Forbes has just posted an early article about our upcoming book, The 50th Law, by 50 Cent and Robert Greene. The book, which we’ll publish 9/8/09, is the culmination of a relationship between the authors that began after Robert’s book, The 48 Laws of Power, became a hit with the hip-hop community. In fact, all the references to that book as a “bible” for hip-hop inspired us to print The 50th Law in actual Bible format, with leatherette covers and a ribbon marker…

As part of our ongoing Q&A series with people in publishing, we talked to one of our international colleagues, Scott Pack, publisher at The Friday Project, an imprint of HarperCollins UK in London.

Q: We have to ask – why The Friday Project?
A: There was a significant, if somewhat tongue-in-cheek, social movement a few years back which called for everybody to be given Friday off work. By making the weekend longer we’d all be happier. The founders of The Friday Project (TFP) subscribed to that notion and the name was chosen.

Q: You’re the publishing arm of HarperCollins in the UK but you function pretty independently. What’s the biggest difference between the US and UK publishing industries?
A: On a commercial level it is the discount. Retailers in the UK can, and usually do, discount books significantly from publication. So you can usually find the biggest book of any given week at half price in the shops. Some people think this is a bad thing but anyone who has ever been hooked by a 3 for 2 promotion (probably the biggest vehicle for selling books over here) can testify that it definitely works in terms of selling books. Elsewhere, I don’t think we have any one influencer that can make a huge book overnight. A wonderful New York Times review or a mention on Oprah can often create a bestseller in the US but there isn’t anything with that impact here now that Richard & Judy have left terrestrial television.

Q: What’s the hot trend right now in the UK? Cat books? Vampires? What should we be watching for?
A: There do seem to be a lot of vampire books around, and zombies. Right now every publisher and his uncle is rushing out a Michael Jackson book (we are not, I should add). I guess there are always mini-trends or waves of interest but ultimately the only consistent trend is the readers’ love of a great story.

Q: What do you wish every US-based author knew before getting his or her book published in the UK?
A: That there are a hell of a lot of ways you can promote a book without leaving your seat. If you make yourself available through Skype, blogs, instant messenger, Twitter and really put some time into online promotion you can reach many UK readers even if your publisher doesn’t have the cash to fly you over. Also that we really don’t care about the baseball or basketball scores over here. Not a bit. Your excitement is not ours to share.

Q: eReaders. We can’t do a Q&A without asking about them. Love or hate? Or both?
A: Love them, in all their forms. At present the Kindle isn’t available over here and Amazon doesn’t seem to be in any great rush to change that. To be fair, I think it is down to the fact that they will need to have an option for the whole of the EU, not just the UK, before they go live. That means that the Sony Reader has a genuine foothold here. But there are still issues over pricing, availability and content for eBooks that need to be resolved before they will really take off. They are part of the future and we need to adapt to that.

After more than 150 years at the top, Roget’s Thesaurus has finally met its match. The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, which comes out this August, is 44 years in the making and will be the largest thesaurus when published.  The Historical Thesaurus not only has over 800,000 meanings but it also provides a chronological history of words. So now you can see just how slang words became slang or how curses became curses. However, the cut-off date for words was 2003 so don’t expect to see ‘tweets’ in the collection. Nevertheless, the Historical Thesaurus allows for a remarkable insight into the cultural growth of English speaking people.

    Check out the history of the word Trousers (which also seems to be a case study on Victorian prudishness) here or click here  to learn more about the tumultuous history behind this gargantuan thesaurus

The other morning I was invited to do an interview over breakfast at the home of a shopkeeper whom I had already interviewed several times at his work, a trendy, four-story Kabul department store selling elaborately beaded dresses from India ranging in price from $200 to well over $1000. Brides often come with their families to choose one of several outfits which will be worn during what are usually two days of wedding celebrations.

After my generous host wheeled out a delicious continental buffet of chai, naan bread, yoghurt, and cherry jam from Iran, we spoke of his family; he has four children, three of whom were toddlers during the fighting which took place in the country’s north during the Taliban years. He then asked me whether I was married, to which my mischievous colleague, who also serves as my guide and chaperone here, answered, “Yes, she is. Ask her how many people were at her wedding!”

My mild-mannered host looked at me with an expression that formed a question mark, compelling me to elaborate. Yes, I answered, I was married about a year ago. And we had 18 people at the wedding.

“18?” Disbelief and laughter followed. He shook his head and marveled that the number was only double-digit — and low double-digits at that. “Do you know that Afghan weddings are usually at least 1000 people? A small wedding here would be 500 or so guests.”

Now I was in awe. I had heard for years about big and marvelously fun Afghan weddings with music and food and an overflow of family and friends. But 1000 seemed an extraordinarily large number.

