Two big announcements

So here’s something: I have a new job. And a new ebook out. The two might be connected.

The job: The image above might be a clue. Yes, from this coming Monday, I will be the Books Editor of The Huffington Post.

I’m excited. I’ve never worked full time for a major brand before. This one is, unusually in this climate, both ambitious and expanding. There’s some fascinating things that can be done in the area of online reporting and aggregation. I hope, nay expect, to be doing some of them. Give me a few weeks to get used to things, but watch this space.

The book: Somewhat fortuitously, this morning my new ebook, Reading in Four Dimensions, went live on Kindle (here’s the UK link) and Nook. People can read it via pretty much any device via the free Kindle and Nook apps.

The book – well, long essay really – looks at how the physical and digital worlds interact through the medium of storytelling. It’s an explanation of social reading, and why it’s going to change publishing. It’s a story about time travel. And it’s only 99c (or its equivalent in your territory.) There’s also a page of related links.

If you’d like to know more, below are a few Probably Asked Questions.

PAQs

Q: Why did you take this job?
A: Because it’s a genuinely exciting company. Because I think I can do something fantastic with the role – editors get a lot of editorial independence within their sections, which means I’ll stand or fall on what I do with it. And I have plenty of ideas for what I’m going to do with it.

Also, I’m excited by their frankly immense readership figures, their current ambitions, and about being a tiny part of a major news operation. This is going to be fun.

Q: Aren’t you the magazine guy? What do you know about books?
A: Certainly, I have more experience and contacts within the global magazine industry than I do in the books industry.

I do have some experience with book publishing, as an author and a former Editorial Director of a publishing company that made books among other products; Reading in Four Dimensions was written following three months working at Brown University on a lecture and workshop series about the future of the book, and I’ve also been following book industry news for some time among my RSS and Twitter feeds, as part of my ongoing fascination with new and unusual storytelling.

However, it was made clear to me that I was hired for my editorial vision, rather than my insider contacts. This does mean that I have some catching up to do in getting to know all the relevant people, but I have a feeling that the HP name will help me get my phone calls returned.

Q: Will you keep running Stack America and Colophon?
Yes indeed. You’d have to pry those from my cold, dead hands.

Q: What’s going to happen to this blog?
More exciting news: I’m going to be cross-posting magazine blogposts between here and The Huffington Post. This means, a) the blog is about to come back in a big way, and b) yes, my pretties, these reviews, rants and witters are getting a mainstream audience. Bonus points for readers who click on both versions.

Q: What does Reading in Four Dimensions have to do with the new job?
I wrote the first draft in April, based on a talk I gave at Brown University in early March. It probably helped me get the job, but otherwise the timing of its publication is a rather happy accident. It wasn’t intended as a manifesto to the books industry as declaimed by the new Books Editor of The Huffington Post, but there you go.

Q: I’m a book industry PR/have written a book I think you should feature/want to tell you some industry gossip. Can I email you?
Not right now. My first day is this coming Monday, much of which will probably be spent meeting people, learning where to store my umbrella, and trying to remember the location of the restroom.

Basically, if you already have a contact email address for the Books section at HP, stick with that until further notice. If you don’t, find one, and use it. Insider tip: annoying me at my personal email address doesn’t increase the likelihood of favorable coverage.

Q: I don’t like The Huffington Post.
A: That isn’t a question. But keep an eye on the Books section anyway. You might just learn something interesting.