Over the last two weeks many companies involved in e-books and digital publishing have been on hiring sprees. Kobo, Scribd, Blurb and many others have been bringing in new executives in order to spearhead new verticals.ScribdLast year, Scribd hit many milestones: They introduced content from all of the “Big Five” publishers to their subscription service and launched … [Read more...] about The Digital Publishing Industry is on a Hiring Spree
Digital Publishing News
Please Pay My Bills So I Can Write
Female authors are dominating the romance and erotica genres when it comes to overall e-book sales. The Top 5 bestselling authors on iBooks are all women and in any given week they also account for 64% of the Top 100. Meanwhile at Amazon, 56% of the top 100 bestsellers are women and there have been times when the Publishers Weekly top 25 has been dominated by women. How is it … [Read more...] about Please Pay My Bills So I Can Write
Author Organizations Demand that eBook Royalties Should Increase
Organizations that represent authors have been issuing press releases and making dramatic statements that traditionally published authors are an endangered species. The main argument is that publishers are not paying appropriate e-book revenue and this is forcing authors to write more to make ends meet or take on a second job.Author organizations want higher e-book … [Read more...] about Author Organizations Demand that eBook Royalties Should Increase
La Presse Abandons Weekday Edition and Goes Completely Digital
La Presse is the first major newspaper to abandon making print copies of their daily edition and exclusively focus on digital. Their app accounts for 80% of their entire revenue stream and it makes sense that they would focus on it as a core aspect of their business.The La Presse+ app for smartphones and tablets attracts close to 250,000 readers per day, which is about … [Read more...] about La Presse Abandons Weekday Edition and Goes Completely Digital
Hearst Hires Former Yahoo Exec To Run Digital Newspaper Division
Hearst has just hired Robertson Barrett, the former VP of media strategy and operation at Yahoo, to run their digital newspaper division. Barrett will be responsible for 15 daily and 36 weekly newspapers.Mark Aldam is the president of Hearst Newspapers and he has his product grow significantly in the last four years. Their audience has increased 23 percent, while revenue … [Read more...] about Hearst Hires Former Yahoo Exec To Run Digital Newspaper Division
Penguin Random House has Sold Author Solutions
Author Solutions is one of the most hated companies in the self-publishing arena because they prey on new writers and sell them packages that range between $3,000 and $12,000 dollars. Their promise is to get your book sold, and authors have reported that their telemarketers harass them on a daily basis trying to get them to spend more money. The animosity was so great, that … [Read more...] about Penguin Random House has Sold Author Solutions
Kobo has created a new e-book section for Wattpad
Kobo has quietly unveiled a new section of their website where readers can purchase e-books published by Wattpad. There are currently 18 titles being showcased on the main landing page and prices range from $1.00 to $12.00.Wattpad is social media platform for telling stories, all of the prose on the site is user-generated content. The service currently attracts over 40 … [Read more...] about Kobo has created a new e-book section for Wattpad
e-Books help overcome Book Censorship in the Middle East
One of the benefits of an e-book is that it is easily accessible for people to buy in countries where print books are often censored. Jarir Bookstore recently announced that it has ceased to carry any hardcover or paperback books written by U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, due to comments he recently made blocking Muslim people from entering the United States.The … [Read more...] about e-Books help overcome Book Censorship in the Middle East
Amazon thinks self-publishing is the key to growth in India
One of the only companies with enough market presence to pull off self-publishing in India is Amazon. The Seattle company is poised to do big business in India in the coming years, primarily due to FlipKart abandoning the e-book space and giving all of their customers away to Kobo.Neal Thompson is Amazon’s director for author and publishing relations. In a recent interview … [Read more...] about Amazon thinks self-publishing is the key to growth in India
Wattpad Releases e-Reading App for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile
Wattpad has just released a new digital reading app for anyone that currently has a modern Windows phone. The Toronto based company is now supporting Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile for anyone looking to read fan-fiction or self-published works.If you are a fan of celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, Harry Styles, Ian Somerhalder, Luke Hemmings, Rihanna, Tyga, August … [Read more...] about Wattpad Releases e-Reading App for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile
Print Sales have increased by 2% in 2015
The print industry has rebounded by 2% in 2015, primarily at the expense of e-books that decreased 11% on the year. The funny thing about hardcovers and paperbacks doing this great is that it is not poetry or literary fiction driving the sales, but YouTube Stars and adult coloring books.Nielsen BookScan releases annual reports from the sales data provided to them from … [Read more...] about Print Sales have increased by 2% in 2015
e-Books have fewer spatial landmarks, making it harder to concentrate
People have been enamored with reading digital books for the last six years and they are not only easier on the wallet, but there are plenty of devices that can be used to read them. Reading e-books though, has its drawbacks. There have been numerous studies that that been conducted that say it is harder to concentrate and inhibits reading comprehension, because our brains … [Read more...] about e-Books have fewer spatial landmarks, making it harder to concentrate
Zinio partners with Boopsie for digital magazine growth
Zinio is one of the leading digital magazine providers for consumers, but in the library sector they depend on distribution partners. Recorded Books has been the main company they deal with in order to maintain a presence in selling their content all over the world. Last week, Zinio signed a deal with Boopsie to double down on the lucrative library market.Since 2006, … [Read more...] about Zinio partners with Boopsie for digital magazine growth