Sharing Culture in Books and the

Benefits of Openness:Social Networks, P2P & Infinite Digital Space

Presented at SFU Book Publishing Immersion Workshops 2010

By Sean Cranbury

Twitter: @seancranbury | @booksontheradioEmail: sean [at] booksontheradio [dot] ca

Web: www.booksontheradio.ca

Some Personal History/Context:

18 years as an independent bookseller ‘89-’07:Chapman Books, Duthie Books, Virgin Books,

Sophia Books.

Founding Editor at House of Parlance Media, Inc.published Shane Koyczan’s Visiting Hours, packaged

Avril Lavigne’s Make 5 Wishes for Del Rey.

Deep roots in traditional bookselling with independent publishing experience now exploring digital.

The Web is Opportunity:

Limited opportunity to work in bookselling and publishinglead to the creation of Books on the Radio.

Radio show designed to engage creators, publishers, editors about their work and the changing industry.

Weekly interviews broadcast on-air and archived online.Podcasts, essays & enthusiasms posted to website.

Open Communities Around Books:Bookcamp Vancouver

Bookcamp Toronto, Bookcamp Halifax

Bookcamps are self-organized ‘un-conferences’ designedto encourage collaboration and idea sharing among

writers, publishing professionals, book enthusiasts andthe technology communities - specifically open source.

Social Networks in Action:W2 RVWS:

Every Wednesday During 2010 Olympics

11 writers a nightPhysical book salesStanding room only!

100% driven by social media

Video & film documentationLive streamed via UStream channel*

Edited, uploaded to YouTubeDedicated Website**, Facebook page

Twitter from personal accounts

Drive awareness via cultivated networksPoint followers to specific sites, info

Focus on community, personal connectionMake it inclusive!

* Urgent texts from home viewers when stream went down.** www.realvancouverwriters.com

Some Thoughts Before We Move On:

The book is revolutionary, resilient and adaptable.

It’s the “O.G.” of media formats.

Book publishers should not fear adaptation.

Embrace the digital space as a chance to communicate widely, learn lots, build communities.

The future of books is physical with a digital sidecar.

Literature is based on stories of transformation.

Sharing Culture in Books

Enthusiasm for books, writers, stories leads to sharing.

It’s a basic human desire, everyone wants to be a part of something that’s exciting.

Enthusiasm creates word of mouth, the best advertising.

Word of mouth builds and expands the community.

What if nobody is talking about your book?

But What About Digital Sharing?

Opportunity to engage, build communities of readers.

Nobody says that you have to share everything.

Strategy, openness and trust are the foundation.

Digital locks are not the answer.

Everybody produces free content.

Don’t forget to listen.

Thoughts on Piracy:

1: Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.

2: Piracy is progressive taxation.3: Customers want to do the right thing, if they can.

4: Shoplifting is a bigger threat than piracy.

From the 2002 essay, Piracy is Progressive Taxation, by Tim O’Reilly.

To be widely shared is to be widely relevant.

File Sharing or Piracy?

Peer to Peer networks (P2P) are file-sharing networks.

Digital files are infinitely replicable, not bound to economies of physical scarcity.

Online ‘pirate’ archiving and meta-data curation often superior to publisher efforts.

Increased online discoverability, community building, immediate feedback opportunities.

Test drive new material for free (agile publishing).

Defining Openness:

Being in the same digital spaces as readers/creators and having real conversations with them.

Flexible ideas about new technologies - social networks, open source, P2P, streaming, what’s next.

Listen to, respond to questions, criticism and praise.

Ask questions and have opinions - you can do both!

Be agile, adaptable, willing to learn.

Benefits of Openness

Direct relationships with audience/future authors.

Discovery of new/unexplored markets, traditional territorial boundaries disappear, publish globally

instantaneously.

New relationships with creators, new genres emerge.

Collaboration across town, country, world!

Test new material, put out fires before they start.

Infinite Digital Space

Ever evolving online potential means engagement is not optional - devices, software, social networks are

constantly changing.

Rule of Abundance: a digital file is essentially infinite. Embrace this idea, turn it to your advantage.

The web is an ever expanding series of links, tags, intersections and signifiers.

It loves creativity, participation and links.

Publishing is a Collaborative Process

and that

collaborative process

now includes

the reader.

The reader has lots of friends.They can be your friends too.

A Few Final Thoughts:

PIRACY DOESN’T EXIST.

Free digital distribution is the present/future measurement

of the relevance of your content.

Future of Copyright

Will be determined bycreators who will appropriate,remix, recontextualize materialfrom various media - and will allow/encourage the same.

Attribution not litigation.

Good content is networked content.

Networked content points the reader to a place where she can support the creator/publisher.

Supported, influenced, propelled by online community.

Recommended Reading

Better Than Free by Kevin Kelly

Content is a Service Business by Andrew Savikas

Impact of P2P and Free Distribution on Book SalesBy Brain O’Leary

Interview with Eric Garland of Big Champagne

Piracy is Progressive Taxation by Tim O’Reilly

Thanks to:

Suzanne Norman, Jocelyn Wagner and everyone at SFU Summer Publishing Workshops.

To Brian O’Leary, Sarah Wendell, Neelan Choksi, David Pakman, Mark Coker, Michael Tamblyn,

Noah Genner, Andrew Savikas, Jesse Finkelstein.

To the fearless ones who embrace the future of the book as an exploration

into uncharted territory.

Onward!