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This article in The New York Times (@nytimes) says, “It used to be like clockwork in the book business: first the hardcover edition was released, then, about one year later, the paperback.”

But in an industry that has been upended by the growth of ebooks, publishers are moving against convention by pushing paperbacks into publication earlier than usual, sometimes less than six months after they appeared in hardcover....

Publishers say they have a new sense of urgency with the paperback, since the big, simultaneous release of hardcover and electronic editions now garners a book the bulk of the attention it is likely to receive, leaving the paperback relatively far behind. They may also be taking their cues from Hollywood, where movie studios have trimmed marketing costs by steadily closing the gap between the theatrical release of films and their arrival on DVD....

The entire publishing life cycle has sped up in recent years. Hardcovers have less time to prove themselves in bookstores, since retailers tend to move them off the shelves more quickly than they used to. Ebook sales are usually strong in the initial period after the publication date but do not spike again after the paperback comes out, said Terry Adams, the digital and paperback publisher for Little, Brown & Company (@littlebrown). 

Read this in full.

How have you had to adjust your publishing pipeline in this digital age?

An article in The Daily Beast / Newsweek (@thedailybeast) by Malcolm Jones profiles the fabulous new children’s ebook The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (@MorrisLessmore) by Moonbot Studios LA, LLC (@moonbotstudios). It says the ebook “embraces the potential of the iPad like nothing else.”

Dumped into a black-and-white landscape littered with wreckage, Morris Lessmore encounters a savior of sorts, who tosses him a flying book that leads him to a library set out in the countryside. Here he takes up residence, learns to care for the thousands of books he lives with and begins to write down his own story, an effort that takes him all his life.

In every scene, the viewer has to help move the action along — speeding up the wind that carries Morris away, spinning the house on which he flies through the storm, spelling out words in the cereal bowl with which Morris feeds the books (cereal like Alphabits, of course). But the interaction is not merely some computer form of a pop-up book. Besides spelling words, you can play a piano keyboard and make the books dance, and if you don’t want narration, you can mute it, and if you don’t want text, you can remove that, too. You can’t change the story, but the app designers have nevertheless found ways to make you feel very much a part of the story.

On the Morris Lessmore website it says

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation), award-winning author/illustrator William Joyce and co-director Brandon Oldenburg present a hybrid style of animation that harkens back to silent films and M-G-M Technicolor musicals.

Read this in full.

A one-paragraph summary of the article is here.

Is this a game-changer in the production of ebooks? How will your publishing plans change as a result? Let Somersault help.

This chart by AdAge (@adage) shows that the generation coming up after the millennials – the iGen – is quickly consuming content digitally. Technology isn't skipping this generation, it's being handed down from mother to child. The data come from an annual survey by Parenting Group, the publisher of Parenting, Babytalk, and Parenting.com (@parenting), and the BlogHer (@BlogHer) network.

The generational breakdown is striking. Across the board, younger moms are passing technology along to their kids at an early age. This might not seem too surprising, given the Gen-Y embrace of technology. But when you consider that many of the youngest Gen-X moms are still having their first kids, whereas many millennials are putting off having kids, the adoption rates of technology start to blur.

Digging deeper into the data we see that the percent of moms who haven't let their children use a smartphone corresponds roughly to the percent of moms who don't have a smartphone themselves. We suspect that moms who haven't let their 2-year-olds use a smartphone likely got a smartphone when their kids were already older than that. Crazy, eh? Looking at stats for more-established technologies would seem to confirm that. The Gen-Xers and Boomer moms -- who are more likely to have older kids -- do show a higher overall rate of having passed the laptop or non-smartphone to their children of all ages.

The sweet spots for majority-usage looks like this: Mobile phone, age 11; smartphones, age 16; laptop/PC, age 4; digital camera, age 5.

Overall, the study finds that nearly three-quarters of moms with Internet access can't go a day without it. One in four report letting their kids use a mobile phone by age 2. We wonder when the ability to hit the home button, swipe to unlock and find an app will become a recognized developmental milestone -- maybe somewhere between walking and multi-word sentences.

