OBS in World Media
[ 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 ]


PCWEEK, October 24, 1994
"On-line marketing: Where does one start?"

"Examples of Web sites that use good marketing models include the OBS (Online BookStore), required reading for anyone interested in marketing on the net. Aside from being an impressive application of marketing on the Web, be sure to get OBS owner Laura Fillmore's excellent articles on how to approach marketing and commerce on the Internet."


Newsbytes, October 7, 1994
"Online BookStore Attends Frankfurt Book Fair"

"The Online BookStore (OBS)...this past April unveiled its home page on the World Wide Web....Attending the 46th Frankfurt Book Fair, OBS says it is unveiling a new kinetic approach to online publishing with hot links embedded into the text of a fully published online book, 'Paperless Publishing.'

"Laura Fillmore, president and founder of OBS, also unveiled for the Frankfurt attendees, 'The New Middle East Magazine', which is a collaborative effort between the Palestinians and the Israelis."


The Washington Post, October 6, 1994
"CyberSurfing: Out for Blood"

"The writing of a novel used to be a solitary, unheralded task, wherein the writer wrestled alone with his muse and, when needed, his editor. The reading public didn't need to be involved, and certainly not the millions of users of the Internet.

"But Floyd Kemske happens to write novels about 'the way people relate to computers,' so to him it made sense to let Net-heads be the first to read and critique his work. They're even invited to title it...


Publishers Weekly, October 3, 1994
"Nolo, Catbird Presses Go Online: Legal Advice, a Look at Editing"

"Robert Wechsler, founder an publisher of Catbird Press in North Haven, Conn., told PW that Catbird will be collaborating with Laura Fillmore and her Online BookStore 'to use technology to illustrate something old-fashioned'--the book editing process...

"Anyone with Internet access can observe the editing process or add their own comments...

"The process was demonstrated by Laura Fillmore at the Meckler Electronic Book Conference in New York City and will be again at the Frankfurt Book Fair a week later."


National Writers Union NewsletterNational Writers Union Newsletter, October 1994
"Editing of NWU Member Goes On-Line"

"Electronic publishing is often considered a threat to traditional publishing. But two publishing concerns (Catbird Press and Online BookStore) are collaborating with an author on a project that will include readers, writers, and editors in an important part of the publishing process that cannot be displayed in book form: the process of editing a novel...

"The facilitator of the project, Online BookStore, was established in the Internet in 1992, and has been a pioneer in the field of Internet publishing."


Electronic Entertainment, October 1994
"Sharp Edge Newsflash"

"If you need an electronic book this very second, you may want to tap into the Online BookStore..."


Scholarly Publishing Today, September/December 1994
"Publishers and the Internet"

"Christine Maxwell ...noted that scholarly publishers are at an interesting point in the history of their industry, and she challenged them to embrace the Internet fully, saying that those who continue merely to dabble will lose the opportunity to have a real say in the evolution of Internet publishing.

"Laura Fillmore described two models of electronic publishing: (1) A 'contained' model which is simply translating a book to an electronic format on the Internet; and (2) a 'distributed' model in which a core of information is translated, and hypertext links are created to other resources on the Internet. This second model is a dynamic way of publishing that can use audio, video, mail and even live human beings to create a 'boundary-less' work.

"Laura described the traditional book as a bowl whereas publishing on the Internet is 'publishing in a colander.' There is no such thing as an online book-- it's an online thought store."


BCS Journal, September, 1994
"Publishing on the Internet"

"...the size of the Internet market, growing availability of publishing tools and service providers, and outlets like the Online BookStore make Internet publishing real. And if your business involves publishing, you would be wise to consider this bold new medium."


New York Times Book Review, August 14, 1994
"Are These Books, or What?"

"...But some people envision a time when bookstores themselves might be obsolete. Why would you need to walk into a store, they say, when books come on little disks for your personal computer, or when they're made more widely available through places like the On-Line BookStore, which is based in Massachusetts and sells books through the Internet?"


L.A. Daily News, June 27, 1994
"Internet changing the face of reading"

"Laura Fillmore of the Online BookStore in Rockport, Mass., is experimenting with what she calls 'distributed publishing.' Distributed, because the books are no longer contained, or limited to a single file or even a single computer. Instead, the books access material in databases distributed all over the Internet...

"Robert Ipsen, marketing vice president at John Wiley & Sons [said]...'As a marketer in publishing, my opinion is at this point that you're a fool not to experiment...The people who are going to be successful are the ones who are the most experienced.'"


The Gloucester Daily Times, May 19, 1994
"Thought Links to the World"

"For now, OBS is the only bookstore of its kind in cyberspace worldwide. However, on-line book publishing will soon affect the way publishers and bookstores do business at street level...

