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January 22, 2009 | Vol. 2, No. 3 | ISSN: 1943-1457
Above the Fold
A weekly newsletter for the changing world of libraries, archives and museums

In this issue:

- This Year's Top 10 Media & Publishing Ideas
- What Can the Book Business Learn From iTunes?
- An Interview with C.K. Prahalad
- The Brand You is Dead. Long Live The Brand You Build.
- Ask Questions: The Single Most Important Habit for Innovative Thinkers

## This Year's Top 10 Media & Publishing Ideas

Trendwatching.com • January 2009

Something for everyone. Here's a thought-provoking list of trends in publishing that could spell changes for the way publishers market their wares and the way we serve our patrons, from print-on-demand for out-of-print books to selling books by the chapter to personalized travel guides.

It's worth scanning this list. I was unfamiliar with eight out of the ten. (Michalko)

## What Can the Book Business Learn From iTunes?

Fast Company • January 5, 2009

Embracing the Free Lunch model. The record industry did it and survived—the book publishing industry will be next. Rather than quake in fear of the Kindle, publishers should be rethinking their business model and accept the $10 price tag as a new reality. The good news is, technology innovations like Google's book search offer a major opportunity for extremely targeted advertising, and instituting a referral program like Amazon's music affiliate plan could expand publishers' outreach without a pricy marketing campaign.

Google Book Search and the Kindle as the salvation for publishing? What do you think? (Michalko)

## An Interview with C.K. Prahalad

Ivey Business Journal • November/December 2008

Your business as platform. Management thinker C.K. Prahalad says consumers today are an active part of creating their own experiences—something he calls co-creation, which is "two joint problem-solvers collectively creating value, rather than the company creating the value and exchanging it with consumers." So, if your business is really a platform that consumers will use to create value, the question is: "How do you create robust platforms that allow for infinite variations in the level of engagement that consumers want at different points in time?"

This is worth scanning. His comments about customer acquisition seem relevant to rebuilding our client and service base. (Michalko)

## The Brand You is Dead. Long Live The Brand You Build.

Eyecube • January 5, 2009

It's not all about you. Too much of blogging has turned into bragging, says Eyecube founder Rick Liebling, who notes that "Today, thinking of yourself as a brand is like swimming in an ocean full of sharks all fighting over the same seal." He urges those stuck in the Cult of the Personal Brand to direct their energies toward creating something useful—a real brand that addresses a real need.

This is worth a read for the embedded re-read of Tom Peters' article in Fast Company, "A Brand Called You," with a twelve-year perspective. (Michalko)

## Ask Questions: The Single Most Important Habit for Innovative Thinkers

InnovationTools • December 9, 2008

Asking the right questions takes practice. Too many people are afraid asking questions will make them look uninformed, but intelligent questioning is an art form. And for organizations, it can be essential for good decision-making.

It's good to be reminded about asking questions. I had a boss who taught me that if you could answer three "why" questions in a row you'd have made a defensible decision. (He was right about that—mostly.) (Michalko)

News and Views

- Moving Library Services into Research-Flows—New Synthesis Available
- The Google Book Settlement—What Does it Mean for the Rest of Us?
- Library Website Analytics
- A Referenceable List of Scholarly Journals Held by Fewer than 50 Libraries
- Generatives and Intangible Value
- Reading, Skimming, Avoiding...

More news ››

Events

- RLG Programs Meetings at ALA Midwinter, 23–28 January in Denver
- RLG Programs 2009 Annual Partner Meeting, 1–3 June 2009 in Boston

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- OCLC Research
- RLG Programs

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Above the Fold is a Web-based newsletter published by OCLC Programs and Research. It has been developed to serve a broad international readership from libraries, archives and museums. News items are supplied weekly under contract by Suzanne Douglas, Ibis Communications Inc. Programs and Research items are supplied by staff in RLG Programs and OCLC Research. Please send comments and questions about this or other issues to rlg@oclc.org.

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