January 2012
1 post
5 tags
OpenSky Goodness Channel Presents Julianne Moore...
Take a look at that headline. About a year ago, our CEO, John Caplan, and I discussed launching the OpenSky Goodness Channel—in which we could use the power of our network not only to enable discovery of the best products curated by trusted experts for our members, but we could also do some good. A year later, here we are.
I am thrilled and honored that our first Goodness Channel event is to...
June 2011
2 posts
OpenSky curators
Dear friends and colleagues,
I’m writing to you about OpenSky, where I have been working for the last year and a half. (As many of you know—working like an insane demon…) I came to OpenSky because it was a company with a vision I believed in. As someone who had been in book publishing for 20 years, and a book-lover my entire life, I know that books change lives. Fiction, of...
1 tag
Time to Join OpenSky
Hi everyone—as I’m sure you know by now, I work at OpenSky and it has become really amazing in the last few months. I would love it if you guys would join—see below—and if you have any comments, let me know. Also, if you have any ideas for great curators (or have anyone you want to pitch me), let me know! And feel free to share this message with your friends. I’ve...
September 2010
1 post
Iris Blasi: "I was all-powerful. I could read." →
“I first discovered I could read at the age of four. I had seen, over and over again, the letters that I knew (because I had been told) were the names of the pictures under which they sat. The boy drawn in thick black lines, dressed in red shorts and a green shirt … was also, somehow, I…
August 2010
5 posts
Benefit for PS321--My New OpenSky Shop
Hi All, I’m in the process of building out a new project that I’m very excited about. My daughter’s school is a New York City public school, and like other NYC-area schools, has had drastic budget cuts this year. Our school sent out a letter to parents asking for creative responses to raise money. Working at OpenSky, I thought I had a great platform for fundraising at my...
debbiestier: Finding Your Passion →
Love this!
My son did work for me this Summer. He did a fine job (i.e. showed up when he was supposed to and accomplished the tasks). However, there was not one iota of passion, and he preferred to skip taking any breaks so that he could finish faster and get outside with his friends.
It sort of broke my…
debbiestier: The Secret to Being Lucky: Just Say... →
I consider myself one of the luckiest people I know.
I’m pretty convinced that the reason is that I ALWAYS say “YES” (without thinking) when someone asks me to do something. From what I can see, most people don’t do that. In fact, I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I need to stop saying yes to…
Los Angeles Times Covers OpenSky and Me! Article... →
June 2010
1 post
debbiestier: One Fan Per Day →
If you are a writer, or an artist of any kind, you MUST read the blog post 1000 True Fans. In fact, if you’re a marketer of any kind, you must read it too.
I first read the post a few years ago, and I’ve since read it over and over and over again, and I’ve recommended it hundreds of times…
January 2010
5 posts
5 tags
Introducing OpenSky: A New Author Economy...
A few months ago, a client and I received an email from someone named John Caplan about a new company called OpenSky:
I’m the founder of OpenSky. I was most recently CEO of Ford Models and President of the About.com network.
OpenSky is a new company that empowers personalities, authors, and media brands to build their brands and make money by leveraging their influence with e-commerce. ...
14 tags
The New Author Economy: Welcome to the Future
I’m on a panel this Tuesday at the Digital Book World conference (www.digitalbookworld.com). The panel is called “Back-Loaded Book Deals: No (and Low) Advance Contracts, Profit-Sharing and Other Innovative Business Models” (http://www.digitalbookworld.com/backloaded). Not a very scintillating title, I know. But given my fantastic co-panelists—Bob Miller, Roger Cooper, Ira Silverberg, and...
8 tags
Slow Learner: Reflections on LINCHPIN by Seth...
A linchpin, according to Seth Godin, is “an individual who can walk into chaos and create order, someone who can invent, connect, create, and make things happen.” A linchpin is indispensable. Sounds good—but how do you do it?
According to the book, you do it by controlling the lizard brain, doing the hard emotional work, facing down the fear, understanding that your job, as Seth says, is a...
RT @rainnwilson: I’m going to start writing a blog except I’m not going to put it on the web. I’m going to keep it in a notebook.
