Independent bookstores are on the ropes and simply cannot compete in today's marketplace with Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon. During the last year, Books on Board, The Book Depository, Bookland, Fictionwise, BeWrite Books, jManga, and many more have shut their doors. These stores have mainly closed due to a lack of innovation, poor business sense, and competition from the … [Read more...] about The Future of eBooks – The Death of the Online eBook Store
E-Book News
The Future of Knowledge – Launching April 18
A group of private individuals has apparently done what the government and Google have not been able to do: establish a national digital public library. Aptly named the Digital Public Library of America , or DPLA for for short, this library aims to become the national archive of content that is currently tucked away in libraries, museums, and universities around the country, … [Read more...] about The Future of Knowledge – Launching April 18
Digital eBook Website Books on Board Is Closing
The end is near for small ebook shops everywhere, as one of the most long lived ones has just closed up shop. Books on Board announced today that new purchases can no longer be made and customers are encouraged to download all of the content from the website.In a note to members of the Books on Board website, the company reps said "BooksOnBoard has temporarily stopped … [Read more...] about Digital eBook Website Books on Board Is Closing
Good e-Reader and IDPF Reach New Sponsorship Agreement
Good e-Reader and the International Digital Publishing Forum have struck an agreement on a new sponsorship deal. Good e-Reader now joins Publishers Weekly as the companies media sponsor, covering all major IDPF events. The first major event that is happening in May, is the Digital Book show that is happening at Book Expo America.IDPF Digital Book 2013 at BookExpo America is … [Read more...] about Good e-Reader and IDPF Reach New Sponsorship Agreement
Macmillan eBooks Now Being Discounted
Macmillan was the last company to settle with the US Justice Department in February, when all of the other major publishes had settled months back. We are only now seeing some online book sellers discounting book titles from Macmillan.Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple iBooks are discounting ebooks and even matching each others' promotional deals. Meanwhile, Kobo and … [Read more...] about Macmillan eBooks Now Being Discounted
Flipick Release Updates, Remains in Beta Launch
Many start-ups are operating now under the model of launching a beta period to encourage new users to try out the platform with the express purpose of learning from the user feedback before attempting a full launch. GoodEReader first profiled one such company at this year's Tools of Change event in New York; Flipick, the Mediawide company that allows publishers to create ePub … [Read more...] about Flipick Release Updates, Remains in Beta Launch
Audiobooks Get Personal with StorEbook
With all of the enhancements and innovations in digital reading, perhaps one of the most exciting is the more natural-sounding audio narrations coming out for ebooks. While audiobooks recorded by celebrity voices and trained actors are still a favorite for book listening, we've come a long way since the first edition Kindle would robotically read the text of an ebook.One of … [Read more...] about Audiobooks Get Personal with StorEbook
Snapplify Brings Foreign Language eBooks to Broader Audience
While digital reading has become such a common part of the American landscape that consumers are now reading on a wide variety of portable devices, there are still portions of the reading world where digital publishing is not as accessible as the consumers hope. The frustration over lack of affordable technology and market saturation is only the beginning; the crux of the … [Read more...] about Snapplify Brings Foreign Language eBooks to Broader Audience
New York Public Library Launches Public API Developer Tools
The New York Public Library is one of the landmarks of the city and provides a copious amount of digital and tangible content. Today, the library has announced that it has released a series of API tools that developers can use to tap into the big data and develop custom interfaces.The new Digital Collections API allows software developers both in and outside of the library … [Read more...] about New York Public Library Launches Public API Developer Tools
Frommer’s Guidebooks Get a New Lease on Life
In 2012, Google acquired the rights to Frommer's Guidebooks from John Wiley. The company decided to initiate a digital strategy to market the popular series of travel guides on the Google Books platform. A few weeks ago, Google announced that it was suspending the imprint and giving up on trying to make it work. Arthur Frommer announced today that he reacquired the rights to … [Read more...] about Frommer’s Guidebooks Get a New Lease on Life
Amazon Developing KDP Cover Creator for Indie Authors
When an indie author self-publishes an ebook, cover art is one of the most overlooked components. Traditional print book covers draw many parallels with billboards and conventional marketing strategies to appeal to casual readers. When you walk into a bookstore and there are thousands of books present, they start to all blur together. Bright colorful images and racy cover art … [Read more...] about Amazon Developing KDP Cover Creator for Indie Authors
HarperCollins and Hachette Disband Agency Model for the UK
HarperCollins and Hachette are the first major publishers to absolve the agency pricing model for the UK version of Amazon. The two literary giants have removed the text that appears under ebook listings that said "The Price has been set by publisher." This move was due to the European Justice Department ruling that basically said price fixing cartels were illegal under EU … [Read more...] about HarperCollins and Hachette Disband Agency Model for the UK
De Gruyter, Unglue.it Work Together to Crowdfund Open Source Textbooks
When Unglue.it first launched its platform to strip the copyright status of books once a crowdfunded, pre-determined amount of money had been raised, skeptics spoke out. Not against that concept of "ungluing" a book, of course, but against the idea that ordinary readers would be willing to donate money to a publisher to make a book permanently public domain. Happily, Unglue.it … [Read more...] about De Gruyter, Unglue.it Work Together to Crowdfund Open Source Textbooks