Book Apps: Roles for Libraries Beyond Mainstream Digital Books

Yesterday, ALA's TechSource, sponsored a presentation on "The Book as App, ."  available from the first link below. For me, the best part was the presenter Nicole Hennig's strong belief that there were multiple roles for librarians involved with book apps, including "book app expert," helping with the discovery and even the production of book apps. This message fits very well with our central theme at the research group for non-traditional publishing. Librarans need to embrase the world of digital publishing beyond the digital versions of mainstream books. There are multiple roles possible within the expert rubric: knowledge of available non-mainstream published books, discovery roles, and even lending roles. We believe a major task for libraries is to figure out how to own and lend non-mainstream digital books. As you may  know, several experiments are underway, including Douglas County, Colorado, (second link below) and Califa  in California. (third like). Undoubtedly there are others, and we would like to hear about them.

 

 https://alapublishing.webex.com/alapublishing/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=5529377&rKey=23c9a56abdf1f721

 

http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/libraries-set-out-to-own-their.html

 

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/smashwords-califa-to-let-library-patrons-self-publish-books_b53675

 

Mainstream Publishers "Colonizing" Self-Publishing

I like this characterization of Putnam's move into self-publishing, and others that may follow, as colonization.  The dominant publishing culture moving into the self-publishing culture, looking for riches?  Can the metaphor be pushed any further?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jul/22/publishers-ebook-popularity?newsfeed=true

Softward for Creating Apps, including books, for the iPad

Not everyone will be interested in reading the whole interview here, but it highlights the availability of software for Apple ipad apps, now including books, which will no doubt translate into more books for iPad.

It is also yet another example of a major source of innovation and change in all aspects of publishing--employees in various publishing sectors with good ideas and lots of energy form start-ups, doing things their way.

 http://www.businessinsider.com/this-startup-run-by-ex-apple-designers-is-about-to-change-the-entire-publishing-industry-2012-7

Big Six Division goes DRM-free and predicts more will follow

TOR and FORGE Books, imprints of Tom Doughterty Associates, LLC, a division of MacMillian, will be sold DRM free through major e-tailers. Interesting quote from senior editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden, "To the best of our knowledge we're the first division of a Big Six publishing conglomerate to go down this road, but we doubt very much that we'll be the last."
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/07/torforge-e-books-are-now-drm-free

Jana Bradley

The big news is the purchase of Author Solutions by Penguin (Pearson PLC). This is a major boundary crossing move. Author Solutions owns many of the original independent self-publishing houses. Googling on Penguin will pull up many articles. Here are 2

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/penguin-buys-self-publishing-platform-author-solutions-for-116-million/?et_mid=569151&rid=2960666/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2012/07/19/self-publishing-turns-a-corner-with-penguin-acquisition/


Interesting move by a US senator taking sides in the DOJ Apple suit

http://betanews.com/2012/07/19/senator-schumer-sides-with-apple-and-publishers-in-ebook-price-fixing-case/