Book Wars: The Digital Revolution in Publishing

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A book and audiobook titled 10,000 Miles to Go: An American Filmmaking Odyssey, [4] about the unusual physical and creative process behind the making of BookWars, was published in 2015. This was a fascinating look at the world of books and how the evolution of digital technology has changed the publishing world and its' outlook over the years!

BookWars received the Best Documentary Award upon its world premiere at the 2000 New York Underground Film Festival. The film was also nominated for an IFP Gotham Award. The author has left no stone unturned as he explores the rise of the e-book and how that has impacted the book world, and while digital technology had been feared by the publishers to begin with, it seems to have opened up new ideas to the 'print' world and seems to have rebooted the 'book' brand and publishing world - which is all good for us readers! History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides.I won’t lie to you, this is a long book. But it tells the history of the epic war between Athens and Sparta — it is geo-politics, it’s strategy, it’s leadership, it’s lessons in grief, rhetoric, and persuasion. From the beautiful and moving words of Pericles’ funeral oration to the cunning and creative tactics of the Spartan general Brasidas, this book has everything. There is also the powerful lesson of Athens’ overreach, which culminated their loss at Syracuse and still has immense implications today. And then there was the ultimate overreach by Sparta, who won the war but had no understanding of how to rule an empire. It’s a must read for any student of the world. (My favorite little tidbit, Thucydides fought in the war, but was apparently disgraced and missed much of it because he caught the plague.) As a follow up, the book A War Like No Other by Victor David Hanson is a good accessible but modern history of the battle. The Campaigns of Alexander by Arrian.Arrian gifted us with two amazing documents: one was the lectures of the philosopher Epictetus and the second was his history of the wars of Alexander the Great. Alexander is a wonderful example of the toxic burden of ambition. Yes, it brought him to the edges of the conquered world — but that’s also where he died, likely murdered by his own men. He had no real purpose for it all, no real plan or true empire — it was just fight, win, own, fight, win, own until the end (and in the end, as Epictetus observed, he still died and was buried like the rest of us). I’m not saying there are no other lessons, but this is the most salient one. Other lessons include: leading from the front and the importance of speed, surprise, and boldness. Another great book on Alexander is Steven Pressfield’s The Virtues of War. A good mix of the specific timeline of digital publishing histories as well as interesting tidbits about the history of printing, orality and overall written communication

In total, production of BookWars had taken five years and 20,000 miles of driving across the United States to complete. Again, casual assumptions might have been that these trade publishers should have seen the digital disruption in scholarly publishing during the ’90s and moved more rapidly to rethink their business models. Thompson’s book explains some of the initial paralysis, which is all the more reason why I see it as a worthwhile title for inclusion in those academic library collections supporting graduate programs in either publishing or library science. The mission of the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) is to advance scholarly publishing and communication, and the professional development of its members through education, collaboration, and networking. SSP established The Scholarly Kitchen blog in February 2008 to keep SSP members and interested parties aware of new developments in publishing. Book Wars offers up well-crafted chapters on the social changes that have arisen affecting reading as well as trade publishing. Trade is considered to be both fiction and non-fiction for general readers (xi). Many of the chapters focus on specific technologies, including the rise and decline of the e-reader, the increasing popularity of the audiobook and the fascination with self-publishing and crowdfunding for writers. While ebooks were at the heart of many of these conflicts, Thompson argues that the most fundamental consequences lie elsewhere. The print-on-paper book has proven to be a remarkably resilient cultural form, but the digital revolution has transformed the industry in other ways, spawning new players which now wield unprecedented power and giving rise to an array of new publishing forms. Most important of all, it has transformed the broader information and communication environment, creating new challenges and new opportunities for publishers as they seek to redefine their role in the digital age.

Thompson also shares with the reader statistical analyses of both public as well as private sales data from the industry. Of particular value is the statistical analysis appearing in the chapter on the explosion in self-publishing. Thompson’s work is authoritative and will be of tremendous value to future readers and researchers in understanding how a 500-year-old culture of print was able to absorb and adapt. I’m aware of no other title that provides such a useful account of how publishing professionals have fought to ensure stabilization and reliable delivery of content. The content generated on this blog is for information purposes only. This Article gives the views and opinions of the authors and does not reflect the views and opinions of the Impact of Social Science blog (the blog), nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Please review our comments policy if you have any concerns on posting a comment below. Note: This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of USAPP – American Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics.

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Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram.One of the greatest fighter pilot instructors who ever lived made his mark not in the air, but on the ground. Boyd, a master strategist and thinker, essentially reinvented our understanding of maneuver warfare. (His plans were used for the overwhelming victory in the First Gulf War.) The lessons in this book are incredibly valuable for anyone fighting against a bureaucracy, against inertia, against doubters and ass-kissers. It’s considered a classic and read by most strategic thinkers across the armed forces today for a reason. FILM REVIEW; Selling Books on the Street in a Quality-of-Life Town (Published 2000)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield.It might seem weird to recommend a book of fiction on this list, but smarter people than I — and many actual soldiers — have all raved about the accuracy and poignancy of this book. It is perhaps the clearest and best book written on the 300 Spartans who fought the Persians (and sacrificed themselves) at Thermopylae.