Picking up a novel can be hard. It's the start of hours of commitment with no guarantee of satisfaction. And an unfinished novel sits on the nightstand, a daily rebuke.Whereas opening e-mail is easy. Many of us read dozens of them a day with no more effort than it takes to click a mouse.So why not combine the two?
That's what Toronto screenwriter Michael Betcherman and California journalist David Diamond have done with "The Daughters of Freya," apparently the first novel to be delivered to readers as e-mail.It can't be found in bookstores, and a traditional print-and-paper version of the mystery doesn't exist. Instead, readers order it online and receive three to four e-mails a day (99 in all) for 3½ weeks.Each e-mail takes no more than a minute or two to read. Some contain links to fictitious magazine or newspaper articles or pictures of some characters.The novel is not only delivered in e-mail; it's written in that form.
The entire story is told in e-mails between the characters. Each day's clump of e-mails ends on a cliffhanger, which tantalizes readers who cannot read ahead to solve the mystery.Betcherman said he and Diamond, old friends who'd kept in touch via e-mail, first got the idea of writing a book in e-mails, but a friend suggested they deliver it that way as well. It made sense to Betcherman.E-books are not new. Stephen King launched the first, "Riding the Bullet," in 2000. While he sold more than 500,000 copies, rampant piracy marred the debut. The form has come a long way since then but still requires downloading large blocks of text into computers or PDAs, which can be tiring to read. People are used to reading short e-mails, though."The medium and the form of the story are one. People use the Internet in the way they're accustomed to," Betcherman said.He said nearly 1,000 "copies" have been sold since the fall at a cost of $7.49 apiece. He said he and Diamond are looking at it as a business model. They might hire other writers to write e-mail e-books in other genres."I think there is a big future to it," Betcherman said.
CLICK ON THE TITLE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
A novel idea using e-mail
A novel idea using e-mailMonday, March 28, 2005James F. SweeneyPlain Dealer ReporterPicking up a novel can be hard. It's the start of hours of commitment with no guarantee of satisfaction. And an unfinished novel sits on the nightstand, a daily rebuke.Whereas opening e-mail is easy. Many of us read dozens of them a day with no more effort than it takes to click a mouse.So why not combine the two?That's what Toronto screenwriter Michael Betcherman and California journalist David Diamond have done with "The Daughters of Freya," apparently the first novel to be delivered to readers as e-mail.It can't be found in bookstores, and a traditional print-and-paper version of the mystery doesn't exist. Instead, readers order it online and receive three to four e-mails a day (99 in all) for 3½ weeks.
Each e-mail takes no more than a minute or two to read. Some contain links to fictitious magazine or newspaper articles or pictures of some characters.The novel is not only delivered in e-mail; it's written in that form. The entire story is told in e-mails between the characters. Each day's clump of e-mails ends on a cliffhanger, which tantalizes readers who cannot read ahead to solve the mystery.Betcherman said he and Diamond, old friends who'd kept in touch via e-mail, first got the idea of writing a book in e-mails, but a friend suggested they deliver it that way as well. It made sense to Betcherman.E-books are not new. Stephen King launched the first, "Riding the Bullet," in 2000. While he sold more than 500,000 copies, rampant piracy marred the debut. The form has come a long way since then but still requires downloading large blocks of text into computers or PDAs, which can be tiring to read. People are used to reading short e-mails, though."The medium and the form of the story are one. People use the Internet in the way they're accustomed to," Betcherman said.He said nearly 1,000 "copies" have been sold since the fall at a cost of $7.49 apiece.
He said he and Diamond are looking at it as a business model. They might hire other writers to write e-mail e-books in other genres."I think there is a big future to it," Betcherman said."The Daughters of Freya" is a mystery about an investigative reporter looking into a sex cult in San Francisco.The authors do a good job of keeping true to the form they've chosen. The e-mails read like real e-mails, not literature forced into an artificial form. There are no lengthy descriptions of sunsets or characters' looks. But, despite the creative use of a BlackBerry during the novel's climax, the limitations of e-mail make it hard to convey action or description.And that's the drawback to the form. A good novel absorbs the reader. The characters, the settings and the plot become real.While a competent mystery, "The Daughters of Freya" never achieves that intimacy. The reader is a passive viewer of e-mails between characters and so remains at an emotional distance. A cult member is murdered? The investigative reporter is in danger? Ho hum.In the end, the difference between "The Daughters of Freya" and a traditional novel is the difference between an e-mail and a handwritten letter from a friend. The electronic version is faster and easier but, ultimately, less satisfying.For more information about "The Daughters of Freya," go to www.emailmystery.com.
