================================================================
This is a free e-mail bulletin for subscribers only, sent from
"U-Publish.com," the website named for the revolutionary guide
to new methods for publishing and promoting books by Dan Poynter
and Danny O. Snow.
================================================================
Join us in a prayer for the victims of the attacks in NYC and DC
-- and for world peace.
================================================================
*** e-Rights Debate Continues
Chicago, IL Sept. 17, 2001 - At a members' meeting of the Open
eBook Forum, leading publishers and eBook technology firms were
joined by copyright and intellectual property experts to debate
the pending criminal prosecution of Russian programmer Dmitry
Sklyarov and Elcomsoft Co. Ltd. of Moscow. Under the criminal
provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Sklyarov
and Elcomsoft were indicted as a result of their commercial
sale of software to circumvent the copyright protection of
eBooks sold using Adobe eBook Digital Rights Management (DRM)
services.
U-Publish.com co-author Danny O. Snow will publish commentary
about e-Rights and online piracy in the October issue of the
national newsletter of the Publishers Marking Association.
For more info about the PMA Newsletter, please visit:
http://www.pma-online.org/benefits/newsletter.cfm
Or e-mail info@pma-online.org and kindly mention that you were
referred from the "U-Publish.com" web site.
================================================================
*** Lead Story for September 2001:
*** Economy Slows -- Publishers React
It's no secret that the U.S. economy has slowed since the dotcom
heyday of 1999. What is the impact on publishers?
-- As reported here in June, the Book Industry Study Group (see
http://www.bisg.org ) announced a study showing an overall
decline in book sales during 2000 of 3.3%. Steeper drops were
seen in key areas such as trade paperbacks (14.2%) and hardcover
books (12.9%) last year.
-- In July, the New York Times reported "Book publishers are
once again facing a rising tide of unsold books returning from
bookstores, a painful phenomenon that just a few years ago became
severe enough to cause a crisis in the industry and widespread
cutbacks in the publication of new books.
"Returns are a perennial risk in the book industry because
publishers' sales agreements with stores typically allow the
return of unsold inventory for a complete refund, a practice
similar to arrangements in other industries where retailers
take a chance on untested new products. Publishers normally
expect about 25 percent of their new books to return."
-- In August, attendence at key publishing industry events
such as BookTech West was down. Publishers, and the companies
used by publishers to manufacture and distribute books, appear
to be cutting back on all but essential expenditures.
-- In September, the attacks on NYC and DC shut down American
financial markets -- and it appears that the U.S. economy may
slow further as a result in the months ahead.
In summary, publishers are feeling the pinch as much or more
than other businesses, and more than ever need to strive for
economy and efficiency.
Poynter and Snow have long advocated the use of new technologies
to produce smaller numbers of books. We also endorse selling
them more directly to consumers. These strategies dramatically
lower start-up costs, and drastically reduce the impact of
unsold books. We are also proponents of using new methods to
promote books at a small fraction of the cost of traditional
advertising.
Do you think conventional publishers will cut back on new re-
leases as a result of current events? We do. MORE THAN EVER,
independent publishing is the way to go, with less waste and
fewer economic risks. For those in the know, difficult times
can present opportunities rather than risks.
Please read our book to learn how, and visit our web site at
least once a month for the latest news.
================================================================
*** e-Mail Tip: Disable HTML format!
Some e-mail software such as Microsoft Outlook Express may send
e-mail messages in the same format (HTML) as a web page, which
can cause problems for recipients who use other e-mail software.
If you are writing to the public, you want your message to reach
as many people as possible without problems. It's always better
to send a small, simply formatted text-only message, preferably
without large file attachments, pictures, etc. unless they are
essential to your communications.
See the sample at the bottom of this message. If you are send-
ing e-mail in HTML format, you may want to consider changing
your settings.
================================================================
*** Third Edition Coming January 2002
"U-Publish.com 3.0" is due out in January, in both paperback and
e-Book formats. If you liked the first or second edition, you
will LOVE the new one! It will include expanded sections on
selling books directly to readers for better earnings, many new
tips and tricks for online promotion, extensive lists of contacts
that will be updated regularly on the Web, and the latest on Dan
Poynter's "New Book Model" for independent publishers.
The paperback will remain $14.99 to the general public ... but
stay tuned here to learn how subscribers to this newsletter can
place advance orders at a special discount. We appreciate your
participation in our online community, and want to give you the
best deal possible, as a gesture of thanks.
================================================================
*** New Feature: Horror Stories
No, we're *not* starting a fiction section! But we do want to
hear your "Horror Stories" about independent publishing. If you
have been the victim of a serious printing error, a ripoff or a
scam, or worst of all ... made a mistake yourself that you want
to help others avoid ... please send us your comments. We hope
to make "Horror Stories" a regular feature at the U-Publish.com
web site, where authors and publishers can share successes --
and failures -- with fellow publishing professionals.
================================================================
*** Quotation of the Month
"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book; inside of a
dog, it's too dark to read."
-- Groucho Marx
================================================================
Don't forget to visit http://www.u-publish.com at least once
a month, for new info of interest to authors and publishers.
Feel free to forward copies of this message to others who may
be interested. Subscriptions are available free upon request.
================================================================
The fine print:
This is a free e-mail bulletin from U-Publish.com, web site
named for the book by Dan Poynter and Danny O. Snow.
We do not endorse specific products or services, and we do not
accept advertising. We will not sell your name, address or
other personal information to others at any time.
Please visit http://www.u-publish.com at least once each month,
for periodic updates of interest to writers and publishers.
Please feel free to forward copies of this message to fellow
writers and publishers. This is a free service, available to
to all upon request. You may subscribe or unsubscribe at any
time. Simply notify us by e-mail at: subs@u-publish.com
================================================================
If this text appears large and red, please check your e-mail
settings to see if you need to disable "HTML" output, and use
"Text Only" instead. Some e-mail software such as Microsoft
Outlook Express may send e-mail messages in the same format
(HTML) as a web page, which can cause problems for recipients
who use other e-mail software.
If you are sending e-mail in HTML format, you may want to consider
changing your settings.