DBW has been conducting in-depth author surveys over the past few years, releasing annual reports on the state of publishing from the viewpoints of these survey respondents. The results, which will be compiled, examined, and released at next week's Digital Book World event, attempt to give a clear picture of how authors are faring in both traditional and self-publishing, along … [Read more...] about Looking Ahead to DBW’s Author Survey Results
E-Book News
Patriots Win, But It’s Not Enough to Save Gronkerotica
There's a seedy underbelly to the world of digital self-publishing, and it's best if we all just walk away. If you look too closely in the darkened corners of the Amazon Kindle store, you may be the next victim of titles like A Billionaire Dinosaur Forced Me Gay and Taken By The Haunted HDMI Cable (we promise, unfortunately, that both of these titles are all too real).So … [Read more...] about Patriots Win, But It’s Not Enough to Save Gronkerotica
Were “Flash in the Pan” Predictions Right?
When ebooks first appeared on the literary scene in a big way, critics and supporters alike had some pretty bold predictions. From the "death of print" side came support for the worldwide benefits of digital reading, while the "flash in the pan" crowd refused to let go of their paper editions and that "new book smell." There was even a solid middle ground as parents--even those … [Read more...] about Were “Flash in the Pan” Predictions Right?
Bing Puts the Spotlight on Book Discovery
Microsoft is making a radical change to their Bing search engine that will appeal to readers the world over. The company has unveiled a new system that assists in book discovery. If someone searches for a specific title and its written by a well known author, Bing now displays a carousel that lists a number of New York Times bestsellers.Currently Bing lists bestselling … [Read more...] about Bing Puts the Spotlight on Book Discovery
What Makes Kids Read?
Scholastic, the world's largest publisher of children's content and innovators in kids' digital reading, has released the findings of its Kids & Family Reading Report, the purpose of which is to "explore the reading attitudes and experiences that most influence children’s reading habits, including reading aloud at home, independent reading at school, presence of books in … [Read more...] about What Makes Kids Read?
The Future of Blinkbox Books Remains Uncertain
Supermarket chain Tesco has been one of the breakouts in the UK eBook arena the last few years with their Blinkbox Books platform. The company had perfectly leveraged their points cards, scanned during checkout, to give big discounts on popular digital titles. The future of this platform looks to be in doubt as Tesco has just sold off their Blinkbox Movies business and … [Read more...] about The Future of Blinkbox Books Remains Uncertain
India Tackles Digital Textbooks with 3.7M Student Rollout
On the same day that the Times of India reported on the possible reasons for a lagging ebook retail market in India, news sources announced an education initiative in the Indian state of Kerala that will put digital textbooks in the hands of nearly four million students and educators by June of this year. What's the correlation between the retail and educational landscapes, and … [Read more...] about India Tackles Digital Textbooks with 3.7M Student Rollout
Amazon Sending Customers Reminders about e-Book Settlement Credits
Amazon is sending a new batch new emails reminding customers that they have credits in their account based on the number of e-Books they have purchased from April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012. The reminder should not be taken in earnest because all credits expire March 31, 2015.If you are a very casual digital book buyer and have a Kindle you should have some credits in your … [Read more...] about Amazon Sending Customers Reminders about e-Book Settlement Credits
e-Book Prices Stable After VAT Increase
Many readers were concerned that when the VAT increased on e-Books all over Europe they have to have to pay more. This was not the case as retailers and publishers have helped cushion increase in price, so little has changed.Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo all based their European headquarters in Luxembourg where the VAT was only 3%. This allowed these companies to sell … [Read more...] about e-Book Prices Stable After VAT Increase
Copyright Law to be Amended in Japan to Combat e-Book Piracy
Japan is planning on augmenting their copyright law in early 2015 so publishers can actually go after e-Book pirates. This should assist the entire industry and hopefully speed up the rate in which e-Books are produced.The old copyright law just protected physical books from unlawful print and distribution by people who did not have the right to do so. This caused … [Read more...] about Copyright Law to be Amended in Japan to Combat e-Book Piracy
Visual Novels Find a Home on Steam
Steam is one of the most popular game distribution and sales platforms. The biggest budget games of 2014 have found a home on the service, as well as indie titles. Steam isn't just for games anymore, anime infused visual novels have also been able to leverage steam to reach an international audience.Unlike graphic novels or manga, A visual novel is an interactive fiction … [Read more...] about Visual Novels Find a Home on Steam
Europeans Have Two Weeks To Return Apple iBooks
Apple has quietly amended their return policy for iBooks purchased in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, and many other EU countries. Readers now have up to two weeks to get a full refund, no questions asked through an automated feature.Apple has maintained a policy that users in European countries did have the right to cancel purchases that were defective or before digital … [Read more...] about Europeans Have Two Weeks To Return Apple iBooks
Wattpad Releases New eBook Cover App
Wattpad is one of the largest fan-fiction websites on the internet with over 40 million users and 80 million stories. Indie authors know the value of cover art, its normally the first thing readers see and first impressions really matter. This has prompted the Canadian company to release a brand new app called Covers by Wattpad.Covers by Wattpad allows authors to upload … [Read more...] about Wattpad Releases New eBook Cover App