Business Management - Industry Trends

Will the disaster of the Facebook IPO be the final nail in the coffin of the Internet? No I don’t think so. However, I do think that the Internet and all that is lumped together under it and the various “e-” terms are going to be redefined.

According to a historical analysis of GfK MRI data by Condé Nast, some print products have never been more popular among the young. McDonald’s analysis shows that some categories—fashion/beauty, men’s, celebrity, health and upscale lifestyle titles—attract more young readers to print than they did 10, or even 20 years ago.

In a filing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan late Tuesday, Apple said it has not conspired with anyone or fixed prices for eBooks in an effort to thwart Amazon.com Inc’s dominance of that fast-growing market. “Apple’s entry into eBook distribution is classic procompetitive conduct” that created competition where none existed, Apple said in its court papers.

“For Apple to be subject to hindsight legal attack for a business strategy well-recognized as perfectly proper sends the wrong message to the market,” it added. “The government’s complaint against Apple is fundamentally flawed as a matter of fact and law.”

General Motors pulled its ads from Facebook just days before the technology company floated its shares on the NASDAQ. The automaker cited a lack of results from the advertising platform. That’s music to the ears of a direct mail printer.

Simon & Schuster, one of the five major book publishers accused in multiple lawsuits of conspiring with Apple to fix eBook prices, has settled the complaint filed by numerous states’ attorneys general, CNET has learned. The terms of the settlement weren’t provided in court documents. A Simon & Schuster spokesman declined to comment.

Last month, Simon & Schuster also settled a complaint by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as did Lagardere SCA's Hachette Book Group and News Corp.’s HarperCollins.

The move by Simon & Schuster follows similar settlement deals the AGs reached with HarperCollins and Hachette.

The state Development Office is publishing a new magazine, West Virginia Edge. “It’s a marketing piece,“ said state Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette. “It’s designed as a magazine, but its mission is to promote West Virginia as a place to do business.

“As we were looking for a way to send our message about business in West Virginia, we decided, ‘Let’s take that money and put it towards a magazine and send it to chief executive officers across the country, distribute it at trade shows.’”

Burdette said, “We have about $35,000 in printing and mailing costs…We will publish twice a year to start

In the uber-competitive world of photo printing and photo books, you don't have to wait long for the next deal. Whether it is 101 free prints or a deeply discounted book, the deals keep coming, without any signs of abating.

“The $69.1 billion market for the four packaging segments we studied will grow to more than $80.4 billion by 2015. While the market provides significant opportunities for firms in the print value chain, most do not understand the complexities of the market, especially the differences between vertical markets, and the macro forces that drive brand owners’ packaging decisions,” according to Kevin Karstedt of research firm Karstedt Partners.

There is a window of opportunity now to expand upon the concept of a publisher-centric eBook hub; to take Pottermore’s partial blueprint and use it to futureproof publishing. Along with the obvious aspects of integration with all major bookstores, rapid buying processes, and sensible ebook formats, I would want to see such a platform include

The moment I found myself surrounded by undergrads studying to get degrees in imaging, I wondered, “What’s on their minds?” Beyond simply “getting a job,” what are their hopes and concerns? What is their vision for the future?