Each e-mail takes no more than a minute or two to read. Some contain links to fictitious magazine or newspaper articles or pictures of some characters.The novel is not only delivered in e-mail; it's written in that form. The entire story is told in e-mails between the characters. Each day's clump of e-mails ends on a cliffhanger, which tantalizes readers who cannot read ahead to solve the mystery.Betcherman said he and Diamond, old friends who'd kept in touch via e-mail, first got the idea of writing a book in e-mails, but a friend suggested they deliver it that way as well. It made sense to Betcherman.E-books are not new. Stephen King launched the first, "Riding the Bullet," in 2000. While he sold more than 500,000 copies, rampant piracy marred the debut. The form has come a long way since then but still requires downloading large blocks of text into computers or PDAs, which can be tiring to read. People are used to reading short e-mails, though."The medium and the form of the story are one. People use the Internet in the way they're accustomed to," Betcherman said.He said nearly 1,000 "copies" have been sold since the fall at a cost of $7.49 apiece.
He said he and Diamond are looking at it as a business model. They might hire other writers to write e-mail e-books in other genres."I think there is a big future to it," Betcherman said."The Daughters of Freya" is a mystery about an investigative reporter looking into a sex cult in San Francisco.The authors do a good job of keeping true to the form they've chosen. The e-mails read like real e-mails, not literature forced into an artificial form. There are no lengthy descriptions of sunsets or characters' looks. But, despite the creative use of a BlackBerry during the novel's climax, the limitations of e-mail make it hard to convey action or description.And that's the drawback to the form. A good novel absorbs the reader. The characters, the settings and the plot become real.While a competent mystery, "The Daughters of Freya" never achieves that intimacy. The reader is a passive viewer of e-mails between characters and so remains at an emotional distance. A cult member is murdered? The investigative reporter is in danger? Ho hum.In the end, the difference between "The Daughters of Freya" and a traditional novel is the difference between an e-mail and a handwritten letter from a friend. The electronic version is faster and easier but, ultimately, less satisfying.For more information about "The Daughters of Freya," go to www.emailmystery.com.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Surprise! -- Consumers Take Control Of Media
Study Concludes -- Surprise! -- Consumers Take Control Of Media
by Gavin O'Malley
FROM TIVO TO IPODS, AN estimated 27 million U.S. citizens own one or more on-demand media devices, according to a study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research released this week.
The study, based on January telephone interviews with 1,855 participants, found that 10 percent of consumers watched video-on-demand via cable or satellite in the prior 30 days; 11 percent accessed news online; and 37 million consumers listened to Web radio.
"The study shows that consumers, while still using traditional media, have great enthusiasm and passion for on-demand media," Bill Rose, senior vice president-marketing and U.S. media services at Arbitron, said in a statement.
Additionally, Arbitron and Edison determined that 27 percent of 12- to-17-year-olds own an iPod or other portable MP3 player; an estimated 43 million Americans choose to record TV programming to watch at a different time, either with a VCR or TiVo/DVR; 76 percent of consumers own at least one DVD; and 39 percent own 20 or more DVDs in their personal collection.
The study also found that awareness of XM Satellite Radio has tripled since 2002, from 17 to 50 percent, while awareness of Sirius Satellite Radio has risen from 8 to 54 percent.
by Gavin O'Malley
FROM TIVO TO IPODS, AN estimated 27 million U.S. citizens own one or more on-demand media devices, according to a study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research released this week.
The study, based on January telephone interviews with 1,855 participants, found that 10 percent of consumers watched video-on-demand via cable or satellite in the prior 30 days; 11 percent accessed news online; and 37 million consumers listened to Web radio.