5 tags
Twitter--In Narrative
I love David Carr’s description in yesterday’s Times of how Twitter is life-enhancing for him: he’s “in narrative on more things in a given moment that I ever thought possible,” among other things. ”In narrative”—that’s exactly right, and how wonderful. And how literary, actually. He said so precisely what I always find myself trying to...
Love! RT @Penenberg: When things look bleakest is exactly the right time to start a business. So don’t shy away from journalism. Change it.
Happy New Year, everyone! Despite all signs to the contrary, I think it is going to be great!
December 2009
28 posts
In mexico, in hotel room with sleeping baby. Ah, vacation!
But thinking about what 2010 will bring.
New Year’s Resolution: figure out the best place to put the amazing energy I am feeling.
The first snow of the season looks amazing tonight.
What Matters Now by Seth Godin →
Here’s a treat for the holiday season and thinking about next year: a free ebook by Seth Godin called WHAT MATTERS NOW (click on the post title to link to Seth’s page). For the book, Seth asked scores of visionary thinkers to contribute, and the result is thought-provoking and inspiring. There’s a lot of stuff in here to take away, but one of my favorite entries Jeffrey...
Bring it on! RT @Penenberg: As full of tumult as 2009 was, 2010 will really be wild.
RT @dancosta: My take is that what authors really need are new media savvy agents, not necessarily traditional publishers. #ebooksummit
RT @FrancesCJones: The 800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards of 2009 « “How to Wow” made it in the SALES category. Woo hoo! http://bit.ly/4twN2e
Lots of opps now and coming! RT @eBookNewser Cracks in the Pavement: The Opportunities New Publishing Provides - http://bit.ly/6O44ig
RT @DeFiore: Older agencies saying RH has been trying to make deals for backlist e-rights for years. Why if they own them? Makes new pos …
7 tags
More Change is Coming
It happened. A few weeks ago, an agent colleague, in a conversation about the changes happening all around us in publishing, said to me “All this is fine if you have the energy to deal with it. But if it gets too bad, I’ll just retire.”
Retire, really? I know that in a moment when sales are down, bookstores continue to be threatened, Kirkus closes (!), and e-books seem set...
Ah-this is what is going on! RT @DigiBookWorld: RT @MikeShatzkin The ebook windowing controversy has subtext: http://bit.ly/4CF0KN
Thanks to @SusanDanziger and @PublishingPoint for a great talk by @MikeShatzkin on how to think about pub careers as everything re-aligns.
Well said! RT @DeFiore: Kirkus closing? Who will rudely dismiss wonderful authors?
Amazon: $7.99! What’s going on?????
RT @lnolanbook: More publishers choose select titles to delay eBook:@HarperCollins joins @SimonSchuster & Hachette http://bit.ly/6VaZBN
Now this is exciting! RT @GalleyCat Apple Tablet Rumor of the Day: 30/70 Split with Publishers - GalleyCat http://bit.ly/6VQrsL
Agreed! RT @harperstudio Is Staggering Hardcover/E-book Pub Dates a Long-Term Solution? http://bit.ly/6Bk4Xa
Does anyone know if all non-lead titles will have simultaneous ebooks? If so, can the four-month window hold? Please RT
RT @draccah: Sometimes what matters is to start the conversation: RT @melvillehouse: MobyLives: Hulu for publishers? http://bit.ly/5894wY
wow, interesting. RT @eBookNewser Look Out for Blio, the Next Big Thing in eBooks, Maybe - mediabistro.com: eBookNewser http://bit.ly/5ToG2Q
I’m worried about this: http://tinyurl.com/yfj9l5s Not sure we should be holding back the demand for ebooks. Pondering!
“It won’t be too long before we are selling more Kindle books than we are physical books.” Jeff Bezos - http://bit.ly/7nnF6C
The Call
Will Amazon eventually make “the call”? They gave us a presentation yesterday where they made the case that they won’t—that they are in the business of creating a real and healthy bookstore that may be discounting a sliver of bestselling hardcovers very highly, but one that isn’t and won’t be in a race to the bottom with books in general. They say they are a...
I am very excited to read Seth Godin’s new book LINCHPIN RT @ThisIsSethsBlog Get a review copy of my new book http://bit.ly/77XFx2
I’m not sure how this works so I’m just trying it out. We’ll see!