Insightful U.S. News article about Books

One of the publications which I take is U.S. News & World Report. In the March 13, 2006 issue, Diane Cole includes a fascinating look at book publishing. The article is called “Publish or Panic. The credibility of books is in a million little pieces. The web is stealing readers. But publishers are fighting back.” Here’s the link.

Make sure you look at all the various pages and the sidebar about Print On Demand called “Bind It Yourself” (also by Cole). I found it fascinating and I hope you will as well.

If you want to get the essence of this article, skip to the sixth screen and read this summary: “the basic principles of reaching out to readers really haven't changed since Judith Appelbaum wrote the original edition of her author's marketing manual, How to Get Happily Published, in 1978. They remain the same, Appelbaum says: "Figure out who the book is for. Figure out how to get in touch with those readers. Figure out what to tell them about it so they know that they want it; and then make it easy for them to get it. The Internet may make that part simpler.” But first, you've still got to write the book.”

Yes, it’s easy to get a book produced. But selling it into the hands of readers? As they say, “That’s a horse of a different color.”

P.S. Don’t forget this week I’m telling stories from some books I’ve written and key change in the lives of those people at the God Allows U-Turns blog. Today I’m featuring Chuck Colson.