May 19, 2012

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Is POD Replacing Brick and Mortar Publishing Houses?

Has digital publishing taken the place of the traditional brick and mortar publisher? At first thought the answer may be no, unless it’s looked at from a different perspective; the one of the writer.  The writer creates and polishes the work and now they can get it published without aid of agent or publishing house. Many small publishers and agents are going out of work because of the new digital trend, and vanity presses are struggling more.

Digital publishing has become a big deal, and even more since the invention of eReaders. Many of them are produced on demand (POD), or when someone orders one. Software to make them are often free on download sites. Nobody needs an agent; it’s up to the writer to promote the work, which gets it published much faster, but promotions, signings, and getting it into a bookstore are quite a challenge.

Who Makes the Most Money on eBooks?


In fact, it seems it’s the retailer who’s going to get the best end of the deal. Suddenly the retailer has power over who it’ll carry and who it won’t, and whether they’ll stockpile some copies or just print them on demand. The retailer gets to decide how much the work will sell for, too.

Brick and mortar publishing houses aren’t going to go the way of vinyl records and disappear, but it’s going to be a more select few that are granted their participation. They’re going to have to figure a way to price electronic works so that both they and the writer make satisfactory money from it and they’re going to have to provide such impeccable service that writers will not turn to digital books.

But there are those people who just love books. Is it the weight in their hands, or the ease of finding information, or perhaps the comfort of reading cuddled in a warm bed? They will always be cherished by some, always held closely.

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Is There Benefit to Rereading?

Are there benefits to rereading a text? Will we pick up more information and retain it better on the second read?
ScienceDirect.com’s Callendar and Daniels did experiments on this very topic and found that rereading educational texts did not help the tested student retain more or understand better. A surprising result.
Others have said that rereading things like a personal journal can give insight to what the journalist has experienced or had difficult times with. It allows the old feelings written down to be brought to attention again and the opportunity to better deal with the circumstance is the reward. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case with rereading educational materials.
Margaret Hunsberger of phenominologyonline.com says that rereading any text is like having another conversation with the same old friend, and that the ‘conversation’ between the text and the reader is a new one each time the text is revisited.  Although, her article is fact-bare and rich with personal experience.
So Does Rereading Help or Not?

Do we see or find things we hadn’t noticed before? Often it’s a yes when the person is watching a movie. Our eyes notice things that are of interest to us the first time, and already knowing those things, the second time allows the watcher to notice other things not previously noticed. But, when rereading does this happen?
The jury is still out on this one; there‘s a lot of ‘evidence‘ for both sides, but think about it; it may be a personal thing. It would seem to depend greatly on the kind of thing that’s being revisited; a movie or an educational text, or a journal or story. It also is likely to depend on whether the material is interesting to the reader, or whether it’s easy for the reader to read. If comprehension is low the first time around, then a second time should be given a chance.
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A Word on Indie Publishers, Vanity Presses and Major Publishing Houses

Independent publishers are getting works produced and out to the public faster (in a matter of months) than a major publishing house will (up to two years). They’re beginning to see great successes and give major publishers a run for their money.
Independent Publishers

An independent publisher takes work by often previously unpublished writers and writers who produce the kinds of works that small printers are attracted to. Sometimes an indie publisher requires the author to publicize and promote their own work, but no matter what one does in life, it’s going to take some effort of their own. With an independent publisher, the author is going to have a lot to do with the production process and even with the  promoting, too, and they‘re likely to get lots of hands-on experience and control over the end result. Of course there will be some money to invest, but it’s not much, when comparing prices with vanity publishers.
Vanity Presses

Vanity presses are independent publishers who require a substantial investment from the author. They’ll make up an attractive cover and help some with promotion, but they usually don’t offer editing help. And, the author is usually required to buy a certain number of copies of the book being produced, which they have to try and sell themselves. Books of this nature don’t get into bookstores or libraries without the devoted, tireless work of their author. Book signings and other promotion events are up to the author as well.
Major Publishing Houses

A major publisher wants to see a manuscript through the actions of an agent. The major publishing house will edit the work, suggest changes and then they’ll make up illustrations for the cover and work out all the details, including book signings and promotional events. They even pay an advance to the author and for their promotional travel expenses. Usually, only previously published authors with successful sales are taken by these publishers.
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Choosing an e-Reader; iPad or Nook?

Electronic readers are very popular now, the first of which is called the Kindle, and was the only one of it’s kind for a while. A huge library could be downloaded and it’s small enough to carry around like a paperback. Convenience and instant gratification are satisfied, no matter the price.
Amazon.com announced that for the first time, ebooks outsold print books in 2010 – that tells how popular both reading and convenience are today. Which reader is best? It depends on what is looked for in an e-reader.
Do You Want an iPad or a Nook?

