Byliner: 'Three Cups of Deceit' publisher chases next hit
Last month, an unknown San Francisco publishing start-up had just about the best debut imaginable. Byliner's first product became an instant best-seller and seriously called into question the reputation of an international sensation a decade in the making--all in less than 25,000 words that never touched a printing press.The tiny operation released Jon Krakauer's "Three Cups of Deceit"--a scathing deconstruction of alleged fraud and mismanagement at the hands of world-famous do-gooder Greg Mortenson of "Three Cups of Tea" fame--as a free PDF in mid-April. The launch got a big boost from a story that aired last month on "60 Minutes" about Mortenson, based largely on Krakauer's research. (Disclosure: "60 Minutes" is broadcast by CBS, publisher of CNET.)"Reaction has been extraordinary," Byliner.com founder John Tayman told CNET. "In the 72 hours it was available as (a) free download, more than 70,000 readers downloaded a copy. It then moved to the Amazon Kindle Singles store, and it went to No. 1 within six hours."As of this writing, the 75-page narrative--a riveting account despite being based largely on a review of financial records and interviews with people with ties to Mortenson's nonprofit--remains in that top slot (even as Mortenson's supporters, including one of his former climbing partners quoted by Krakauer, have come to his defense). Now, Byliner is looking for a repeat performance with its follow-up release in its "Byliner Originals" series--20,000 words from award-winning author William T. Vollmann titled "Into the Forbidden Zone: A Trip Through Hell and High Water in Post-Earthquake Japan." Byliner commissioned Vollmann, who has written about Japan in the past, and paid for his trip to the triple-disaster area to gather stories of survivors, the aftermath, and implications for the future."We want to take advantage of the swiftness that digital publishing allows to get these great reads in front of readers," said Tayman, himself a writer and editor who has worked at Business 2.0 and Outside magazine. "Our first two titles are excellent examples of that approach. These are stories that have complexity and currency, tackled by two of the most acclaimed writers in America."Related link• Amazon officially launches Kindle SinglesThat swiftness offers a new experience for readers of long-form nonfiction. I downloaded and read the free PDF of Krakauer's "Three Cups of Deceit" on my Kindle within hours of its becoming available. By the time I reached the final few pages--after less than 90 minutes of reading--I was taking in updates from Krakauer that he had penned less than 48 hours prior. The space provided by the digital format allowed him to expand at length with blow-by-blow details of his efforts to pin down the evasive Mortenson for a last-minute interview.Tayman says Byliner has more than 20 original titles in development from name authors, but acting as a sort of nouveau digital publishing house producing new, timely work is just part of what Byliner will be when it launches in full. The other part of the business, as Tayman describes it, is essentially a discovery engine for fans of nonfiction.Vollmann's tour of the aftermath in Japan is already selling well.Byliner"When we launch, Byliner will allow readers to get easy access to more than 25,000 of the best feature articles ever written. These are articles that may have been published mere hours ago, or 50 years ago. We'll also make it easy for readers to explore the work of more than 2,000 of the best nonfiction writers working. We're curating the full author directories by hand--the writers don't need to do a thing--and we'll roll them out in stages."He says a beta version of the site, expected to launch in the next few weeks, will include archives for nearly 200 writers featuring their new and old work, as well as any Byliner originals they might have done. Sales of those in-house originals will be the main revenue stream, but Tayman says the site will also produce advertising and sponsorship revenue, as well as revenue from affiliate sales--Krakauer's piece is already available in audio through iTunes for $4.99. Over the years, it's become a common assumption that the Internet drives the trend toward more brevity in everything we read, but Tayman is in the smaller camp that also sees an opening for another niche."Some stories aren't suited to either books or magazines, because of length or timing. Byliner was created to allow writers (to) get those sorts of stories to readers."And it looks as though there are plenty of readers hungry for those stories. Some other content producers, notably investigative journalism outfit ProPublica, have experimented and had some success with posting long stories in Amazon's Singles section, but Byliner appears to be one of the first to attempt building a business model around it. So far, it's a promising gamble. Just a few days after debuting on Amazon, the Byliner Originals story by Vollmann is currently stalking Krakauer's No. 1 ranking. "Into the Forbidden Zone" currently sits at No. 5 on Amazon's list of nonfiction best-sellers.
