Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Design Matters

A post over at Good reminds us why design is more important than ever to the publishing industry. The post links to James Gleick's recent NYT op-ed piece:

"You won’t win on quick distribution, and you won’t win on price. Cyberspace has that covered. Go back to an old-fashioned idea: that a book, printed in ink on durable paper, acid-free for longevity, is a thing of beauty. Make it as well as you can. People want to cherish it."

Gleick's piece contains a nice summary of Authors Guild v. Google, the results of which hopefully mean 1) I can finally get a copy of Harry Crews' Naked in Garden Hills for less than a C-note, and 2) Harry Crews can actually get paid for the copy I buy.

4 comments:

  1. I just found your website. You have posted some very interesting information. Thanks!

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  2. Personally, I agree about having a great design. The title is always really important as well, but the design usually is what attracts me the most. I was recommended to read "The Silent Note", by Patrick Davis. I loved the title, but the design really grabbed me. And I cannot complain about how excellent this mystery/romance is. I would definitely recommend it to someone else.

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