Friday, September 05, 2008

Perseus' service offfers better tools for independent writers

For decades, novice writers have sought  a level playing field, and thanks to the power of Perseus Book Group, independent authors can utilize the digital tools that were only available to major publishers in the past . A new service called Constellation ., which provides access to electronic readers,digital book search, print-on-demand.

From the New York Times' article:

Unlike large publishers, small ones typically lack the resources to use digital technology and as a result often bypass it altogether.David Steinberger, the president and chief executive of Perseus, said that by using Constellation independent publishers could make their books quickly available in several digital formats, allowing them to compete on the same technological level and with the same speed and flexibility as larger companies. ...Distribution means getting our publishers’ books everywhere they need to go and everywhere they want to go, he said. Digital is an essential part to that. We’re just trying to streamline it.

Partners in the deal include Google, Amazon, Sony; Barnes & Noble, for its See Inside feature on its Web site; and Lightning Source, a print-on-demand company.

 Of course, with  greater growth comes the need for stronger organization. For example, the App.Store created a books section, with approximately 170 titles, but it failed to create a sub-category for each book genre. As a result, when I browse the books section, there's no quick reference to any genre. The titles are listed vertically, with subjects ranging from Scie to classic literature.

Perseus specializes only in books, so it can devote its entire focus to the writers, rather than thousands of random applicatIons. The key question is- how far will the average reader have to dig to find the small-author books among the flurry of best sellers. That's where Perseus will have to deliver on its promise. The NYT article continues:

Publishers who use the new service can provide a single digital book file to Constellation and specify how they would like it to be used. As a result consumers may see more obscure, esoteric books available in digital formats, Perseus said.

Only time will tell if Perseus' venture can revolutionize the book-publishing industry.

Posted By Matt O'Hern at 02:49 PM
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