Publishing
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The newspaper industry is seeking an antitrust provision to negotiate for a return to a world that is gone and never coming back; worse, it is an approach that could ruin publishing’s true future.
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The missing piece when it comes to the future of media are faceless publishers. Vox Media’s deal with The Ringer shows the way.
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For years publishers haven’t had to worry about business models: they just captured attention and watched the money come in. Those days, though, are over: the publications that survive will start with business models and…
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Amazon Opens Physical Bookstore, The iPad Pro’s Half Launch
Amazon’s physical bookstore is first and foremost an experiment. However, it’s worth considering how it fits into Amazon’s measurement of success. Then, the iPad Pro launched, but not its accessories. It’s part of a worrying trend.
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Why ESPN Was Justified in Killing Grantland, Did ESPN Overpay for Sports Rights?, Disney Earnings
I’ve spent time on Grantland’s potential, but did ESPN really make a mistake by not taking advantage? I say no — the mistake was Grantland’s. Still, has ESPN stretched itself too thin, or might there be a method to their seeming madness when it comes to sports fees? Disney’s earnings — particularly CEO Bob Iger’s comments…
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Grantland and the (Surprising) Future of Publishing
ESPN’s decision to close Grantland seems to be more evidence that there is no future outside of massive scale or one-man operations. Bill Simmons’ recent successes, though, suggest that the answer could be the exact opposite.
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In Defense of The New York Times
Amazon and The New York Times had a fascinating exchange this week, on Medium of all places. What that exchange represents — the search for truth, now open to anyone — is far more important than the particular article in question.
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The Web-App Tradeoff, Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages Project, A Win for the Web
Some follow-up on Twitter, and then a deep dive on Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages project. Why is it necessary, what does it do, and is it to be applauded or feared?
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What is Medium Doing?, Facebook Updates Notes
Medium just raised $57 million on a relatively modest valuation, but lots of folks aren’t still sure what the company is trying to accomplish: today I give it my best shot. Plus, Facebook has updated Notes, which look a lot like, well, Medium posts. The appearance, though, isn’t what will make them succeed or fail.
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Are Ebooks Declining, or Just the Publishers?, Oyster Goes Out of Business, Media Notes
A follow-up on e-book publishing, and why there is so much dispute about just how many e-books are sold.
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Disconfirming Ebooks
Aggregation Theory would seem to argue that ebooks are destined to dominate the publishing industry. However, that is decidedly not happening; understanding why is a powerful tool to make the theory better.


