First, JK Rowling turned children's books on their head. Then she managed to turn digital publishing and self-publishing on its head. Then she turned the work of being a crossover author on its head. She even managed to turn the concept of being rich on its head. So why are readers so outraged over the very old concept of blog-to-book now that Rowling has tried her hand at … [Read more...] about New Harry Potter eBooks Not So New?
Digital Publishing News
Bowker Issues a Report on the State of Self-Publishing
Bowker has just published a massive new report and self-publishing is on the rise. There has been a 21% increase in the number of titles between 2014 and 2015 for print and e-books combined. ISBN registrations for self-published titles have grown more than 375% since 2010, climbing from 152,978 ISBNs to 727,125 ISBNs.“ISBN registrations capture a significant portion of the … [Read more...] about Bowker Issues a Report on the State of Self-Publishing
What is iBooks Storytime?
Apple has just filed a series of trademarks for software and one of them is particularly interesting for people who love e-books. It is called iBooks Storytime and not much is known about the new feature, but Apple intends on introducing it sometime in the near future.Other software filings include "Apple Swift Labs," "Apple Progress Card," "Apple Breathe," "Apple Smart … [Read more...] about What is iBooks Storytime?
Important Tax Update for Kindle Ebook Sales in India
Starting in Q4 2016, a Singapore affiliate of Amazon will deliver Kindle content to the India Marketplace. As a result, payments to publishers for sales in the Indian marketplace will be subject to a 10% Singapore tax withholding to comply with Singapore tax regulations. If you have a GST account in Singapore, Amazon needs this information so you will qualify for reduced … [Read more...] about Important Tax Update for Kindle Ebook Sales in India
The majority of Americans read print and not digital
The vast majority of Americans continue to be enamored with print and have resisted the sirens call of e-books. Pew Research has just reported that 65% of US residents have read a print book in the last year, more than double the amount of people who have read an e-book (28%) or listened to an audiobook (14%).The Pew Survey has also stated that 73% of Americans have read a … [Read more...] about The majority of Americans read print and not digital
Readability is shutting down in September
Readability is a bookmarking and read it later service, a distant competitor to Pocket. After five years of operation, Readability will be shutting down on September 30th.The original Readability codebase is embedded in a host of applications, including Apple's Safari 5 browser (the Safari Reader feature), the Amazon Kindle and popular iPad applications like Flipboard and … [Read more...] about Readability is shutting down in September
The Italian government is giving €500 to teens to buy books
The Italian government has just launched a new cultural program where they are giving teens €500 on their 18th birthday to buy books, concerts tickets, theater tickets, cinema tickets, museum visits and trips to national parks.When this program officially launches on September 15th over 575,000 teenagers will be receiving the vouchers. In all, it will cost the government … [Read more...] about The Italian government is giving €500 to teens to buy books
Kindle in Motion Feature Is Cool, But Do Readers Like It?
Amazon has a quirky option for ebooks called Kindle in Motion, and the news has been strangely uneventful. This feature, incorporated into certain titles, places moving graphics in various locations throughout the text. They can be limited to the cover, as in the clouds floating behind the spooky house in Edgar Allan Poe's "Darkness There," or they can be scattered in the text … [Read more...] about Kindle in Motion Feature Is Cool, But Do Readers Like It?
Audiobook Sales are Exploding in 2016
The audiobook format has the highest growth rate in the entire digital publishing industry. Every year Good e-Reader conducts the most comprehensive report that looks at startups, retail and library lending. 2016 is almost half over and it is time to take a look at the state of the industry and if we are on track for another record year.Recently the Wall Street Journal … [Read more...] about Audiobook Sales are Exploding in 2016
Web Novels are Taking China by Storm
The big trend in China over the course of the past few years are web novels. Over 297 million people read one in 2015 and the creators see their stories transcend the internet with their stories being converted to films, TV series, animations and games.Most Chinese web novels are serialized with the vast majority ending on cliff hangers. The average chapter takes around … [Read more...] about Web Novels are Taking China by Storm
Pennsylvania Residents are now paying more for e-books
Pennsylvania has just implemented a six percent sales tax that will apply to digital downloads, such as audiobooks and e-books. Residents will now have to pay more money when they buy content from Amazon, Apple and Google.State officials believe that the added sales tax will bring in close to $47 million a year, when it goes into effect on Monday. Pennsylvania currently has … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Residents are now paying more for e-books
The EU wants to lower the VAT of eBooks
The European Union intends on revising the VAT policy on e-books and make it fall inline with print. At the moment, member states have the option to tax printed books, newspapers and publications at a reduced rate (minimum 5%) and some member states were granted the applications of VAT rates lower than 5% (super-reduced rates) including exemptions with a deductions right of VAT … [Read more...] about The EU wants to lower the VAT of eBooks
Interview with David Blum the Editor of Kindle Singles
Amazon Kindle Singles are carefully selected original works that range in page length between 5,000 to 30,000 words. Authors and publishers are carefully vetted to insure a high degree of quality and the works sell for around $2.00 on average. David Blum is the final arbiter of what goes up for sale and today he conducted an interview with Good e-Reader to talk about Kindle … [Read more...] about Interview with David Blum the Editor of Kindle Singles