Blog topic for week of March 2

In your informed yet imaginative opinion, what will the book publishing industry look like ten years from now? Will consolidation continue (or accelerate), leaving even fewer, bigger publishing conglomerates (and bookstore chains) than we have today? Will the low entry cost of POD and E-Book technologies feed a burgeoning renaissance of small press publishing? Or?... And?... And what does it all mean for the future of literacy and culture? (Just a few small questions, for your final assigned topic of the term..)

Blog topic for the week of February 23

Occasionally, you read a book that changes your life. It may bring about a dramatic, or a subtle change. You may see it coming at you like a freight train, or it may creep up from behind and take you off your guard. It might be a challenging work of great literature, or an easy beach read, or a dry reference work that opens the window to a new way of understanding. It could be anything, and it could come from any direction. Write about one book that has changed your life, and describe how you first discovered it.

Blog Topic for week of February 16

Have you ever purchased something online in direct response to an e-mail promotion? If so, describe the transaction. What compelled you? If not, what has stopped you?

Blog topic for week of February 9

Without actually listing your e-mail addresses, describe them. How many addresses do you have? Do you check all of them them regularly? What do you use each/all of them for?

Blog Assignment for Groundhog Week

Pick one Ooligan Press title and compile a list of relevant search keywords and phrases. Use as many of these keywords and phrases as possible, as frequently as possible, in a blog post about the book.

Why would anyone ever buy books directly from the publisher?

The vast majority of online consumer book sales are not conducted on publishers' web sites, but this hasn't stopped most publishers from targeting their web sites primarily at consumers. What do you think is the reasoning behind this? Do you think that book publishers can expect to see significant, ongoing growth in direct sales through their web sites? Does it matter?

Blog Topic for week of January 19

As Borders teeters on the brink of survival and Barnes and Noble announces yet more layoffs, Amazon.com has announced that 2008 was its best holiday season ever. With its POD/distribution company (BookSurge) and its proprietary e-book platform (Kindle), Amazon looks less and less like an ordinary bookstore, and more and more like a publisher and distributor. Does this bode well or ill for readers, authors, and publishers? Is it better for some of these groups than others? What are the dangers and risks of Amazon's growing dominance in the literary marketplace? What are the benefits?