Verdict: 3 StarsDonna Tartt's book The Goldfinch, has over 4K reviews on Amazon, and the ratings are fairly well divided among each of the different ratings. Sadly, comments among the three-, two-, and one-star reviews tend to run along a common vein: the book just didn't live up to the hype from the industry.And truthfully, it takes a really special work of literature … [Read more...] about eBook Review: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
E-Book News
Death and Destruction: Overused Terms to Describe Publishing
Can we all agree that we will stop using terms like "killing" and "death" to describe the state of publishing?First, it's disrespectful to all the real cases presented in the news daily of actual killing and death. In case anyone has forgotten, we lost a prominent actor to heroin overdose recently, and news surfaced yesterday of a young girl being stoned to death in Syria … [Read more...] about Death and Destruction: Overused Terms to Describe Publishing
eBook Review: Take a Chance by Abbi Glines
Verdict: 3 StarsSelf-published sensation turned traditionally published romance/erotic romance author Abbi Glines has created a side story in the book Take A Chance that pulls several characters from an existing series of hers and offers up some insight into their relationship.This new adult title, though, falls into the trap that has plagued a number of other titles in … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Take a Chance by Abbi Glines
4% of Readers Read eBooks Exclusively
eBook reading is on the rise, primarily due to the sheer amount of e-readers and tablets being adopted. The number of adults who have read an eBook in the past year has risen to 28%, up from 23% at the end of 2012. As much as digital reading has increased, print remains the foundation of the vast majority of Americans reading habits. Although there is a crossover of being … [Read more...] about 4% of Readers Read eBooks Exclusively
Transparency: Author HM Ward Discusses eBook Sales and Pricing
A number of authors, including JA Konrath and Hugh Howey, made international headlines this week with their open discussions of what is wrong with ebook pricing and sales data. The lack of open access to the information, guarded like a state a secret by the online retailers, presumably don't help authors know which publishing decisions are right for them. Without accurate data, … [Read more...] about Transparency: Author HM Ward Discusses eBook Sales and Pricing
Does the Publishing Industry Discriminate?
A quick search of the Amazon Kindle store reveals over two million titles, both legacy and self-published. But a search for books tagged "African American" reveals only slightly more than 15,000 titles combined. Add to the lack of dedicated reading material, stores that focus on demographic-specific titles are facing hardship as well.An article by Judith Rosen for … [Read more...] about Does the Publishing Industry Discriminate?
Us vs Them Rears Its Head in Publishing Once More
First, there was JA Konrath's post with Hugh Howey on how to determine how many ebooks are sold, and how that information can affect authors in their publishing decision making.Then there was a literary agent's harsh response to Konrath and Howey's insight, once again claiming that traditional publishing is the way to go.Then there was the rebuttal to the rebuttal of … [Read more...] about Us vs Them Rears Its Head in Publishing Once More
Reimagining the Personal Library
With so much focus on the plight of libraries, a number of options have been proposed for libraries to reinvent themselves in an effort to keep up with the changing face of book consumption in the digital era. Some library systems have gone so far as to establish 21st century models for libraries, including everything from computer terminals, classroom and meeting spaces, green … [Read more...] about Reimagining the Personal Library
Amazon: Game Changer or Whipping Boy?
Warning: you'll need your tissue box handy when you read this piece for The New Yorker about how Amazon has ruthlessly destroyed every single aspect of the entire book industry. You're free to ignore the fact that it was written by an author who has no less than eight books are currently available on Amazon, a couple of which are even at the top of Amazon's rankings; the author … [Read more...] about Amazon: Game Changer or Whipping Boy?
Kobo, Bella Andre Launch Three-Month Exclusive Book Deal
In another brilliant career move by highly successful self-published author Bella Andre, the author signed an exclusive contract with Kobo to make five of her popular Lucy Kevin titles available in French exclusively through the Writing Life platform. Andre, who wrote the Four Weddings and a Fiasco series under the name Lucy Kevin, has become widely recognized for maintaining … [Read more...] about Kobo, Bella Andre Launch Three-Month Exclusive Book Deal
Oyster Launches New Kids Section – Signs Deal with Disney
Oyster, better known as the Netflix of eBooks, has just launched a new childrens section today, which should give parents another reason to sign up for the service. The bulk of the titles are stemming from a new relationship with Disney Publishing.The eBook subscription site launched last September and current has a library of 100,000 titles. Oyster charges $9.95 a month … [Read more...] about Oyster Launches New Kids Section – Signs Deal with Disney
Hachette Reports Good Sales in 2013
The France-based publishing company Lagardère revealed it has had a profitable year in 2013, reporting positive growth in sales in both the US and UK. The company’s revenue went up 1.9 percent in 2013, which is in spite of a slight hiccup that the company had to deal with in the final quarter of 2012 owning to a strong Euro. However, Lagardère revealed ebooks have grown to 10.4 … [Read more...] about Hachette Reports Good Sales in 2013
Amazon Publishing Wins Auction of Self-Published Author’s New Thriller
While the news indicates that Amazon Publishing may be floundering a little in the US, its UK publishing division just bid on and won a multiple-rights five-figure deal for a self-published author's new historical thriller title, The Thief Taker by Cath Quinn. Set in seventeenth century London during the plague, Quinn's title will be published under the Thomas & Mercer … [Read more...] about Amazon Publishing Wins Auction of Self-Published Author’s New Thriller