“Oh, yes,” said my host. “1000 at least; sometimes much more. And you have to feed all those people!” This means ordering sacks and sacks of sugar and rice and vegetables and meat weeks ahead of time; no big-box super stores here to turn to for last-minute supplies. Over-sized party sites large enough to fit thousands and featuring glamorous monickers such as “Kabul-Paris Wedding Hall” are serious — and lucrative — business here in the capital.

“But that must cost a fortune,”I asked. “How does anyone afford it? In the States weddings are quite expensive; that is part of why people try to limit the guest list. Five hundred people is an enormous wedding in America!”

Weddings are very expensive here, too, said my host. Too expensive. My colleague agreed. People save up for years to afford them. And sometimes the price of a wedding stops the marriage from happening at all. In Kabul, weddings can run upwards of $10,000 to $15,000. An unmanageably large sum for most.

Still, he said, 18 people was too small! If I wanted to have a more affordable wedding with everyone I wished to invite, I should come to Kabul. For the same cost as my small, State-sized nuptials, I could have 1500 people and lots of good food and music here in Afghanistan. Never mind that I am in my mid-30s, well beyond the usual age for marriage here.

“Next time!” I joked, knowing that most Afghans do not share the American belief in multiple attempts when it comes to marriage. “You know we Americans often try two or three times to get it right.” My host broke out into a rolling round of morning laughter. And so did I.

- Gayle Tzemach

HarperStudio and Borders are pleased to introduce Mark Bagby, the Grand Prize Winner of the “I Am the Next Mark Twain” writing contest. In true Twain fashion, Bagby had some great words to offer after being congratulated on his big win:

I have been interpreting Mark Twain since I was cast in the role of the great humorist and author in the Bakersfield Musical Theatre (community theatre) production of “Big River,” the musical adaptation of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” in 1991. Since then, I have studied biographies, critical essays, and read nearly everything he has written. This has helped immensely and helped refine my performances, and have since done the musical twice more, most recently in January of this year.

Also, I crafted/adapted/scripted two different two-hour shows of Mark Twain material, “Greatly Exaggerated,” and “Nobody’s Fool,” which I performed at another local community theatre, the Spotlight Theatre. These are one man shows, recreating the style and format of Mark Twain lectures, though indebted as are Twain interpreters, to the great work of Hal Holbrook, who is a great inspiration as well.

My performances have also included schools, professional groups, business gatherings and last November I did a one-hour show called “In Considerable Doubt,” at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. I am totally delighted as I think about including my local Border’s as a performance venue, especially under the circumstances!

I don’t know if I’m the next Mark Twain, as there will never be another. But I’m gratified to keep his work, life and words alive for audiences to enjoy, and I thank HarperStudio and Borders for helping to keep Mark Twain in the public consciousness, especially as we approach the centennial of his death. And I’m absolutely thrilled to have won….I’m trying to be humble, but I’ll let Mr. Twain have the final word: “I have had many compliments, but they always embarass me. I always feel they have not said enough.”

Mark Bagby Wins Writing Contest and Claims his Status as "The Next Mark Twain"

And he has a surprising career history…

HarperStudio and Borders are pleased to announce the winner of the I am the Next Mark Twain writing contest: Mark Bagby, of Bakersfield, Calif. His conclusion to the unfinished Twain essay “Conversations with Satan,” was chosen from among 100 entries as the most fitting ending to Twain’s satirical piece. Ten other writers have been selected as Honorable Mentions: Joshua Minuto, James Pendergast, William Colletti, Robert Frazier, Robin Chae, Janet Reeves, Howard Krulewitz, Kimberly Maloney, Chris Narbone, and Craig Cheney. Contestants’ biographies and locales were not revealed during the judging process. In a twist to this story, the Grand Prize Winner just happens to be a Mark Twain interpreter and has been performing one-man shows of Twain’s works.

The contest was created to coincide with the publication of Who Is Mark Twain? and to engage readers and fans alike in “finding” the next Mark Twain. The entries were read by a panel of three judges: Robert Hirst, editor of the Mark Twain Papers project, Dave Taffner, a member of the Borders Fiction buying team, and Julia Cheiffetz, senior editor at HarperStudio.

“One of the most exciting things about publishing the newly-discovered Twain pieces in Who Is Mark Twain? is to see how contemporary Twain still is,” Robert Miller, HarperStudio President reflects. “The terrific responses we received to the ‘I Am the Next Mark Twain’ contest are the ultimate proof of that. I’m sure that Twain would have enjoyed seeing how brilliantly his work was finished, almost a century after his death. We are grateful to Borders for teaming with us on this contest—it was fun.”

Mark Bagby, as the Grand Prize Winner, will receive a free copy of Who Is Mark Twain?, have his piece published on Borders.com, and will give a reading of his work at his local Borders store. Bagby will be able to invite friends and family to hear him read the winning piece and another selection from the book. The winner will also be video taped and interviewed for a segment to air on Borders.com and theharperstudio.com. The date and location of the reading will be announced.