"The study shows that consumers, while still using traditional media, have great enthusiasm and passion for on-demand media," Bill Rose, senior vice president-marketing and U.S. media services at Arbitron, said in a statement.
Additionally, Arbitron and Edison determined that 27 percent of 12- to-17-year-olds own an iPod or other portable MP3 player; an estimated 43 million Americans choose to record TV programming to watch at a different time, either with a VCR or TiVo/DVR; 76 percent of consumers own at least one DVD; and 39 percent own 20 or more DVDs in their personal collection.
The study also found that awareness of XM Satellite Radio has tripled since 2002, from 17 to 50 percent, while awareness of Sirius Satellite Radio has risen from 8 to 54 percent.
Intel invests in E Ink
E Ink is just around the corner. It will change everything. Keep your eyes on the trends and the players who are getting into the process.
----------------
-Intel invests in E Ink
By Tony Smith (tony.smith at theregister.co.uk)
Published Wednesday 23rd March 2005 10:00 GMT
Intel has pumped cash into E Ink, the electronic 'ink' technology developer, it was revealed yesterday.
The investment - the amount was not made public - comes through Intel Capital, the chip maker's venture capital division, which funds start-ups developing technology and applications that, one day, may boost demand for PCs and thus Intel's chip products.
E Ink's technology has already been licensed by Philips, which has used it in a non-volatile 'electronic paper' display. That unit, in turn, was chosen by Sony as the basis for the Librié 1000EP (right) electronic book it launched in Japan (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/25/sony_launches_true_electronic_book/) a year ago. The display's resolution is 600 x 800, but it operates at 170dpi.
E-Ink's system uses charged black and white particles. Under the influence of an electric field, the particles adhere to the panel, allowing them to stay there when the current is removed. Power is only needed to change the image, not to maintain it, making the technology suitable for very low power applications.
The Philips display is capable of creating four-level greyscale images, presumably by varying the density of particles in a given area, in the same way photos are reproduced in print.
E Ink's finance VP, Ken Titlebaum, said Intel's cash would be used to fund the development of the next generation of the company's electronic ink technology. ®
Related stories
Sony launches true electronic book (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/25/sony_launches_true_electronic_book/)
Philips demos bendiest LCD yet (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/01/27/philips_demos_bendiest_lcd_yet/)
© Copyright 2005
----------------
-Intel invests in E Ink
By Tony Smith (tony.smith at theregister.co.uk)
Published Wednesday 23rd March 2005 10:00 GMT
Intel has pumped cash into E Ink, the electronic 'ink' technology developer, it was revealed yesterday.
The investment - the amount was not made public - comes through Intel Capital, the chip maker's venture capital division, which funds start-ups developing technology and applications that, one day, may boost demand for PCs and thus Intel's chip products.
E Ink's technology has already been licensed by Philips, which has used it in a non-volatile 'electronic paper' display. That unit, in turn, was chosen by Sony as the basis for the Librié 1000EP (right) electronic book it launched in Japan (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/25/sony_launches_true_electronic_book/) a year ago. The display's resolution is 600 x 800, but it operates at 170dpi.
E-Ink's system uses charged black and white particles. Under the influence of an electric field, the particles adhere to the panel, allowing them to stay there when the current is removed. Power is only needed to change the image, not to maintain it, making the technology suitable for very low power applications.
The Philips display is capable of creating four-level greyscale images, presumably by varying the density of particles in a given area, in the same way photos are reproduced in print.
E Ink's finance VP, Ken Titlebaum, said Intel's cash would be used to fund the development of the next generation of the company's electronic ink technology. ®
Related stories
Sony launches true electronic book (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/25/sony_launches_true_electronic_book/)
Philips demos bendiest LCD yet (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/01/27/philips_demos_bendiest_lcd_yet/)
© Copyright 2005
Monday, March 21, 2005
Publishers are under increasing skepticism by the public
Publishers are under increased skepticism by the public at large. Is that as it should be? Do we deserve the skepticism? Are we as a group failing in our public trust? Or is this just an aberration, blown out of proportion by a few and perceived a failure of many?
