Around the Word

Empire state of publishing: Would the rest of America buy more books if the publishing industry wasn't so concentrated in New York? Publishing Perspectives has posed that question, holding that the Manhattan- and Brooklyn-based publishing world can be too insular and self-referential. As they put it, "How many novels can someone in, say, Chicago or Atlanta read about a twenty-something Manhattan editorial assistant, junior Wall Street trader, or cupcake shop owner in Cobble Hill looking for love?"

Going up! Every professional word nerd knows the importance of the "elevator pitch." But in our increasingly digital work world, what if you only get to pitch over email or on your website, rather than in person? Don't worry: Men With Pens has some tips for making your pitches shine in the virtual elevator.

Tweet police: Twitter has become a minefield of potential ethical problems that writers have to navigate daily, especially journalists, for whom a misfired tweet can ruin your reputation, or even cost you your job. The AP recently released their social media guidelines and have turned their attention to retweeting -- as reported on 10,000 Words, journalists are advised to avoid retweeting anything with an opinion to avoid the appearance of endorsement. When it comes to social media, how objective should we expect journalists to be?

Getting your content fix: Need to spice up your blog? Digital marketing expert Jeff Bullas has ten "addictive" types of blog content that have been proven to boost traffic again and again. Reviews, how-tos, case studies and infographics all have readers coming back for more. What types of content would you add to the list? (h/t Ragan)