The iPad is more than just an e-reader; it’s a multimedia device that has e-reader capabilities, so if someone is looking for a combination of both, then the iPad wins. However, trying to read the screen in sunlight or bright lights is nearly impossible without having to shade the screen, and that’s just annoying. And then there’s the short 10-hour battery life that doesn’t even compare with the dedicated e-readers’ batteries lasting up to two weeks with daily use.
According to Switched.com, the Barnes & Noble Nook has an easier to read screen, it’s lightweight and of the right size, and it’s well-made, but the testers had trouble with the full-color touch screen at the bottom. They found they had to touch some things several times before the device responded. This is something that’s going to change in new models and then there’s nothing to complain about the Nook. Page loads are timely and it can show photo files as well.
B&N allows Nook readers access to free ebooks while in the physical store, a perk that others don’t give. The Nook also shows actual page numbers – a luxury that’s only shared with Sony’s new reader. That’s a big complaint, not having page numbers, and it’s unknown why other readers weren’t programmed to have them.
Try them out; see which one fits the best.
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Books From 15th Century on Display in Belfast’s Oldest Library

The HLF, or Heritage Lottery Fund, is a grant program that offers moneys to pay for certain projects and non-profits in the UK. In the past they’ve funded national, regional and local heritage projects in the UK that focus on heritage. They have programs for young people (ages 15-24), for-profit and not-for-profit businesses and private-owned projects that can prove a greater benefit for the public than for the owner‘s personal gain.
Recently, the HLF has funded an antique book scheme to be on display in the famous old Linen Hall Library in Belfast. The Linen Hall Library, founded in 1788, is the oldest library in Belfast and the last subscribing library in Ireland, and there are works there dating back to the 15th century.
See Works From the 15th Century on Display

The old library is world-renowned for it’s Irish and Local Studies Collection, including comprehensive holdings of early Belfast and Ulster printed books, and they reside among over 250,000 items in the Northern Ireland Political Collection. This collection holds the definitive records of political unrest in more recent times, too.
The antique book scheme is a collection including the first printing of Robert Burns’ poetry and will be put on display in a project funded by the HLF. The collection contains nearly 2,000 antique books that will be displayed thanks to the HLF funding of 50,000 pounds, and the plan is to catalogue and restore it’s Languages of Ulster collections. Those collections date back to the 1400s.
Head of the HLF Northern Ireland, Paul Mullan, said, “Through the exhibition, workshops and distributions of reprinted editions, access to this historic collection will be increased.”
Imagine, seeing works in print that date back to the 1400s! It’s a miracle that the papers survived this long, and the history and heritage can be put right there in front of all eyes.
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Reading to Unborn Babies; is it Good for Them?

Over the last half century or so, people have been reading to their unborn children. Whether or not the babies get an educational boost somehow isn’t known yet. But, it is known that all babies love to hear and are comforted by  their mother’s voice.
Reading to a child before it’s born gets them more used to hearing the mother’s voice and it becomes a comfort to them. Studies have shown that a baby’s heart rate slows when it hears the mother’s voice, indicating comfort or security. It also helps to create a bond between mother and child while the child is still in utero.
Many mothers read children’s books to their babies; Dr. Seuss is very popular, especially because his books are all done in verse that rhymes and has a rhythm. The sing-song way the verses read entertain and soothe children that are very young.
Studies Prove Babies in Utero Can Learn

Other mothers like to read great literature to them, hoping they’ll be born with an innate taste for culture. And some read whatever they’re reading at the time, giving their baby the benefit of hearing the mother speak in soothing tones.
That’s what it’s all really about, is teaching the baby which sounds to be comforted by before birth. Which sounds are the mom and which ones are the dad and others. Which sounds are soothing and which sounds are familiar.
Reading is a very good way to teach that to a child, as steady reading would carry tones of conversation while being steady and soothing. Just the vibration of her voice soothes the child. Singing would be another good way, even if a mother is totally tone-deaf.
Any time a mother takes time to sit down and pay special attention to her child, unborn or born, it’s quality time and beneficial to the baby.
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Do You Remember Best in the Morning?

