e-Books have been dramatically increasing in cost to the consumer ever since publishes have gained the ability to dictate their own price. Some people have called this phenomenon predatory pricing, devised to put the bulk of digital bookstores out of business. In a recent keynote with the Book Industry Study Group, Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy proclaimed she doesn't have … [Read more...] about Simon & Schuster has no problem with high e-Book prices
Digital Publishing News
Self-Publishing Startup Pronoun vies for Indie Authors Attention
Pronoun is a new company launched by the folks at Vook. They want to convince indie authors that they are a better alternative to LULU, Nook Press, Kobo Writing Life and Smashwords. How can a startup basically come out of nowhere and be a compelling value proposition for digitally savvy authors? Simple, they will put you in every major online store and give you 100% of all the … [Read more...] about Self-Publishing Startup Pronoun vies for Indie Authors Attention
JB Hi-Fi Now eBook Store is Closing
The largest electronics retailer in Australia JB Hi-Fi started selling digital books two years ago. Things haven't been going so well for them and they announced that on September 30th they will be shutting down the JB Hi-Fi Now ebook store. The company is the midst of emailing all of the customers who have registered an account on the platform or have bought an … [Read more...] about JB Hi-Fi Now eBook Store is Closing
Apple is promoting their new San Francisco font to developers
One of the seldom mentioned centerpieces to iOS 9, is a new system wide font called San Francisco, which replaces Helvetica Neue. Apple has mandated that this new font will be unifying every device from the Apple Watch to the MAC. Developers now have access to San Francisco, giving them the ability to use it in all of their apps. Helvetica, was created in Switzerland in … [Read more...] about Apple is promoting their new San Francisco font to developers
Amazon Disables Send to Kindle on Rival Bookstores
Amazon is in the process of disabling their Send to Kindle functionality on competing bookstores. The Seattle company recently changed their terms of service that is having a reverberating effect on the e-book industry. Last March Amazon augmented their cloud system that requires users to subscribe to Prime in order to store photos and video. If you are not a Prime member, … [Read more...] about Amazon Disables Send to Kindle on Rival Bookstores
Self-Published Authors Have Fewer e-Book Distribution Options
Self-published authors are facing major difficulties in selling their e-books online. Many bookstores are closing or scaling back and Amazon changed the rules for their Kindle Unlimited program, paying authors by pages read instead of when a book is opened. What is an author to do? Oyster announced last week that they were closing their company in early 2016 and most of the … [Read more...] about Self-Published Authors Have Fewer e-Book Distribution Options
Facebook Launches New Tools to Appeal to Bloggers
Facebook has just released a new set of tools that will appeal to people who are writing original content for the social media network. The new update you can add a cover photo that represents what your note is all about. You can caption and resize photos, and format your text into headers, quotes or bullets. To see notes your friends have written or write your own, visit … [Read more...] about Facebook Launches New Tools to Appeal to Bloggers
Official Harry Potter Website Relaunches
Pottermore.com today reveals its newly imagined website and positioning as the digital heart of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World with a major redesign and packed with exclusive writing, features, and news. New writing by J.K. Rowling continues to be at the core of the site which also features a never before seen article by the author, revealing the history of the wizarding Potter … [Read more...] about Official Harry Potter Website Relaunches
Oyster is Shutting Down their e-Book Subscription Service
Oyster has announced that they are shuttering their e-book subscription service in the next few months and customers will have to look for new options. The company raised over $17 million dollars during the lifespan of their company and this was not enough to keep them solvent. In a statement on the official Oyster Blog the company stated "we will be taking steps to sunset … [Read more...] about Oyster is Shutting Down their e-Book Subscription Service
People are Not Reading the e-Books they Buy Anymore
Are people reading the e-books they purchase from companies such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Kobo? There is growing research data that is supporting the notion that people are not reading the digital titles they buy online and for the most part, they are never even opened. At Book Expo America last April, Kobo dived deep into global reading behavior and analyzed the data. … [Read more...] about People are Not Reading the e-Books they Buy Anymore