Blog topic for the week of February 1

Over the weekend, Amazon made the stunning decision to stop selling titles published by Macmillan, when Macmillan refused to continue offering electronic versions of its books at the loss-leader price point of $9.99. Of course, nobody can force a bookseller to carry the products of a particular publisher, and nobody can force a publisher to sell their products -- electronic or otherwise -- at a particular price. So each gorilla stood its ground, until finally, Amazon backed down.

With its POD/distribution company (CreateSpace, nee BookSurge) and its proprietary e-book platform (Kindle), Amazon looks less and less like a bookstore, more and more like a publisher -- a publisher who also happens to control the single largest online distribution channel for books, iPad or no iPad.

What does all of this mean for book publishers? What are the dangers and risks of Amazon's growing dominance in the literary marketplace? What are the benefits?

Blog topic for the week of January 25

What is the difference between brand marketing and product marketing? Do book publishers rely primarily on one or the other? Are both equally effective?

Blog topic for the week of January 18

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? Should the presence or lack of strong direct sales affect the manner and extent to which publishers address their web sites to the general reading public (as opposed to their primary market of booksellers)?

Blog topic due Friday, January 15

Spend half an hour online and visit ten or twelve book publishers' websites. Ask yourself how many different audiences are being addressed at each site. Pick one site that does a particularly good job of defining and speaking to its audience(s). How do they accomplish this? Pick another site that you feel does a particularly poor job of defining and speaking to its audience(s). Where do they go wrong?