Read this in full.

See the complete survey results in a PowerPoint presentation by BlogHer.

Also read our previous blogposts, "Motherhood Sends Moms to Smartphones" and "CyberTots: Pre-teens Drive iPad Purchases, Join Social Networks."

How does this information influence your publishing strategy for the next 12 months? The next 5 years?

Tim Carmody (@tcarmody) of WIRED’s (@wired) Epicenter (@epicenterblog) in a commentary on CNN.com (@cnn) bemoans how ebook innovation is being stymied by big business. An example he sites is Push Pop Press (@pushpoppress), an e-publishing startup founded by ex-Apple engineers Mike Matas (@mike_matas) and Kimon Tsinteris (@kimon), being acquired by Facebook.

Push Pop published one multimedia book for the iPad, Al Gore's Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis [see Somersault’s blogpost about it, “A Next-generation Digital Book”]....

At that time, Push Pop...sought to create a ‘publishing platform for authors, publishers and artists to turn their books into interactive iPad or iPhone apps -- no programming skills required.’

Facebook has no interest in publishing interactive ebooks. According to Push Pop, ‘there are no plans to continue publishing new titles or building out our publishing platform that was in private beta.’ ....

We sorely need independent innovation in digital publishing. We need talented people who are willing to try things. Meanwhile, all of the money, attention, and technological skill is marching in the opposite direction.

Most big media companies with plenty of capital and deep technical talent see few if any reasons to innovate or invest in books....

The ideas are there; the talent is there; the readers are there. But when the three come together, inevitably someone else can figure out a way to use the technology for a different end. The better and more experimental it is, the more likely this is true.

Read this in full.

Do you agree or disagree?

Chart Of The Day (@chartoftheday) says people are still subscribing to print newspapers for 2 reasons, according to a survey from AdAge (@adage): they want local news, and they want coupons.

How can that information influence your publishing and marketing decisions?

The American Magazine Study, conducted by Affinity Research, reports that, along with 84% of US adults owning at least one computer, distinct generational skews exist in the profiles of eReader, tablet PC, and smartphone owners. It says, “These findings are important for companies marketing mobile devices to Millennials, Gen-Xers, and Baby Boomers, as well as those creating content and advertising targeted at these unique generational segments.”

Boomers are the most likely buyers of eReaders

·         More than 8.2 million Boomers currently own an eReader, while more than 10 million plan to purchase the device in the next six months.

·         More than 9 out of 10 Boomers (92%) use the device at home, 13% at work, and 36% power up their eReaders while on the go.

·         Similar to the national trend, female Boomers are 11% more likely to own an eReader than their male counterparts.

Gen-Xers are the most likely buyers of Tablet PCs

·         More than 9% of Gen-Xers currently own a tablet PC, while 24% - or almost 21 million - have plans to purchase the device.

·         56% of Gen-X tablet owners actively share their devices with others.

·         Gen-Xers with a household income of $100,000 or more are 63% more likely to own a tablet PC than their generational peers.

Millennials are the most likely buyers of Smartphones

·         54% - or more than 25 million Millennials - currently own a smartphone, and 18% plan to purchase one within the next six months.

·         63% of Millennials use their smartphones at work, while 95% report that they are the sole users of the device.

·         Millennials who have graduated college are 23% more likely to own a smartphone than others in their generation.

Read the news release.

Read the study in full.

What does this study mean for your publishing strategy? Let Somersault help.

Celebrate with us! Alltop (@Alltop) has selected the Somersault (@smrsault) blog to be included in its category of top Publishing resources on the Web. We couldn’t be happier!

Alltop is a valuable service that, as it says, “collects the headlines of the latest stories from the best sites and blogs that cover a topic.” Alltop is a “dashboard,” “table of contents,” or even a “digital magazine rack” of the Internet. It groups collections of RSS news feeds into individual Web pages, displayed in hundreds of topical categories. Topics run from adoption to zoology with photography, food, science, religion, celebrities, fashion, gaming, sports, politics, automobiles, Macintosh, and hundreds of other subjects along the way. It says it provides “aggregation without aggravation.”

