The digital adoption rate in Germany two years ago was a paltry 4%. Today, close to 11% of consumers are satiating their literary thirst with ebooks, e-textbooks, and digital magazines. The iPad and Amazon Kindle e-Reader have been facilitating this growth due to their expansive ecosystems, and by stimulating publishers to jump into the fray. The German publishing sector was … [Read more...] about German Digital Publishing Industry in a State of Flux Due to Amazon
Commentary
Is Social Reading the Future of eBooks? I Hope Not!
In the past, if you wanted to read socially, you had to find someone in your area. With the advent of the internet, it doesn't take much to find people who share the same taste in books as you do. When it comes to digital books and e-readers in general, companies have been developing new technologies that take a normally solitary experience and make it social. Amazon and Kobo … [Read more...] about Is Social Reading the Future of eBooks? I Hope Not!
Why Kobo Should Implement QR Codes and WIFI to Build Digital Synergy with Indie Bookstores
Many bookstore chains in Canada and the US do not actively promote digital content in their stores. They bet on people coming in and spending more on the tangible versions of the books, but then customers end up buying the digital editions. Bookstores belonging to ABA or the UK Booksellers Association often get a cut out of each digital sale, but are doing little to gain that … [Read more...] about Why Kobo Should Implement QR Codes and WIFI to Build Digital Synergy with Indie Bookstores
Why the Penguin Merger with Random House Will Kill Overdrive
Most libraries in North American tend to do business with Overdrive to facilitate their content distribution system for ebooks, audiobooks, and video. The 3M Cloud Library system is the new kid on the block and has been around for only three years, though it tends to exclusively focus on the US market. Pearson owned Penguin used to do business with Overdrive and then severed … [Read more...] about Why the Penguin Merger with Random House Will Kill Overdrive
Hey, I’m Back, Please Take My Money
This morning, I ran across a mention of an e-book about comics that I thought looked interesting. I went to the vendor's site and was pleased to see that I could pay with PayPal. Everything went swimmingly—I chose my book, entered my PayPal e-mail, and, since I had no memory of ever using this site before, created a new account (username, password) when prompted.And then … [Read more...] about Hey, I’m Back, Please Take My Money
Why Was Agency Pricing Established? To Save Our Bookstores
Over the course of the last five years, e-commerce giant Amazon has definitively captured the vast majority of the ebook market. When Apple decided to launch its iBooks digital storefront in 2010, the company needed an edge to be competitive. Steve Jobs met with executives from Hachette, Macmillan, Penguin, Harper Collins, Random House, and Simon and Shuster. They ironed out a … [Read more...] about Why Was Agency Pricing Established? To Save Our Bookstores
Could Bookstores Start Charging People to Read?
If you walk into any major Barnes and Noble or Chapters bookstores, you will notice a slew of people reading. All of these book chains provide couches, desks, and plenty of chairs to chill out and check out some books. Often, people sit for hours, plowing through the majority of the book, and then leaving. Could bookstores get away with charging people to read for … [Read more...] about Could Bookstores Start Charging People to Read?
Why eBook Companies in Canada Are Nonexistent
Electronic Books have been around for well over a decade, with PDF files being the primitive format that is still used today. The Canadian ebook market is severely underdeveloped compared to the US and UK, where even Supermarket chains such as Sainsbury’s own an ebook store. The largest ebook store by market value, Amazon, only recently opened in Canada last month. The only … [Read more...] about Why eBook Companies in Canada Are Nonexistent
Is Amazon AutoRip a Precursor for Free Digital Books?
Amazon unveiled a new music service last week that will give you free MP3's if you had bought a CD. AutoRip will give customers the ability to listen to the digital music in the company's Cloud Player, or have the tracks available to download as MP3's. This is a very convenient way to give people the digital editions when they have already purchased the tangible CDs. The main … [Read more...] about Is Amazon AutoRip a Precursor for Free Digital Books?
Inserting Ads in eBooks: New Concept or an Existing Idea Being Adopted by the Market?
The recent ruling in the United States, where a jury awarded Apple $1.05B USD in damages from Apple's suit against Samsung, was the largest patent settlement in history for willfully infringing Apple’s patents. The damages related to the look and feel of smart phones and tablets, with such features as the “pinch and zoom” and “bounce back” patents, along with the trade dress … [Read more...] about Inserting Ads in eBooks: New Concept or an Existing Idea Being Adopted by the Market?
Editorial: Last Wheel of Time eBook Will Have a Delayed Release; Will Probably Increase Piracy
In an incredibly stupid decision, the late Robert Jordan's wife has caused the last Wheel of Time book, A Memory of Light, to be delayed until April after the print book is released this week. Originally it was scheduled to be delayed for a full year. According to Galleycat, this has, so far, resulted in 119 one star reviews (now up to 122) on Amazon. I suspect that this one … [Read more...] about Editorial: Last Wheel of Time eBook Will Have a Delayed Release; Will Probably Increase Piracy
LG Flexible e-Paper Fails to Change the e-Reader World
In early 2012, LG debuted a new kind of flexible e-Paper technology that was set to usher in a new generation of e-readers. This never happened, although LG started to mass produce the screens for companies that never bought them. The only commercially viable product was the Wexler Flex One, but it is only available in Russia and Shop e-Readers. The flexible screens had a ton … [Read more...] about LG Flexible e-Paper Fails to Change the e-Reader World
The Death of iOS Magazine Apps
When the Apple iPad burst onto the scene, everyone wanted to get dedicated magazine apps built for their company. It often provided a solid experience if you were in love with a particular magazine. Some of them added bonus content, like Wired, that gives extended interviews and video of hot new devices. The Apple Newsstand tends to be the largest draw when it comes to … [Read more...] about The Death of iOS Magazine Apps