After my last couple of air travel experiences, I vowed to start taking the train more. Canceled and missed flights led to frustration, so I don’t blame authors reluctant to embark on book tours — even if they’re more worried about budget than getting stuck at Dulles over night. Unfortunately this change in book promotions has led to the virtual shuttering of BookTour.com, a site dedicated to helping authors organize these trips, and helping readers find events.

I think there’s more than just limited marketing budgets behind the fall of BookTour.com. I’ve been to my fair share of author events. In college I had no choice but to attend them as homework for publishing classes. Sometimes the authors are fun and engaging, and sometimes they just read from the book — which I can do myself. More recently I saw Wally Lamb read an excerpt from his unreleased, forthcoming novel. That was cool, and I felt a little like I was being let in on the secret. My favorite author experience, though, was at the Connecticut Forum’s Book Club event where John Irving, Azar Nafisi, and Jonathan Franzen engaged in a panel discussion about more than just their own books. (more…)

Today, Google announced plans to buy Motorola Mobile, or as one of my friends put it in a Facebook post: “In other news, Google moves forward with their plans for total world domination… good for them.” The search giant says:

The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.

This move, however, has some anti-monopoly hackles raised. Jamie Court, president and CEO of Consumer Watchdog, issued a statement raising questions about the acquisition. He wrote: (more…)

All eyes are on LinkedIn today, as the career oriented social network’s share-price soared on its first day of trading. LinkedIn planned to sell shares from $32-$35 at the opening bell this morning, but it quickly shot up to $42-$45 — and just continued to grow. So far, experts seem to be skeptical of the company’s stock prices, even if investors aren’t.

Click for a closer look.

LinkedIn is the first of the big social networking sites to go public, and investors are, understandably, anxious to get their hands on stock for the seemingly unstoppable juggernauts of the social world — like Facebook or Groupon. At a time when growth is sluggish in other industries, these companies seem to be the shiniest of the bright spots. But in a country where we’re still suffering the effects of one bubble, there needs to be someone out there speaking with a voice of reason. In some cases, that voice is coming from Wall Street itself. Reuters reported:

To some investors, LinkedIn’s valuation is too high.

“I wouldn’t touch the stock, I wouldn’t own it, not at $45, not at $43,” said Eric Jackson, managing member at hedge fund Ironfire Capital.

Still, if the quiet workhorse of the social realm can make such a mad dash out of the gate, then what’s in store for the bigger, flashier sites — many of which are expected to go public within the next few years.

“I do not know if LinkedIn will raise 30 % more than forecasted, but I do think their statement and optimism is more reflective on the wider space of new technology and new media valuation,” Steve Goldner (aka Social Steve) told EContent in an email. “LinkedIn should drive high valuation and investment because of two reasons: 1) they have a proven revenue model that is working, and 2) they own the target segment they operate in. I can not think of any business social network that poses a threat to LinkedIn at this time. I think this is a strong position for any company – not just for ‘social sites.’”