Kirshbaum offers cogent advice for publishing in lean times

Legendary publisher turned literary agent Larry Kirshbaum was recently interviewed by the 26th Story, HarperStudio’s publishing blog.

I found his take on the state of the book industry a welcome break from the dearth of stories reporting on its imminent demise. I also liked Kirshbaum's focus on what can be done to better give books a chance of succeeding in the marketplace.

He suggests big publishers trim their lists so they can devote more time, energy and marketing dollars to each title, something HarperStudio is already doing. Most intriguing was his suggestion that "marginal titles" or ones with a smaller potential audience, be published in digital format exclusively and only brought to print in a physical book if need dictates. Others, including marketer Seth Godin and novelist Stephen King have played with this idea -- offering either books or chapters online ahead of a book's physical release, or in King's case, in lieu of it.

While Kirshbaum's solutions might not be the ultimate solution for a world that's growing increasingly digital, it's clear that he's headed in the right direction.

Reports of Publishing World's Death May be Greatly Exaggerated

New York reported last week that the book business isn't going to get a storybook ending and, in fact, may be in line for an untimely demise. Reporter Boris Kachka's piece cites stagnant book sales, big name authors playing musical chairs, and Amazon posing as some sort of sales "boogeyman." Finally, he suggests that publishing might need to turn to corporate America for solutions.

That last bit of advice seems unusual given the tumble on Wall Street that has the government offering bailouts and the word "Depression" creeping into the pages of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. I am not sure corporate America has the solution.

Publishing may be forced to fend for itself and frankly, I see firm evidence that it is capable. Too often dismissed as an industry that is behind the times, publishing can actually take credit for making great strides in taking its content digital and finding new sources of talent.

Consider that in the last decade a single mom from Britain created the next generation of readers when she concocted a seven book series about a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Not only did kids who'd barely lifted a book in favor of a Game Boy become devoted fans, but famed critic Michiko Kakutani called J.K Rowling's work, "monumental, epic and spellbinding." Kids' literature over? I don't think so. Ask Stephenie Meyer, who is cashing checks faster than her vampire tale Twilight makes it into the local cineplex.

It's not just kids' fare either. Philip Roth published his 25th novel, Indignation, this week to rave reviews. And last time I wandered through Chelsea, The Food Network was turning out celebrity cookbooks as fast as new episodes of Iron Chef. Not only can you now buy COOKBOOKS in the grocery store (nice distribution efforts by the publishers who put them right where you buy the food) but the last time I walked in the front door of my local market I ran into a stack of Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture accompanied by a video screen playing footage of the professor's famous final talk. By the next week, they were all sold, replaced by The Shack, a self-published book that was the talk of this year's book expo convention.

And I haven't even mentioned Oprah. Recommending books that range from Toni Morrison's novels, to Dr. Oz's YOU: series, to Maya Angelou's poetry, the woman has virtually reinvented the book club.

Reading dead? Apparently no one told Oprah. And they are going to have a tough time convincing me that it's game over for the book in all its printed glory.