Bookseller and Publisher Online has reported that findings from a pre-Christmas survey amongst booksellers and publishers that book sales were down in the run up to Christmas this year.
There are a number of reasons why this may have been the case, ranging from the tough economic year, interest rate rises, the strong Australian dollar to the increased presence of online overseas competitors, and these factors are not unique to the publishing industry. However, one factor is unique: the ebook effect.
Ebooks sales are outnumbering sales of hardback books on a regular basis and by significant numbers. Amazon has reported that the Kindle is the most 'wished for' item and has topped their sales for at least five consecutive months.
My own book buying habits have changed dramatically since I was given a Kindle. While I still spend time browsing bookshops and picking up new releases to admire the covers, I always check the availability of the book on Kindle before making a purchase. I am already amassing a fairly decent 'bookshelf' full of electronic books and am reaping the benefits of the lower prices (more money = ability to buy more ebooks) and the Feng Shui side effects (much more space in my apartment; fewer books squirreled away in places where books shouldn't be squirreled).
However, I am still a sucker for a beautiful book - hardback, illustrated, coffee table-style thing. Which is a good job really, as Green Olive Press is about to embark on its latest adventure... the launch of the Beautiful Books series.
'Olives: A Cook Book' written and illustrated by Bhavna Khanna will be published in April 2011. Watch this space!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Learning from those in the know
Did anyone see the article by Peter FitzSimons, Australia's best-selling non-fiction writer for the past 10 years, in the Sydney Morning Herald last week?
As a writer who manages to make a living out of writing, Peter FitzSimons finds he is often approached by aspiring authors for tips on 'how to do it'.
In the article, Plenty to write home about, FitzSimons shares six of his tips. I have added my own brief interpretations...
As a writer who manages to make a living out of writing, Peter FitzSimons finds he is often approached by aspiring authors for tips on 'how to do it'.
In the article, Plenty to write home about, FitzSimons shares six of his tips. I have added my own brief interpretations...
- Read - lots and frequently.
- Find your voice - practise until you have established a style you are comfortable with.
- Then listen to the little voice - be true to yourself.
- Don't ever say your subject is boring - if it's boring you, your writing will be boring and you will bore readers. Who wants to read something boring?
- The art of writing is rewriting - write, re-write and re-write again. Put it to one side for a while. Take a break. Recharge your batteries and return to it with a fresh pair of eyes, ready to re-write again.
- Don't whinge about how hard it is - no one likes a moaner. Of course it's hard - if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Just get on with it. It gets easier.
Can anyone suggest any more?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Being Greg-arious - guest blog by Mark Beaumont
There is a book on my shelf that has sat there untouched for six years. I picked it up this weekend and it is fantastic. The book is the autobiography of Greg Dyke.
You've probably never heard of him. Internationally he is almost unknown and in even in his native UK, he is not a household figure. However, in the broadcasting industry, everyone knows who he is. Greg Dyke has run many of the major television organisations in the UK and the pinnacle of his career was when he ran, and turned-around, the BBC.
I'll blog about the way that he turned around the BBC, and the lessons that we can learn for the organisations we work for in a couple of days, but first I wanted to try and give you a measure of Greg Dyke's approach to leadership.
Greg Dyke is certainly no academic leader. His leadership is perhaps best described as a gut-led guerilla style and his entire career was punctuated with great, sometimes amusing, examples of this.
For example, on his first day as Chief Exec at one organisation he put a six foot cut out photo of his face behind reception with the words beneath that said: "Hi - I'm your new Chief Executive. I'm coming round today to meet as many of you as possible but if I don't catch you, I'll be in the bar tonight, so come and have a drink with me and let me know what you think of the place." Imagine walking into your job and seeing that behind reception.
Another example is that when he joined the BBC he noticed how bureaucratic the place was. So he sent a yellow card, like the ones that soccer referees use, to every employee with the words: "Cut the crap" written on it. The implication, I guess, is that those who didn't start acting in a dynamic way would be given a red card and sent packing.
These examples might sound like he intimidated the workforce, but the opposite is actually true. When he eventually left the BBC, the staff took out a full page advert in The (London) Telegraph thanking him for his efforts as a leader.
I think the secret of why he was so respected comes from the fact that everyone could see that Greg Dyke is the real deal. He says: "In leadership you must be yourself. If you ask people to act in a way that is different to the way in which you behave, people will smell it immediately".
Greg Dyke's antics, whilst unconventional, are an honest reflection of who he is.
