The Top 10 Things That Have to be Edited in a Non-fiction Manuscript – Written to the academic market but I think it has universal applications. Check your manuscript today for these ten things.
What is the Future of Publishing? – a well done article for “Forbes” magazine.
Behind the Scenes of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature – Michael Cunningham reveals why a winner was not chosen this year. Part Two of this article can be found here.
Titles are Everything! – a link to an 11 part series on how to read great headlines. Study it to learn how to title your book or your article or even your blog post.
Amazon Moving to Same-Day Service? – Since they lost the sales tax battle Amazon can freely open shipping locations in every Metro area and offer same day delivery. Imagine placing an order for that DVD, book, dress, or lawnmower and it is delivered within hours. And at a price lower than your local retailer. Wow.
In light of the previous entry I provide a picture with the possible caption: “What Amazon.com looks like to a local retailer.” (or to a Publisher for that matter!)
Awesome picture.
Interesting articles, too.
Amazon is a little scary, and yet, I buy many things from them: books, of course, but also things like furniture and food.
If Amazon can do it, so can anyone else, though. Maybe smaller companies can’t match the price, but they can surpass the service. I pay more to have my car serviced at a place I love, because at that place I know I’m going to be treated well, I know my car will be fixed right, and I know it will be finished on time. I think local businesses can survive if they offer champagne instead of beer. Amazon has both inexpensive product and superior service. But they don’t have the face-to-face service that people will pay extra for if it’s done well.
As life gets faster and more automated and less personal, there will be more call for excellent service that pampers the consumer, I think. Bigger companies offering inexpensive product can’t provide that meet-and-greet, neighborly feel, because hiring the people to provide that service causes them to have to raise their prices.
I hope, anyway. I’d like to think that Amazon won’t be the one store of the future, or, God forbid, the one publisher of the future.
It’s interesting the Nick Morgan thinks “Hybrid self-publishing companies” are the wave of the future. (Like we really need another term for subsidy presses.) I have yet to find one that is meeting customer expectations. The big problem is that they can’t charge enough to produce quality books and still keep their prices low enough that their customers believe they can make a profit.
I buy a lot from Amazon. The main reason is they have what I want and I don’t see the point of going to the store. But I don’t usually buy expensive items because I don’t trust all of my neighbors. And I go to Target every weekend to get out of the house as much as I go to shop. If Amazon perfect same day delivery, I think traditional stores will survive by making the shopping experence more entertaining. Give people something they can do that isn’t at home and while they are out and about, you might sell them a few books.
I’m a new blogger to your site. I pop in from time to time, but have not yet left a comment.
Thank you for the tips and articles. Under the Top 10 things…for editing manuscripts I find I still have trouble with ‘nor’ and ‘but also’. Fortunately, I have enough writer friends to help me out with that!
I’m still learning the ropes here, so please forgive my ignorance when I ask this question: As far as Amazon is concerned, do bookstores perceive them as a serious threat?