Prepublication Tour for Writers–(NYT) This article chronicles a debut novelist’s experience schmoozing with book stores and their salesforces before publication. It’s a practice on the rise because it helps get the salesforce behind the book. CIQ: Great practice. We’d like to know whether publishers also have digital efforts towards the same end– like email lists of these salesforces and targeted emails to them.

 Ditching DRM–(WSJ) In a major shift, EMI has agreed to sell its music online without insisting on digital security. iTunes DRM software is proprietary, locking people into the iTunes store if they want music to be compatible on their iPods. CIQ: The theory here is that it’s DRM keeping music downloads to 15% of the market. But with CD sales falling drastically, what other choice does EMI have than to try this strategy?

Studios Limiting Digital Downloads–(Business Week) “Imagine if you went to a bookstore and they only sold books by Harper Collins,” begins this piece. Then it goes on to lay out the current craziness of online movie downloads. Certain sites have certains content. Oh, and there there are different formats, rules, and compatibility issues. CIQ: We all assumed that the movie industry would learn from watching the music industry commit suicide. Guess not.