Rabbis call on Apple to ban anti-Semitic iTunes book
Rabbis call on Apple to ban anti-Semitic iTunes book
Apple is again facing controversy over an item being sold through iTunes.The Conference of European Rabbis wants Apple to remove a book known as "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," which is being sold as a 99-cent e-book through iTunes.The Protocols, which surfaced early in the 20th century, purports to reveal a Jewish conspiracy to take over the world. The book has since been discredited as a fake but was used by Nazis and is still used by some hate groups to justify their anti-Semitism.The rabbis are concerned that the book's availability in a mobile format will make it easier to be used by "bigots and conspiracy theorists," according to USA Today."'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion' can and should be available for academics to study in its proper context, (but) to disseminate such hateful invective as a mobile app is dangerous and inexcusable,"Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, conference president, said in a statement.The publisher's description of the book on iTunes does label it as a fraud:The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the one of the world's most famous conspiracy theories. It is a statement of prejudice and paranoia, a fake historical record and a grand hoax all rolled into one. The Protocols claim to prove that there is a Jewish plot to take over the world and purport to show that socialism, liberalism and every other reformist idea or activity are just tools of a Jewish secret cabal. The Protocols have been discredited many times over their 110-year-old history and would be laughable, except for the tragic role they played in the Twentieth Century..But Goldschmidt told USA Today that the app is being sold in a context aimed at "propagating hatred."Related storiesApple criticized for approving 'gay cure' appPoll: Should Apple ban adult-themed apps from the App Store?Apple approves 'Baby Shaker' for App StoreHitler's 'Mein Kampf' a brief Kindle best sellerThe effort to ban the book presents a thorny dilemma: how far should Apple should go in restricting certain material?In this case, the publisher seems to want to expose "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" as a hoax rather than promote it as factual. As such, should the book be banned, or should it be allowed in hopes that it will shine a light on anti-Semitism?Apple has faced similar storms in the past. In 2009, Hitler's "Mein Kamph" made a brief appearance as an iTunes app before Apple quickly took it down, according to the Jerusalem Post.CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story when we get more information.
Apple is again facing controversy over an item being sold through iTunes.The Conference of European Rabbis wants Apple to remove a book known as "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," which is being sold as a 99-cent e-book through iTunes.The Protocols, which surfaced early in the 20th century, purports to reveal a Jewish conspiracy to take over the world. The book has since been discredited as a fake but was used by Nazis and is still used by some hate groups to justify their anti-Semitism.The rabbis are concerned that the book's availability in a mobile format will make it easier to be used by "bigots and conspiracy theorists," according to USA Today."'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion' can and should be available for academics to study in its proper context, (but) to disseminate such hateful invective as a mobile app is dangerous and inexcusable,"Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, conference president, said in a statement.The publisher's description of the book on iTunes does label it as a fraud:The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the one of the world's most famous conspiracy theories. It is a statement of prejudice and paranoia, a fake historical record and a grand hoax all rolled into one. The Protocols claim to prove that there is a Jewish plot to take over the world and purport to show that socialism, liberalism and every other reformist idea or activity are just tools of a Jewish secret cabal. The Protocols have been discredited many times over their 110-year-old history and would be laughable, except for the tragic role they played in the Twentieth Century..But Goldschmidt told USA Today that the app is being sold in a context aimed at "propagating hatred."Related storiesApple criticized for approving 'gay cure' appPoll: Should Apple ban adult-themed apps from the App Store?Apple approves 'Baby Shaker' for App StoreHitler's 'Mein Kampf' a brief Kindle best sellerThe effort to ban the book presents a thorny dilemma: how far should Apple should go in restricting certain material?In this case, the publisher seems to want to expose "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" as a hoax rather than promote it as factual. As such, should the book be banned, or should it be allowed in hopes that it will shine a light on anti-Semitism?Apple has faced similar storms in the past. In 2009, Hitler's "Mein Kamph" made a brief appearance as an iTunes app before Apple quickly took it down, according to the Jerusalem Post.CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story when we get more information.
