Book Discoverability at the Library – Part 1

Book discovery is currently a primo concern at publishing houses and bookstores. Libraries too have been dealing for centuries with the challenge of making print books and ebooks in their collections discoverable. Back in 1876 Charles Ammi Cutter laid down the rules for a “card catalog” with his book, Rules for A Printed Dictionary Catalog. Prior to that invention, there was no universal way for...

What’s Going On at the Library?

“Know your customers” is an old adage in marketing. Yet, how much do you know about librarians or library markets? Do you still think libraries are just building filled with nothing but dusty books, magazines and newspapers? Well, here’s some news for you. This year’s 29th Computers in Libraries Conference, will be held April 7-9, 2014 at the Washington Hilton in Washington,...

Publisher vs. Author Marketing

Which kind of marketing is better for your book? A recent study showed that the main reasons authors gave for choosing to go with a traditional publisher was publishers’ book distribution connections. This is unquestionably an advantage for authors. But the third most-prevalent reason is publisher’s marketing services. Is this really such an advantage? Here’s the difference...

Indexing – Plan to Do-It-Yourself?

If you are not an indexer, I beg you – don’t try to index your own book – even if you do have a PhD! Yes, you know your subject better than anyone else. After all you’ve written a book about it. Yes, you are just as intelligent as any indexer. But do you know how to index a book? “But why not?” you ask. “Because indexing is an art”. The importance of failure...

Largest Libraries of the Future

We’ve seen The Littlest Libraries of the Future. Now, what do the largest libraries look like? And what will changes they’re making mean for books? Check out this short video from Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago. Careful! One glimpse of these new-fangled library stacks may give you vertigo! The Mansueto library in Chicago houses three and a half million books...