futurist | The Creative Penn

The Future of Publishing: AI, Mixed Reality, Machine Learning And More With Thad McIlroy

April 10, 2017 by Joanna Penn 2 Comments

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:11:19 — 57.1MB)

In 2007, Apple released the iPhone and Amazon released the first Kindle. A LOT has changed in the publishing world since then. Technology has shifted reading as well as writing and new companies spring up every day that may disrupt the old order of things. Today I talk to Thad McIlroy about the future of publishing.

In the introduction, I talk about what it means to me to be a finalist for the ITW awards in the Best Ebook Original category for Destroyer of Worlds. Plus, the launch of Amazon Cash and what that might impact in terms of global sales.

This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors.

Thad McIlroy is a journalist, author, speaker and publishing consultant and he writes about the future of publishing.

You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video here, read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

Show Notes

What is artificial intelligence?

The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel and how it applies to authors

Should we be branding in a way that teaches algorithms about our books?

Why an author's website matters so much in terms of metadata

Quantum computing and its effect on books and authors

Start-ups, the future of publishing and world markets

You can find Thad at TheFutureOfPublishing.com and on Twitter @ThadMcIlroy

The Future Of Books. 5 Billion New Consumers, Global Mobile Payments, 3D Printing, Drones, VR And More

December 2, 2016 by Joanna Penn 3 Comments

The Bookseller is hosting the FutureBook conference in London today. I'm not speaking there, but here I am speaking in October 2016 at Digital Commerce Summit on some of my thoughts on the future of book sales and publishing in the next 5 – 10 years. I love all this futurist stuff 🙂

The short video includes my thoughts on 5 billion new consumers coming online, global mobile payments, 3D printing, drones, VR, AR and more.

I'm influenced in these areas by Peter Diamandis's book BOLD and his weekly Abundance Insider newsletter, as well as his post on the World in 2025. Plus, Singularity Hub, Digital Trends, Exponential Wisdom podcast and Wired magazine. I'd also recommend Kevin Kelly's book, The Inevitable.

If you're feeling down about the future, read all those instead of the mainstream media and you'll see how exciting the future will be.

Here are some podcast episodes on related topics:

How To Use Data Science To Write And Sell More Books With Chris Fox

October 24, 2016 by Joanna Penn 10 Comments

Podcast: Download (Duration: 53:11 — 42.6MB)

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Can we really combine creativity with algorithms to write better stories and sell more books? In today's show, Chris Fox explains how we can.

I'm still away so this is a pre-recorded intro and scheduled in advance. In the introduction, I mention the Pulse Pounders thriller bundle, a limited time deal including a load of awesome thrillers! Check it out here.

Today's show is sponsored by all the listeners who support the show through Patreon. Thank you SO much for your ongoing support. It means so much to me that you enjoy the show enough to contribute! If you'd like to become a Patreon supporter, you can support the show for as little as $2 per month and receive the extra Q&A show monthly. Click here to find out more.

Chris Fox is the bestselling author of science fiction and dark fantasy, as well as non-fiction books for authors including Write to Market, 5000 words per hour and today we're talking about his next book, Six Figure Author: Using data to sell books.

You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video here, read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

What Amazon data science, and machine learning, are and how authors can use them.

How Amazon differs from the other online book retailers and how authors can train Amazon to sell more books.

What to look for to find a voracious readership.

Strategically writing to market and how to know what readers are looking for.

On Amazon ads and when they are useful.

Tips on writing faster.

The future of writing, including virtual reality and AI help with story.

You can find Chris at www.ChrisFoxWrites.com and his books here on Amazon.

How Authors Can Use 3D Printing With Kevin Koekkoek

July 4, 2016 by Joanna Penn 4 Comments

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:00:50 — 48.8MB)

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Regular listeners to the show will know how much of a futurist I am, so this is an exciting episode as I discuss 3D printing with Kevin Koekkoek and how authors can use it right now. Fun!

In the intro, I mention the launch of The Successful Author Mindset, Nook announce print-on-demand service, Amazon announces Page Flip, and Renegade Writer has a post on how one author lost thousands on a book launch with a paid service. I also mention the recording of my first Facebook Live Q&A, if you want to check it out.

