For fans of both Adobe Digital Editions ebook reading platform and the ePUB3 format, long-awaited good news is on its way. Adobe's adoption of the ePUB3 standards is currently in private beta, and some sources say that full adoption for the public will be coming as early as the fall.According to an announcement from the IDPF, "The industry rollout of EPUB 3 support has … [Read more...] about Adobe Digital Editions Rolls Out Private Beta for ePUB3
Digital Publishing News
Light Up Your Fourth with Amazon’s Best Books of July
As the Independence Day festivities carry over for many people due to the long weekend, it's time to load up the e-reader with Amazon's list of best books for July. The titles are selected by the editorial team at Amazon Books, and just as with every other list the group produces for months or holidays, they're not based on book sales or ranking, but rather on the human input … [Read more...] about Light Up Your Fourth with Amazon’s Best Books of July
Indie Author Tools to Self-Publish Audiobooks
Good e-Reader published an interview with ACX, Amazon's self-publishing platform for audiobooks, over a year ago, and the site has seen tremendous growth in the number of titles produced. Authors have the ability to self-publish audio editions of their content under a couple of different payment models, including one that requires very little upfront investment on the part of … [Read more...] about Indie Author Tools to Self-Publish Audiobooks
Global Crackdown on Pirate Textbooks Continues
There is a global crackdown on organized crime manufacturing illegal student textbooks. A few weeks ago police raided a few locations in Madrid and Seville, seizing 10 professional book scanning machines and arresting three. Authorities in Uganda have raided 29 bookstores participating in a scheme that saw unsuspending students buying textbooks worth $686,000 US.Towards … [Read more...] about Global Crackdown on Pirate Textbooks Continues
Authors Rally Behind Amazon in Publisher Dispute
Despite the letter circulated by some well-known authors that urged Amazon to behave itself in its ongoing dispute with Hachette, a new open letter and petition has surfaced. This time, nearly thirty indie authors signed the letter thanking Amazon for its service to the reading public and to authors in particular. The authors include the usual suspects, such as Joe Konrath, … [Read more...] about Authors Rally Behind Amazon in Publisher Dispute
Germany’s Bertelsmann to Close Bookselling Division
In what is possibly the slowest death in the publishing industry, German publisher and retailer Bertelsmann announced this week that it would be leaving the bookselling business to focus on content, which it produces not only as a book publisher but also in other forms of media. The company, which hit its heyday in the years immediately after the end of World War II and leading … [Read more...] about Germany’s Bertelsmann to Close Bookselling Division
Walter Dean Myers: The Loss of a Book Hero
The literary world is a little darker this week after the passing of one of the greatest and most prolific modern writers of books for young people. Walter Dean Myers, a force who arguably changed the face of children's literature with powerful and gritty story lines, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76.Myers was one of the most highly decorated authors of this era. … [Read more...] about Walter Dean Myers: The Loss of a Book Hero
Debunking Amazon’s 70% Royalty for Indie Authors and Publishers
With news this week that Amazon has added whole new international markets to its list of places where authors and publishers can earn a 70% royalty on ebooks, the rumors and misinformed half-truths have begun swirling again as authors set out to decipher the terms. Amazon sent out an email to many of its authors, informing them that two more countries--Ireland and … [Read more...] about Debunking Amazon’s 70% Royalty for Indie Authors and Publishers
Trump Hotel Scales Back Print Newspapers and Gravitates towards Digital
Trump Hotels has announced they are scaling back leaving newspapers outside guests rooms every morning. The company intends on making them exclusively available by request only and will be moving forwards digital distribution.PressReader and Trump Hotels have come to an agreement to have digital newspapers available to their guests. The New York Times, The Wall Street … [Read more...] about Trump Hotel Scales Back Print Newspapers and Gravitates towards Digital
No News Is Still News for Amazon, Hachette Dispute
A headline in the Wall Street Journal today promised that a senior executive at Amazon had finally spoken openly about the ongoing dispute between the online retail giant and Hachette Book Group, one of the mainstays of publishing and a member of the Big Five. And the remarks attributed did come from VP Russ Grandinetti, but that's really where the amazement of the announcement … [Read more...] about No News Is Still News for Amazon, Hachette Dispute
The End for World Book Night
In a heartfelt and obviously saddened letter today, the organizers behind World Book Night announced that they would no longer be able to continue the US program, despite its three year history of distributing great reads to reluctant readers through volunteers across North America. The program, which was was supported by publishers, authors, booksellers, and individual donors, … [Read more...] about The End for World Book Night
Washington Post: What Would Bezos Do?
It's no secret that newspapers as a whole are on the decline. Some of the longest-standing family-owned outlets in the country have already shuttered their doors, and the ones who are managing to stay afloat are doing so with the help of digitization efforts and an online presence. This characteristic of journalistic publishing made the news this past spring that Jeff Bezos, … [Read more...] about Washington Post: What Would Bezos Do?
US Publishers Earn More through Online Sales than Physical Stores
In a report from two entities that watch the publishing industry in the US, sales figures for 2013 show some surprising trends. These trends, followed by the Book Industry Study Group and the Association of American Publishers in their annual BookStats report, found several interesting changes in certain genres of the book market.Adult non-fiction made the leap above … [Read more...] about US Publishers Earn More through Online Sales than Physical Stores
Smashwords Launches Summer Author Promotion
Just in time for summer travel, Smashwords is offering up an author opportunity that is too good too miss. In exchange for a multi-tiered discount on their titles, authors can be included in Smashwords' Summer/Winter Promotion. Why Summer/Winter? Because it's not summer everywhere that Smashwords' books are bought.By enrolling on the link on Smashwords' homepage, authors … [Read more...] about Smashwords Launches Summer Author Promotion
McGraw-Hill Education Unveils New Digital Platform for K12 Teachers
With so much happening in the world of digital publishing for the higher education market, it's easy to forget that the public education sector is lagging behind at a pitiful pace. Ironically, it's this K12 market that could really stand to benefit from digital learning solutions, both in terms of cost and in the ability to reach all learners in the ways that serve them … [Read more...] about McGraw-Hill Education Unveils New Digital Platform for K12 Teachers
France Takes Action to Protect its Treasured Bookshops
As booksellers around the world continue to feel the pinch of trying to do business in an online retail climate, the French Parliament has taken action that at least intends to protect bookshops in some small way. After passing what it has dubbed the "Anti Amazon Law," it's now illegal to offer free shipping on books in the country.This law is an update to a decades-old law … [Read more...] about France Takes Action to Protect its Treasured Bookshops