The Mechanic & the Muse

Steal...er, download this book

Cory Doctorow, sci-fi author and co-editor of Boing Boing, online destination for all things weird and wonderful online, is a pioneer in many ways.

On December 1, Forbes.com published "Giving it Away," Doctorow's account of the counter-intutitive way he markets his books: he offers them as free downloads while at the same time they are published as hardcover books. Not only does he not mind giving them away, he's convinced he gains much more, in particular a loyal audience, many of whom do buy his books.

There are marketing lessons here for newspapers clinging to traditional audiences and desperately seeking ways to lure new ones, as I point out in a centerpiece column inspired by Doctorow's piece and posted tonight on Poynter Online.

Doctorow's philosophy also suggests different options for publishers and writers. In addition to Doctorow's experience with his publisher, I focused on my experience as the co-author of a novel that appeared first in serialized form online and then as a hardcover book, and a new one newspapers around the country have purchased to provide their readers for free.
 

To me, the central question is whether books offered as online freebies can translate into sustainable revenues that can support writers, newspapers and publishers?

After chewing over these thoughts all day in my head and on the screen,I hope you'll read the column and offer your feedback from your perspective/s as reader, writer, editor, publisher.

Money Matters

Who's the Minister of Finance in your family? I'd wager that if you're a reporter, that is one position filled by someone else. Why not? After all, didn't so many of us choose journalism for the same reason: "I can't count."

Innumeracy should be as fatal as illiteracy in today's newsrooms, so why do we tolerate a miscalculation more than a misspelling?

Writers are notorious money-manglers and many undervalue their work (why else pay agents 15 percent?). When I first met my wife, she noticed that my checkbook was riddled with blank entries. "Of course, " I told her. "If I knew how much (or little) I had, I couldn't write new ones."

Over the years, I've tried Quicken, Microsoft Money and other personal finance programs, but they either took too much time or were too frigging complicated.
That's not the case with Wesabe.com, a brand-new personal finance and social networking site I discovered the other day. For now it's free and you can even get the CEO on the phone.

Want to know how much you spend on books? Pizza? Godiva hot chocolate at Barnes & Noble?

Want to connect with others who've got good ideas about getting the most out of your money?

Just because we don't get into journalism for the money doesn't mean we shouldn't be smarter about it, whether it's the school board account or your ATM card.

For me, the most striking part about this blog item, besides the fact it's the first in a while, is that I had to create a new category. Words matter. So does money.

Feel free to weigh in on your money matters. Pin numbers not required.