Re: Re:eBook Community's Twelfth Anniversary: State of The Group Message

Hi, Brenna--here's a little background on the eBook Community list, the
TeleBlog and the info ecosystem now in place, which reflects years of hard
work by Jon Noring and me.

The list does have a Web presence through Yahoo Groups, but the TeleBlog is
different--it's edited and spiffed up with graphics to increase the appeal
of posts there. It also is rich in original content. The result is that we
draw tens of thousands of unique visitors each month (newbies can check us
out at http://www.teleread.org/blog).

Done well, however, TeleRead-style blogs are huge time sinks, just as Jon's
essential list is for him. I'd love to see more people submit articles; for
example, you could tell us what you see as the big trends in your genre
within E. Yes, I keep the blog open to a variety of contributors, including
some whose opinions differ from mine. All I ask is that the material be
relevant, factual and in a lively, understandable style fit for our global
readership. A rather conspicuous link at the top of the TeleBlog's home page
says: "Write for TeleRead!"

That said, I think ebookcommunity.org would be great for RSS-generated
headlines from the Community List as well as the TeleRead blog (Yahoo
Groups' interface is a disaster).

Significantly, we're a gateway to the E-Book Report blog on the home page of
Publishers Weekly (publishersweekly.com). Just today, the TeleBlog published
a wonderful e-book-related essay from Darrell Bain, and, condensed, it will
soon appear in EBR. Katherine Smith, aka Emma Wildes, is another TeleBlog
contributor. And in case you don't know, EBR ran a Q&A yesterday with the
delightful Lida Quillen of Twilight Times Books. Lida's fans loved it, and
in longer form it'll run in the TeleBlog. See the synergies going on here?
For years e-bookers have correctly complained of neglect by the mainstream
book industry, and the TeleBlog is trying to bridge the chasm between the
two. Thanks to the TeleBlog-PW link, even Luddites are now hearing regularly
about two causes dear to Jon and me and important for small
e-publishers---the need for e-book standards and the end of Draconian DRM, a
lit and sales toxin. I'm eager to alert the mainstream book industry about
other issues, too, such as the usefulness of E as a place to spot talent for
big-time P.

Bottom line: Lists are great for rapid, unfiltered dialogue, while the best
blogs distill news and trends and can help draw the attention of important
media such as PW. Far from being at odds, the two can strengthen each
other--both my goal and Jon's. OK. Ready to do that trends piece?

Thanks,
David

David Rothman | 703-370-6540 | [email protected]



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