Topic: Books and Literature

A Guide to Presidential Bestsellers

It's pretty much a given that President George W. Bush's Decision Points will hit The New York Times best-seller list. Presidents' gracing the list is now as expected as writing a memoir in the first place. In fact, every president since Lyndon B. Johnson has written a memoir, and every first lady since Lady Bird Johnson -- except Pat Nixon -- has penned her own story too. We pitted recent political couples against one another to let book buyers declare winners. Better get writing, Michelle.READ»

• Now: November 2010
• Share: National Philanthropy Day
• Soar: Future of Air Transport Conference

Deliberately Uninformed, Relentlessly So [a Rant]

Many people in the United States purchase one or fewer books every year. Many of those people have seen every single episode of "American Idol." There is clearly a correlation here.READ»

2 Steps to Publishing a Blockbuster Business Book

Want to get your business or management book published? Well, here is a surefire way to see your name in lights.READ»

Did Borders' New Self-Publishing Tool Make Blogs Smarter or Books Dumber?

Borders is trying a new experiment to combat Amazon and Barnes & Noble in the e-book wars: It's partnered with BookBrewer, which will bring self-publishing powers to its platform. And the intriguing chance to turn blogs into e-books.READ»

What Does Being a "Pro-Business" Politician Really Mean?

What makes a policy or a politician pro business? Lower minimum wage, weaken OSHA, cut corporate taxes. These are pro-factory policies, that make it easier for the factory to be more efficient, to have more power over workers, and to generate short-term profits. But "business" is no longer the same as "factory."READ»

Getting Smart About the Hierarchy of Smart

Don't talk to all your employees, all your users, or all your prospects the same way, because they're not the same.READ»

Amazon Launches "Singles": Dating Service for Lonely Stories

Can you find love on your Kindle with like-minded bookish early adopters? Nope. Amazon's new service is in fact a misleadingly named new category for long articles and novellas.READ»

Alice for iPad Co-Creator Chris Stevens on Risk and Rabbit Holes

Londoner Chris Stevens, founder of creative iPad app design firm Atomic Antelope found the idea for Alice for iPad at the bottom of a pitch black rabbit hole. It was a little more than a year ago. He and his partner had trotted out a ...READ»

Character Lessons From Two Docs

Character is easy to define, but hard to quantify. This lesson struck home as I was reading the memoir of one doctor and later listening to an interview with another. They are Doc Watson and Doc Simon.READ»

Barnes & Noble Launches PubIt! E-Book Publishing Platform, Still No Color Nook

E-publishing pretender to Amazon's crown Barnes and Noble has just launched the "PubIt!" self-publishing platform, designed to bring digital publishing within the reach of more authors. It also promises "no hidden fees." READ»

Do You Actually Care About Privacy?

If you cared about privacy you wouldn't have a credit card, because, after all, they know everything you spend money on. And you wouldn't use the phone, because somewhere, there's a computer scanning what you say.READ»

Survey of Kids: Physical Books Here to Stay, In Parallel to Rise of E-Readers

American publisher Scholastic has just surveyed youngsters thoughts about books, and it's good news for traditional publishing: E-readers haven't dominated the world, and two thirds of kids still say they'd keep printed matter books. READ»

Books On TV? Kindle Hits the Web, Set-Top Box

Amazon's plan for digital books is becoming clearer--it will maximize profit by pushing Kindle content onto every possible platform. Thanks to its new Web platform, you can even read books on your TV.READ»

What Shape Is Your Funnel?

Some funnels are more efficient than others. Expose your idea to ten of the right people and it catches on with three of them. Other ideas or offers need to be exposed to far more people (and go through more steps) before they're likely to convert someone.READ»

MyFry: Stephen Fry Reinvents the Autobiography for the iPad, iPhone

Stephen Fry owned what was possibly the first Apple Mac in Britain (Douglas Adams had the other) so it's fitting that his new autobiography is published as a fully interactive iDevice app that hints at the future of e-biographies by letting you read it however you prefer.READ»

ATTENTION: This Guy Knows His Stuff

I've known Jim Kukral ever since I met him at BlogWorld a few years ago; and I can easily say that I've been a fan ever since. The world of internet marketing (read: making money online) can, at times, be a thinly veiled popularity contest. In the years that I've known Jim, I've never gotten that vibe from him. So, when he told me he was writing a book...READ»

Get Straight With Yourself

Among the points he discussed in "My Journey: A Political Life" is the fact that Tony Blair drank more than was usual as a means of coping with the pressure of being Prime Minister. The pressures of holding a top job are immense. One of the ways that leaders deal (aside from self-medication) is walling themselves off from their feelings. But those leaders who are self-aware do themselves and their followers a service by being honest.READ»

Being a Good Boss Is Pretty Damn Hard

The job is never done, it is amazingly easy to screw-up, and wielding power over others makes it all even harder because you are being watched so closely. Yet, despite all these hurdles, the best evidence shows that many, if not most, people find their bosses to be competent and compassionate.READ»

The Corporate Conscience

It's convenient and even comfortable to blame the anonymous actions of many working in concert on a evanescent brand or organization, but that starts you on an inevitable race to the bottom.READ»

Pure Process: An Insider's Guide to the Business of Advertising Thinking

"The Creative Process Illustrated" is full of hard won lessons and insights from ad vets (greats like David Kennedy, Glen Cole, and Hal Curtis) who have created some of the most memorable advertising campaigns.READ»

Fast Blurbs: September 2010

In Remembrance September 1 is the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the Titanic. A salvaged letter was auctioned in April for 55,000 pounds. In Entertainment Fifty years ago this month: Americans watched the first ...READ»

Neal Stephenson's Novel-Redefining Novel, "The Mongoliad," Launches, Online

Ghengis Khan shook up the world in the 12th Century, and now in the 21st Century Neal Stephenson's novel about him may shake up the publishing world: It's partly interactive, partly social media, and wholly digital. READ»

Sony Makes E-Readers Touchy, Takes 'Em Where Amazon Fears to Tread

Sony just revamped its entire line of e-readers, slimming them down, snazzing them up, and adding better touchscreen powers. They're expensive, but are now the e-readers the Kindle should be. So, is Sony brave or dumb?READ»

Survey: Those With E-book Readers Read 40% More Than Physical Book Readers

The numbers are in: E-book readers might be the best thing to happen to reading in this country since Levar Burton.READ»

War and Peace: Random House Reaches Truce After Amazon Betrayal

Random House and the Wylie Agency end war over Amazon's exclusive e-book deal.READ»