“The fiction buying team here at Borders is thrilled to announce our winner of the ‘I Am The Next Mark Twain’ writing contest. There was an abundance of interest in this contest, and we were pleasantly surprised at how many wonderful submissions we received. We are looking forward to Mark Bagby’s appearance at his local Borders store to read his winning masterpiece and we wish him the best of luck in his writing endeavors,” said Anne Kubek, executive vice president of Merchandising and Marketing for Borders.

Congrats to Mark Bagby, the next Mark Twain!

NPR’s piece about the 20th anniversary of indie record company Merge is fascinating and possibly instructive. While large record companies (and book publishers) have overextended themselves and now need to scale back, Merge has succeeded by choosing new artists carefully and marketing them frugally.  And even when they have hits (Spoon, Arcade Fire) they continue to warn their artists to keep expectations in line with reality. The result is credibility with critics, music fans and artists alike. 

 So the question is: can Book Publishers follow suit?  In a time where creative ideas are welcome, perhaps we need only look at Merge Records to realize that trust, cautious decision making and staying grounded may lead us in the right direction.

Click here  to read the article or here to listen to the intriguing piece.

1) What is Publishing Reset and why now?

I really enjoyed meeting Kristin McLean at BEA and invited her to post this essay on our blog:

A New Way Forward

Is it just me, or did anyone else notice the new glasnost at BEA? Gone is the Henny Penny panic we were all feeling in January, and in its place there is a palpable sense of problem solving and openness to change. What the change is, no one completely knows, but it seems that everyone is on board with the fact that it’s no longer business as usual. 

It’s quite refreshing, actually. Very few industries have the opportunity to revisit the business model in the way publishing is. There’s nothing like a hole in the boat to get the serious creative juices flowing.

John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State under Eisenhower, once said “The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.”

Ironically, this new era of creative problem solving might allow us to tackle one of the biggest problems we’ve had for many years—our distribution system. Quite literally, it is the most inefficient system in all of retail, and it’s costing us billions in labor, fuel, materials, and environmental karma. No wonder our margins are so low at every level of the industry. We’re subsidizing this system with duplicated effort, overprinting and un-saleable stock, wild swings in inventory, and lost opportunity because billing pressures force returns before books have had a chance to gain traction.

I came to the book business from the toy business about a decade ago after spending many years managing an indie toy chain. In each of our three stores, we had a full children’s book section—a store within the store. We carried a comparable amount of stock per square foot to a bookstore, and averaged a respectable 3-5 turns per year on each SKU. 

The section was twice as profitable as the average bookstore. 

Why? Because the buyer chose about half as many new titles, and went twice as deep on the ones she knew staff and customers would love. Key backlist was always in stock in two copies, and every effort was made to stock best-sellers and staff favorites. It was highly edited, full of personality, and well respected. Proof that you don’t need to have everything, just the right things.

And the stock was bought direct from the publishers, non-returnable. 

If it didn’t sell, it was just marked down and moved out. I must say, returnability seemed like a pretty screwy way to do things then, and I haven’t changed my mind much since.

I understand why our model developed as it did. I understand why, when general interest bookstores were the only outlet, returnability made sense. However, the general bookstore model is under heavy pressure, and I believe one of the most viable ways forward is to develop a retail model that emphasizes a strong curatorial eye, narrower choices, and a deeper commitment to our stores as unique places carrying a selection that isn’t duplicated anywhere else. You don’t need to have everything, just the right things. The Special Markets departments at many publishers already know this. Niche is the new black.

Moving to a non-returnable model will demand changes throughout the chain: Publishers will need to start publishing less frontlist and do more to nurture backlist; Authors will need to give up large advances in lieu of a higher cut of sales; and Stores will need to trim some space, wean themselves off the psychological comfort of returns, and commit to a different way of operating. 

Am I saying that all stores should start buying everything non-returnable tomorrow? Perhaps not, but I bet a percentage of buying from particular publishers could be shifted to non-returnable for a nice bump in the bottom line right away. I applaud forward-thinking publishers like Harper Studio who are trying to shift the paradigm. 

Do I think going non-returnable is going far enough? Frankly, when I look further down the road, non-returnability is neutral compared to other innovations like a pure consignment model—you pay when you sell the book, the potential of local print-on-demand,  focusing on selling the consumer a shopping experience as opposed to an object, and as yet unforeseen technological and consumer innovations.

All I know for sure is that we can’t evolve to our next model before we figure this out. Books aren’t going away, but they way we handle them needs to. I am hopeful that we can use a little of our bountiful creativity to re-imagine and reinvigorate our way of doing business.  If BEA is any indication, we seem to be heading that way.

Kristen McLean is the executive director of The Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC), a national non-profit trade association for the children’s book industry.

Theresa Brown’s latest post on the New York Times blog: