Every year Barnes and Noble normally runs a Summer Reading Campaign for children where the bookseller offers kids a free book in exchange for reading eight books over the course of the next few months. It looks like B&N is not content to let the kids have all of the fun and they are launching a new program for everyone.Every Barnes & Noble store in the country has … [Read more...] about B&N Announces Summer Reading Campaign for Everyone
Archives for May 2017
Book Sales Remain a Closely Guarded Secret
One of the most frustrating aspects of being an author, publisher, or book retailer is the closely guarded, secretive nature of book sales figures. For some reason, unknown to many even in the industry, retailers and publishers typically do not disclose their sales numbers; at the same time, authors can have their accounts closed and their titles removed from retailers' virtual … [Read more...] about Book Sales Remain a Closely Guarded Secret
Apple iBooks Update Stops Malicious Websites From Opening
Apple has just pushed out a firmware update for the iPhone and iPad which addresses a critical issue with iBooks. Apparently some books were able to open malicious websites and compromise the security of your device. Apple has acknowledged that the new 10.3.2 update remedies URL handling through improved state management and stopped some books from executing arbitrary code with … [Read more...] about Apple iBooks Update Stops Malicious Websites From Opening
Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 now available for pre-order
Kobo has announced that their second generation H2O e-reader is now available for pre-order on their website and Chapters Indigo. It is available for residents of the United States for $179 and $199 for Canadian customers.The Kobo Aura Edition 2 features a 6.8-inch E-Ink Carta Display with a resolution of 1430×1080 and 265 PPI. The screen is sunken, which means they are … [Read more...] about Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 now available for pre-order
Pocketbook Announces the Aqua 2 e-Reader
Pocketbook has just unveiled their second generation waterproof e-reader, the Aqua 2. This device features a six inch E-Ink Carta display with a resolution of 1024x768 with 212 PPI. It can carry a massive library of e-books with its 8GB of internal storage and you can listen to audiobooks with the built in 3.5mm headphone jack. It has a built in front-light so you can read in … [Read more...] about Pocketbook Announces the Aqua 2 e-Reader
Amazon Announces Kindle Travel Bundle
Amazon has just announced the Kindle Travel Bundle and it comes with a leather cover, a power adapter, and a travel bag. It is basically a new accessory pack for the Kindle Paperwhite, the Kindle Voyage, and the Kindle Oasis.The Kindle Travel Pack is available Monday May 15th and the travel bag will come in four different colors; four different colors, including black, … [Read more...] about Amazon Announces Kindle Travel Bundle
JK Rowling Pleads with Public Not to Buy Stolen Story
In further proof that you just can't do anything nice anymore, a recent burglary has led to iconic author JK Rowling begging the public on Twitter to steer clear of her work. The piece in question is an 800-word short story, nay, practically a blog post-length work of flash fiction, that she sat down to write specifically for a charity auction. The story, which is a prequel set … [Read more...] about JK Rowling Pleads with Public Not to Buy Stolen Story
Winning the Buy Box: What Does Amazon Owe to Authors?
Amazon is once again ruffling the feathers of publishers and authors alike, this time for a change in its policy that allows the "buy button" to redirect to the seller with the best customer service rating and pricing for the item. That's all well and good if you're purchasing a kayak from a third-party seller--after all, lower prices and faster order fulfillment are what keep … [Read more...] about Winning the Buy Box: What Does Amazon Owe to Authors?
iTunes is coming to the Windows App Store
Microsoft has announced that iTunes will be available in the Windows Store by the end of the year. The app is the most searched for app in the store, but is currently only available to download from the main Apple website.Microsoft says that the Windows Store version of iTunes will be able to do everything the regular version does, including accessing the … [Read more...] about iTunes is coming to the Windows App Store
Facebook Launches Live Audio
Facebook is launching a brand new system that will be great for people who want to do live podcasts or radio shows. This new system is great for publishers and book bloggers who want to reach a new audience and do live audio. Just like with Live Video, users will be able to stream their audio straight to their followers' News Feed and receive live feedback and emojis.For … [Read more...] about Facebook Launches Live Audio
Amazon Kindle Oasis and Voyage on Sale for Mother’s Day
Amazon is discounting a number of Kindle e-Readers just in time for Mother's Day. The most surprising aspect is that they are running promotions for the Oasis and Voyage, two devices that aren't normally marked down.Here are all of the deals the company is offering.Kindle Paperwhite – $20 offKindle – $20 offKindle Voyage – $20 offKindle Oasis with 3G – $50 … [Read more...] about Amazon Kindle Oasis and Voyage on Sale for Mother’s Day
You can now develop and test IOS apps with a Windows PC
E-Book and digital comic developers that made apps for iOS normally had to buy a MAC in order to write and test their code.  Microsoft has just announced a new initiative that allows you to do it all with a PC with the new Xamarin Live Player, you can deploy, run, test and debug iOS apps directly from a Windows PC that runs Visual Studio.Microsoft has secured Apple's … [Read more...] about You can now develop and test IOS apps with a Windows PC
Hachette Reports Digital Accounts for 10% of their Total Revenue Q1 2017
Hachette has reported during their first quarter financial results that e-books accounted for 10.0% of their revenue, which is a slight decrease from 10.4% for the first three months of 2016. Digital generated €82 million. Total revenue for the entire publishing division was €440 million, up 6.1% from 2016.The United States turned in a good performance, with 4.1% revenue … [Read more...] about Hachette Reports Digital Accounts for 10% of their Total Revenue Q1 2017
HarperCollins Reports 7% Increase in audiobook and e-book sales Q1 2017
HarperCollins has just reported that they have seen a 7% increase in digital sales and specifically cite audiobooks as a key growth driver. Audiobook and ebook sales now account for 22% of total revenue for the quarter and generated $82 million dollars.In Q1 2017 HarperCollins saw their overall revenue rise 4% and the publisher generated $374 million. The publisher saw … [Read more...] about HarperCollins Reports 7% Increase in audiobook and e-book sales Q1 2017