Jeff Sonderman (@jeffsonderman), digital media fellow at The Poynter Institute (@Poynter ), suggests that ebooks are causing change not only in traditional book publishing; they’re also causing a shift in news journalism. Here are lessons he offers:
· Shorten the production cycle.
· Crime and politics are popular topics.
· Different price points.
· Need to add value.
· Don’t forget print books.
Along the same lines, Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) is launching Christianity Today Essentials, a new series of “natural length ebooks,” described by editor-in-chief David Neff (@dneff) as content “longer than a longish magazine article, yet significantly shorter than the typical print book.” He says, “The format allows you, the reader, to go deeper and learn more than you could from a magazine article, without committing the time or money demanded by a full-length book.”
Leadership Network (@leadnet) is beginning a new series of "natural length experiences" under the brand Leadia (@leadiatalk). "Each piece is limited to 10,000 words and has live links to audio, video, and websites." A Leadia app is available for iPhones and iPads.
And Patheos.com (@Patheos) is starting Patheos Press, a "publisher of original ebooks."
Also read our blogpost, "Ebooks are the New Pamphlets."
As for changes in how news is reported, Meghan Peters (@petersmeg), Mashable's (@mashable) community manager, assesses in “6 Game-Changing Digital Journalism Events of 2011” the progress for online journalism in 2011, from breaking news curation to new revenue models:
1. Paywalls Find Their Footing
2. NPR’s Andy Carvin Proves the Value of Social Network Newsgathering
3. Journalists Flock to Google+
4. Mobile Gets Competitive
5. Facebook Makes Personal Branding Easier
6. The Pulitzer Goes Digital
And just for fun, here’s a video of what the help desk would look like back in the day when print books overtook scrolls.
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