While all major publishers are constructing digital warehouses along the lines of our BookStore project there's still demand for physical books and they too need secure and efficient housing. This photo of our new warehouse in Mexico City gives some idea of the scale of our business there. The books will be moved in from several warehouses belonging to Macmillan de Mexico and Castillo in order to consolidate, improve productivity and enhance service levels to the schools, the Government, distributors and booksellers throughout Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.

Elsewhere in the world one of our sales people was surprised to see this sign in the usually respectable Germany. Apologies for any offence caused but it deserves to be shared.

And, on this pictorial Saturday, another landmark building on my way to work, the British Museum, and here is a picture of the wonderful new Reading Room furnished with books purchased from publishers at terms negotiated by Paul Hamlyn. He was a tough negotiator but he believed in paying for 'content'.

Incidentally, in deference to Clive Keeble's comments yesterday, I think I've avoided a direct link to the site on which I found this image. You learn something every day in this blogging business.

Here's a quote from a review in today's Times of the too young, too pretty, too successful Nell Freudenberger's first novel The Dissident published by Picador. She might be as described but she is clearly the real thing as a writer too.

To discover a young writer not disappearing into postmodern doodling or navel-gazing but training her formidable acuity on big themes – authenticity and copying, truth and lies, posterity and the present – is news indeed.

Freudenberger’s novel unfolds into that rare thing, a work of poetics itself, a meditation on the nature of representation in art. The fact that she does it with such wit and compassion, such generosity of mind and heart, is miraculous.

Yesterday evening I attended a debate organised by the Authors' Collecting and Licensing Society and held at the British Library. The speakers were distinguished - three writers, one media executive, one book publisher and an MP - the auditorium was full of intelligent and interested people, the chairman was the excellent John Humphrys. Unfortunately and worryingly, the debate was trivial, shallow, anecdotal, self-serving, smug and boring. Apart from that it was okay. In an era where technology and social change are challenging copyright more fundamentally than at any time since its inception, the debate was typified by an anecdote about a magazine sublicensing an article to another magazine in Australia without informing the author. It was really a moan session between authors and publishers. Authors and publishers are on the same side when it comes to copyright and intra-trade squabbling will only serve to weaken the vital case for the retention and adaptation of copyright as a rewarder and guarantor of literary and other creativity. Harrumph.

On the other hand, this eloquent essay by Peter Brantley at the University of California Berkeley Library describing second thoughts about accepting Google's offer to digitise their books is much more germane. And I'm grateful to Michael Cairns and his Persona Non Data blog for this link.

The guy on the right of this photo is Peter Collins who, amongst many other responsibilities, is in charge of advertising at Nature Publishing Group. He is hard to recognise here because his shirt is white and tucked in.

Back in December I wrote about our experiment of allowing recruiters free advertisements in the online editions of our journals while charging for premium upgrades and word-associated links. I described it as 'another great moment in classified advertising'. The photo shows Peter, representing the Nature Jobs team, accepting the first prize in the Online Recruitment Awards Ceremony, a tribute to innovation and another great moment in classified advertising.

Yesterday's papers printed obituaries of two very different people both of whose inventions have changed millions of lives around the world -  Robert Adler with the TV remote control and more importantly for me Alejandro Finisterre who designed, built and eventually patented table football.

Next stop on my way to work is Shaftesbury Avenue and its theatres. Here's a non-contemporary picture for the sake of nostalgia.

Stop press: Try this link for an outstanding headline.

There is a rule in fiction publishing. Publishers should never encourage their authors to meet each other. It can only end in unionisation, jealousy, and collegiate authorial carping. We broke the rule last night at the Savile Club (although we were in a slightly less palatial room than this one).

The event was a Society of Bookmen (yes, bookmen not bookpersons) dinner where the guest speaker was Brian Martin, the author of North. He spoke about the problems of finding a publisher when your work might not fit into a currently popular genre. He was one of the first (if not the first) authors in the Macmillan New Writing series, a project for which we received a significant roasting from established literary commentators.

The project was, of course, a risk but not as risky as having five of its authors at the same dinner. Somehow we survived.

A little while ago I reprinted an interview from the excellent journal for publishers, vendors and librarians, Against the Grain. I've just received the printed copy and it looks great but more importantly the issue is full of fasinating and entertaining articles. Here is just one example - an alphabetical fable about Article and Book (aka Ant and Bee) meeting Google written by Margaret Landesman of the Marriott Library at the University of Utah.

My route to work this morning took me past one of the great bookshops of the world, Hatchards, which has managed to retain (and enhance) its identity in spite of ownership changes and varying corporate philosophies. Hooray.

