I probably know more than I care to know about the publishing industry. Issues like book buy backs and company mergers fight their way into your attention even when the only thing you really want is to have your book continue as a product.
I guess my interest does have a positive and proactive component. I have become interested in the connection between the text book industry and technology. As an author of a book that attempts to prepare teachers to use technology, it seems critical that the preparatory experiences would include more than a book. At this point, it would seem possible to create a more participatory approach allowing learners, instructors, and authors to communicate more directly.
Our publisher, Houghton-Mifflin, was sold several years ago to Vivendi – a French multimedia corporation (I used to think of Vivendi as something like AOL-Time Warner). Vivendi fell on hard times and sold Houghton-Mifflin to a holding company. Now, the rumor is that Houghton-Mifflin is being sold to Riverdeep. Yep – the same Riverdeep that sells Reader Rabbit. No official comment at this point from either company.
