Skip to content

Tag Archives: book

Funding Models

I have no business background. I am a college professor. Still, I believe in funding models and I distrust situations in which I cannot figure out what the funding model is. Often, the funding model is there but not apparent. Some web companies offer content or a service in hopes you will click on ad links [...]

Posted 25 October 2008 † grabe § General ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

If Oprah says it is OK, then ….

It appears that Oprah has become fascinated with reading books on a Kindle. The financial folks are projecting a bump in Kindle sales.You certainly will get no negative reaction from me. I wonder if Kindle reading is subject to the same hurdles that have prompted the recent discussion of the downside of reading from a [...]

Posted 24 October 2008 † grabe § General ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Big Talkers

There are many big talkers out there. Folks who have lots to say about situations they do not actually deal with themselves. The folks who criticize authors and book companies probably annoy me the most. They also fail to carefully analyze the book business and appreciate the role that we all play in creating what is [...]

Posted 19 August 2008 † grabe § Rants ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Bit Torrent Encourages New Abuse

First it was copied music and now copied textbooks. The NY Times describes how students are now sharing pdfs of textbooks. The article describes a student who scans and distributes an organic chemistry book. 
As a prof. and also an author, this disturbs me. Textbook companies have resisted moving their content to a digital format because they [...]

Posted 16 August 2008 † grabe § General ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Textbook Costs

A recent NY Times editorial examined the cost of college textbooks. The piece outlined factors the writer contends are responsible for rising prices. The editorial also points to the efforts of Congress to require companies to sell resources as individual products rather than as bundles and proposes that online resources could be made available to [...]

Posted 22 May 2008 † grabe § Rants ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Basic Math and What I Know About Business

Finals are over, grading is done, and now I have some time to generate a few blog posts.
Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to generate a few posts (maybe 3) concerning the cost of instructional materials. I have written about this issue before (If you interested use the search box, I have actually [...]

Posted 15 May 2008 † grabe § Rants ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

On the future of books

On the media (from New York Public Radio) offers a podcast on the future of books. Are new media replacing old (e.g., books) or are traditional media adapting?
My “listen” of the presentation - it is not so much a decline in books, but in how they are sold. There are too many books and marketing [...]

Posted 27 November 2007 † § General ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: