Bloomsbury Publishing is reporting that half of their total sales now stem from eBook sales in some markets. Overall, digital sales accounted for 17% of Bloomsbury’s total revenue in the first half of 2013 compared to 11% in the 2012 six month period."Our Adult division enjoyed a very good interim result, reflecting an impressive new book programme including And the … [Read more...] about Half of All Book Sales are Now eBook Sales
Business News and Statistics
E Ink Opens New US Corporate Headquarters
e Ink has just unveiled their new corporate headquarters in the US, which puts their business and R&D divisions all under one roof. The new facility is a modern, open and collaborative space, labs, pilot facilities, test chambers and administrative offices, all under one roof. The company was previously headquartered in Cambridge.The new E Ink Innovation Center … [Read more...] about E Ink Opens New US Corporate Headquarters
Brussels Vote Might Eliminate the VAT on eBooks in the UK
The EU is having a vote in Brussels this week that might have a reverberating effect on the taxing of eBooks. The UK has no VAT fee when it comes to buying paperbacks or hardcovers but eBooks are subject to a 20% VAT fee. This has prompted companies like Kobo and Amazon to operate in Luxembourg where the VAT is only 3%. The new vote could feasibility eliminate the VAT on … [Read more...] about Brussels Vote Might Eliminate the VAT on eBooks in the UK
WHSmith Boycotts Self-Published Authors
WHSmith has announced that their online bookstore will reopen once all self-published materials have been removed. The store closed early last week due to UK Press reporting on a staggering number of digital books about incest, rape, and bestiality found in the children's section.“Our website will become live again once all self published eBooks have been removed and we are … [Read more...] about WHSmith Boycotts Self-Published Authors
Book Distribution in Russia Enhanced via Ingram
Ingram has expanded their Global Connect Group into Russia with a new deal with EE Media. This will allow publishers to print new books on demand in less then 48 hours and then them through a domestic distribution network.EE Media is the largest print distribution company in Russia. They have 2,343,321 titles in their catalog and ship books to over 3,000 bookstores. This … [Read more...] about Book Distribution in Russia Enhanced via Ingram
3M and Kobo Sign Partership for Paid eBooks for Libraries
The 3M Cloud Library service has just inked a deal with Kobo to allow libraries to sell eBooks on their websites. When patrons click the BUY button, they will be taken to the Kobo Bookstore to finalize their digital book purchases. 3M will donate a portion of each book sale to the library for use in purchasing additional eBooks from the 3M Cloud Library. With library budgets … [Read more...] about 3M and Kobo Sign Partership for Paid eBooks for Libraries
Simon & Schuster Modernizes their Website with New Responsive Design
Simon and Schuster has just modernized their family of websites to appeal to readers who visit them on mobile or tablet devices. The final phase of their roll out includes author and corporate webpages in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.The rebuilt sites make use of the latest in responsive web design to automatically reconfigure … [Read more...] about Simon & Schuster Modernizes their Website with New Responsive Design
France Passes New Law to Combat Free Amazon Book Shipping
Amazon is one of the primary forces to disrupt the digital book ecosystem and they tend to sell them at a 3:1 ratio compared to tangible ones. It is the physical books now that has France all up in arms because Amazon discounts them compared to the brick and motor stores and often mails them out for free. France's ruling Socialist Party and the opposition UMP Party approved a … [Read more...] about France Passes New Law to Combat Free Amazon Book Shipping
New eBook Report Looks at Global Markets in 2013
A very extensive eBook report has been released and takes a look at some of the core and emerging markets. The report offers a status on the US and UK markets as well as close ups on ebook markets as they take shape across Europe, Brazil, China, India, Russia, and in the Arab world.Thematic chapters focus on critical policy debates and on key driving forces, notably ebook … [Read more...] about New eBook Report Looks at Global Markets in 2013
Does Amazon’s Quiet Time Infringe on Kobos Patents for Reading Mode?
Amazon recently held a very exclusive unveiling of their new Kindle Fire product line and one of the things they hyped up was Quiet Time. This is a new feature that seeks to eliminate the distraction from reading on a tablet by suspending the radios, pausing app notifications and stopping nagging popups. Many tech analysts were enamored with Quiet Time, but it could quite … [Read more...] about Does Amazon’s Quiet Time Infringe on Kobos Patents for Reading Mode?
Barnes and Noble Hires New Head of NOOK Media Operations
Barnes and Noble has just hired a new head of Nook Media Operations and hopefully a fresh new face will save the ailing brand. The company said Mahesh Veerina will become Chief Operating Officer on October 7th.In his new role, Mr. Veerina will oversee all of NOOK Media operations, including Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, IT, Digital Services, Device Operations, … [Read more...] about Barnes and Noble Hires New Head of NOOK Media Operations
Advisory Panel Recommends the use of e-Readers on Air Flights
A 28 person advisory panel has recommended during a closed door meeting to ease restrictions on phones, tablets and e-Readers during takeoffs, and landings of commercial air flights. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the government asked them not to talk publicly about their deliberations.The recommendations made this week will be sent Monday to the Federal … [Read more...] about Advisory Panel Recommends the use of e-Readers on Air Flights
Blackberry Enters an Agreement to take Company Private
Blackberry has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Fairfax financial, their largest shareholder, to take the company private. Trading of the companies shares were suspended today and the evaluation on the deal is $4.7 billion. Pending due diligence that's expected to be completed by November 4th, the deal would see BlackBerry go private, with shareholders each … [Read more...] about Blackberry Enters an Agreement to take Company Private