Book Wars: The Digital Revolution in Publishing

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No one is saying you need to read all these books. I have read them over many years (and partially because it’s my job) but you will be better for exposing yourself to whichever ones strike or intrigue you. And don’t stop with these titles either — fall down the rabbit hole and take it where it leads you. And if you liked these recommendations, you can get more every month by signing up for my reading newsletter. As Virgil put it, “the sword decides all.” We must learn how: the strategy, the motivation, defenses. We must understand and respect the darkness and the consequences: pain, death, evil, greed. 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.

Book Wars is itself a history, primarily focused on the disruption of mainstream publishing as it has unfolded over the initial decades of the twenty-first century. This disruption was not a single event; rather, it was a series of tumbling dominoes, created by technical innovation and resulting in cultural shifts in behavior. 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.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! The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: From Marathon to Waterloo by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy.You could argue that every battle affects history. But there are a select few that change the world immediately and permanently. The Battle of Marathon meant the triumph of Western civilization over Eastern civilization and set the stage for democracy. The American victory at Saratoga over the British meant the success of the revolutionary cause. Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo changed Europe and made Britain the dominant power. The reason this book stops at Waterloo and mentions nothing of the Civil War, or the World Wars, is that it was written in 1851. It’s a unique historical document that gives greater influence to our classical past. If you’re a strategy nut, read this. For this reason we must understand war and how it is won. And we must understand what it does to people. Doing this helps us politically, socially, and consciously. It also helps us with whatever we happen to be doing. Wars are textbooks in logistics, planning, leadership, and execution. We can learn those skills by studying the best. We can also learn what not to do from the wars and generals who fared badly. The feature version also pioneered internet releases when they were still uncommon (in 2001), streaming on a pay per view basis on the Cinemapop media portal. Knight’s Cross: A Life of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel by David Fraser. It’s going to feel weird reading a book about a German general in WWII but for Rommel we must make an exception. Yes, he fought for a terrible cause. But he did so brilliantly — as a soldier, strategist, and leader. His victories in North Africa were the stuff of legend, and had the US and British troops not ultimately had better resources, the whole thing might have turned out very differently. You cannot read about Rommel and not like and admire the man. I’m saying this so you’ll be prepared and ready to remind yourself that that doesn’t excuse his actions. But you can still learn from them.

Because of the detail and analytics about traditional publishing, this is a book I have already recommended to many eBook-centric and digital-only indie authors looking to understand from across the divide that still exists between traditional publishing and the self-publishing communities. The concept for BookWars was developed after a chance meeting between filmmaker Jason Rosette—who had been selling used and out of print books at a streetside bookstand to generate cash between film production and editing jobs—and Emmy Award-winning New York-based documentary filmmaker Michel Negroponte, at Mr. Rosette's sidewalk bookstand in 1995. 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. War is unquestionably mankind at his worst. Yet, paradoxically, it is in war that men — individual men — often show the very best of themselves. War is often the result of greed, stupidity, or depravity. But in it, men are often brave, loyal, and selfless. The Art of War by Sun Tzu. In some ways, I find this book hard to apply (and easy to misapply) because it’s so aphoristic and general. But it is of course one of the most important texts on warfare and strategy ever written. If you don’t leave with a couple good lines — like knowing yourself as well as you know the enemy — you’re missing out.BookWars: Filmcritic.com Movie Review". Archived from the original on 2006-10-23 . Retrieved 2009-09-24. Christopher Null/Filmcritic.com

Thompson does a brilliant job of exploring the advent of technology and the reaction and interaction of publishers when facing the inevitability of eBooks. While Thompson does get into more detail than I have ever seen covered in an academic or traditional-publishing-centric book, it could have also benefited from a deeper exploration of the vastness and richness that exists within the self-publishing community, and just how dominant indie authors are in the eBook space. 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.There’s no question it is a good thing a full generation has passed in the West without requiring the majority of young people to feel the full brunt of war. War is a terrible thing (which, as Robert E. Lee once said, is good because otherwise men might grow too fond of it). To not need to experience it is a stroke of fortune that the previous generations were not gifted with. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo.Considered one of the definitive memoirs of the Vietnam War, it is, “Simply a story about war, about the things men do in war and the things war does to them.” He was well aware that his job was to kill as many people as possible and he tells this to the reader, who needs to know it. His observations are jarring and uncomfortable. “I had seen pigs eating napalm-charred corpses — a memorable sight, pigs eating roast people.” Wow. Cinema Village". www.cinemavillage.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009 . Retrieved 12 January 2022. BookWars has screened at festivals, theatrical venues, and broadcast outlets including: NHK (Japan), SVT (Sweden) Sveriges Television, PBS, (US), Metrochannels (US) MSG Metro Channels, Book Television (Canada), Arte/ZDF Arte (France and Germany), The Florida Film Festival, The Kansas City Film Jubilee, Facets, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Danish National Film Institute, Brotfabrik (Berlin), the 911 Media Arts Center in Seattle, amongst others.