Have worked with HarperCollins, Knopf, Other Press, New Directions, Bellevue Literary Press, New Vessel Press (CUNY alums), among others. Also do work for the Dutch government, the American Bar Association, New York University, New York Institute for the Humanities, Words Without Borders, the Literary Review, The Hudson Review, authors such as New Yorker writer David Grann, James Ellroy, Linn Ullmann. Bud Parr • Former finance guy
• Started a book blog in 2002 called “Chekov’s Mistress.”
• Started Sonnet Media in 2003.
• Started a social network for book bloggers called “Metaxu Café” in 2005.
• Started ad network for literary sites called “Brainiads” in 2006.
• Started an author/publisher website service called “PubSpring” in 2012.
Have worked with HarperCollins, Knopf, Other Press, New Directions, Bellevue Literary Press, New Vessel Press (CUNY alums), among others. Also do work for the Dutch government, the American Bar Association, New York University, New York Institute for the Humanities, Words Without Borders, the Literary Review, The Hudson Review, authors such as New Yorker writer David Grann, James Ellroy, Linn Ullmann. Bud Parr • Former finance guy
• Started a book blog in 2002 called “Chekov’s Mistress.”
• Started Sonnet Media in 2003.
• Started a social network for book bloggers called “Metaxu Café” in 2005.
• Started ad network for literary sites called “Brainiads” in 2006.
• Started an author/publisher website service called “PubSpring” in 2012.
“I have dipped into books of aesthetics, but I had an uncomfortable feeling that I was reading the works of astronomers who had never looked at the stars. They were writing about poetry as if poetry were a task, and not what it really is, a passion, and a joy.” - Jorge Luis Borges
Book cover design is even more important than it every was They travel around the web Create a connection between web and physical stores They must work in small places
Design & Content Be about the reader, not you - put yourself in their place and try to think about what they need. ! Site search is important ! SEO is somewhat important - use good copy and links and don’t sweat the rest (like keywords).
Design & Content Serendipity Principle: Design first for the least engaged viewer ! Make it easy for for people to find what they want…and make it easier for people to discover what they didn’t know they wanted.
E-commerce • Can be expensive. Start slow. • Use platforms where it makes sense. • “D to C” will be important s o o n . • Lots of opportunities to “know your customer” when you engage them on your site. • Start your mailing list now.
Social Media • Better to be really present on one channel than to be mediocre on many. • Be genuine and personal. • Don’t be afraid to change strategies. • Beware the false feel-good of hits from Facebook.
Platforms Everybody’s favorite with 60m + users: Wordpress But beware of hidden costs. It must be maintained, or risk hacking; hosting must be robust or your site will slog; add-ons can be a pain. Developer quality variable. And, themes are obvious. Good place to start if you have very limited resources: Squarespace (or others depending on your sensibilities and other needs) Commerce: Shopify? Ultimately, you will want to own your content.
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