When you look at academic and professional publishing, Amazon may actually be an even bigger player than with trade publishing due to the lack of retail sales space compared to that for mainstream books. But Joe Esposito, former CEO of Encyclopedia Britannica and blogger at The Scholarly Kitchen, spoke this morning on an even bigger issue, the "black hole" of Amazon's data. … [Read more...] about Amazon’s Data and its Move to Take Over Academic Publishing
Digital Publishing News
Howey’s “Peace in Amber” Fan Fiction Remembers 9/11
Only someone who really knows his craft and listens to his inner voices can write a story based on the world of Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five that also includes not only a zoo run by aliens, but a touching restrospective of the events of September 11th. For those unaware, Hugh Howey, bestselling self-published author of The Silo Saga and other titles, has been an ardent … [Read more...] about Howey’s “Peace in Amber” Fan Fiction Remembers 9/11
Pubsoft Revamps HTML Web Viewer for eBooks
As more and more publishers look to optimize content for mobile device consumption, one company is quietly expanding the possibilities of its web viewer for digital reading under the belief that browser-based reading is where digital publishing is actually going to find its comfort zone. As consumers' devices are increasingly able to access wifi--especially as the numbers for … [Read more...] about Pubsoft Revamps HTML Web Viewer for eBooks
DBW Digital Book Award Winners Announced
At an awards gala at the end of the second full day of the Digital Book World Conference and Expo, actor and Reading Rainbow co-founder and publisher at RRKidz hosted the Digital Book Awards, an honor recognizing innovative titles across a series of categories and all utilizing technology to create a compelling book. The awards were sponsored by Kobo and by the conference … [Read more...] about DBW Digital Book Award Winners Announced
Facebook Paper to Battle Pulse and Flipboard
Pulse and Flipboard remain two of the most popular reading apps for iOS and Android. They basically allow you to access your favorites sites RSS Feeds in a very intuitive and touch friendly approach. These two apps are dominating the news segment and Facebook is displeased. The social media giant is going to roll out their own news app called Paper and should be out by the end … [Read more...] about Facebook Paper to Battle Pulse and Flipboard
Oyster Raises 14 Million – Investors Bet on Netflix for eBooks Business Model
The Netflix model of paying a low monthly subscription to have access to a copious amount of videos is prompting other companies to adapt the business model in other sectors. Startup Oyster currently serves over 100,000 eBooks and investors are feeling bullish about the future of reading. Today, it was announced that Highland Capital Partners and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund … [Read more...] about Oyster Raises 14 Million – Investors Bet on Netflix for eBooks Business Model
Sourcebooks: Rethinking Failure in the Digital Age
Sourcebooks' CEO Dominique Raccah is a force for change in publishing, priding herself on a near-extreme disruptive status where books and readers are concerned. But as Raccah explained in an interview with Good e-Reader this morning, the most extreme failure companies can face at this point is to dismiss a new platform, technology, or opportunity as non-viable, as too often … [Read more...] about Sourcebooks: Rethinking Failure in the Digital Age
DBW’s Publisher and Startup Survey Results
At this morning's Digital Book World conference event, Mike Shatzkin shared an in-depth look at the results of a survey on publishers and startups, as well as where the future for both entities may take them. "We've done a lot of programming this year on startups, and publishers working with them. We decided that it made sense to conduct a survey about their interaction," … [Read more...] about DBW’s Publisher and Startup Survey Results
The Digital Revolution Is Just Beginning
Tim O'Reilly, CEO of O'Reilly Media, presented a "solo conversation" this morning at the Digital Book World conference, and in this conversation with attendees told us that everything we know about digital publishing is only the very beginning of what ebooks will look like, even in the very near future. Comparing books to the Google self-driving car in terms of taking itself … [Read more...] about The Digital Revolution Is Just Beginning
The CEOs Speak: Growth in Digital Books
A long-standing tradition at Digital Book World's conferences is to start with a panel of publishing CEOs for a roundtable discussion of where the industry is and where it's going. This year's first morning panel included names such as F+W Media's David Nussbaum, O'Reilly Media's Tim O'Reilly, Sourcebooks' Dominique Raccah, and Simon & Schuster's Carolyn Reidy. Reidy's … [Read more...] about The CEOs Speak: Growth in Digital Books