A lot of authors are shy when it comes to the idea of publishing their work as an eBook. There's something nostalgic about a print book - for some people it's the smell of paper, for some people it's just nice to mark their progress with the turn of each page. Even so, eBooks are rapidly becoming more popular as a form of self-publishing. There are numerous advantages to … [Read more...] about 5 Advantages of Publishing Your Work as an eBook
Digital Publishing News
Apple News has 100 million monthly users
Apple News is available in more countries and this has provided an influx of new users who turn to the service for all of the latest news from websites, newspapers and magazines. There are now 100 million monthly users. The number of users rose nearly 18% from a year ago, although the company did not break out subscriber numbers for Apple News+, which costs $9.99 per … [Read more...] about Apple News has 100 million monthly users
WordPress is allowing publishers to charge for blog articles
Wordpress has just ironed out a deal with credit card provider Stripe to offer millions of websites an avenue to charge for their blog articles. Owners of WordPress and Jetpack-powered websites will now be able to use a new feature to set up subscriptions for supporters who wish to help out with repeat contributions. The feature will be available as part of all paid … [Read more...] about WordPress is allowing publishers to charge for blog articles
Apple News+ is a flop
Apple News+ is an unmitigated disaster, according to many publishers who offer paid content through the service. In the first 48 hours of the magazine and news subscription service going live, there was 200,000 people who paid money for it. Ever since then, it has been stuck in neutral. Apple promoted the service at the time, telling potential customers that they could … [Read more...] about Apple News+ is a flop
Academic Piracy – Where are we now?
In 2018, e-book piracy websites received over 800 million visits; a number expected to rise by at least a third in 2019. The scale of piracy in academic publishing is staggering, yet one would be excused for assuming it a mere annoyance to publishers. Inevitability haunts any discussion of piracy in the industry and pervades even the most pragmatic. With one in four students … [Read more...] about Academic Piracy – Where are we now?
Facebook is launching a dedicated news tab
Facebook is going to be implementing a dedicated news tab for web and mobile in the next few weeks. News Corp has reached a deal to let Facebook feature headlines from The Wall Street Journal and other Dow Jones media properties, as well as the New York Post. Other publications that have agreed to participate include the Washington Post, BuzzFeed News and Business Insider and … [Read more...] about Facebook is launching a dedicated news tab
Self-Publishing increased by 40% in 2018
Self-publishing grew by a rate of 40% in 2018 and it will not slow down anytime soon. The combined total of self-published print books and ebooks with registered ISBNs grew from almost 1.2 million in 2017 to more than 1.6 million in 2018. Digital books accounted for 8% of all self-published titles. The vast majority of those books came from the top three independent publishing … [Read more...] about Self-Publishing increased by 40% in 2018
HarperCollins is now including ebooks in Kindle Unlimited
HarperCollins has shunned Kindle Unlimited since it first launched in 2014. The subscription based service has been heavily populated with ebooks from indie authors and smaller publishers, but it looks like HC is warming up to the idea. They have put a few thousand backlist titles into the platform in Australia and the UK in an experiment. If they see strong revenue gains with … [Read more...] about HarperCollins is now including ebooks in Kindle Unlimited
News Corp planning on launching a new platform called Knewz
News Corp, the company that owns HarperCollins is developing an online news site called Knewz. The misspelling on the platform launching this fall is meant to be trendy and hip. It will be a traditional aggregator news website and have a mobile app for Android and iOS. It will draw from a variety of national outlets such as The New York Times and NBC News, as well as more … [Read more...] about News Corp planning on launching a new platform called Knewz
Digital Publishers see strong gains in audiobooks and ebooks
Major publishers have all reported that the second quarter of 2019 that audiobook sales are increasing and ebooks are doing quite well. Audiobooks are not really a surprise, everyone is busy digitizing their front-list and also paying more attention to their backlist. The fact that ebook sales are doing well, is partly attributed to movie tie-ins and customers have got used to … [Read more...] about Digital Publishers see strong gains in audiobooks and ebooks