"Serious readers wouldn't want to miss out on the distributed "hot-linked" version [of Bless this Food, by Adrian Butash]..."


Bookselling This Week, May 2, 1994
"On-line Book Selling Poses Obstacles, Opportunities"

"Fillmore's model of distributed publishing produces an electronic book which is no longer a self-contained entity. Rather, it contains 'links' which allow the reader to interact with the book and follow trains of thought across the vast expanse of the Net...

"[Fillmore says,]'It's giving [the publisher] fabulous PR and people still want the paper book. She pauses for a second, then adds, 'that may not be true for our kids.

"But Fillmore still sees her vision of electronic publishing as less a replacement for traditional publishing than a new and different world. 'We're making what was static into something that is kinetic,' she explains. 'After a while, we'll stop calling them 'books."'


Online Access, May, 1994
"Books Galore"

"A great place for science fiction fans is the Online BookStore."


American Bookseller, April, 1994
"The Online BookStore: Future or Fantasy"

"I may have seen the future. The other day I had a fascinating experience. I witnessed a demonstration of...the Online BookStore...

"...I must say, the experience was exhilarating...

"...with certain books designed for on-screen usage, there are things you can do on-line that you can't do on paper...Even this just begins to reveal the enormous potential of on-line books...

"...when you read a book on-line you can have universal access to the world-wide docuverse, a term first used by the father of hypertext, Ted Nelson.

"Optimum use of electronic books online means reading becomes an interactive experience with the free-wheeling ability to link texts and documents almost at will. This is already possible. True believers say it's only a matter of time before it becomes the accepted practice."


The Guardian (London), March 24, 1994
"Books Enter a New Chapter"

"Today, books are fixed, finite things contained between covers. The electronic online book is different: it is kinetic, distributed, constantly changing, almost alive. Thanks to the Internet--the global network of computer networks--an online book can not only refer to things outside itself, it can enable the reader to link to them...

"The first electronic, online book of this type is Bless This Food: Amazing Graces In Praise Of Food by Adrian Butash... published by the Online BookStore, founded by Laura Fillmore. She demonstrated it in London at the Electronic Books International conference last week, and at the London International Bookfair earlier this week...

"Fillmore says "the thinking is in the linking...

"Fillmore sees five ways to charge for books: by copy, by site licence (e.g. to a university), by subscription, by 'shareword' and by sponsored publication...

"...when the texts of books have been distributed free over the Internet, sales of printed versions have boomed. The on-screen version provides a taster, and people who really want a book will still buy it...

"'What you're really selling is people's attention,' Fillmore says. 'I'm richer because you're paying attention to what I say.'"


Fortune, March 7, 1994
"The Internet and Your Business"

"...[Laura Fillmore] is as tenacious as any real-world shopkeeper: 'Eighteen months ago I told myself there was a business here. I'm still telling myself the same thing.'"


Publishers Weekly, February 28, 1994
"PSP Meeting: Facing Up to Electronic Publishing"

"Among the New Technologies & Services exhibits, the most popular spot was the Internet Room where Laura Fillmore, president of the Online BookStore (OBS), was demonstrating the world's first 'distributed book.' Adrian Butash's collection of table prayers from the world's religions called Bless This Food, published by Delacorte, was introduced to the world at the AAP/PSP meeting and is offered by OBS on the Internet in 'distributed' form, with links to other resources and sites all over the Internet, using the free software program Mosaic."


Internet World, January/February 1994
"Stephen King Publishes on the Internet"

'"Umney's Last Case,' a piece from Stephen King's new short story collection, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, was made available exclusively on the Internet until October 13, when it was published in hardcover by Viking/Penguin. The Stephen King story was published on the Internet by Editorial Inc./The Online BookStore.

"The Internet is just beginning to be explored by book publishers as a publishing medium. The Online BookStore, founded in 1992, is a pioneer in the Internet publishing field, having published such authors as Robert Coover, John Ashbery, and Paulina Borsook on the Internet.

"The King short story was made available to the Internet audience on September 19 in a variety of formats..."


Internet World, January/February 1994
"Internet Booth at Frankfurt Book Fair"

"An Internet Start-Up Booth was part of the exhibits at the Frankfurt Book Fair...coordinated by Editorial Inc. and the Online BookStore.

"The purpose of the booth was to inform the world-wide publishing community about the Internet, how they can hook-up, what's available on the Net, and what publishing opportunities exist.

"The OBS organized the first Internet Start-Up Booth in May 1993 at the American Booksellers Association annual convention in Miami Beach. The booth introduced thousands of publishers and booksellers to the reality of Internet publishing, offering marketing and informational literature as well as online demonstrations."


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