I was surprised to be told by a reader yesterday that one of the Google ads which appeared here was for a product to fight insomnia. I'd have thought that the blog itself would suffice.

And the Otto Preminger story the other day reminded an old friend of the wonderful Dorothy Parker line:

"The two best words in the English language:Check Enclosed".

Yesterday I mentioned that I was off to hear Tony Blair speak on the British creative economy. I waited for a bus to take me there but when it arrived it was full. Immediately behind it was a number 14 which takes me in the direction of my office. I decided to give Tony a miss but here is his speech in full. For those of you who would prefer an abstract, what he said is that arts are important, that before he came to power Britain was in a shocking state culturally, that he invested in the arts which are as a result flourishing as never before, and that he has commissioned a Green Paper which will make things even better. In the words of Macmillan's former Chairman 'You've never had it so good'. I think I may have made the right decision in taking the number 14 bus which passes the great grocery store, Fortnum and Mason on its journey towards the Macmillan offices in Kings Cross.

Yesterday saw Microsoft attack Google for its cavalier approach to copyright as reported here. It is true that Microsoft's dealings with libraries have always been respectful of in-copyright works and it is certainly in Microsoft's interests to support the legal protection of intellectual property. There are those who are suspicious of every move that Microsoft makes but I feel comforted that we publishers seem to have a rather substantial ally in our efforts to protect our authors' rights and a business model which not only rewards creativity but also encourages freedom of expression.

It was fascinating to read that one of Reed's former star authors, Naomi Campbell, is set to start mopping floors. When we published her 1996 novel Swan (Five girls and a dream to die for!) there were those who said that she hadn't actually written the book. Maybe she won't actually mop the floors either. I couldn't find a picture of Naomi in the swan dress she wore for the launch, so here's the book cover instead.

There has been a debate today about whether independent educational establishments should continue to enjoy charitable (hence tax-free) status. There are apparently new much tougher public benefit tests which the organisations have to prove. There is much information about all this at Charity Commission's website. It will be interesting to see whether some publishers who are exempt from UK corporation tax on the grounds of their educational remit will find the new tests to their liking and how long it takes the Inland Revenue to wake up to this tax-raising opportunity.

When I began in this strange industry in the early 1970s it was dominated by men. Women were allowed to take significant roles in children's publishing as their minds were considered 'well tuned to understand children's tastes'. Publicity and rights departments were well stocked with women and there was an occasional brilliant woman editor. By and large, however, management was masculine. That has all changed, thank goodness, and women hold leading and very senior positions across the industry. Two of the big four general publishing houses in Britain have female chief executives (Gail Rebuck at Random House and Victoria Barnsley at HarperCollins). At Macmillan, well over half our divisional directors are women and a number of our overseas companies have women managing directors (e.g. South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Peru, Poland etc). The trend will continue.

The industry has benefitted enormously from this change but it clearly has effects on the women themselves. Here's an interview with Jane Friedman, head of HarperCollins worldwide. A more typical insight into the life of a publishing supermum can be found on this baby juggling blog from Pan Macmillan's e-publishing guru, Sara Lloyd. And here is a great piece from the Girl Frday blog of Clare Christian of the Friday Project.

Next stop on my architectural route to work is the wonderful Harvey Nicks store on Knightsbridge whose real glory is its window displays.

Thanks to Adam who spotted my non-deliberate spelling mistake in yesterday's title (which is now corrected to spare my blushes).

Off to see T. Blair deliver a speech on the creative economy. I can hardly wait.

Finally, I'd like to congratulate Ghana on its celebration of fifty years of independent rule. Macmillan has been publishing specifically for the Ghanaian market since 1965 through its local company, so another eight years before we can celebrate our half century. Greetings to all our team - and have a great day.

I was told a wonderful (probably mythical) story about the film producer and director, Otto Preminger. While making the epic, Exodus, in Israel he needed a huge number of extras and the budget was tight. He managed to recruit five thousand by the simple ruse of offering to allow people to appear in a Hollywood movie for only ten shekels a day. A true entrepreneur.

He came to mind when I was reading the rather interesting proposal in this week's Bookseller to turn the new Harry Potter publication day into a celebration of independent bookselling. The article requires a subscription to view and so I haven't linked but perhaps a kindly Bookseller executive might cut and paste the piece into the comments section below.

The proposal came from Matthew Clarke of the Torbay Bookshop in the West Country of England. I knew Matthew and his wife Sarah (always Randall to me) in the old Oxford University Press days. I have never been to their shop but what they're doing seems to me a fantastic exemplar of entrepreneurism in action. Check out their website. They're offering just about every service a book lover could want. I bet it's not easy making a living in an English seaside town but it looks to me that they are succeeding.

