Good Reads, Smart Readers: A New View of E-Books

Jane Friedman at SCPS-NYU Center for Publishing

“To be a success, you only have to be right 51% of the time,” said former HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman about her publishing career, past and future. Friedman was speaking to an audience of graduate students, alumni, and faculty of NYU-SCPS Center for Publishing. Publishing heavyweights such as Michael Cader, creator of Publishers Marketplace; Peter Workman,  president and CEO of Workman Publishing; and Bob Miller, president and publisher of HarperStudio also listened intently as Friedman talked about her exciting new e-book company, Open Road Integrated Media.

The Pirates of Publishing:A View from the Crow’s Nest

The new face of publishing?

I am a pirate, sanctioned by publishers to engage in piratical activities and collect information for the benefit of the publishing community. During the last year and a half, I have worked with Magellan Media Partners on collecting data for a study on The Impact of P2P File Sharing on Book Sales. In the course of my research, I’ve talked with many people in various areas of the piracy community and as a result have been able to create a list of observations about the nature of piracy, how it can be a useful tool, and what publishers can do to minimize overall risk.

Get to Know The HuffPo

Jai Singh, Managing Editor of The Huffington Post, with NYU MS in Publishing Students

On a cold and wet Thursday, a small group of publishing students packed into the SoHo office of The Huffington Post to learn about one of the most heavily trafficked websites on the internet. Personally, I was excited to visit the office as the site has achieved what I think is the “holy grail” of websites: it not only survives, but thrives primarily through advertising revenue.

Google, E-Readers and More

David Carr(l) and Ken Auletta have a Google chat

Did you know that employees at Google’s Mountain View, CA campus get free oil changes and car washes on Thursdays? Or that there are five doctors on campus? How about the fact that engineers can spend 20% of their time working on what they want? This 80/20 rule, which has spawned Google Wave, Google News and Gmail, is part of a corporate culture where boss and cofounder Sergey Brin rollerblades (late) to meetings in his gym shorts. Every building has its own cafeteria serving everything from Mexican food to sushi and free food is everywhere.

What it Means To Be “Free”

(L to R) Anderson, Hoenig, Sargent and Murray at NYU Media Talk

When I heard Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Wired, was going to be moderating a discussion on “Free and Paid Content” this semester as part of the Media Talk series sponsored by NYU’s Center for Publishing, I did a little dance and signed up immediately. I have to admit that I am a big Chris Anderson fan. Not only do I read Wired, I pay to have it delivered to my door.

Sitting in the Condé Nast auditorium, I knew we were in for an interesting night. Chris Anderson was on one side, flanked by Gary Hoenig, Editorial Director and General Manager of ESPN Publishing; John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan; and Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor and Executive Editor, Online, The Wall Street Journal. You can watch the video at http://www.scps.nyu.edu/areas-of-study/publishing/news-and-events/media-talks/free-and-paid-content.html

Meanwhile, here are some of the most interesting points made by the panel:

Publishing Buying Power at Work

Edward Ash-Milby and Sallye Levanthal at Barnes & Noble. Photo by Preeti Chhibber.

Last Thursday morning I found my bleary-eyed self and 37 other (and more awake-looking) NYU M.S. in Publishing students raptly listening to two of Barnes & Noble’s leading book buyers, Sallye Leventhal and Edward Ash-Milby.  Both Sallye and Edward are highly experienced publishing professionals: Sallye presides over the history, military-history, and current affairs sections and Edward manages the titles appearing in biography, psychology, self-help, and health.

Brooklyn Loves Books

AAP’s Get Caught Reading table

More than 220 authors, musicians and other artists joined 150 booksellers and presses at New York City’s biggest free celebration of authors and books at the Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, September 13^th. Book lovers of all ages had an opportunity to meet authors, attend panels and browse through books. Well-known publishers  such as HarperPerennial, Drawn and Quarterly, and DK publishing were in attendance, as were independent presses such as Akashic books, Giron books, and PM press. Readings and literary activities were held all day in the children’s area, sponsored by Target, and poetry and writing workshops for teenagers  took place  in the main workshop tent. The event was held outdoors at Borough Hall and with no rain in site, it was a perfect day for discovering new and talented writers.

 

Publishing on the Rebound?

Seth Harris:will we soon reach new heights in publishing?

Although we may not want to bring out the champagne just yet, all is not doom and gloom in the publishing industry these days. At a recent NYU Publishing Alumni Association meet-up, several former and current NYU Master of Science in Publishing students noted some increases in business activity and investments being made at their companies. All in all, the mood was much brighter and for once, there was no major talk about layoffs, restructurings and consolidations in publishing.

Meet the PSA (Publishing Students Association) Seven

At NYU’s Master of Science in Publishing program, networking is important— and so is getting to know your fellow students.  The Publishing Students Association, headed by seven student leaders, works hard to create social and community service events as well  as gatherings with alumni. Whether it’s a picnic in Central Park, a book drive,  or a chance to meet with industry leaders and learn more about trends and strategies in publishing, the members of the PSA are busy planning and organizing. And that’s not always easy after a hard day at work in a book or magazine company and attending classes in the evenings. At the Center for Publishing, we’re  proud of our PSA and want you to meet the leaders and hear their thoughts on careers, media and much more:

Expert Advice

Mary Ann Bekkedahl will speak in NYU's "From Idea to Empire : New Business Development" class."

We love our faculty members at NYU’s Master of Science in Publishing program, but it’s still nice to have a fresh face in the classroom now and then. Enter the guest speaker, an expert who spends an hour or so imparting a new publishing viewpoint,  strategy or way of doing business to the class. This fall, we’re fortunate to have a number of guest speakers sharing their wisdom with our students.

For faculty members, luring a top publishing executive to NYU’s evening classes after a long day on the job is a feat in itself. In fact, snaring speakers requires the reach of a casting agent, the tenacity of a talent scout and the clout of a speakers’ bureau combined. One must be very persuasive to convince a guest speaker to put together a PowerPoint presentation, scramble around for interesting handouts—think bestselling books or hot magazines—bolt out of the office early (stomach grumbling), and race to NYU in time to face a sea of equally hungry and weary students.