Young adult author Ellen Hopkins is no stranger to controversy. Her teen books--which deal with very difficult yet realistic subject matter such as drug addiction, suicide, and self-harm--are often found hovering near the top of the lists of books that have been banned in schools or libraries. But an event this week shed new light on an age-old problem: censorship.Hopkins … [Read more...] about Ellen Hopkins, eBooks, and the Fight Against Censorship
Digital Publishing News
New Appzine Machine Tool Enables Self-Published Digital Magazines for iOS
Digital publishing has enabled self-publishing to become an industry force to be reckoned with, especially where text-based ebooks are concerned. But a new tool from Appzine Machine has made it possible for anyone with a desire to share their content to create and monetize their material into a digital magazine, available in the the Apple App Store, in order to reach the … [Read more...] about New Appzine Machine Tool Enables Self-Published Digital Magazines for iOS
Amazon Publishing Grows to Include German Language Titles
Amazon's traditional publishing arm Amazon Publishing announced an exciting new feature today, stating that it will begin publishing German-language books under its label. This move will release titles acquired by the European Amazon Publishing division, releasing the books in all of Amazon's markets.Translation is one of the last great hurdles that many authors--especially … [Read more...] about Amazon Publishing Grows to Include German Language Titles
eBooks India to Help Authors Ride Self Publishing Boom
With e-book consumption hitting high growth in India, a natural fallout has been a sharp rise in authors self-publishing their works. The benefits are all too obvious as the author gets to exert complete control over the entire publishing process, not to mention the often tedious chore of having to court publishers to get their works published otherwise. Authors have a lot to … [Read more...] about eBooks India to Help Authors Ride Self Publishing Boom
China’s eBook Space Comes into its Own
As more ebook retailers continue to work towards abandoning ship in the US, a global marketplace will become even more important than ever for authors and retailers. With successful and high-volume markets for digital reading already established in countries around the world, an even greater focus on digital publishing is still important.One of the most difficult but … [Read more...] about China’s eBook Space Comes into its Own
PubSmartcon: Reenvisioning the Writer’s Conference
Writers' conferences have long been a source of networking and support for authors looking to hone their crafts and develop their business acumen for life in the publishing industry. One of the biggest lures to attract writers to conferences has always been well-known keynote speakers selected from top literary agents and publishers. Even better, many conferences offer authors … [Read more...] about PubSmartcon: Reenvisioning the Writer’s Conference
What Happens When Amazon Is the Last One Standing?
We've heard speculation and criticism for years about how Amazon is ruining the book selling and publishing industries, along with affirmations that Amazon has done more for the business of books than anyone since Gutenberg. But what will the industry look like when Amazon is the last player in the industry, when the dire warnings go unheeded and there are no more booksellers … [Read more...] about What Happens When Amazon Is the Last One Standing?
New Survey Demonstrates Rise in Library Spending
Library Journal has released the results of its 2014 survey, which tracks materials spending in public libraries across the country. The libraries are categorized according to patron size and circulation size, as well as budget size. In what comes as a tremendous surprise given the frightening state of libraries' crisis-level budgets, spending actually increased … [Read more...] about New Survey Demonstrates Rise in Library Spending
NYT Now App: Abridged News on Mobile Devices at Half the Cost
Are consumers too busy to read?In the ongoing experimentation from newspapers to adapt to a world of digital consumers while still making a profit, the New York Times has announced its newest option: abridged stories from its own publications, and other source around the internet, optimized for mobile device reading. Thanks to a new app, NYT Now, subscribers to the app's … [Read more...] about NYT Now App: Abridged News on Mobile Devices at Half the Cost
Amtrak Writers’ Residencies Closer to Being a Reality
What began life as a wishful what-if exchange on Twitter has now grown into a full-blown authors' program from one of the US's dominant railway companies, Amtrak. When two writers exchanged a few tweets about the joy they could derive from riding a passenger train and writing away the miles, Amtrak jumped in and made it a reality, at least for the one tweeting.Now, more … [Read more...] about Amtrak Writers’ Residencies Closer to Being a Reality
Rooster: Subscription Reading in Bite-Sized Smartphone Pieces
Subscription ebook reading is nothing new. Companies like 24Symbols have been offering Netflix-style reading since as early as 2010, all vying for an all-you-can-eat approach to reading. It's been difficult to get publishers on board with the concept without a clear structure for royalties, and it's been equally difficult getting readers to shell out money to consume books when … [Read more...] about Rooster: Subscription Reading in Bite-Sized Smartphone Pieces
What Does It Take to Sell 100M eBooks? Smut and Marketing
It still makes headlines whenever a self-published author manages to sell one million copies, or makes a major bestseller list. for some self-published authors, that level of success is actually a cumulative total of all of their titles, but it's still quite a big deal. EL James might disagree. News came out this week that the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy--admittedly all three … [Read more...] about What Does It Take to Sell 100M eBooks? Smut and Marketing
Anne Rice Joins Fellow Authors in Petition Against Author Bullying
Every time the dust settles on the most recent examples of author bullying and reviewer bashing, something occurs that makes headlines again, thus starting the firestorm all over again. In this case, the news is that anti-bullying champion and bestselling author Anne Rice is one of approximately one thousand names on a petition to Amazon, demanding that they strip away the … [Read more...] about Anne Rice Joins Fellow Authors in Petition Against Author Bullying