Children these days are reading less than any other generation that came before. The National Literacy Trust has just released a report that states that in 2019 just 26% of children under 18 spent some time each day reading.The report also found that fewer children enjoy reading, and that this dwindled with age: nearly twice as many five to eight-year-olds as 14 to … [Read more...] about Children are reading less than ever before
Commentary
People are losing their faith in e-books
Bokon.se is one of the most popular digital bookstores in Sweden and they have thousands of titles. The vast majority of the Swedish content is powered by Pubfront. Their English catalog is from Ingram and Bokon.se announced that they are no longer doing business with Ingram, and users were provided with one days notice. Starting tomorrow users will lose access to their entire … [Read more...] about People are losing their faith in e-books
Will people eventually buy ebooks with Cryptocurrency?
Digital book stores accept all major credit cards and the odd one lets you pay for audiobooks or ebooks via Paypal. Will there be a future in these outlets allowing people to pay in various Cryptocurrencies? It is doubtful that Amazon or Barnes and Noble will allow you to buy Kindle or Nook books with them anytime soon, but Openbaazar allows you to open your own store and sell … [Read more...] about Will people eventually buy ebooks with Cryptocurrency?
There is a growing negative sentiment towards e-readers
There are many mainstream online media outlets that proclaim that the e-reader has lost its shine and that the hardware is in a state of decline. The Barnes and Noble Nook is cited as the leading example of an e-reader that was once relevant, but not anymore. Are people no longer buying new e-readers anymore and reading on their smartphones and tablets? Is it simply the case … [Read more...] about There is a growing negative sentiment towards e-readers
Indie authors have no idea how to use Twitter
Indie authors have no idea how to use Twitter to drive sales to their latest book. They post meaningless hashtags, without a single sentence and a link to their title on Amazon. What is their book about? The elevator pitch? What genre is it? Who cares, #buymybook.Seldom are convincing cases made for readers to become enamored with indie authors books on Twitter. This is … [Read more...] about Indie authors have no idea how to use Twitter
Will VR be the future of reading?
Over the course of the last decade e-readers have been the best way to consume ebooks and other digital content. The batteries last over a month and it is quite easy to purchase content from Amazon, Kobo or Barnes and Noble. Will e-readers continue to be popular in the next decade, or will VR usurp their position?The Consumer Technology Association expects that VR will … [Read more...] about Will VR be the future of reading?
Amazon fails to control the iPhone in my pocket
Amazon has a dominant market share when it comes to ebooks and their Audible unit. They sold over three hundred million Kindle books in 2016 and control 75% of the US market. The Kindle, Echo and Fire tablets are all gateways to the Amazon ecosystem, but they fail to have a meaningful presence on my iPhone.Longtime Apple users remember the day when their entire world … [Read more...] about Amazon fails to control the iPhone in my pocket
We Live in a Literary World of Terrible Self-Published Authors
There are a copious number of online self-publishing companies that promise aspiring authors the opportunity to distribute their ebook all over the world. Millions of authors publish with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Draft2Digital, Kobo Writing Life, Nook Press and Smashwords. Most "authors" who self-publish an ebook never sell more than a handful and over 75% of all … [Read more...] about We Live in a Literary World of Terrible Self-Published Authors
Amazon Needs to Release the Kindle DX 2
Amazon has been making making e-Readers since 2007 and this year the company is celebrating their ten year anniversary of the Kindle. They have only made one single that is larger than six inches and this was the Kindle DX. This was brought back from the grave on a few different occasions, but it was developed when the vast majority of E-Ink devices did not have a touchscreen. … [Read more...] about Amazon Needs to Release the Kindle DX 2
Have we hit Peak iPad?
Will the Apple iPad continue to be the catalyst of growth or is there a growing commercial apathy towards the tablet? iPads represented less than 10% of total company's 2016 sales and in the last two quarters of 2017 they have been around 7%. The iPad is seven years old and tablets in general seem to be losing ground.Many people are unaware that Apple released a new … [Read more...] about Have we hit Peak iPad?
E-Book Retailers Need to Partner with Carriers and Smartphone Companies
Tech companies and telecom carriers have started to offer free hardware and entertainment benefits in a lure to attain more customers. Samsung is giving away a free six month subscription to Netflix with the purchase of their new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. T-Mobile is offering prospective G6 buyers a free LG G Pad X 8.0 tablet and a Google Home. Rogers in Canada is offering a free … [Read more...] about E-Book Retailers Need to Partner with Carriers and Smartphone Companies
Why Don’t Print Books Come With e-Book Download Codes?
Major publishers are notoriously risk averse and rarely do they experiment with alternative distribution models in a meaningful way. Over the course of the past three years they dipped their toes into the unlimited e-book subscription model, but many of the top CEO's were against this business model. The publishers had draconian terms that made companies such as Entitle and … [Read more...] about Why Don’t Print Books Come With e-Book Download Codes?
