Today we get an inside look into the library world, and some smart views on the current state of ebooks and big publishers. I had the pleasure of speaking with Heather McCormack, Book Review Editor for Library Journal. My favorite quote from the conversation:
“Treat each book like a person, that has an identity and personality. Nurture it and make it as great as it can be.”
We cover the following topics:
- That we are in the “wild west” of digital books – that many in publishing are unsure of what to do, and sheepish about experimenting. “It would be nice to see some courage.”
- That the craft of creating a book is being lost in ebooks – few seem concerned about the nuances of creating a wonderful reading experience.
- Why Amazon is moving quickly in the ebook/publishing space as publishers move slowly
- Readers are desperately waiting for MORE ebooks, but business models are evolving slowly.
- Key issues around ebooks and equal access to information for library communities.
- How publishers are still working out their digital strategies – there is not a lot of flexibility in terms of how libraries can obtain ebooks in a timely manner and within their current budgets.
- That “no one is in publishing for the money” – rather, they are invested in ideas.
- How errors and typos are still prevalent in ebooks from both large and small publishers.
- With Borders closing, the library is becoming one of the few places where people can browse for books.
- “It’s all too easy to take libraries for granted.”
- And many other topics!
You can watch the full interview by clicking the play button below:
[flowplayer src=’https://s3.amazonaws.com/WeGrowMediaInterviews/HeatherMcCormack.mov’ width=640 height=375]
You can find Heather in the following places:
- Library Journal’s BookSmack
- Twitter: @HuisceBeatha
- Blog: heathermccormack.wordpress.com
Thanks so much to Heather for taking the time to chat!
-Dan