BookNet has been collecting/aggregating bibliographic information actively since January, 2010. It has been a tough, but interesting, slog as we build systems, recruit data providers, validate data and help publishers improve their metadata. We are not anywhere near done and we plan on continuing on all fronts, but I thought it might be a good time to share just where we are…
Are Hardcovers Outdated?
Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda is a runaway bestseller. I’ve seen it consistently rank as a top fiction title in bestseller lists for months. At first, I didn’t know much about the book, and like many I wondered how it managed to build up so much speed.
An article in The Globe and Mail on Monday tried to demystify this phenomenon.
Check Out the Giller's Track Record
The fall book season has officially begun now that the Giller longlist is out. Everyone is overthinking how to sum up the jury’s selections, but the longlist does indeed seem like “a fairly balanced affair”.
Politics aside, this is a moment for the nominees to celebrate. The Scotiabank Giller Prize works. It brings considerable attention to Canadian fiction, and it has been proven to generate sales, significant sales.
BookCamp Vancouver 2010 #BCVAN10
Going to BookCamp Vancouver next week? Tim and I will be there representing BNC, so feel free to flag us down if you want to talk.
What’s a BookCamp? Well let me tell you…
Track Your Success
Apple Holds the Key to Fixing E-Reader Problem
The fact that you can’t show off what you’re reading is a big problem with ereaders. People keep bringing it up.
A few people are probably relieved because they can now comfortably pull out their Harlequin romances on ereaders without fear of judgment. But what about all those people who want you to know what they’re reading, who read a book just to be seen reading it? And what about all those love connections we’ve lost, you know the ones, when sparks fly as you ask how she is liking that book?
Calling Human Resources
According to who you follow on twitter, facebook, friendfeed, google reader, blogspot—oh, you get it—we either live in the Information Age, the Digital Age, the Age of Persuasion or, my latest fav, The Age of Curation. Naturally the thing that makes all of these “ages” possible, and short lived, is the internet! A posting on Microsoft recently made me think of a new “age”—the age of information bloat. How do we unbloat it?
Making Smart Acquisitions
It’s fall. The book fairs have everyone scrambling to buy rights to the next big book. You, the editor, want to buy something great before yearend, something that will make the publisher think you’re a genius. But before you come running into the boardroom screaming eureka, make sure you have facts to go with that instinct.
Da PubFight Is On!
I’ll admit it I’ve never won PubFight, I’m last in my fantasy baseball pool and I didn’t win my hockey pool either, but hope springs eternal. Tis a new season and all past out-of-stock-transgressions are forgotten. My new mantra this year…’Keep’em in stock’.
How Ladies Find Books: Tips for Online Book Matchmaking
We at BookNet Canada talk a lot about metadata, sometimes ad nauseam. Accurate and thorough metadata is the best way for consumers to find out about a publisher’s book online. Some people think, “Well, that’s great for online. But we know that a lot of books are still sold in brick-and-mortar stores.” True, but that doesn’t get you off the hook, especially with women. Women looking for their next favourite book will find their perfect match online.
