February eBook of the Month: African Unconscious

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo presents The African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum, with an introduction by Linda James Myers, as our February eBook of the Month!

In this extraordinary and captivating work, Edward Bruce Bynum offers his viewpoint on the roots of human existence. He believes that all humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template. In effect, we possess a shared identity and collective unconscious. This magnificent work is a blend of modern and ancient psychology that provides a relevant backdrop to humanity and our daily life. Looking at phenotypes and psychic structures that form and identify us as human beings, this book is ideal for psychologists, anthropologists, historians and anyone interested in

African American history and culture.

Purchase this eBook at any of the retailers below.

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The Changing Role of Publishers

Every day there are new views and discussions about the changing role of publishing, While browsing for the latest developments, I found this August, 2014 article "Authors should back Amazon in the battle with Hachette" by John Kay in The Financial Times. Kay's article is about change, the value of publishers and the strengthened role of authors. He describes the ebook controversy between Amazon and Hachette, which last summer was still unresolved after months of negotiations, and he disagrees with a group of leading Hachette authors who wrote an open letter intervening in that dispute. Kay believes the authors should understand that they are benefiting from Amazon's technology and distribution capabilities. Although the dispute between Hachette and Amazon has been resolved (see this November article in The New York Times,) Kay makes some worthwhile points. In his view it's all about change and how publishers and authors - and readers for that matter - deal with this ongoing change in the publishing landscape. He states (underlining added by undersigned):

"....Established companies in all industries are inhibited in their response to radical change by vested interests inherent in their existing business models. Music publishers tried to block new technologies, and were marginalised by better-run businesses: Apple, Walmart and Spotify. Book publishers responded initially with dismal reproductions on screen of their printed books. When these failed to sell, they retired into protecting the status quo........... 

....The role of the book publisher has been based on control of access to channels of distribution. The ambition of the aspirant author has always been to “get published”. Along with the decision as to what should be published, the company has traditionally provided a collection of associated services: identification, support and finance of the underlying literary project, editing of the draft manuscript, and marketing and promotion of the finished work. But the large conglomerates that have come to dominate publishing are run by people who love money more than they love books. These support-activities have been cut back in the interest of maximising the revenue, from control of access to distribution. "

Kay continues by saying:

"......Today’s bestseller lists are filled with imitations of books that have already been successful; footballer’s memoirs, celebrity chefs, vampires and female-oriented erotic literature."  I couldn't agree more, how many more celebrity chefs and recipes do we actually need?

".......Such publishers are ill-placed for the new environment. I do not know the extent to which the printed book will remain extant in two decades. But enough eBooks are already being sold to signify that being published by a company such as Hachette or Penguin Random House  is no longer critical."

In my view, Kay would be surprised to see how many printed books will still be sold and read twenty years from now, but at the same time it's clear that authors increasingly will find multiple ways to get published, also thanks to the advent of eBooks.

"What matters to the success or failure of a book is the quality of conception and execution of the underlying project, the competence of the editing, and the effectiveness of marketing and promotion. Most new self-published titles fail these tests; in particular, the lack of a competent editor is often obvious. But this is also true of many titles now published by established houses.

Some existing publishers will thrive on the basis of their strengths in author support services. But most will not. Savvy and well-advised authors, often helped by agents, will be able to buy editing and marketing skills with the receipts from a much larger share of the sales proceeds than the traditional royalty model allows. "

Kay ends as follows:

"Change is rarely an unequivocal benefit. But the (Hachette) authors who signed the open letter have missed the most significant business consequence of the evolution of the book industry. The author will now be placed where he or she should be – in charge."


Notwithstanding my agreement with several points Kay is making, I don't believe that every author wants to do everything by themselves and I believe they will need support and expertise from professionals. Neither is every author a Stephen King who can fund and execute his own publishing activities better than even big publishers. Biased and hopeful as I am, I believe that Cosimo is one of those publishers that are well-placed for the future and will continue to expand its role as publishing partner and supporter of our authors, new and old.

What do you think about the changing role of publishers and the future of publishing? Have a look at what some publishers said at last year's London Book Fair, and let me know what you expect for 2015 and beyond.

Book Expo America: Book Sales, Amazon & John Grisham

Over the last week, I attended BookExpo America,  America's annual book trade show, held at New York's Jacob Javits Center, where everyone who does anything with books gathers. Even though the book business has been under pressure in recent years: people read less or seem to buy fewer books, the rise of eBooks has put more pressure on bookstores, book chains disappear, such as Border's, or face difficult times, such as Barnes & Noble, the atmosphere this year seemed optimistic. Still, some of the numbers presented in the daily BEA publication are not indicative of a healthy industry. The Codex research found that:

- Amazon's share of new book unit purchases in March was 41%, dominating 65% of all online new book units, print and digital;
- Amazon is the largest channel for eBooks, with a 67% market share in March;
- Amazon has a commanding slice of the sale of print books online, with a 64% share in March.

Nielsen Market Research found that online outlets accounted for 41% of book purchases in 2013, while bookstore chains accounted for 22%. In other words, the only two booklets with a meaningful share of eBook and print markets are Amazon (by far) and Barnes & Noble. (with a faltering eBook operation.)  If that's reason to be optimistic, then probably only if the book business would be dead that would be a worse outcome. Against this backdrop, people in the hallways of Jacob Javits were discussing the pricing dispute between Amazon and Hachette, one of the big five trade publishers in the U.S. (although Hachette itself is a French company.) This dispute about new terms for selling Hachette's eBooks between these two giants has now become front page news, as apparently the negotiations are not going well and Amazon seems to delay shipments and prevent pre-orders of certain Hachette books.  This is not just about Hachette, as the outcome of these negotiations will most likely influence the other big five publishers as well, whom I'm sure are holding their breath while waiting for the outcome of this dispute.

I'm ending this post with acknowledging a few authors at this BEA:  Lynnda Pollio, writer and friend of Cosimo's, has won the 2014 Nautilus Gold Award in fiction with her novel, Trusting the Currents. Last year’s Gold award winner in Fiction was Barbara Kingsolver’s bestseller, Flight Behavior. Previous Nautilus Award recipients include The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Desmond Tutu and Marianne Williamson. We congratulate Lynnda with this award. Last but not least, on the last day of BEA, I attended a conversation between two Southern U.S. bestselling authors, Carl Hiaasen and John Grisham, where Grisham was asked why he does not tweet. While explaining that he couldn't imagine interrupting his daily activities to write a tweet, or follow someone else's tweets, he said:" I don't want you to know what I'm doing, and I definitely don't care what you are doing." I couldn't have said it better, hear, hear!

New Review for Dialogues with My God Self

Dialogues with My God Self: Understanding the Law of Love, by Alvaro Bizziccari, has received a new, flattering review on Amazon. The reviewer, booklover343, who titled the review, "Learning about Love from God's Point of View," states:

 Dialogues is a conversation, but it is also a book of lessons, a guide to navigating the world from a godly, and especially loving point of view. ...[T]he tone of the book is uplifting and comforting. It is designed to be a tool for readers to refer to when they are struggling with life's problems, and a refuge for those who are weary of the world's self-centered ways. It's not a book for those who cannot or will not take the time to focus on the more important, personal, spiritual things in life. But it's perfect for anyone looking to renew their faith, discover their meaning, and devote their soul to loving their fellow man.

You can read the full review, as well as others, and buy the book, on Amazon. This title is also available as an ebook from Kindle and Nook.