Tag Archives: Commercial

The mystery of the covered-up book cover …

Posted on 9 March 2013 by Propagandum

Wandering into my local bookshop the other day, I was shocked to see this: W – as some people say in cyberspace – TF? What’s going on here? How can you buy a book if you can’t read what it … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Media analysis, Publishing, Typography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What is the Apple success formula? Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (book review)

Posted on 23 April 2012 by Propagandum

As Steve Jobs was dying of cancer of the pancreas in 2011, it was ironic, Isaacson notes, that all the top-notch medical specialists gathered around him should have the same fenced-off departmental or ‘silo’ pathology Jobs fought all his life: … Continue reading →

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Page against the machine 1 – Derrida and the great CD-ROM disaster

Posted on 21 November 2011 by Propagandum

While the form of the ‘book’ is now going through a period of general upheaval, and while that form now appears less natural, and its history less transparent than ever, and while one cannot tamper with it without disturbing everything … Continue reading →

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Harry Potter and the Publishers’ Holy Grail II

Posted on 12 October 2011 by Propagandum

In my previous post I suggested that the most successful publishing reflects back to us – at some level – our deepest preoccupations, perhaps ones we don’t even know about; perhaps there are some we don’t want to know about. … Continue reading →

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Harry Potter and the Publishers’ Holy Grail Part I

Posted on 3 October 2011 by Propagandum

Anything that has gripped the imaginations – and spending power – of so many people has to be saying something important. Over 400 million copies sold (and some of the biggest-grossing films in history) is an amazing success – but … Continue reading →

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On Orwell, the internet and book publishing

Posted on 26 August 2011 by Propagandum

I have recently re-read George Orwell’s short essay ‘Politics and the English Language’ and strongly recommend it. Orwell wrote that writing clearly and making good sense are at least the beginning of a world that is more just, more humane. … Continue reading →

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Towards a sustainably commercial future

Posted on 7 August 2011 by Propagandum

Following on from my previous thoughts I’ve been thinking some more about sustainable commercial messages. (By ‘sustainable’ I don’t intend a paraphrase for ‘ecological’, though that might also be a consequence.) What I mean is this: how do commercial organizations find … Continue reading →

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‘Explicit to the idiot …’

Posted on 30 July 2011 by Propagandum

Today, two things in my mind. One, William Blake’s extraordinary letter to the Reverend Dr Trusler (23 August 1799). For background, Blake was always very short of money; Trusler was offering to become a patron of Blake’s printed illustrations and … Continue reading →

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