The corporate sponsorship for this show pays for hosting and transcription. This podcast episode is sponsored by 99 Designs, where you can get all kinds of designs for your author business including book covers, merchandising, branding and business cards, illustrations and artwork and much more. You can get a Powerpack upgrade which gives your project more chance of getting noticed by going to: 99Designs.com/joanna

Kevin Koekkoek is a designer and 3D printmaker. He runs 3DKEV, focused on 3D printing, making and digital manufacturing as a tool for makers, designers and artists. He's also the author of 3D printing projects: 20 design projects for your 3D printer and runs workshops in London.

You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video here, read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

Kevin's background as an architectural model maker.

The types of 3D print technology available and the rate of change in the industry.

Examples of uses for 3D printing, and Kevin's process for going from design to printed object.

How to get design ideas printed in 3D even if you don't have a 3D printer, and how this is like the print-on-demand technology used for books.

The wider applications of 3D scanning and printing, including those for museums who want to preserve copies of artifacts.

Tips on how to start with your own designs for 3D printing.

Creating designs from book drawings, ideas for where to find designers to do this, and cost involved.

On the ethics of 3D printing and whether 3D printing is disrupting traditional manufacturing.

Cutting edge uses for 3D printing, including 4D printing, where the object has the ability to change shape.

How to find a ‘maker space' near you.

You can find Kevin at www.3DKev.com and on twitter @3DKev

Digital, Mobile, Global, Indie? The Future Of Publishing With Thad McIlroy

July 20, 2015 by Joanna Penn 7 Comments

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:10:36 — 56.7MB)

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Regular listeners will know that I am a (not so closet) futurist.

Today I get to indulge my passion with Future of Publishing author, publishing consultant and speaker, Thad McIlroy. Yes, we both get super excited about mobile, digital, global sales and the creative disruption of indies!

In the intro, I round up my time at ThrillerFest and talk about how Nook has shuttered all international stores except the UK, plus the release of iOS 8.4 iBooks which will have integration with iTunes, which bodes well for audiobooks.

And of course, I have to mention Amazon review pain and the Authors United protest. Plus, Deviance, the final book in the London Psychic trilogy, is now on pre-order at Amazon, Kobo, Nook and iBooks.

Thanks to Kobo who did a Buy 3 and get 30% off promotion for my J.F.Penn thrillers last week, resulting in getting up to #4 in Mystery & Thriller in Canada, just behind Girl on a Train. My sales at Kobo this month have been super duper 🙂 I talk about tips on how you can potentially get noticed for merchandising.

Kobo’s financial support pays for the hosting and transcription, and if you enjoy the show, you can now support my time on Patreon. Thank you for your support!

Show notes for interview with Thad

Thad McIlroy is a journalist, author, speaker and publishing consultant and he writes about the future of publishing. He also has writing in his blood, as a descendant of Kenneth Grahame, who wrote The Wind in the Willows. Very cool!

You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher, watch the video or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

How mobile devices are changing the way people read and purchase books, and the increased reach of authors given the proliferation of mobile devices.

On the new relationship between social media, mobile devices and shopping habits, and the resulting importance of brand and capturing a reader's attention almost instantly.

The world in 2025 (see the original Peter Diamandis article here) and the number of people who will be on the internet then and the exponentially increased potential reach this gives authors.

What World English rights mean to traditionally published authors vs. indie authors

The creative disruption that indie authors are creating and the benefits of not being bound by traditional rules, especially if we are unaware the rules existed at one time.

Whether there's a plateau in the indie book market and thriving without needing to destroy the traditional.

The role of print books in the future, as well as the current state of the appearance of ebooks and the difficulty in making them beautiful.

The rise of Apple in the ebook market and the differences in merchandising approaches on Kobo and Apple vs. Amazon.

Recent changes at Scribd and the popularity of the subscription model.

On audiobooks, Google Auto and Apple CarPlay and why audio matters for those authors with reasonable sales.

On the importance of metadata, including the power of a book's description because it is a metadata field.

You can find Thad at TheFutureOfPublishing.com and his book on Mobile Strategies for Digital Publishing here on Amazon.