult year for B&N stores and the B&N Nook.

We will see a lot of changes in 2013 and many traditional players will push to the end.

PS — Best Buy, Sears and Radio Shack will all be gone by the end of the year. I think B&N will survive… but for how long?

It was reported that Penguin has settled with the US Department of Justice on the price fixing eBook lawsuit. Penguin had previously mentioed that they would fight this and take it to court. But that was before they agreed to be absorbed into the Bertelsmann collective and merge with Random House. They need DOJ approval for the merger. Probably a good idea not to be fighting a lawsuit at the same time.

Last year, the DOJ decided that five US publishers and Apple colluded and fixed the price of eBooks. This “Agency-5” consisted of the 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th and 6th largest publishers in America. Only Random House (1st) was excluded. Random House wasn’t in the suit because it took a year for them to work with Apple. The publishers named were in with Apple at the onset.

Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins all quickly agreed to settle.

Macmillan and Penguin were going to fight it.

Now only Macmillan is left.

Of the “Agency-5” or the “Corporate-6”, Macmillan is the smallest. They are also the ones who fight the most.

Macmillan fought Amazon on discounts and terms so much that the Seattle giant de-listed their books. No other big publisher was willing to fight that fight.

Now it looks like Macmillan is going at it alone again.

I wish them well.

Antifragile

12.08.2012, No Comments, Uncategorized, by .

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of THE BLACK SWAN and FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS has written a new book.

It is called ANTIFRAGILE – Things That Gain From Disorder.

Taleb is known for bringing his brand of questioning to business, life and the order of things. He enjoys the argument, He wants to be contradictory. For the real truth comes from challenging the status quo and not accepting what is obvious. He is a friend of mine.

I first met Nassim when I worked at Random House. I was new to the imprint and ordered about 100 different backlist titles. Books that all had consistent but slower sales histories, books that sounded interetsting etc. A random choice. One of the books was FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS. I opened it in the middle (again random) and started reading. I loved the book. The way it was written so that the reader could open it anywhere. The message resonated. I knew immediately we could sell more.

I spoke with our B&N, Borders and independent stores reps. Please talk it up. Place a few in the stores. The book went into stores and sales increased.

A year later, THE BLACK SWAN was published. At first glance, many didn’t want to understand. But enough people believed. Book was published. By this time Amazon was a force in the industry and their pre-orders continued to build. Although physical bookstore distribution was lower than expected, the book still debuted at #5 on NYT list. Stayed for years and has sold close to million world-wide copies.

Now, Nassim brings us ANTIFRAGILE.  Another concept that at first doesn’t make sense, but once you ponder it, it is crystal clear. The book was just published and hit the NYT list first week. I have not seen the numbers but my bet is the digital sales were enormous.

I am reading the book now. I am enjoying it.

Four years ago I was laid off. The chaos and disruption of digital had just started to rock the publishing industry and my position was eliminated. A few days later, I had dinner with Nassim and his editor Will Murphy. Nassim gave me advice. He said not to go back into a traditional company. He said that in a time of chaos it would be better to be on the edge and see the entire industry as a whole. By watching and consulting, I would better see the patterns and direction. That there would be lots of change and transformation in the industry. Some companies will fail. Others will succeed.

Some traditional publishers and book-sellers will die.

Some start-ups and new companies will emerge and thrive.

By watching the industry and being “antifragile” I have been able to adapt to the new world of publishing. Consulting has allowed me to work for over 20 entities from tech start-ups to industry organizations to traditional publishers to Fortune 100 corporations.

Thanks Nassim for the advice.

 

 

The Dirty Heads

11.28.2012, No Comments, Uncategorized, by .

The Dirty Heads are a reggae/ska band from Southern California. They have produced out two albums. They had a big hit on the Alt-Rock charts with LAY ME DOWN a few years ago. But I don’t listen to radio and had never heard of them until earlier this year.

How did I discover them?

I like to listen to Pandora Radio. I created a channel based on Sublime, Smashmouth and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Most of the music consisted of songs that I already knew. But every now and then either LAY ME DOWN of STAND TALL would come on. At first, I didn’t pay much attention, but after a bit the songs started to stick with me. I checked and noticed it was from Dirty Heads.

I put it aside.

A month later I was on YouTube and just checking out videos. I stumbled across LIVE FROM DARYL’S HOUSE. A very cool channel that is hosted by Daryl Hall at his upstate NY house. He has various musical guests and they jam. Guess what? The two principals of Dirty Heads (Dirty J and Duddy B) were in an episode. They were doing the best version of Hall and Oates’ Rich Girl that I have ever heard.

I then went to iTunes and bought both of the Dirty Heads albums.

One of my new favorite groups.

But my discovery path was much different than it once was.

But that is the new, wonderful world we live in.

But I can’t find their version of RICH GIRL anywhere for purchase…