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
Digital Publishing News
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
The Cold Song by Linn Ullmann
Verdict: 4 StarsEqual parts mystery and broken family saga with elements of deep dark secrets, this title is hard to categorize into just one genre.Married couple Siri and Jon head back to her childhood home for the summer so Jon can presumably finish his long-awaited follow up novel. The family begins to unravel in many overlapping places, beginning with Siri's mom, … [Read more...] about The Cold Song by Linn Ullmann
Digital Publishers Support Community Causes in Profound Ways
Good e-Reader recently reported on the good work that digital publisher and ebook distributor 0s & 1s is doing in helping smaller, independent publishers and presses digitize and sell their content. With more than twenty presses already working with 0s & 1s and with a mission to provide DRM-free, multiple-file bundles to readers while giving authors an unheard of 80% … [Read more...] about Digital Publishers Support Community Causes in Profound Ways
Indie Authors Have the Power to Give Back
Self-published authors who've experienced a measure of success in their writing careers often cite the usual reasons for their decisions to publish independently. These authors have grown tired of the query game and the contract negotiations involved in turning over their book rights to a publisher, and often highlight the new-found freedom write what they wish and the control … [Read more...] about Indie Authors Have the Power to Give Back
Fan Fiction Romance Comes to Kindle Worlds
Amazon launched its Kindle Worlds fan fiction platform just over a year ago, and the concept has been a great success for both the rights holders who license content to the site and the fans who adore the concepts and story lines of their favorite authors. These reader fans have often taken to writing their own continuation of the stories once the book ends, largely due to the … [Read more...] about Fan Fiction Romance Comes to Kindle Worlds
James Patterson Makes New Donation to Bookshops
Bestselling author James Patterson has run a number of programs that supply grant-type funding for bookstores, committing significant funds to helping independent retailers keep their doors open. Those grants have served for projects like building in video conferencing capabilities to have virtual author signings in the store, to renovations, to even just paying shop employees … [Read more...] about James Patterson Makes New Donation to Bookshops
Aptara Launches New End-to-End Offerings for Digital Publishing
Aptara has a 25 year history of helping content providers and rights holders with their digitization needs, essentially working with the complete, ready-to-go file and transforming it into their final publishing project. But now, the company has announced its initiative to be a complete end-to-end solutions provider.“Our clients can now rely on us for everything from … [Read more...] about Aptara Launches New End-to-End Offerings for Digital Publishing
The Power of Giving Books
An article in The Bookseller this week highlighted a program that distributes books to people who receive assistance at the food banks of two UK towns, demonstrating the power of books to restore a sense of wonder and community involvement. The program, a part of Booktrust known as National Book Start Week, put books into the hands of more than two thousand children who had … [Read more...] about The Power of Giving Books
Allegations that Amazon Seeks New Publishers Terms in UK
It's an understood truth in publishing that anyone who works for the industry keeps a tight lid on information, especially where sales talk is concerned. From numbers of units sold to overall sales of any given book, no one is going to speak up with specifics unless he has to (or unless he's a pioneer like Hugh Howey who wants to see transparency in order to foster good … [Read more...] about Allegations that Amazon Seeks New Publishers Terms in UK
BookBaby Shares Free Publishing Guide from Guy Kawasaki
Despite the prevalence of self-publishing opportunities and the greater acceptance of the publishing route among authors, readers, and the industry as a whole, the process of going it alone can be confusing and daunting. Self-publishing platform BookBaby has made the process all that much easier, first by creating a business model that works for authors instead of ripping them … [Read more...] about BookBaby Shares Free Publishing Guide from Guy Kawasaki
3M to Launch Next Gen Personalized Lending App at ALA
As the American Library Association's annual conference kicks off later this week in Las Vegas, companies that support public and academic libraries will showcase their technology and roll out new offerings to the attendees. One of those companies, 3M Library Systems, will be unveiling a next generation app that provides a more personalized lending experience of digital … [Read more...] about 3M to Launch Next Gen Personalized Lending App at ALA