At the intersection of publishing, technology, and marketing.

Hype Cycles: Marketers as Coaches, Sherpas, and Therapists

In the ongoing debate of the value of “traditional publishers” in today’s digital landscape, certain activities in which publishers are engaged — very, very valuable activities — often seem to be overlooked. While the debate centers on the shift to “low cost” digital products (and the resulting move away from physical distribution and account-leverage for merchandising and [...]

Poems by Heart from Penguin Classics – Poetry in Your Pocket

Poems by Heart - Poem Home Screen

A secret to please keep quiet: I am not just a crass marketer or cold-eyed analyzer of publishing strategy. I am those things, or like to think I am anyway. But, truly and firstly, I love books and reading. (Shhhh…might ruin my rep.) So, this is a post written with the love of reading at [...]

The Awkward Dance Between Marketing and IT

Awkward Dance

We shall do nothing until such time as we can do everything. – Publishing Executive in reference to IT department Today, the extent to which a publisher’s marketing strategy and technological capabilities are aligned would seem to matter more than ever. It is practically taken for granted that the long-term survival of trade publishers will [...]

Beyond Klout: More Tools to Answer Questions of Influence

Chart from Kred

Twitter started in 2006. My first tweet, sent in 2008, was likely something about what I was listening to while barbecuing. Needless to say the micro-blogging service has matured, becoming a lynchpin of many brands’ marketing efforts. It is also becoming increasingly useful to individuals and their own “brands.” I find looking at personal behavior [...]

Confession: I Almost Never Surf the Web Anymore

Zite

My mind goes to Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now; “Charlie don’t surf!” Okay, so this is a bit less dramatic but I have to admit that I don’t surf either. I used to. But I don’t anymore. My first contact with the web is in the morning via email. I scan it for any “fires” [...]