Yesterday was Sorority Bid Day here in Gainesville.
Seems to me that the exact same thing that happened to the music industry is now happening to the book publishing industry.
Successful publishers (musicians) like Seth Godin (Radiohead) who used the big publishing houses (record labels) to gain a large, influential audience can now break free and independently publish their writing (music). This is awesome.
Inevitably this is extrapolated by conference speakers into suggestive theories that ALL writers (artists) can use this new model to be successful.
Which gets back to the real issue at hand: Marketing & Distribution will always be a integral part of being successful in any market. Some writers (artists) are go-getters who want to do all this themselves. They blog, tweet and cultivate their own personal Small Army. BUT most want to concentrate on what they’re good at and let the rest of the necessary work that they are not passionate about be handled by specialists.
“We get it – you don’t like service fees”
“Going forward….we’ll tell you up front how much you can expect to pay for a ticket.”
“at the NEW Ticketmaster we wake up every day obsessing over the fan experience.”
At least they’re honest about their past.
Rachel Goodrich - Light Bulb (via Ernie)
There was a contest for someone direct a video for a local Miami indie artist. This video won.
“Sometimes real life doesn’t give you all the right material….so you have to invent something that’s true to the feeling you had, the feeling you’re trying to get across, even if the thing you invent didn’t actually happen. It’s an idea from Werner Herzog. He calls it the Ecstatic Truth.”
Rex Hammock posted something on your Wall:
“Birthdays on Facebook are awesome. Happy birthday, Taylor. Have fun”
Just turned 27 on Friday and this is what my inbox looked like, which led me to observe two things:
1) Seeing all these messages does brighten up your day. I didn’t throw a party, didn’t make a big deal out of it, but there’s something about your friends spending 10 seconds writing on your wall that makes you at least aware you are in their thoughts, which made me smile.
2) Watching people all try to say the same thing without saying the exact same thing is entertaining. Some sang, some wrote in french or spanish, some suggested a plan (get drunk, see a show, have fun). I usually try to write something slightly more tailored to the person than the norm and I think it’s worth it.
The writer of a HuffPo article, Facebook Has Ruined Birthdays, laments that remembering people’s birthdays used to be a special task for those who “really” cared enough to mark it in their calendar, follow up with a phone call etc. Now you just need to be getting your daily fix of Fbook and you won’t miss a single friend/acquaintance/coworker/exwhatever’s special day.
“I was the second person to wish my son a happy fourth birthday. The first was his dentist’s customer relations management software.” - Dave Pell
Everything is changing and yeah birthdays aren’t as “impressive” to remember as they once were, but considering 90% of the people who wished me a birthday don’t live near me and wouldn’t have called me on the phone, I love this new cultural norm.
“Simple example: start a blog and post once a day on how your favorite company can improve its products or its service. Do it every day for a month, one new, actionable idea each and every day. Within a few weeks, you’ll notice the change in the way you find, process and ship ideas.”
Seth Godin on finding inspiration instead of it finding you.
HELLO business/marketing/advertising college-aged kids looking for a job/internship/passion for life. Don’t you think a blog documenting your ideas on how to improve current strategies (thriving off your naïvety) will help you stand out in the sea of resumes/clones.
On that note, this follows a theme I’m putting together in my head for a possible Pecha Kucha presentation. Dive into anything, everyday for a period (1 year, 6 months, whatever) and you’ll walk away changed for life. Even if you don’t keep it up after that initial goal period, your skills and perspective will forever be altered.
Worked for me with Web Design, Photography and Eating Right. Currently working on a new one too…
“Generate joy, don’t just satisfy a need for a commodity.”
Marvin and I have been actively posting to the SCHED* Tumblr in an effort to share more of our design and business decisions publicly.
Even got us some coverage in ReadWriteWeb with a click-inducing headline: SCHED* Fails Miserably and Moves Forward