And a final bit of entrepreneurial thinking. Hinkler books is a value-for-money children's publisher in Melbourne. They were spawned from the former Budget Books owned by Reed International and managed by Robert Ungar. Hinkler is now managed by Robert's son, Stephen, who has taken the almost treasonable (under Australian law) act of advertising in the Bookseller for Pommie publishers to go and work in Australia, presumably because they are better than the equivalent Aussies. As he says in the ad, candidates will have their own flip-flops, visa and air ticket... Sounds irresistible for budding British publishing entrepreneurs.

Next stop on my architectural route to work is the absurdly over-the-top Harrods bazaar.

Next stop on my daily way to work is the Brompton Oratory and I thought I'd show the top of it for a change.

Eoin Purcell works in publishing in Ireland and in addition he runs an excellent blog. I had an enjoyable lunch with him in London a little while ago which may explain why he rates my blog at number 11 in his top twenty blogs on books, media and publishing. The lunch was only fish and chips in the local pub. Perhaps I should have invested more... In any event his list is interesting and should sit on most publishers' bookmarked favourites. For those who don't click on links and in the hope that Eion doesn't sue me for breach of copyright here is his top ten.

1/ Publishing 2.0
Scott Karp really does think and it shows. His posts are clear, concise, well written and interesting. If he is driven more perhaps from the revenue perspective his commentary only benefits from this.

2/ if:book
The Institute of the Future of the Book’s blog. The Ronseal of Book blogs [It does what it says on the tin], this site is really a hub for changes and possibilities on text and its future. Well thought out, at the forefront of change and tools for change this blog is for theory and application what Scott Karp is for the economics and revenues.

3/ Buzzmachine
Jeff Jarvis is the real deal. In a phrase he likes to use himself, he “gets it!” Never afraid to try (witness his own video reports) always encouraging and enthusiastic his blog is one of the most important in point possible directions for the news media (especially the changes necessary for print media).

4/ Open Access News
I don’t think you can discuss the changes in media and print without considering Open Access and its potential. If you care about these topics then you need to read Open Access News written by Peter Suber.

5/ Booktwo
Though not new, Booktwo is new to me. That aside it is an essential link to the changing technology and media environment. Somehow James manages to get his hands on great links and info before anyone else. And he works at one of my favourite publishers Snowbooks.

6/ Medialoper
Medialoper is one of a pair of blogs (booksquare being the other) that I love and read daily. It is not simply the links and nods to others in the area of change that Medialoper provides freely, Medialoper as a blog takes a much more considered perspective and avoids the breathlessness that can at times enter the discussion about the future. I like that.

7/ Plagiarism today
Jonathan Bailey has built an impressive body of material regarding copyright/plagiarism and the abuse of content on the web. In so many ways his site allows the reader and the less well informed to not only keep up to date with developments in protecting content from scrapping etc. but also the theory and debate that underpin modern copyright.

8/ Personanondata
If you want to know more about the possible tie-ups between the powers in publishing, the potential for data in the digital future or the likely trajectory of digital text in the education market, Michael Cairns’ blog is the spot for it. Relatively new on the scene it is one of the best in terms of analysing and discussing change both real and possible. His knowledge of the US market is hugely useful in making sense of company announcements and strategic decisions.

9/ PaidContent
Who doesn’t like PaidContent, a blog that has industry access, runs meet ups and generally functions like an institution much older than it actually is. Not only is PaidContent a blog about the changing nature and economics of Content it is itself a paragon example of that change.

10/ Invisible Inkling
Ryan Sholin started this blog as a student of journalism and has developed it since. His posts are insightful and useful for those wondering what the people entering careers in the media are thinking.

Over the last week or so I've published a few photos of views from people's offices around the Macmillan world (I'm still waiting for a view from the Flatiron). There can be little doubt that Kings Cross has so far won the competition for the least attractive but these two from the other side of the building show a rather different perspective.

Most of us are aware of the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, and his famous annual letters to shareholders. I confess thought that I had never actually read one. It is an extraordinary letter - give it a go. It may not be great literature but it is an example of great straightforward capitalist writing.

And as it's a Saturday with perhaps a little time to explore more, here's a link to Adam Hodgkin's  blog about things digital (and other matters) and here's a link to a new blog by a Boston-based academic publisher.

His remarks on architecture reminded me that I want to share my architectural route to work when I'm in London. If I put up pictures of all the great buildings I pass every morning it would take hours to load up, so I'll do one at a time. Here's the first, the Victoria and Albert Museum.

At this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere there seem to be a great many coughs, sneezes, colds, and runny noses. This Japanese contraption may be the solution.