Pallante To Lead Publishers

Jan 13, 2017 | News

The revolving door was invented in New York City, but it was perfected in Washington, DC, where it possibly gets the most use of anywhere in the world. A once-prominent figure on Capitol Hill has again popped up in the busy neighborhood surrounding K Street. On...

Reading and re-reading Obama

Jan 12, 2017 | Best of VOC

Earlier this week, President Barack Obama delivered a farewell address from the same stage where he celebrated his election victory in 2008. As the world reflects on the Obama presidency, Beyond the Book takes another listen to a podcast from 2010, recorded at...

2016 Global Book News In Review

Jan 8, 2017 | Best of VOC, International, Podcasts

The United States has by far the largest publishing industry of any nation in the world, followed by China and Germany. Some of the fastest growth is seen in national markets across Asia and the Middle East. Young populations with access to the Internet on smartphones...

Barnes & Noble Has Post-Holiday Hangover

Jan 6, 2017 | Podcasts

The holiday season marks the time of year when just about everyone wishes for miracles. As 2016 ended, the book world crossed its fingers, closed its eyes and said a quiet prayer for an upturn in sales. This first week of January, booksellers and publishers have...

2016 Technology News In Review

Jan 1, 2017 | Podcasts

“Progress” is supposed to be a given in modern human society. We expect our technology to advance, year over year, and for maintaining that pace, we rely on Moore’s Law. In other words, last year’s model is always obsolete. One way to distinguish 21st century...

2016 Book Business News In Review

Dec 25, 2016 | Best of VOC

The word of the year for publishing in 2016 was data. It was such a big year for data, in fact, that it’s always called, “Big Data.” As publishers remake themselves into information providers for the digital age, they will likely need to abandon the old notion of...

As 2016 Ends, Librarians Look Ahead

Dec 16, 2016 | News

In the weeks before the curtain falls on 2016, editors and reporters are madly making lists – not of gifts they wish for, but of stories from the last twelve months they can’t forget or stop talking about. 2016 has made an indelible mark, of course – in politics, in...

A New Digital Book World Ahead

Dec 11, 2016 | Podcasts

“The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.” Unhappily, many working in the publishing industry know too well how swiftly this wry observation can become true. The best way to keep your job in publishing is to open your mind to...

Politics Trumps Publishing

Dec 9, 2016 | News

“The election of Donald Trump was not only a shock to the nation, but also to publishers, and many are now pivoting to put some books on Trump, and America in the Age of Trump, onto their Spring 2017 lists,” reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly...

WorldReader Brings Digital Library To Africa

Dec 4, 2016 | International, News

A visit to the local library is a common ritual for families with young children. Even the smallest library’s shelves are stocked with many an armful of story books for bedtime. In developing countries across Africa, the physical library is a rare enough sight. Books...