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Back to the Future

July 19, 2009 by vmckeon

Hoenig, O'Leary, Schwalbe(front row) and rear) get visionary — Hoenig, O’Leary, and Schwalbe (front) and Simon and Shatzkin (rear) get visionary

Put five creative, high-strung and high-minded publishing types together for a “New Visions Panel” at The Summer Publishing Institute and uniformity is certain not to reign. Take the debate on the Kindle, which most media gurus say is the way to lure more readers and generate sales. “When you are done reading with a Kindle, you have nothing,” complained Dan Simon, founder and publisher of Seven Stories Press, a highly regarded independent publishing company. “I don’t think it’ll be around that long.” At the other end of the table, Will Schwalbe, former SVP and Editor-in-Chief of Hyperion and now the founder and President of the new site cookstr.com (which brings together recipes from the world’s great chefs and cookbook authors), listened in mild disbelief: “I think Kindle will spur not hinder book sales,” he protested. “It’ll be around for a long long time!”

[Read more…] about Back to the Future

Graphic Novels 101

July 17, 2009 by vmckeon

You’ve heard of “Maus” and “Persepolis,” but, really, what’s a graphic novel? Tricia Narwani, Editor with Random House’s Del Rey Books (with more than 100 manga titles this year), recently answered that question at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute. Speaking to students, she talked about the state of the industry, the various genres and much more.

[Read more…] about Graphic Novels 101

Confessions of the Book Bloggers

July 8, 2009 by vmckeon

What happens when eight book bloggers, (four of whom happen to be named Sarah or Sara) get together? They lament, critique, praise, exult, protest, and exclaim. In sum, they act like, well, bloggers. That’s what happened during the “Everybody’s Talking Books” panel at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute. Naturally, we decided to blog about the day the Blogosphere came to SPI.

Some highlights include: [Read more…] about Confessions of the Book Bloggers

Big Ideas and a (Relatively!) Little Bookstore

July 6, 2009 by vmckeon

Clifford watches over the Scholastic book store — Clifford watches over the Scholastic Book Store

After weeks of talking about books, Summer Publishing Institute students hit the road to see how books are published and sold. The 100 students split off into groups to visit publishing houses like The Penguin Group, Macmillan, Abramsbooks, The Hachette Book Group, and Scholastic Corporation, where the company’s beloved character Clifford was on hand to greet the visitors.

Administrative Assistant Emna Belgasni guided our group from the twelfth floor, roof-level atrium to ground level; in between we were shown board meeting rooms, the company library, and vibrant displays of best-selling books like the “Harry Potter” series. It was not your typical, staid working environment: incredible student artwork – all made by winners of the Scholastic Art Award, a prestigious award program for young students pursuing creative studies-lined the walls and a red “Box for Big Ideas” was set up in the cafeteria. [Read more…] about Big Ideas and a (Relatively!) Little Bookstore

Bunny Eat Bunny World

July 2, 2009 by vmckeon

Berger, Feiwel and Tingly (front) and Bowen, Weisberg and Frazier (back) take kids to heart — Berger, Feiwel and Tingley (front) and Bowen, Weisberg and Frazier (back) take kids to heart

A much-anticipated panel on children’s books at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute brought out an amazing array of publishing talent, with newly minted literary agent Brenda Bowen moderating. Included in the lineup were Ellie Berger, President of Scholastic Trade Publishing, Megan Tingley, Publisher of Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Don Weisberg, President of Penguin’s Young Readers Group, Felicia Frazier, SVP and Director of Sales at Penguin, and Jean Feiwel, SVP and Director, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. [Read more…] about Bunny Eat Bunny World

The Real Editorial Opinions!

June 30, 2009 by vmckeon

Chris Jackson and panel of editors share a good story

“Hope” and “love” were two words tossed around freely during a panel discussion of book editors at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute. Sure, there was mention of “P & L’s” and other earthbound concepts like earning out inflated advances. Yet as moderator Christopher Jackson, Executive Editor of Spiegel & Grau, deftly guided the conversation, the prevailing theme was the importance of passion. The panelists spoke repeatedly of falling in love with a manuscript or a proposal and persuading a tough-minded acquisitions board to publish it. “You just have to believe and be willing to go out on a limb,” said William Morrow’s Executive Editor Laurie Chittenden, who calls book auctions a “legal form of gambling.” (She admitted that she is also a poker player.) [Read more…] about The Real Editorial Opinions!

What’s a Book?

June 26, 2009 by vmckeon

As NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute shifted from magazines to books this week, the conversation migrated from mutterings about the death of print to questions about what, really, is a that rich content that once resided between covers. In his keynote address, Brian Murray, President and CEO of Harper Collins, pointed out that there are more than one million dedicated e-readers out there and that the “rate of change is picking up”. We will all soon be a click away from buying books, Murray predicted, and noted that the point of purchase will be in our pockets through mobile devices and other technology waiting to be developed. “It’s the publishers’ job to manage this transition,” he cautioned. “We don’t want Microsoft or Google to do it for us. We need to find new partners and better ways of reach the online consumer. After all, publishers have deep pockets. We are used to investing in warehouses and other forms of business. Now we need to invest in new technology.”

[Read more…] about What’s a Book?

Pub Party Time!

June 25, 2009 by vmckeon

Everyone loves a good publishing party, and NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute students escaped the classroom to meet up with alumni and guest speakers. The crab cakes were pretty good and the networking opportunities even better….

Photos by Phil Scillaci Kropoth

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Inside “The Knot”

June 23, 2009 by vmckeon

During their recent high-energy visit to SPI, Founder Carly Roney and Executive Editor Rebecca Dolgin of The Knot inspired students with advice for compiling content and encouraging interactive communities–and how this molded a loyal following of “Knotties.” It was helpful information for young, aspiring publishers looking to create a marketable brand. [Read more…] about Inside “The Knot”

Chris Anderson is Wired for success

June 23, 2009 by vmckeon

His crisp Condé Nast business card says Editor-in-Chief. Yet, says Chris Anderson, if one of his five children follows in his footsteps someday, his or her business card will likely read “Community Manager.” “Things are changing,” says the editor of one of the smartest, most irreverent and internet and tech-savvy magazines ever created. Wired coined phrases such as “crowd sourcing” and “new atheism.” Anderson himself invented the term “Long Tail and also wrote a bestselling book about the value of selling large numbers of unique or niche items in relatively small quantities. Now, paradigm-shifter Anderson is back with his new book “Free: The Future of a Radical Price,” out July 7th from Hyperion. Summer Publishing Institute students were lucky enough to snag advance copies….free!