Major publishers in recent years have been on a rampage trying to appeal to the YA audience.  They have been setting up niche websites that are designed to sell books but also have a youth savvy editorial voice. Sadly, the vast majority of these sites are dead in the water a few months after launching or languish into obscurity. Are publishers doing the wrong thing with … [Read more...] about Why do Publishers Launch Websites?
Commentary
Barnes and Noble is Going to Kill the Nook
The future of Barnes and Noble Nook e-books, e-readers and tablets looks to be in jeopardy. The Nations largest bookseller has just hired Fred Argir to run the Nook division and e-commerce division, replacing Mahesh Veerina who had run it for the last two years.The Barnes and Noble Nook division is in serious trouble. They recently unveiled a massive upgrade to their … [Read more...] about Barnes and Noble is Going to Kill the Nook
Amazon has become the next Great Library of Alexandria
The Great Library of Alexandria would be the subject of an epic Hollywood movie. It was the grandest institution of learning in the ancient world and comprised of 700,000 scrolls, the equivalent of more than 100,000 modern printed books. When it famously burned down, its destruction has become a symbol for the loss of cultural knowledge. It took thousands of years but we now … [Read more...] about Amazon has become the next Great Library of Alexandria
The Barnes and Noble Nook Brand Can Be Saved
Barnes and Noble has been making dedicated e-readers since 2009 and the majority of their hardware design is done via their R&D center in Santa Clara. The original Nook e-reader was created in secret, in a tiny building that once housed the Palo Alto Bread bakery. In the last few years many customers have been abandoning the Nook ecosystem, due to a series of blunders. How … [Read more...] about The Barnes and Noble Nook Brand Can Be Saved
Your Child is Not Going to Read this Summer
Bookstores, libraries and publishing companies have all unveiled their summer reading programs which have a singular objective; getting your child to read outside of the classroom. Sadly, there is one major impediment: parents.A new study conducted by the Literacy Trust looked at the reading trends of children in 2014  and found nearly one in four students agreed with the … [Read more...] about Your Child is Not Going to Read this Summer
Major Publishers Are Screwing Readers with High e-book Prices
All five of the largest publishing companies in North America and Europe have negotiated new contracts with booksellers such as Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Google and Kobo. The new pricing strategy is called agency-lite, which mandates these stores sell e-books at a fixed cost. This has directly resulted in e-book prices to increase across the entire board. It is seriously … [Read more...] about Major Publishers Are Screwing Readers with High e-book Prices
Can eBook Subscription Services Evolve?
Amazon Kindle Unlimited, Entitle, Oyster and Scribd all have e-book subscription models that allow you to read as many titles you want, for a low monthly price. Given that there are close to 100,000 books on each platform are people binge reading the same way Netflix users watch television? Do they have the capability to evolve?Over the course of the last few years the … [Read more...] about Can eBook Subscription Services Evolve?
Apple has failed the e-Book reader
Apple has quickly become a major player in the smartphone and tablet business. Their devices are everywhere and their constant marketing campaigns always generate buzz. One of the big reasons why people have gravitated towards Apple products was the sheer amount of apps available. Amazon, B&N, Kobo and Sony were all early adopters and generated a lot of money with in-app … [Read more...] about Apple has failed the e-Book reader
Disney’s Secret War Against Star Wars Expanded Universe
Disney has been engaged in a secret war against the Star Wars Expanded Universe in order to sell more books, comics and toys.In April 2014 Lucasfilm and Disney Publishing stated that the existing expanded universe no long happened. Any of the books and comics that transpired after Return of the Jedi are not considered canon. 17,000 characters in the Expanded Universe are … [Read more...] about Disney’s Secret War Against Star Wars Expanded Universe
The Rise of Post-Apocalyptic Literature
The world has been ending for quite a long time. Ever since the breakout success of Cormac McCarthy's 2006 novel The Road, the US has been degraded, devastated, and decimated time and time again. It seems the world of post-apocalyptic fiction is having a non-dystopian future.In the last year or so, an avalanche of books have been released that paint a very bleak future of … [Read more...] about The Rise of Post-Apocalyptic Literature
Kindle Writeon is Destined to Fail
Amazon Kindle Writeon is a community where writers share their works in progress and solicit feedback from people on story direction, editing and fact checking. The service publicly launched at the beginning of March and was in beta for numerous months. How is Writeon doing? Sadly, its failing in the marketplace because its trying to compete against Wattpad and that's where all … [Read more...] about Kindle Writeon is Destined to Fail
Agency Pricing for eBooks to Return – This is a Good Thing
The online bookstore landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years. There used to be a fair number of choices, such as the Sony Reader Store, Diesel e-Books and Txtr. One by one they all closed down because Amazon has been able to offer steeper discounts, offering readers incentives to buy the cheapest books possible.A few years ago Apple convinced all of the … [Read more...] about Agency Pricing for eBooks to Return – This is a Good Thing
Chapters Bookstores Now Requires ID to Redeem Loyalty Points
Chapters is the largest bookstore chain in Canada and the company has quietly implemented a new policy. Â If anyone is trying to redeem points via their loyalty cards to get discounts on books, Â magazines or newspapers they now have to show government ID.Apparently Chapters has been seeing an influx of unscrupulous people who use stolen loyalty cards in order to receive free … [Read more...] about Chapters Bookstores Now Requires ID to Redeem Loyalty Points