ReadWriteWeb (@RWW) says Alltop is “a valuable resource for anyone wanting to research a certain subject or industry.”

The Somersault blog strives to be a voice for thought leadership in a variety of subjects that matter to publishing and marketing executives. We explore topics such as leadership, innovation, publicity best practices, and the future of publishing, as well as many others. It's an honor to be recognized by Alltop as a valuable resource for readers. 

Look for Somersault under Publishing, about half-way down in the right column. Also visit Somersault’s own personalized Alltop page of the RSS feeds we find interesting and useful. You may want to create your own Alltop page. If you do, be sure to add Somersault to it.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard that we built specifically for publishing and marketing executives.

You may also be interested in receiving any of our 10 paper.li newspapers -- daily source material comprised of Twitter-fed stories and information in the areas of audiobooks, ebooks, futurist news, innovation, literary agents, mobile, publishing, research, retail, and leadership.

A new Ipsos MORI (@IpsosMORI) poll finds that 7 in 10 people say they have a religion/faith, but there’s a marked difference between Christians and Muslims when it comes to the importance they place on their faith. The global survey looked at the views of over 18,000 people across 24 countries, including the UK and US. According to The Christian Post (@ChristianPost):

In Muslim-majority countries, 94% of those with a religion agree that their faith is important in their lives, compared to 66% in Christian-majority countries.

Muslims are far more likely to believe their religion is the only true path to salvation, liberation, or paradise – 61% compared to 19% in Christian-majority countries. In the US, 32% say their faith or religion is the only true path.

Muslims are also more likely to say their faith or religion is a key motivator in giving time and money to people in need – 61% compared to 24% in primarily Christian societies.

Read this in full.
Read the research in full.
See the slide presentation.

How does this research impact your publishing agenda?

Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) reports: John R. W. Stott died today at 3:15 London time (10:15 am EDT), according to John Stott Ministries (@jsmtweets) President Benjamin Homan. Homan said that Stott’s death came after complications related to old age and that he has been in discomfort for the last several weeks. Family and close friends gathered with Stott today as they listened to Handel's Messiah. Homan said John Stott Ministries has been preparing for his death for the past 15 years. “He set an impeccable example for leaders of ministries of handing things over to other leaders,” Homan said. “He imparted to many a love for the global church and imparted a passion for biblical fidelity and a love for the Savior.”

Read coverage by Christianity Today, RNS, The Christian Post, The New York Times, BBC News, Baptist Press, CBA., Crosswalk, Charisma News Online, Patheos, and AP.

See the John Stott Memorial website and view video.

Visit Langham Partnership International (@langhamlit), founded by John Stott.

Review John Stott's books at the website of his publisher, InterVarsity Press (@ivpress).

ICRS (@ICRShow) (#ICRShow) met in Atlanta July 10-13. Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) says, “CBA — the association of Christian stores, which produces the show — reported total attendance of just under 5,000, a 6% increase over last year’s convention in St. Louis. The association itself has seen some growth through new memberships, but store attrition continues. Most publishers say the show is still an important place for them to have a presence, even if scaled back, but they are approaching it with new strategies.” Read the full report.

In another article, PW says, “There was less doomsday talk this year from exhibiting publishers--as with BEA, they have accepted that the show no longer has the same purpose, but most say it is valuable for reasons other than selling books. Read the full report.

Christian Retailing (@ChristianRetail) writes, “Given the economy and other factors affecting retailing in general, ‘I’m very encouraged that so many retailers found this show to be beneficial because this is a time when you need to go to this type of event to challenge yourself,’ said CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey.” Read the full report.

On the CBA Industry Blog, read Riskey’s “Message to honored guests after successful ICRS.”

US Director of CLC (@clcusa) Dave Almack (@davealmack) wraps up the show with personal reflections on his FaithLit blog:

1.    Less Panic

2.    Less Hype

3.    More Collaboration

4.    More Innovation

5.    More Productivity

Read the blogpost in full.

See photos from ICRS. 

If you were at ICRS this year, write your comments about it below.