Facebook has been getting a ton of negative publicity for the past five months due to the influx of fake news on their platform. Some 82% of middle-schoolers couldn’t distinguish between an ad labeled “sponsored content” and a real news story. Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg have repeatedly addressed those claims. Yet, the two have little … [Read more...] about Facebook is going to hire an experienced news executive
Digital Publishing News
Bowker Releases Findings from Digital Publishing Survey
Bowker and Data Conversion Laboratory have just released their findings from their digital publishing survey. This is the third joint survey for DCL and Bowker, and this year’s attracted 698 participants, up from 579 in 2015 and 215 in 2014. The survey probes digital publishers and self-publishing authors to find trend lines across a wide swath of important topics. Question … [Read more...] about Bowker Releases Findings from Digital Publishing Survey
Wattpad talks about the future of digital publishing
WattPad is one of the most popular online self-publishing platforms and they have over 45 million monthly users, with over 2.3 million writers who’ve shared 15 million chapters in the last 30 days alone. The company has experienced explosive growth since they first opened up their virtual doors in 2006 and the CEO of Wattpad talked with Good e-Reader to reflect upon the past … [Read more...] about Wattpad talks about the future of digital publishing
Goodreads Choice Awards Winners Announced
Some book awards are determined by panels of expert judges who seem to be fairly out of touch with the interests of the typical reader. Still others are the domain of the "inner sanctum" club where publishers and powers that be proclaim which books are worthy. For my part--and that of many avid book fans--those awards pale in comparison to being chosen by a vast sea of actual … [Read more...] about Goodreads Choice Awards Winners Announced
Book Mate is expanding into Scandinavia
Book Mate launched their unlimited e-book subscription service in 2013 and their primary markets are Russia, Turkey, Nigeria, Pakistan, India and the Philippines. Over the years the company has since expanded into North America via their apps for Android and iOS. In order to foster further growth, Book Mate will soon be expanding into Europe and they will particularly be … [Read more...] about Book Mate is expanding into Scandinavia
Amazon India now offers Kindle e-books in 5 regional languages
Amazon is focusing on India and has populated their Kindle bookstore with thousands of e-books in five regional languages. Users can now purchase bestsellers and download free samples in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati and Malayalam.“We are excited to offer readers the largest digital selection of best sellers in five Indian languages. All you need is an Android or iOS … [Read more...] about Amazon India now offers Kindle e-books in 5 regional languages
The VAT on E-Books will be lowered in the EU by 2017
The European Union has announced that starting in 2017 e-books, digital magazines and digital newspapers will have the same VAT as print. Member countries will have the freedom to change the VAT as they see fit, which will drastically lower the cost of going digital.Current rules allow Member States to tax printed publications such as books and newspapers at reduced rates … [Read more...] about The VAT on E-Books will be lowered in the EU by 2017
Pottermore Will Be Profitable in 2017
J.K. Rowling has a digital website called Pottermore where the entire Harry Potter audiobook and e-book collection is sold. The company was initially launched in 2011 and spearheaded by Charlie Redmayne who left in 2013 to become the CEO of HarperCollins UK. Since his departure Pottermore has pivoted from being a gaming website to an e-commerce company. They begun to iron out … [Read more...] about Pottermore Will Be Profitable in 2017
German e-Book Sales Increase by 1.7% in 2016
The German e-book market is profitable and for the past few years there is solid growth. Major publishers are responding well to consumer demands that digital prices should be more affordable. According to the German Publishers Association in the first nine months of 2016 the German e-book market increased by 1.7%, yet revenue from ebook sales increased by just 0.1%.The … [Read more...] about German e-Book Sales Increase by 1.7% in 2016
Research – How much would you pay for a new eBook?
There is a fair amount of conjecture about e-book pricing. Major publishers have their own ideas about how much an e-book should cost, although their sales have plummeted 26% in the past two years. Indie authors have a million blog posts telling them how much they should price their debut titles. The question people are not asking, is how much is the average customer willing to … [Read more...] about Research – How much would you pay for a new eBook?
Bookstackk Looking to Revitalize Social Reading
There's a reason the public is fascinated with the likes and dislikes of celebrities. From their favorite meals to their favorites brands of shampoo, when you take a specific interest in someone, what they care about can influence what you care about. That's the notion behind a startup called Bookstackk, but rather than bringing you closer to celebrities and their favorite … [Read more...] about Bookstackk Looking to Revitalize Social Reading
E-Book Sales Decline 20.0% in the first half of 2016
Major publishers in the United States have been experiencing massive declines in e-book sales in the first half of 2016. Sales of eBooks were down 20.0% and generated $579.5 million, which is quite staggering. This is the second year in a row where e-book sales have plummeted, in 2015 eBooks were down 12.7%.E-books continuing to trend downwards is actually good news for the … [Read more...] about E-Book Sales Decline 20.0% in the first half of 2016
Amazon Marketing Services Open to All Authors…Sort Of
Amazon has rolled out a new offer for authors whose titles are published through the Kindle platform: Amazon Marketing Services. Basically, this is an additional layer of potential promotion that the retailer has given authors, letting them pay for per-click advertising on their self-published titles."Wait, Amazon's done that for ages. Why is this news?" Well, they've sort … [Read more...] about Amazon Marketing Services Open to All Authors…Sort Of