Either way, what to we do to regain our creditability?
Either way, what to we do to regain our creditability?
Friday, March 18, 2005
E-Paper Is Making Great Progress
I found the attached article about e-paper very interesting. E-paper is making great progress. Did you know that the US Army is very involved in E-paper. They intend to use it as GPS connected maps. Imagine that! Maps that are updated on a second by second basis. Once this is perfected, and it soon will be, it’s application for publishing will be wonderfully powerful.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Would you Rather get an Outside Service to do the Inside Work?
There is an old Dr. Edward Deming way of looking at a corporation that that comes to my mind from time to time.
The short essence of it is this: If you could, would you use the various departments in your company or would you rather get an outside service to do the work? An interesting question.
So I am asking you. If you could, would you use your current production, edit, or sales teams, or would you rather get the same services somewhere else? Think about it up and down the corporate chain. What would really be best from your departments perspective?
The short essence of it is this: If you could, would you use the various departments in your company or would you rather get an outside service to do the work? An interesting question.
So I am asking you. If you could, would you use your current production, edit, or sales teams, or would you rather get the same services somewhere else? Think about it up and down the corporate chain. What would really be best from your departments perspective?
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Who will be the best aggregator of the information process.
In the new world of Electronic information distribution, where does/should a printer place himself? Should he/can he be the center of a digital distribution chain, so that all files can printed, webbed, blogged, emailed and otherwise sent out to the general public in multiple formats. Or should all those responsibilities reside at the publisher’s domain? Who is/will be the best aggregator of the process.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Can a blog one day replace true journalism?
Can a blog one day replace true journalism?
What is the possibility that one day, magazines,newspapers and other respected printed matter will be replaced by individual blogs?
What is the possibility that one day, magazines,newspapers and other respected printed matter will be replaced by individual blogs?
Friday, March 11, 2005
BoSacks Speaks Out: Local Mobile Search? Hold the Phone
BoSacks Speaks Out: Local Mobile Search? Hold the Phone
There is yet another fork in the road of the information superhighway where printed magazines and newspapers were once the dominant source of information, but are now being replaced by a faster, personalized, geographically accurate electronic device/service. It seems that each day now I see areas of information distribution where once we were kings and now perhaps dukes, earls and little princelings. Our royalty status is on the decline. Cell Phones are now a source of instant news and information, much like the antique newspapers of your grandfathers. Only quicker and with GPS localization.
I will add another dimension to this that goes beyond just the ease of use. Today's generations do not like to read. Here is yet another example of how they can have the information they want without the need of reading to get it. Pablum information tools. No thinking to get it, and nothing to intellectually digest. This factoid type of information distribution is becoming mainstream. My best guess is that the next generation does know, or has at least heard, some of the current news headlines and world events, but they have little to none of the details beyond the headlines. I don't know if anyone has said this before, but I find this "factoid generation" more then a little troublesome.
There is yet another fork in the road of the information superhighway where printed magazines and newspapers were once the dominant source of information, but are now being replaced by a faster, personalized, geographically accurate electronic device/service. It seems that each day now I see areas of information distribution where once we were kings and now perhaps dukes, earls and little princelings. Our royalty status is on the decline. Cell Phones are now a source of instant news and information, much like the antique newspapers of your grandfathers. Only quicker and with GPS localization.
I will add another dimension to this that goes beyond just the ease of use. Today's generations do not like to read. Here is yet another example of how they can have the information they want without the need of reading to get it. Pablum information tools. No thinking to get it, and nothing to intellectually digest. This factoid type of information distribution is becoming mainstream. My best guess is that the next generation does know, or has at least heard, some of the current news headlines and world events, but they have little to none of the details beyond the headlines. I don't know if anyone has said this before, but I find this "factoid generation" more then a little troublesome.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Are Publishers the right Man for the Job?
In talking about business models here is one worth discussing.
If you were going to go sailing in treacherous waters, who would you want captain your ship? Perhaps the travel agent that sold you that trip? I don’t think so.
Where is it written in stone that a best practice for a business is to put at the helm of the ship a person with little knowledge of that business? It has been a mystery to me the continued predilection of the publishing community to take very successful salespeople and anoint them with the title of publisher.
