In what is sure to become a hotly contested issue, the government of Quebec is looking at legislation that would make book prices mandated by the publishers and nearly unchangeable by the retailers. In what was supposed to be a move to give the independent booksellers a leg up over major chain retailers, online retailers, AND ebook distributors, the publishers would set one … [Read more...] about Quebec Considers Move towards Uniform Book Prices
Digital Publishing News
eBook Review: The Wanted Bride by Sylvia McDaniel
Verdict: 4 Stars One of the original adopters of early onset digital publishing was the romance imprints. While other critics were still arguing over whether or not people would actually read on a tiny little screen, publishers like Harlequin were forging industry-changing imprints like Carina Press, which offered unheard of royalties and a turnaround time of only a matter … [Read more...] about eBook Review: The Wanted Bride by Sylvia McDaniel
Indie Authors Still Ignored by the Industry
With every self-publishing success story, the door opens a tiny bit wider for the acceptance of indie authors. For every Amanda Hocking, Abbie Glines, David Gaughran, Bella Andre, or Hugh Howey (the list goes on and on), industry watchers and consumers alike begin to show a small measure of greater respect for the choices authors are making. But there are still a few facets … [Read more...] about Indie Authors Still Ignored by the Industry
The eBook Lawsuits Are Over…Where’s My Money?
As is the case in lawsuits involving major corporations having to pay monetary damages to their customers, the payouts from the Apple and Big Five ebook price fixing scandal will be slow in coming. With Apple's damages not to even be determined until late spring of next year, the only payments that have taken place are in the form of the settlements that the publishers reached … [Read more...] about The eBook Lawsuits Are Over…Where’s My Money?
Amazon Publishing Newest Imprint Focuses on Biographies
Amazon's traditional publishing arm has grown at an incredible rate to include a wide variety of genre-based imprints. Its Kindle Singles platform, which focuses on long-form journalism, has seen probably the most surprising growth, indicating that an increasing number of readers are going back to the once-revered essay-length publications that were often serialized in … [Read more...] about Amazon Publishing Newest Imprint Focuses on Biographies
Apple’s Court Date for Damages Is May 2104
Consumers who are expecting some payouts as a result of the Department of Justice lawsuit against Apple and five of the Big Six publishers will be waiting a little longer for their refunds. While the court ruled that Apple was guilty of collaborating to raise ebook prices, and even though the publishers have already settled out of court for their involvement in the allegations, … [Read more...] about Apple’s Court Date for Damages Is May 2104
More Publishing Blame: Craigslist is Killing Newspapers
It's astonishing that so many aspects of publishing are so slow to adapt. From the fight that libraries are still facing over ebook lending to the snail's pace of digital textbook adoption, as well as the realization from booksellers that they will have to do something to accommodate ebooks if they plan to keep their doors open with big box and online bookstores breathing … [Read more...] about More Publishing Blame: Craigslist is Killing Newspapers
The Toronto Star Launches New Digital Paywall
The Toronto Star unveiled a new digital paywall program to charge for access to their website and online news service. The price for digital access is about $5 if you subscribe to the newspaper and $10 if you do not. The newspaper will allow ten article views per month, until they prompt you to subscribe. Earlier in the year the Toronto Star implemented the first phase of … [Read more...] about The Toronto Star Launches New Digital Paywall
Harlequin Announces New Digital First eBooks
Harlequin, one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, announced that they are doing quite a number of digital first eBooks. The Harlequin, Harlequin TEEN, Harlequin MIRA and Harlequin HQN imprints will all introduce original digital first titles in the coming months. Harlequin will extend its iconic series brand with Harlequin-E, a digital first series program … [Read more...] about Harlequin Announces New Digital First eBooks
Chegg Offers Subscription-Based Textbook Rentals to College Students
A significant number of startups have tried--and for the most part, failed--to entice readers and publishers with a Netflix-style subscription model for reading. Users would pay a monthly fee or adhere to the freemium model of ads within the texts in order to get to read; the publishers would then receive compensation for the books that were consumed during that month, either … [Read more...] about Chegg Offers Subscription-Based Textbook Rentals to College Students
BookRix Offers Higher Royalties, Cover Art for Authors
Good eReader first met ebook developer and retailer at BookExpo America several years ago, and in that time the German ebook retailer has been quietly growing its brand and its user base. BookRix emerged at a time when ebooks were still not catching on among German readers, largely in part due to the odd tax laws that made ebooks fall under an almost punitive taxation rate as … [Read more...] about BookRix Offers Higher Royalties, Cover Art for Authors
Penguin Goes Digital with Value Added Content
One thing digital publishing has done on a widespread basis for the industry as a whole is give content providers--from the newest writer venturing into self-publishing to the largest, oldest publishing houses--the flexibility and freedom to provide additional incentive for readers to pick up their books. Authors and publishers alike have experimented with bonus content in … [Read more...] about Penguin Goes Digital with Value Added Content