There is a lesson here that we can all take on board: in the workplace, you should be true to yourself. When you walk in through the office door, don't leave your passions and interests outside - bring them in and build your role around them. It burns a lot of energy if you are in a role that doesn't suit, but if you are in a role that excites you it will give you energy.
In a previous role, I remember asking my manager why he'd taken a responsibility that I enjoyed away from me, only for him to look surprised and say that's what he thought I wanted. It's very easy for incorrect assumptions to be made about likes and dislikes, so I make a point now of always telling my manager what I enjoy and what I don't.
We should all try and shape our roles around our passions. If you are not already doing it, start today. Greg Dyke would.
You've probably never heard of him. Internationally he is almost unknown and in even in his native UK, he is not a household figure. However, in the broadcasting industry, everyone knows who he is. Greg Dyke has run many of the major television organisations in the UK and the pinnacle of his career was when he ran, and turned-around, the BBC.
I'll blog about the way that he turned around the BBC, and the lessons that we can learn for the organisations we work for in a couple of days, but first I wanted to try and give you a measure of Greg Dyke's approach to leadership.
Greg Dyke is certainly no academic leader. His leadership is perhaps best described as a gut-led guerilla style and his entire career was punctuated with great, sometimes amusing, examples of this.
For example, on his first day as Chief Exec at one organisation he put a six foot cut out photo of his face behind reception with the words beneath that said: "Hi - I'm your new Chief Executive. I'm coming round today to meet as many of you as possible but if I don't catch you, I'll be in the bar tonight, so come and have a drink with me and let me know what you think of the place." Imagine walking into your job and seeing that behind reception.
Another example is that when he joined the BBC he noticed how bureaucratic the place was. So he sent a yellow card, like the ones that soccer referees use, to every employee with the words: "Cut the crap" written on it. The implication, I guess, is that those who didn't start acting in a dynamic way would be given a red card and sent packing.
These examples might sound like he intimidated the workforce, but the opposite is actually true. When he eventually left the BBC, the staff took out a full page advert in The (London) Telegraph thanking him for his efforts as a leader.
I think the secret of why he was so respected comes from the fact that everyone could see that Greg Dyke is the real deal. He says: "In leadership you must be yourself. If you ask people to act in a way that is different to the way in which you behave, people will smell it immediately".
Greg Dyke's antics, whilst unconventional, are an honest reflection of who he is.
There is a lesson here that we can all take on board: in the workplace, you should be true to yourself. When you walk in through the office door, don't leave your passions and interests outside - bring them in and build your role around them. It burns a lot of energy if you are in a role that doesn't suit, but if you are in a role that excites you it will give you energy.
In a previous role, I remember asking my manager why he'd taken a responsibility that I enjoyed away from me, only for him to look surprised and say that's what he thought I wanted. It's very easy for incorrect assumptions to be made about likes and dislikes, so I make a point now of always telling my manager what I enjoy and what I don't.
We should all try and shape our roles around our passions. If you are not already doing it, start today. Greg Dyke would.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Year's Resolutions
Happy New Year all!
Green Olive Press has made one or two New Year's Resolutions for 2011:
1. To update the blog regularly
2. To clear out the office
So, here it is... first post of the year, so number 1 can be ticked, and today, a major office sort out took place. Just at the end of it now after several hours hard graft. Papers recycled, old furniture removed, stationery tidied and new items purchased (including some rather swanky Penguin cookie tins, now home to numerous pens and pencils and gadgets for fastening paper together). I even managed to part with a box full of books and received some cash in return from the local secondhand bookshop in Bondi Beach, and felt good after depositing those the shop rejected in the Vinnies shop just up the road. Number 2 can be ticked off too!
All in all, 2011 is off to a promising start!
Green Olive Press has made one or two New Year's Resolutions for 2011:
1. To update the blog regularly
2. To clear out the office
So, here it is... first post of the year, so number 1 can be ticked, and today, a major office sort out took place. Just at the end of it now after several hours hard graft. Papers recycled, old furniture removed, stationery tidied and new items purchased (including some rather swanky Penguin cookie tins, now home to numerous pens and pencils and gadgets for fastening paper together). I even managed to part with a box full of books and received some cash in return from the local secondhand bookshop in Bondi Beach, and felt good after depositing those the shop rejected in the Vinnies shop just up the road. Number 2 can be ticked off too!
All in all, 2011 is off to a promising start!
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