The Google Publisher Program allowed independent authors and small presses to sell ebooks in the Google Play bookstore. When the program was active it become a cesspool of piracy. Fake authors would sell ebooks they never wrote and publishing companies would rename all of the main characters in Harry Potter or 50 … [Read more...]
This is how Barnes and Noble made the Nook Profitable
In the past twelve months Barnes and Noble did the impossible and made the Nook unit profitable. The bookseller generated $3.5 million dollars on e-readers, tablets and accessories. One of the main reasons why Nook is starting to well is because there are fewer people working in the division. The Nook unit had 92 … [Read more...]
Nook e-Readers are not going to work anymore, unless you do this
Barnes and Noble has announced that the vast majority of their e-readers are not going to work after June 29th, 2018. You will not be able to make any purchases, or download and manage your NOOK Content from your NOOK Device unless you download a mandatory security update. Barnes and Noble is upgrading the security … [Read more...]
Amazon Launches Freetime Unlimited on iOS
Amazon Freetime Unlimited gives your kid unlimited access to more than 10,000 age-appropriate books, movies and TV shows with characters from Disney, PBS Kids, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., Marvel and some Amazon Originals. Parents have access to a dashboard that lets them see what their children are reading and watching … [Read more...]
Amazon is starting to use Bookerly on their main website
Amazon Bookerly was unveiled in 2015 and it was designed to replace Caecilia as the default font on the Kindle. It was designed to solve the Kindle’s typesetting problems with an all-new layout engine that introduces better text justification, kerning, drop caps, image positioning, and more. According to Amazon’s … [Read more...]
Audiobooks are more emotionally engaging than TV or film
Working in collaboration with Audible, researchers from University College London conducted a study to find out the physiological impact of auditory vs. visual storytelling. The study, led by Dr. Joseph Devlin, the Head Of Experimental Psychology, revealed that that listening to audiobooks is more emotionally engaging … [Read more...]
NOOK turned its first ever full-year profit
Barnes and Noble released their 4th quarter and full year results on the same day and they proclaimed that NOOK turned its first ever full-year profit, generating $3.5 million dollars. In the 4th quarter Nook had an operating loss of $1.5 million, compared to an operating loss of $7.9 million during the previous-year … [Read more...]
Audiobooks Generated $2.8 Billion in 2017
Audiobook sales generated $2.8 billion dollars in the United States in 2017 and this is an increase of up 22.7% over 2016, and with a corresponding 21.5% increase in units. This continues the six-year audiobook trend of double-digit growth year over year. This new sales data stems from the Audiobook Publishers … [Read more...]
Are Amazon’s Review Policies Helpful or Reactionary?
Like it or not, Amazon is the world's largest bookstore. As such, there are a couple of pitfalls for both readers and authors. First, as the largest source of potential buyers, authors have to play nice and follow the rules. When authors cook up something ridiculous to game the system, Amazon makes sweeping changes to … [Read more...]
The Kobo Plus ebook subscription program continues to grow
Kobo Plus is an ebook subscription program that launched in the Netherlands a year and a half ago. In that time over 150,000 people have tried the service and 85% of them end up paying a monthly fee after the free trial expires. Major publishers are also seeing value in that Kobo is trying to do and recently … [Read more...]
Google launches dedicated Podcast App
Google Podcasts launched a couple of months ago, but it was incorporated into the Google Music. It has a confusing layout and it suffered from being lost in the shuffle. Google is now supporting podcasts directly and in a more meaningful way with a standalone Google Podcasts app for Android. Google Podcasts, will … [Read more...]
Kobo Touch 2.0 vs Kobo Clara HD
The Kobo Touch 2.0 and Kobo GLO HD are the two e-readers that the Kobo Clara HD replaces. The Touch came out in late 2015 and the GLO a year later. Many people wait a few generations before upgrading their e-reader, mainly because E-ink technology moves at a glacial pace, compared to smartphones. The Kobo Touch 2.0 … [Read more...]