Dead Tree Publishers, Dead
January 29, 2009
PaidContent.org ran David Kaplan’s “General Print Mags Are Dead” here. I had to shorten the article title because it was tough for me to figure out the “@”, the “Wolff”, and the “Best Advice”. On re reading the article, an information trade association called SIIA (the 2009 version of the Information Industry Association) sponsored a panel. On that panel various wizards, mavens, and pundits discussed print magazines. One speaker–Michael Wolff, an author–alleged said, “General print is dead.” Tough for me to disagree with that statement. You can read observations made by other traditional media flag carriers. What surprised me is that it has taken until January 2009 to figure this out. I don’t agree with the notion that magazine publishers should stop “letting Google win.” Exactly what is a magazine publisher going to do. When you fire staff writers and squeeze what one pays stringers (which happened to me today), what are these companies going to do about Google? Build their own Googleplex. Sue Google some more. Strong arm advertisers to buy a full page ad in magazine with several dozen pages? Pout? Leap frog Google technically? I bailed out of traditional publishing in the early 1990s when Bill Ziff began selling the Ziff Communications’ properties. Google is the new digital Gutenberg and has been for many years. Waking up to today’s economic reality is a useful step forward, just a decade too late. I am willing to wager $1.00 that the Washington Post does not believe that Google is a new medium. What do you think? Check out Google Channels before responding, however.
Stephen Arnold, January 29, 2009
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2 Responses to “Dead Tree Publishers, Dead”
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Hi Arnold,
Tried to find your email, but couldn’t… So, here its is, as a comment to a relevant post of yours…
Check this out, its hilarious…
http://thenextweb.com/2009/01/29/richard-halloran-owns-home-computer/
alex
Alex,
Loved it. Also, I am Stephen Arnold, not Arnold Arnold. You have me confused with Major Major.
Stephen Arnold, January 29, 2009