As newspapers, literary journals, and digital publishers debate the future of content, one issue looms large: do we need paywalls to earn money for our content? According to The New York Times' public editor, executive editor Bill Keller has said that the paper will decide "within weeks" whether to erect a paywall--setting the pace for everybody from online literary journals to hometown papers.

Last week Five Chapters editor David Daley confessed his own uneasiness with his free journal's role in the publishing economy: "I'm not always sure it's good for the overall reading culture," he said. What do you think? Our blog network is running a poll to find out what all the different media types in the audience think about this crucial topic. Add your answer below...

Do You Think Paywalls Will Save Newspapers?(trends)

Today the twenty semifinalists were announced in the "Next Best Celler" contest, a search for the best cellphone novel on a serialized writing site.

The contest is being held on the cellphone literature site TextNovel, a socially networked community created by Soper Literary Agency. The shortlist was created by counting total votes and subscriptions by readers. Dorchester Publishing editors will determine the ten finalists by November 16th, and choose a winner early next year.

The most popular book on the shortlist was written by Lillie Spencer, who has racked up hundreds of votes for her cellphone novel-in-progress, "Manhunt." Here's the ultimate prize: "The winner will receive the $2,000 prize as an advance and a publishing contract with Dorchester."

"Press? I could tell by your clothes..." sniffed one greeter at the New York Public Library's black-tie Library Lions gala last night, analyzing this GalleyCat editor's corduroy jacket, wrinkled slacks, and uncharacteristically snazzy leather shoes. The guests sipped cocktails in a lavishly decorated salon inside the library, the room decked out with candles, ten-foot-tall floral arrangements, and a paparazzi crew. For one glitzy night, NYC high society dined alongside media moguls like Si Newhouse and novelists like Colson Whitehead.

Once inside, this GalleyCat editor quizzed guests about the one thing that really matters in this world: books. Actor, author and host John Lithgow recalled his favorite library book: "At my library in Yellow Springs, Ohio, I checked out the entire short works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle," he recalled. "It was great storytelling."

Author Fran Lebowitz reminisced about checking out a John O'Hara book with her mother's library card. The librarian forced the young reader to call her mother to confirm that she could check out the racy title: "She didn't care!" exclaimed Lebowitz. "That ruined my mother's reputation at that library."

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Yesterday, we shared some tips from a toolbox for National Novel Writing Month participants no matter where they may be—but here's an opportunity of special significance to GalleyCat readers in the New York City area: The Center for Fiction is opening up its Writers' Studio at 40% off the usual membership fees. The Studio is located on the top floor of the Center's midtown headquarters, and members can make use of "a desk, a personal locker, access to an up-to-date reference library, comfortable chairs, electrical outlets for portable and laptop computers, wireless access to the internet, access to a refreshment lounge located on the premises, and all the privileges of general membership—including access to our 75,000 volume library, discounts at our bookstore, and marked down tickets for all our events, reading groups and writing workshops."

Membership options extend from an evenings-and-weekends plan (usually $100/month) to full access from 9 a.m. to midnight or 6 p.m. on weekends ($130); to snag the discount any time this month, email programming director Kristin Henley and put "NaNoWriMo" in the subject line.

Meanwhile, here's some of the best advice for NaNoWriMo participants we've seen yet, from Merlin Mann: "Read the next sentence out loud to yourself three times. No, do it: When I’m reading about writing, I’m not writing." As Mann points out, the top habit of amazing writers is pretty simple: "They write."

(Note: Senior editor Ron Hogan curates a reading series at the Center for Fiction.)

Yesterday Simon & Schuster has launched a new "e-commerce solution" for selling digital editions of medical books, following iTunes' lead by offering individual chapters of books.

In the new Ask Doctor Oz site, readers can find answers to specific medical questions from different authors, including books by Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz. Once the reader has located an answer in a specific text, they can buy individual e-chapters of the relevant title--instead of buying the whole eBook.

Simon & Schuster's Chief Digital Officer Ellie Hirschhorn had these thoughts: "It represents a transformational shift from current trade publishing models, and means that consumers may no longer have to purchase an entire book when perhaps a chapter or two will provide them with the answers they are looking for, or if they are looking to sample parts of a book before making the decision to purchase the entire work. This opens up a new world of opportunities for where and how our digital content can be distributed and sold, and we plan to expand both the chapter selling model and use of our e-commerce widget to other content categories."

Many publishing companies read social trends like tea leaves, trying to mirror them in books. This trend-mirroring focus has had some unexpected results, like monster mash-up overload to a book deal gold rush for comedians.

Today's guest on the Morning Media Menu was Alain Sylvain, managing director of strategy at the branding agency, Redscout. Around the 10:25 mark, Sylvain explained that publishers should stop reporting on these trends and focus on discovering the subtext behind these unexpected events.

Here's an excerpt from the interview: "If we were thinking about innovating a publishing space, we would start with account planning--really getting to the bottom of what consumers think about and want every day. The publishing community holds a mirror up to the culture...Where I think publishing has an opportunity to really offer something new is asking: 'what's the subtext?' Publishing has to get more tapped into what people are really feeling about the world around them, rather than reporting what is."