Dunn and Dunn Researchers have done studies on high school students to see what time of day kids are more alert and receptive in class. They fall into one of several categories of alert, receptive times of day.
The study found that 30% of the students were the most alert in the mornings, 30% were most alert right after lunch, and 30% were most alert when school wasn’t even in session anymore for the day. The other 10% find it easy to learn at any time of day, or when it’s necessary to learn.
Teacher’s Energy Wanes as Student’s Energy Rises

The study also found that the teachers were at their peak in the morning and at their lowest right after lunch, for some reason. This means that teachers, at their lowest energy time of day had students at their most active time of day at the same time. Behavior incidents rally in the time slot right after lunch. Why are we looking at these study results?
To determine the best time of day to read and be able to retain what is read. Apparently, it’s going to be a personal thing, with so many categories of learning – or are we conditioned by the time adulthood is reached and as adults we have more energy and are more receptive when rested, fed and awake in the morning? Is that why the teachers all had their highest energy early in the day and lowest after lunch, because they are adults?
That’s going to be another study altogether, for those answers.
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Want to Learn to Speed Read?

Like many leisurely activities, a lot of people have a list of books they want to read, but they don’t have time. Reading takes time, and understanding what is read is key. If the reader doesn’t comprehend what is being read, then why read at all?
Comprehension and retention are the whole purposes of reading; especially in school. Many adults have mastered the art of reading, but how much of it was actually retained? The more speed-reading is practiced, the faster the person will begin to read, comprehend and retain.
There is no magic technique or button that can make anyone read faster. The only way to do it is to practice. Period. But, there are some simple techniques that can help a reader to practice better and get much faster.
With Speed Reading You’ll Have Time

Pick the first sentence of a paragraph and read it as quickly as possible. Compare it to saying “one-one thousand” to determine if it took one second, less, or more – the first goal is to first read the sentence in one second. Say it over and over until that’s mastered, and then do it in half a second.
Next, read the rest of the paragraph by speed reading it, limiting each line to only half a second. Don’t pay any attention to comprehension yet, that will come later, just work on speed. It often helps to use a pen to track below the words as they’re read.
Another tip is to see the words without looking at all of them. Focus at the center of a sentence and the words on each side can still be read; those words are in the peripheral vision. Practice using this with each sentence. Some wider texts can be managed by reading the sentence starting 3 or 4 words in and then only reading until the last 3 or 4 words.
Lastly, choose something enjoyable with which to practice. Practice, practice, practice!
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Tips to Help Comprehend What you Read

Sometimes a paragraph or two is read and the reader stops and thinks, ‘What did that say?’ It can be difficult to comprehend what we read because of outside stimuli or because of something that’s more pressing on the mind. It’s a waste of time and a detriment to our learning when reading something that’s not understood or remembered afterwards.
There are a few things one can do to focus on what’s being read and none of them are hard or cost anything. It’s not always a good time to sit down and read something that takes our concentration; sometimes the mind isn’t set on it, or the subject bores the reader, making them lose all motivation to read, much less comprehend what they’ve read.
The first thing someone can do to try and focus more is to remove themselves from the living room or dining room table. Move to a place where there’s no traffic, television, conversation or children; that’ll make it much easier to focus.
Get Rid of All the Distractions

Turn off the radio, television, the Internet and all other distractions in the room. Even the cell phone can be a problem, so it should be left in another room or turned off. At least turn the volume down so it won’t interrupt reading when it rings.
Stop between each paragraph and think about what was read. Remember it and think about it for a minute before moving on to the next paragraph. Then think about that paragraph and how it goes with the previous paragraph.
When it’s particularly hard to focus on what is being read, read it aloud. Reading out loud somehow makes it more memorable and understandable, too.
Don’t read in a rush. If it’s important to remember what is being read, then do not hurry through the text. It won’t help and chances are remembering it isn’t as likely to happen. Relax and don’t read in a hurry.
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Readers Love Half.com

There’s a website called Half.com and it sells books for really cheap. People with books register there and they can sell their books, choosing how much to sell them for. The company is owned by the giant corporation that is eBay and it’s a really good idea. When shopping on Half.com, the user also gets to see a feed that has all the same books on eBay for auction.
People who love to read love Half.com. The name of the site implies getting something for half price, which users will find on the site, but what they find more often is a listing for the book they want for much less than half price.
Anyone Can Buy or Sell at Half.com

In fact, users can buy the books at incredible prices, then read them and turn around and resell them on Half.com. The site is very user-friendly and listing the books is quick and easy. They provide pictures for almost every book in existence, but now and then someone lists one they don’t have. In that case, they allow you to upload your own photo.
Got stacks of already-read books sitting around the house? Half.com is the answer. Tireless reader that can’t afford to get all the books they want? Again, Half.com is the answer. And it stocks every kind of book, every genre and some reference materials, and they are not all used books, either. They have plenty of brand-new books for sale at dirt cheap prices.
College students, pay attention! Books aren’t cheap for college classes, but a student could cut much of their costs by using Half.com. And, the hassle of selling the books after the class is over is made easy and painless at Half.com. For anyone who has anything to do with books, Half.com is their answer, it seems.
For selling and buying books, remember Half.com.
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