How Publishers Are Tackling the App Question

PW: "Are apps marketing devices for authors and books, or a new revenue stream? This is just one of many questions publishers are asking as they develop apps from their content. When PW approached large and midsize publishers to find out about their app programs, we discovered that many houses don't have 'programs' per se. Questions loom about what content is best suited for apps—though overwhelmingly it seems that reference and children's are sweet spots—and how best to look at apps. Should apps be created with the goal of bringing in money independent of books, or as tools to market books and authors? ... "

Oxford University Press: Third Edition of OED Unlikely to Appear in Print Format

The Guardian: "Publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary have confirmed that the third edition may never appear in print. A team of 80 lexicographers began working on it following the publication of the second edition in 1989. It is 28% finished. In comments to a Sunday newspaper, Nigel Portwood, chief executive of Oxford University Press, which owns the dictionary, said: 'The print dictionary market is just disappearing. It is falling away by tens of percent a year.' Asked if he thought the third edition would appear in printed format, he said: 'I don't think so.' ..." But no final decision has been made. Note that the Third Edition is not due for another ten years.

Dorling Kindersley Goes Into eBooks

New Media Age: "'The key area initially will be [iPad] apps, and we have some aggressive targets,' said Dorling Kindersley’s digital publisher Justin Moodie. 'We’ve seen what’s happening in the market and believe there’s a gap for serious illustrated reference products. He said that Dorling Kindersley would focus on serving consumer needs across multiple platforms. 'It’s not a question of one or the other. The world is a big place and people use all formats. What I’d like us to do is meet all of those needs,' Moodie added."