Spring Design has sued Barnes & Noble over the design of their digital reader Nook, arguing that the bookseller broke non-disclosure agreements and "misappropriated trade secrets" about the two-screen design of Spring Design's Alex Reader

According to Spring Design Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Eric Kmiec, the company had shared the device with bookseller: "We showed the Alex e-book design to Barnes & Noble in good faith with the intention of working together to provide a superior dual screen e-book to the market." Spring Design unveiled the reader on Oct. 19, 2009; a Google Android-based e-book device with wi-fi Internet browsing and a special dual screen allowing reading and browsing at the same time.

Here's more from the company's release: "Spring Design first developed and began filing patents on its Alex e-book, an innovative dual screen, Android-based e-book back in 2006. Since the beginning of 2009 Spring and Barnes & Noble worked within a non-disclosure agreement, including many meetings, emails and conference calls with executives ranging up to the president of Barnes and Noble.com, discussing confidential information regarding the features, functionality and capabilities of Alex."

Former HarperCollins president Jane Friedman and film producer Jeffrey Sharp will deliver the keynote address at mediabistro.com's upcoming eBook Summit in New York City--unveiling their plans for their brand new digital book outfit, Open Road Integrated Media.

The presentation will be entitled "The Art of Disruption: Thinking Differently About The Changes In Publishing." The eBook Summit will run from December 15-16 at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City. Participants also include: DailyLit CEO Susan Danziger, Sony's Digital Reading Business Division President Steve Haber, Lexcycle co-founder Neelan Choksi; Google Books product manager Brandon Badger, author Katty Kay, and Books on Board CEO Bob Livolsi.

Here's more from the program: "[Open Road] will publish eBooks from the backlists of well known authors and new eBooks from unpublished authors. Jane and Jeff will discuss their vision and explain how they also plan to produce audio and video content that aligns with their eBook offerings."

Former William Morrow publisher Lisa Gallagher has joined Sanford. J. Greenburger Associates as a literary agent, months after the publisher lost her job in a massive restructuring at HarperCollins.

In 2000, Gallagher moved from London to help found the U.S. offices of Bloomsbury Publishing. Founded in 1932, the SJGA agency represents a number of authors, including Dan Brown, Nelson DeMille, and Robin Preiss Glasser.

Here's more from Heidi Lange, vice-president of the agency: "Gallagher is that rare publishing professional whose talents include a strong editorial insight, marketing expertise, and keen business sense. She has a reputation for being extremely pro-author, working closly with writers on all aspects of a book's publication, and yet she never loses sight of the realities of the marketplace."

The Featured Book of the Day is Hungry written by top plus-size model Crystal Renn and Marjorie Ingall. Crystal Renn explores her past in this memoir about body image and growing up in front of the camera. At 14, she was recruited and told she could become a famous model. All she had to do was lose 10 inches off her waist.

After she lost 70 pounds, she moved to New York and began modeling around the world. She developed anorexia and bulimia and frequently had health issues, such as heart palpitations and fainting spells. When her body could no longer stay at a size zero, Crystal took a long hard look at her life and decided to become healthy. She returned to her natural size, a size 12, and became an even bigger success in the industry. She has shattered industry beliefs and is now happy, healthy, and doing what she loves.

As another Monday winds down, here are some odds and ends from the day's publishing news...

Next week, Mary Gaitskill, Eric Bogosian, John Turturro, and others will read from stories written by inmates for PEN's Prison Writing Program.

Author Stephen Fry defended Twitter and the Internets in a video interview about a generation of kids growing up online.

In a True Slant interview about "Eating Animals," Jonathan Safran Foer talked about his move from vegetarianism to a vegan lifestyle: "my basic stance on the issue is, I'd say, forgiving--but still quite firm. I am transitioning to veganism, and I don't like, run home and eat 1,000 eggs or something."

Paul Auster talked about a time when all aspiring poets wanted to start their own magazines.

Beating the annual listmakers by a month, Amazon.com unveiled the Best Books of 2009.

National Novel Writing Month began yesterday, as thousands of writers struggle to pound out 50,000 words in a single month. Last year 119,301 writers participated, and 21,683 actually completed the writing marathon. This year, writers have a number of freebies and discounts to make the writing process more exciting.

CreateSpace is offering successful NaNoWriMo winner a a free proof copy of their book. Scrivener has a special NaNoWriMo trial edition of the novel writing software that authors can use for free.

Finally, Rachel Kaufman interviewed Jessica Burkhart about her 2006 fairy tale ending to her NaNoWriMo experience. Here's an excerpt: "When the month-long writing spree ended, Burkhart started revising Take The Reins, a story about tween girls at a competitive equestrian school. A month later, an agent found a blog post she'd written about the novel and asked to see the manuscript. The rest is history: The Canterwood Crest series is now five books long, with seven more to come.