eMusic adding majors, real prices
eMusic adding majors, real prices
Today, online music retailer eMusic announced a deal with Universal Music Group that will bring 250,000 new songs to its catalog starting in November. Along with the expanded catalog, the retailer will begin displaying song and album prices in dollar values, instead of the obscure credits system that has been in place for years. These changes are part of a larger effort by eMusic to bring the service and its music catalog in line with the big guns of Apple and Amazon. After appointing a new CEO in August (Adam Klein), the company has been working to swiftly add all the major labels to its extensive, predominantly indie music catalog. Even with the addition of recent releases from UMG, there are still gaps in the eMusic catalog. The big fish eMusic still needs to reel in is EMI, though there is reason to believe a deal will be finalized by the November relaunch.Historically, major labels have been resistant to license songs to eMusic out of fear that the lower prices offered by the retailer would devalue their music. Songs sold using eMusic's unique DRM-free subscription system are typically sold at a 40-percent to 50-percent discount compared to iTunes or Amazon. As a concession to labels, eMusic's new pricing system allows for finer control over pricing, so new or popular content can be priced at a premium. Previously, eMusic subscribers were given a monthly allotment of song credits, guaranteeing a set number of downloads each month. Under the new system, subscribers are charged the same amount, but shown their monthly allotment in dollars. Songs are priced individually between $0.49-$0.89, with albums priced between $5.19-$8.99. The fundamental value of eMusic remains the same, though, with $0.49 songs representing a 50-percent savings over a $0.99 iTunes song, or an $0.89 song saving users approximately 20 percent compared to the $1.29 price on iTunes. The company's switch to pricing in dollars also opens the site to better indexing by search engines, such as Google. A sample album page on eMusic.eMusicThese changes may seem minor and arguably long overdue, but they have the potential to put eMusic back in the game as a more aggressive contender to iTunes and Amazon. The most common complaint I hear about eMusic is the difficulty in finding popular music and artists. Otherwise, the retailer's connected album pages, emphasis on community and staff reviews, curated playlists, and championing of great indie music, makes it a haven for serious music fans. Unfortunately, without marquee albums and artists available, even eMusic's most devout users have been forced to buy some of their music elsewhere. The rest of us are just left questioning the value of a bulk discount music service stocked with music we've never heard of. By making the catalog more competitive with Apple and Amazon, eMusic has the chance to finally cash in on the potential it's been sitting on since 1998.
Today, online music retailer eMusic announced a deal with Universal Music Group that will bring 250,000 new songs to its catalog starting in November. Along with the expanded catalog, the retailer will begin displaying song and album prices in dollar values, instead of the obscure credits system that has been in place for years. These changes are part of a larger effort by eMusic to bring the service and its music catalog in line with the big guns of Apple and Amazon. After appointing a new CEO in August (Adam Klein), the company has been working to swiftly add all the major labels to its extensive, predominantly indie music catalog. Even with the addition of recent releases from UMG, there are still gaps in the eMusic catalog. The big fish eMusic still needs to reel in is EMI, though there is reason to believe a deal will be finalized by the November relaunch.Historically, major labels have been resistant to license songs to eMusic out of fear that the lower prices offered by the retailer would devalue their music. Songs sold using eMusic's unique DRM-free subscription system are typically sold at a 40-percent to 50-percent discount compared to iTunes or Amazon. As a concession to labels, eMusic's new pricing system allows for finer control over pricing, so new or popular content can be priced at a premium. Previously, eMusic subscribers were given a monthly allotment of song credits, guaranteeing a set number of downloads each month. Under the new system, subscribers are charged the same amount, but shown their monthly allotment in dollars. Songs are priced individually between $0.49-$0.89, with albums priced between $5.19-$8.99. The fundamental value of eMusic remains the same, though, with $0.49 songs representing a 50-percent savings over a $0.99 iTunes song, or an $0.89 song saving users approximately 20 percent compared to the $1.29 price on iTunes. The company's switch to pricing in dollars also opens the site to better indexing by search engines, such as Google. A sample album page on eMusic.eMusicThese changes may seem minor and arguably long overdue, but they have the potential to put eMusic back in the game as a more aggressive contender to iTunes and Amazon. The most common complaint I hear about eMusic is the difficulty in finding popular music and artists. Otherwise, the retailer's connected album pages, emphasis on community and staff reviews, curated playlists, and championing of great indie music, makes it a haven for serious music fans. Unfortunately, without marquee albums and artists available, even eMusic's most devout users have been forced to buy some of their music elsewhere. The rest of us are just left questioning the value of a bulk discount music service stocked with music we've never heard of. By making the catalog more competitive with Apple and Amazon, eMusic has the chance to finally cash in on the potential it's been sitting on since 1998.
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