Looking around on the wide world of the web, I stumbled (no I wasn’t drunk) onto a couple sites from publishers of the books on my shelf. I checked out O’Reilly Media, Shambhala, and Dark Horse (among others), and was impressed with a lot of the functionality that they had put in their sites. O’Reilly is perfect for someone who can talk at length about how Linux is the OS of the future and how Web 2.0 is so yesterday. Shambhala had some nice little links that gave praise for some of their “high class self help” stuff (I need to update my shelf). And Dark Horse appealled to the comic fan with its cartoony graphics and loads of images.
Then I looked at Simon and Schuster’s site and I realized that no matter how much we talk about not needing money to advertise and market on the web, man if you do, it’s going to be pretty #@%&in sweet. I especially like their tag cloud near the bottom of the page where the most popular authors are bigger in size. Nice touch, you rich bastards…
Then I looked at Marvel’s website (yes, I am a nerd), and was immediately turned off. They’ve got their hands in too many venues right now, trying to catch up with Dark Knight’s box office success I would assume. Video spotlights, movie previews, but what about the #$@%in books, people? Maybe they believe that their audience is the hyperactive child who can’t keep focused on a comic book, so they have to court the movie watchers first and foremost, but I didn’t like it. This is why all the real nerds (who are above the age of 17) read graphic novels these days instead of comic books. Or that’s just what we tell other people…
-bk
Cognitive Surplus Media 
Just this evening someone mentioned the new Simon & Schuster site as the best example of what publisher websites are going to look like in the future. My understanding is that community will be built around authors, space on a publisher’s website will become salable real estate, and publishers are now in the business of providing Web services as much as anything else. If that’s not it, I bet it’s close.
p.s. If you ever get an interview with Simon & Schuster I will give you five dollars to work in the phrase “you rich bastards.”
I also will give you five dollars for that.
It’s unfortunate Marvel is missing the mark. Considering their comics are so imaginative, it’s disappointing that their website isn’t too. Though I did find it entertaining they have an ad for a Spidey comic in which Obama’s inauguration will be featured.
Did you read DC’s “Watchmen”? It makes me very nervous they are turning that into a movie…