One the most elusive models in digital publishing has to be subscription-based ebooks, with companies around the world all seeking to be the Netflix or Spotify of reading. Everything from pay-as-you-read page view models to open, unlimited consumption have been tried, but nothing seems to have taken hold, at least not in a way like...well...Netflix or Spotify.But … [Read more...] about Ad-Based Reading Service Readfy Launches in Beta
E-Book News
Unpublished Salinger Stories Leaked via PDF
In what is quite possibly going to prove to be one of the most famous examples of ebook piracy, an apparent leak of three of JD Salinger's unpublished short stories seems to have happened thanks to a buyer on eBay. The manuscripts for the stories, "Birthday Boy," "Paula," and what appears to be somewhat of a continuation of the lives of the characters found in Salinger's best … [Read more...] about Unpublished Salinger Stories Leaked via PDF
Self-Published Bestsellers Available for Holiday Reading
Just in time for the holidays, GalleyCat has released its weekly bestseller list of self-published titles, compiled from sales data from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. The list, which crosses a variety of genres, includes separate sales data from the three major ebook distributors, but does not include specific sales figures.For romance fans, the top three titles … [Read more...] about Self-Published Bestsellers Available for Holiday Reading
Voxburner: Teens Still Prefer Print
With the major holiday gift buying days of the holiday season happening this weekend, shoppers might do well to remember the results of a new study by Voxburner: teens prefer print.While this isn't news, having first been revealed at the onset of device penetration, the study does demonstrate that the majority of readers ages sixteen to mid-twenties still prefer old … [Read more...] about Voxburner: Teens Still Prefer Print
Amazon Cracks Down on Bogus Keywords
A growing number of self-published authors are receiving ominous emails from ebook distributor Amazon, warning them that their books are about to be removed from the website if action isn't taken immediately. The warning--which some authors claim they did not actually receive before their titles were removed from sale--pertains to authors who've used titles of other books in … [Read more...] about Amazon Cracks Down on Bogus Keywords
NewsHunt Ventures Into eBook Space in India
The news aggregating app NewsHunt is the newest to enter the ebook scene in India. The above development couldn't have come at a better time for the company which has reached the milestone of recording over a billion page views a month. The company achieved this feat in four years after its inception in June 2009. On offer will be ebooks in several Indian languages, something … [Read more...] about NewsHunt Ventures Into eBook Space in India
Readmill, Penguin Partner on Direct Buy eBooks
Authors and publishers have experimented with different ways to avoid paying the royalty commission to book retailers, opting instead to lure readers to their own websites to make their ebook purchases. While this might be a viable option for individual authors whose readers already know where to search, it can be incredibly difficult for publishers to lure readers, given that … [Read more...] about Readmill, Penguin Partner on Direct Buy eBooks
Audible Picks up Thousands of Audiobooks from AudioGO
Last month the UK arm of AudioGO went into administration, which is a fancy way of saying it is officially bankrupt. The assets are being sold off to eliminate the debt and to monetize their audiobook catalog. Audible has announced that they have purchased 5,000 audio editions from the now defunct company.AudioGO, formerly known as BBC Audiobooks, "owned about 10,000 … [Read more...] about Audible Picks up Thousands of Audiobooks from AudioGO
Barnes and Noble Expands into 32 Countries
The Barnes and Noble Nook has never enjoyed the popularity of the Kindle, chiefly because of the limited market penetration. For the most part their hardware and software ecosystem were only marketed to the US and UK. The tides of change are in the air as B&N has announced today that their Nook App for Windows 8 is expanding into 32 countries and 21 languages with customized … [Read more...] about Barnes and Noble Expands into 32 Countries
Barefoot Books, Made in Me Team Up to Produce Children’s App Books
A new collaboration between an award-winning publisher and an award-winning digital media platform has resulted in the launch of a new line of enhanced ebooks for kids, including the highly innovative, patented "draw and record" feature that lets young users personalize their storybooks. The books, which are narrated by some very well-known actors and voices, are published by … [Read more...] about Barefoot Books, Made in Me Team Up to Produce Children’s App Books
StoriesAlive Subscription App Book Service from Auryn Releases for Kids
One of the world's most highly recognized children's enhanced ebook creators announced today that it is introducing a new feature designed to give users unlimited access to its catalog of titles. Auryn, Inc's new platform, called StoriesAlive, offers readers the ability to select from any of the titles in the complete library for only $7.99, and makes them available for offline … [Read more...] about StoriesAlive Subscription App Book Service from Auryn Releases for Kids
Outlook Grim for Public Libraries
As if public libraries have ever had the problem of having too much money, news from the Speak Up for Libraries conference painted a dark picture of what the coming year may bring, at least for UK libraries. Concerns of budget cuts from public funding sources, worries over offering a full selection of new and updated titles within the libraries' means, and fears about losing … [Read more...] about Outlook Grim for Public Libraries
India Pushes For Legalizing of Photocopying Academic Books
The seemingly everlasting tussle between the proponents of digital piracy and those opposing it has taken an interesting turn with the Indian government’s move that could legalize copying of textbooks and course materials. There already are reports that claim the Indian government is considering moving a petition before the World Intellectual Property Organization, seeking a … [Read more...] about India Pushes For Legalizing of Photocopying Academic Books
New Report on Parent, Teen, Child eBook Consumption
Non-profit industry tracker BookNet Canada released the results of a fall online survey to investigate the digital attitudes and practices of a variety of readers. Polling participants about the practices of young children, teens, and adults, with 823 adults and 221 teens responding, BookNet Canada discovered some telling things about the perceived state of ebook … [Read more...] about New Report on Parent, Teen, Child eBook Consumption