Internet piracy is big business for criminals and the absolute bane of existence for many authors, both traditionally and self-published. But one of the sad yet unrelenting truths about piracy is that there's little the victim can do about it, especially if the stolen work is uploaded and distributed abroad. Short of giving up their writing careers to spend all … [Read more...] about Switzerland Takes Steps Against eBook Piracy
Digital Publishing News
Apple Acquires Digital Magazine Subscription Service Texture
Texture is one of the few companies operating in the unlimited magazine space and they primarily compete against Magstar and Zinio. They initially launched under the name Next Issue, but rebranded themselves in 2015 and started a massive marketing campaign in Canada and the United States. Apple has just acquired Texture to make a major push in the digital magazine … [Read more...] about Apple Acquires Digital Magazine Subscription Service Texture
Julia Sommerfeld Discusses Amazon Original Stories and Kindle Singles
Julia Sommerfeld is the editorial director of a new Amazon Publishing imprint called Amazon Original Stories and she also manages the Kindle Singles store. She sat down with Good e-Reader for an extensive interview and disclosed a number of interesting aspects about the Singles Store and what Original Stories is all about.You took over the Kindle Singles division in 2016. … [Read more...] about Julia Sommerfeld Discusses Amazon Original Stories and Kindle Singles
Amazon Topple Books Imprint is Doomed From the Start
Amazon runs a number of notable imprints that focuses specifically on one genre. 47North specializes in Fantasy and Science-Fiction and Montlake publishes romance titles. Amazon signs authors to one of their imprints who sell lots of ebooks on their Kindle Direct Publishing platform or they bid on the rights to the book by a debut or notable author at big events like Book Expo … [Read more...] about Amazon Topple Books Imprint is Doomed From the Start
Long Live the e-Reader
An article appeared this week, one that sagely but somewhat inflamingly asks the question, "Is The E-Reader Dead?" But rather than yet another infuriating "print is dead!" or "ebooks are dead!" or (a personal favorite) "self-publishing is finally dead!" toned article, this one provides evidence on the reading habits of US consumers, the purchasing history of total volume … [Read more...] about Long Live the e-Reader
New Publishing Company is selling ebooks in Gaza
A new digital publishing company has started up in Gaza and are now selling ebooks for as little as $3.00 each. Khota was established by two young Gazans in August 2016 and their current list includes about 20 books from local and foreign authors. More than 20,000 readers have downloaded them so far, and more than 5,000 hard copies have been shipped.Co-founder Mahmoud … [Read more...] about New Publishing Company is selling ebooks in Gaza
Digital Newspaper Subscription Fees Gettings Cheaper
Digital newspaper subscriptions are poised to become cheaper this year, due to companies slashing their fees. The average price for a digital newspaper subscription is $2.31 per week, according to a new report from the American Press Institute, or about $10 per month or $120 per year. That’s actually down slightly from a 2016 API report that pegged the average weekly price of … [Read more...] about Digital Newspaper Subscription Fees Gettings Cheaper
German ebook sales increase by 4% in 2017
Digital book sales continue to soar in Germany and in 2017 29.1 million titles were sold, which is an increase of 3.9%. The actual revenue derived from e-books fell slightly by 1.4%, this is primarily attributed to readers spending less money. The average price people paid for an ebook was €6.38 and the amount of people purchasing them has declined by 7.7%.What is … [Read more...] about German ebook sales increase by 4% in 2017
Fifty Shades of Bad for You?
Whether you're a fan of the books and movie franchise or not, there's little doubt that 50 Shades and its complete line of products has made an impact. Some can argue that it brought not only indie authors but also fan fiction into the more respectable mainstream, although a growing number of critics are pointing to the unhealthy dynamics in the book as everything wrong with … [Read more...] about Fifty Shades of Bad for You?
Winds of Winter will not be released in 2018
George R.R. Martin has announced that his last book in the Games of Thrones series will not be released in 2018. The Winds of Winter delay not surprising at this point, the television series outpaced the books two seasons ago. Martin has revealed that he is writing a two volume series called Fire & Blood, which chronicles the history of the Targaryen family. The first book … [Read more...] about Winds of Winter will not be released in 2018
New York Times CEO States Print is Dead
The world is moving into digital and the newspaper industry has felt declining advertising revenues for the past ten years. Thousands of papers all over the world have been shuttered or bought out by larger organizations. The New York Times CEOÂ Mark Thompson said newspapers have about a decade left before they are truly irrelevant.Newspapers used to be the only way that you … [Read more...] about New York Times CEO States Print is Dead
Textbook Rentals Tackle Skyrocketing Costs
College costs have risen by as much as 1200% in the past three decades, as tuition, books, housing, and miscellaneous fees have all skyrocketed. Those increases are coupled with shrinking incomes, at least from the standpoint of wages typically not mirroring increased inflation over the years.While a number of sources can offer prospective students a little financial relief … [Read more...] about Textbook Rentals Tackle Skyrocketing Costs
Amazon Kindle Singles has a New Editorial Direction
The Amazon Kindle Singles program comprise of ebooks that are too short to be a traditional novel and too long for a featured magazine article. The program has been going strong since 2012, but it looks like it is undergoing an entirely new editorial direction. The program has not been taking any new submissions since June 22nd 2017 and it appears to be invite only. New novels … [Read more...] about Amazon Kindle Singles has a New Editorial Direction
Scribd Reintroduces Unlimited Audiobooks and eBooks
Scribd has reintroduced an unlimited audiobook and ebook subscription system. The company has been feverishly developing this new system over the past six months and the primary intention is to make it financially viable and appealing to all of the users who quit when Scribd adopted the credit system.Andrew Weinstein is the Vice President of Content Acquisition at Scribd … [Read more...] about Scribd Reintroduces Unlimited Audiobooks and eBooks