December 23, 2011
Amazon rides to the rescue of long-form journalism
Will newspaper cutbacks and closures lead to the end of long-form and investigative journalism? At least one journalist is proving that need not be the case. Marc Herman put together a long piece based on his experiences in Libya, cut out the middleman, and put it up for sale at Amazon.
If things keep going how they are going, I think in a few months I’ll be able to say I have the beginnings of a viable business model as well as a viable way to bring long-form reporting about international events to the public. I’m still cautious in saying that, however, because it’s a very new form, and we just don’t know what’s influencing people’s decisions — it’s Christmas season, the Kindle Fire is selling well, Libya is still an important topic. It’s really hard to say what’s driving this.
His Kindle Single is called The Shores of Tripoli, and you can download it for $1.99.
Link: A war story, a Kindle Single, and hope for long-form journalism