A publisher is in charge of the whole enchilada. They should be fluent in the disciplines of circulation, accounting principles, manufacturing and production. I have lots of friends who are publishers and most have agreed privately that although it’s good for their ego, and the fact those advertisers like to see upper management, the publisher. But that it takes a long long time to learn the other disciplines of the business environment. What do you think?
If you were going to go sailing in treacherous waters, who would you want captain your ship? Perhaps the travel agent that sold you that trip? I don’t think so.
Where is it written in stone that a best practice for a business is to put at the helm of the ship a person with little knowledge of that business? It has been a mystery to me the continued predilection of the publishing community to take very successful salespeople and anoint them with the title of publisher.
A publisher is in charge of the whole enchilada. They should be fluent in the disciplines of circulation, accounting principles, manufacturing and production. I have lots of friends who are publishers and most have agreed privately that although it’s good for their ego, and the fact those advertisers like to see upper management, the publisher. But that it takes a long long time to learn the other disciplines of the business environment. What do you think?
Sunday, March 06, 2005
What Happens to the Newsstand Industry?
Here is a sobering thought. What happens to the newsstand industry when the current trend of celebrity fascination ends? It will happen you know, in media it’s all about trends. Some are long lasting and some are a flash in the pan. The celebrity boom in magazine sales will one day be a celebrity bust, no pun intended.
It seems to be happening right now with the teen magazines. Well these teens are the next group of readers, we hope, of your magazines.
Let’s do a quick review. Newsstand sales have been at best flat for the last 15 years. Those stats include the great successes of the celebrity titles. If you take out the celebrity numbers, the viewing of the resultant graph is much more sobering, if not scary. What do you think?
It seems to be happening right now with the teen magazines. Well these teens are the next group of readers, we hope, of your magazines.
Let’s do a quick review. Newsstand sales have been at best flat for the last 15 years. Those stats include the great successes of the celebrity titles. If you take out the celebrity numbers, the viewing of the resultant graph is much more sobering, if not scary. What do you think?
Friday, March 04, 2005
BoSacks Speaks Out: The Blog Of War
BoSacks Speaks Out: The Blog Of War
BoSacks Speaks Out: BLOGS are a new and developing form of journalism.They are still in their formative years, under development and growing rapidly. BLOGS have in a very short space of time, toppled politicians and media personalities.The same can also be said for traditional media. But traditional media is somewhat slower to report and not quite so anonymous. There are some interesting aspects of BLOGGERS' that contain potentially unchecked and abusive use of Internet power. It is a necessary line of logic to ponder.
We are in uncharted waters. Democracy needs total freedom of the press to thrive. That freedom links an informed public and the political process. As I try to hold that thought, I am troubled by the terrible power of an under-read public and its susceptibility to unsubstantiated "facts." It is a paradox that will unfold right before our eyes in the next few years. At the very least, I think it is fair to say that we are more vulnerable to media manipulation than ever before. Yes, there were the years of yellow journalism and media contrivances before, but I think we are on the edge of something new and far more powerful.
What are your thoughts?
BoSacks
-30-
BoSacks Speaks Out: BLOGS are a new and developing form of journalism.They are still in their formative years, under development and growing rapidly. BLOGS have in a very short space of time, toppled politicians and media personalities.The same can also be said for traditional media. But traditional media is somewhat slower to report and not quite so anonymous. There are some interesting aspects of BLOGGERS' that contain potentially unchecked and abusive use of Internet power. It is a necessary line of logic to ponder.
We are in uncharted waters. Democracy needs total freedom of the press to thrive. That freedom links an informed public and the political process. As I try to hold that thought, I am troubled by the terrible power of an under-read public and its susceptibility to unsubstantiated "facts." It is a paradox that will unfold right before our eyes in the next few years. At the very least, I think it is fair to say that we are more vulnerable to media manipulation than ever before. Yes, there were the years of yellow journalism and media contrivances before, but I think we are on the edge of something new and far more powerful.
What are your thoughts?
BoSacks
-30-
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