As Hachette, Amazon, and the laundry list of household name authors who make up the faux-power group Authors United continue to battle and make headlines over the contract dispute, there's another major player who's caught in the crossfire of the whole mess: the readers.While critics and supporters on both sides argue over the costs of doing business, the power of … [Read more...] about Authors United to Issue New Directive to Amazon
Digital Publishing News
Amazon Rolls Out Beta of KDP Pricing Support
New information and knowledge have come to light thanks to the efforts of a core group of individuals; author Hugh Howey and his mathematical number cruncher Data Guy have released exhaustive information through the Author Earnings reports designed to help authors make informed decisions concerning their publishing.Rather than fight the Author Earnings efforts and … [Read more...] about Amazon Rolls Out Beta of KDP Pricing Support
Wattpad Announces Creative Commons Agreement
Copyright is a hotly contested issue facing both authors and the publishing industry, as rights holders work to strike a balance between safeguarding content and sharing it across a variety of platforms to reach as many readers as possible. In the era of digital publishing, ebook piracy, and open sharing authoring platforms, some industry response has been to tighten the reins … [Read more...] about Wattpad Announces Creative Commons Agreement
First Quarter Digital Sales on the Rise
The PA Digital Sales Monitor, new report from the UK-based Publishers' Association, showed that ebook sales are on the rise for the first quarter of 2014. This report, which showed a 10.5% increase in digital sales, comes at a time when the debate around ebooks and their viability from different angles is starting to make waves again.According to a press release issued on … [Read more...] about First Quarter Digital Sales on the Rise
The Maritime Industry Finally Embraces Digital Content
Every single day there are 60,000 cruise, cargo and oil rigs in operation globally. The vast majority of staff that keep these operations running properly are workers from the Philippines, Malaysia, Russia and India. Many of the corporations that bankroll everything are putting a new emphasis on crew welfare and retention. This has opened up a new market for digital publishing … [Read more...] about The Maritime Industry Finally Embraces Digital Content
HarperCollins Offers eBook and Print Bundling
One of the largest book publishers in the world, HarperCollins, has announced they are starting a pilot project to give away the digital version of a book when you buy the printed version.HarperCollins has partnered with BitLit, a Canadian based startup that get the eBook of a print book you already own. As long as you own the book, you can use BitLit to download the eBook … [Read more...] about HarperCollins Offers eBook and Print Bundling
eBook Review: Four Boots One Journey by Jeff Alt
Verdict: 5 StarsThis is a book entirely about love: love between spouses, love between siblings, love for nature and the land. When the author's wife lost her brother to suicide, he had no way of bringing her out of her pain other than through the thing he loved, hiking. Having just completed the 2000-mile Appalachian Trail himself, he turned around and lured his wife on a … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Four Boots One Journey by Jeff Alt
Traditional Publishing Dismisses Author Earnings Report
In what is perhaps the single most telling example of why the traditional publishing fails to address the needs of authors, The Guardian posted an interview with Phillip Jones, editor of the Bookseller, and Nicola Solomon, general secretary of the UK's Society of Authors. While the Bookseller is a publishing industry news source and the Society has recently spoken out about the … [Read more...] about Traditional Publishing Dismisses Author Earnings Report
Publishers Should Start Selling eBooks on Bittorrent
Decentralized technologies like BitTorrent allow people to share books, films, music and pictures. The essence is software allows people download a file for multiple sources at the same time. The more users you have sharing the same file, the faster the downloads are for everyone. There are many companies that have their own clients for different operating systems, but the … [Read more...] about Publishers Should Start Selling eBooks on Bittorrent
Digital Publishing and e-Reader Gossip – July 13-19 2014
There are a ton of gossip in the digital publishing and e-reader sector that transpires every single week. Most of these short snippets simply wouldn't do as a singular article. Today, we look at all of the little tidbits we have gleaned from interviews and research.Zinio is at a crossroads in the digital magazine sector. The company has fired most of the staff in their … [Read more...] about Digital Publishing and e-Reader Gossip – July 13-19 2014
Is Kindle Unlimited Good for Indie Authors?
Amazon has officially launched Kindle Unlimited, a US based service that has 600,000 eBooks and audiobooks available at $9.99 per month. The Seattle based e-commerce giant is now competing against companies such as Oyster and Scribd, which have friendly terms for self-published authors. Is Kindle Unlimited viable for indie authors and is it worth it to make your titles … [Read more...] about Is Kindle Unlimited Good for Indie Authors?
Kindle Unlimited Goes Live with eBook, Audiobook Titles
Amazon's Kindle Unlimited, the ebook and audiobook subscription service that lets members pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited access to its catalog, went live today, offering users a thirty day free trial and the option to pay $9.99 a month for the service. According to a press release issued by Amazon, the service is compatible with both Kindle reading devices and tablets, as … [Read more...] about Kindle Unlimited Goes Live with eBook, Audiobook Titles
US Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Copyright Arguments over Sherlock Holmes
Most people don't think of copyright law when they think of gripping drama and suspenseful twists and turns, but the truth is copyright is actually quite fascinating. Of course, no one is more fascinated right now than the litigants in a case involving copyright over Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes characters.To understand the ramifications of a case that is … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Copyright Arguments over Sherlock Holmes
Verso App Gives Teachers a Powerful Assessment Tool for Student Engagement
It's the same in every classroom, in every school, in every subject area. Certain students are "getting it" and engaging with the content, while other students are trailing behind, getting more and more lost and less and less likely to admit it. But a new assessment tool that lets students structure their own questions, responses, and discussion points offers teachers the … [Read more...] about Verso App Gives Teachers a Powerful Assessment Tool for Student Engagement