Google News has always had a. tumultuous journey to being the most popular news service. Major media outlets and governments always want them to pay so news organizations can make extra money. This most recently happened in Australia. Canada is now in Google's crosshairs with new media law. Google is rolling out tests that block access to news content for some Canadian users, … [Read more...] about Google is blocking news for some Canadians
Business News and Statistics
Barnes and Noble Launches Premium Membership
Barnes and Noble are revising their membership program to compete against Amazon Prime and Walmart+. The largest bookseller in the United States has a new Premium Membership, which costs $40 per year. It gives customers 10% discounts, free shipping, a tote bag and bigger lattes.The bookseller is also launching a free, lower-tier membership program that allows members to … [Read more...] about Barnes and Noble Launches Premium Membership
Ebook revenues were down 6.6% in 2022
Digital book sales in the United States slightly declined by 6.6% and generated $1 billion dollars. Digital audiobooks was up 7.0%, coming in at $839.5 million in revenue. Physical Audio was down 29.8% coming in at $15.8 million. Ebook sales represented 11% of the entire publishing industry, while digital audiobooks were 9%.Trade revenues were down 6.2%, at $9.1 billion for … [Read more...] about Ebook revenues were down 6.6% in 2022
Amazon sold a boatload of Kindles during Thanksgiving Weekend
Amazon is excited to announce that this Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend was its biggest ever, with customers around the world purchasing hundreds of millions of products between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Customers also supported small businesses this holiday shopping weekend, generating more than $1 billion in sales. In their press release Amazon stated that the … [Read more...] about Amazon sold a boatload of Kindles during Thanksgiving Weekend
Penguin Random House will not buy Simon and Schuster
Penguin Random House wanted to buy another large publishing company, Simon and Schuster. They pitched $2.2 billion dollars, however the USA Justice Department put the kibosh on it. Penguin Random House wanted to appeal the verdict, however German media group Bertelsmann, which owns Penguin, was unable to convince Paramount Global, Simon & Schuster's current owner, to help … [Read more...] about Penguin Random House will not buy Simon and Schuster
Alexa and Kindles are unprofitable for Amazon
The Amazon devices division currently employs 10,000 people. These are the staff that are in charge of the Alexa, Kindle, Fire TV, Ring, Echo, Amazon Earbuds and Fire Tablet devices. All of these products are unprofitable lose $5 billion annually in the past few years. Most of these devices are loss leaders because Amazon normally subsidizes the cost to get more market share. … [Read more...] about Alexa and Kindles are unprofitable for Amazon
ebook sales increase by 2.7% in August 2022
For the first time this year digital book sales in the United States were up 2.7% in August 2022. The format generated over $90.7 million dollars. Whereas the digital audiobook market has been increasing every single month for the past couple of years, as it is the fastest growing segment in digital publishing. Sales for August was $73.0 million.Year-to-date eBook revenues … [Read more...] about ebook sales increase by 2.7% in August 2022
Bookeen is going bankrupt
Bookeen is a is based in Paris, France. They have been making e-readers since 2003 and they primarily focus exclusively in the French market. Every couple of years they unveil a new device and currently they are selling the Notea, which is an e-note. Bookeen has hit some very hard times and since the summer of 2022 and owe some hefty amounts of money to their creditors. The … [Read more...] about Bookeen is going bankrupt
TikTok is boosting the literacy rate among young readers
Social media is having a surprising effect on how many books Americans are reading. According to a new study, nearly half of people choose what to read after hearing about it on social media. A survey of 1,000 Americans found TikTok is boosting the literacy rate among younger readers in the U.S. The entire Booktok phenonium is really getting young people reading and making it … [Read more...] about TikTok is boosting the literacy rate among young readers
US Judge blocks Simon & Shuster Merger with Penguin Random House
The proposed merger between two of the largest publishers in the world is in serious jeopardy. Penguin Random House wants to buy Simon and Shuster and US judge has blocked the deal from going through. The judge stated that the merger would be bad for authors, royalties and competition.U.S. District Court Judge Florence Y. Pan announced the decision in a brief statement … [Read more...] about US Judge blocks Simon & Shuster Merger with Penguin Random House