CourseSmart, the largest provider of digital academic materials, announced today that it would be rolling out a subscription plan that allows users to pay a flat-fee for access to e-textbooks. As many as twenty different schools will be invited to take part in a pilot program, in part with Internet2 and EDUCAUSE, to provide materials at a more affordable scale.The … [Read more...] about CourseSmart Offers New Flat-Fee Subscription Pack
Digital Publishing News
Baker & Taylor Releases New Mobile Version of Axis 360
Baker & Taylor is one of the world's largest distributors of eBooks and multimedia content. Their popular Axis 360 program is a digital media circulation and management platform, used by many of the country’s top public K-12 schools and academic libraries. The company announced today they have developed a new mobile version of their Axis 360 service to work on most tablets, … [Read more...] about Baker & Taylor Releases New Mobile Version of Axis 360
New Digital Imprint Features Award-Winning Authors for Charity
One of the benefits of digital publishing is the open access to publication, which some purists would also argue can be one of its biggest drawbacks. Now that anyone can digitally publish, some authors are working to find ways to vet their titles and make those polished titles stand out to reading consumers. In this accessible digital era, then, a number of small press … [Read more...] about New Digital Imprint Features Award-Winning Authors for Charity
Le French Book, OverDrive Partner on Library Content
GoodeReader covered the recent US launch of digital-first publisher Le French Book, whose purpose is to bring award-winning and bestselling French language titles to a broader international audience. Today, Le French Book announced its partnership with OverDrive to bring its titles to libraries for digital lending."We are excited to work with Overdrive," says Le French Book … [Read more...] about Le French Book, OverDrive Partner on Library Content
eBook Review: iFrankenstein by Bekka Black
Verdict: 5 StarsOne of the challenges that young adult readers often face is the need to balance their preferred methods and formats of reading with the requirement—usually as part of school curricula—to read the often dreaded classics, but author Bekka Black has found a way to make even those oldest tomes more up-to-date and easily comprehended.Continuing with the … [Read more...] about eBook Review: iFrankenstein by Bekka Black
The Short History of e-Readers and eBooks in Japan
Japan is often a very fickle market when it comes to technology. It is often homegrown companies that enjoy the greatest market share and innovation in certain segments tends to be swept under the carpet. e-Readers have seen a strong push in the United States since 2008, when Amazon, Sony, and other companies began to gain traction and e-readers became a bit more than just a … [Read more...] about The Short History of e-Readers and eBooks in Japan
Penguin 3rd Quarter eBook Sales Up 35%
Penguin released its 3rd quarter sales figures today and ebooks are continuing to see massive growth for the company. Digital content is up 35%, thanks to numerous titles that hit the bestseller list. Traditionally, the 4th quarter is the strongest of the year due to holiday sales and post-Christmas ebook purchases by people with new devices.Pearson released the following … [Read more...] about Penguin 3rd Quarter eBook Sales Up 35%
Penguin Random House Sends Letter to All Employees
Whenever there are talks of mergers or takeovers, it’s only natural for company employees—even long time members of the corporate family—to wonder what kind of impact it will have on people at every level of the company. With the official announcement of the newly joining Penguin Random House, Random House’s CEO Markus Dohle sent an open letter to all employees. A similar … [Read more...] about Penguin Random House Sends Letter to All Employees
Moglue Allows Authors to Publish eBooks to Android and iOS
Moglue is a new venture that allows authors to self-publish to both the Android and iOS platforms. The company provides two essential tools that give you the power to construct feature rich books with audio, video, and animation elements. The first is MoglueBuilder, which requires little to no programing skills and is primarily used to develop your book. The second MoglueViewer … [Read more...] about Moglue Allows Authors to Publish eBooks to Android and iOS
Penguin, Random House Merger Is Official
Only days ago, parties from both Pearson and Bertelsmann, the parent companies of Penguin and Random House respectively, were firmly stating that talks of a merger of the two publishers were only speculation at that point, but today the blending of the two companies has been confirmed by statements from the publishers.While details are still vague, although the publishers … [Read more...] about Penguin, Random House Merger Is Official
Penguin and Random House Merger Creates a Powerhouse Publisher
News has come out that the parent companies of two of the largest trade imprints in the US may be merging in the near future. Rumors that Penguin and Random House may soon become one larger publisher, bringing the Big Six down to the Big Five, circulated following a statement that Pearson and Bertelsmann are in talks.“Pearson confirms that it is discussing with Bertelsmann … [Read more...] about Penguin and Random House Merger Creates a Powerhouse Publisher
Two Companies in the Lead to Purchase McGraw-Hill Education
McGraw-Hill Education is going to be sold in the very near future, as other companies rush to consolidate their hold on the very strong educational market. The two companies in the lead to purchase all assets are Apax Partners and Apollo Global Management.The education division of McGraw-Hill is estimated to be worth over three billion dollars. The company is the the … [Read more...] about Two Companies in the Lead to Purchase McGraw-Hill Education
eBook Review: Fifty Shades of Mr. Darcy by William Codpiece Thwackery
Verdict: 3 StarsMost of us love a good parody as much as the next person, but when the parody is making fun of two mainstays of popular reading at the same time the result is just fictional gold. Fifty Shade of Mr. Darcy (Pocket Star) manages to take on the recent widely popular erotica title and the work of Jane Austen in one tongue-in-cheek swoop.Unfortunately, … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Fifty Shades of Mr. Darcy by William Codpiece Thwackery
British Columbia Mandates Open eTextbooks for Post-Secondary Students
The Province of British Columbia is poised to be the first one in Canada to offer free e-textbooks to 1st and 2nd year students enrolled in college or university. The project is due to be implemented for the 2013 school year. Up to 200,000 BC students each year could benefit from this move under B.C.’s Families First Agenda, saving each student hundreds of dollars a year or … [Read more...] about British Columbia Mandates Open eTextbooks for Post-Secondary Students