Mike Shatzkin's predictions about what's going on in book publishing and bookselling, and his histories of the trade (from mass market paperbacks through eBooks), are both compelling and unnerving. Technology, curation, and why the era of big bookstores is coming to an end (Shatzkin Files, 6-7-11) is the most recent of a series, links to some of which are posted here, along with a couple of related stories by others:
• Ebooks are making me recall the history of mass-market publishing (Shatzkin Files 3-13-11)
• On Chronicling The End of the Chain Bookstore Era (Sarah Weinman, Off on a Tangent 2-17-11)
• Can the chains provide us with better small bookstores? (Shatzkin Files 11-8-09)
• Publishers Make a Plan: A ‘One Stop’ Book Site (Julie Bosman, NY Times, 5-6-11, on the formation of Bookish.com)
• Say goodbye to your local bookstore (Mike Boone, Montreal Gazette, 4-4-11, reporting on Shatzkin's predictions)
• Mike Shatzkin on Publishing's Priorities for 2011 (Edward Nawotka, Publishing Perspectives, 5-26-11). BEA Video of Mike Shatzkin discussing "the erosion of shelf space in bookstores, publishing innovation, English as a disruptive force overseas, and the two priorities publishers should be focused on over the next 6-12 months: price experimentation and improving rights databases"
• It will be hard to find a public library 15 years from now (Shatzkin, 4-8-11)
And to keep up with it all (and not just with what he writes about) follow Mike Shatzkin's Twitter feed
• Ebooks are making me recall the history of mass-market publishing (Shatzkin Files 3-13-11)
• On Chronicling The End of the Chain Bookstore Era (Sarah Weinman, Off on a Tangent 2-17-11)
• Can the chains provide us with better small bookstores? (Shatzkin Files 11-8-09)
• Publishers Make a Plan: A ‘One Stop’ Book Site (Julie Bosman, NY Times, 5-6-11, on the formation of Bookish.com)
• Say goodbye to your local bookstore (Mike Boone, Montreal Gazette, 4-4-11, reporting on Shatzkin's predictions)
• Mike Shatzkin on Publishing's Priorities for 2011 (Edward Nawotka, Publishing Perspectives, 5-26-11). BEA Video of Mike Shatzkin discussing "the erosion of shelf space in bookstores, publishing innovation, English as a disruptive force overseas, and the two priorities publishers should be focused on over the next 6-12 months: price experimentation and improving rights databases"
• It will be hard to find a public library 15 years from now (Shatzkin, 4-8-11)
And to keep up with it all (and not just with what he writes about) follow Mike Shatzkin's Twitter feed