Hachette UK drew a few double-takes and even more responses this week as the publisher stated that its current model of selling ebooks with DRM (Digital Rights Management) and fair prices was “working very well.” Specifically, the statement drew a “chastising response” from author Cory Doctorow on Publishers Weekly’s Columns and Blogs post.To be fair, the statement from … [Read more...] about Hachette Draws Author’s Ire on DRM Mentality
E-Book News
Send to Kindle for Google Chrome Released
Amazon has just released its popular "Send to Kindle" function to Google Chrome. This will allow users to click on a single button and send blog posts, articles, and other written content directly to their Kindle e-Reader. "Send to Kindle" for Google Chrome makes web articles easier to read—and you can tailor it exclusively for your own tastes. This is handy to anyone that … [Read more...] about Send to Kindle for Google Chrome Released
Google Granted an Appeal for Authors Guild Class Action Lawsuit
Google has been granted an appeal to contest the original class action lawsuit that the Authors' Guild filed against the company for the 20 million ebooks it created by scanning them. Google contests that the books did not do any of the authors or their estates financial harm, but the AG wants $750 for each book scanned.If the appeal is granted by the Second Circuit, this … [Read more...] about Google Granted an Appeal for Authors Guild Class Action Lawsuit
Google to Acquire Frommer’s from Wiley
Wiley & Sons announced that they would be selling off key pieces of the publishing family that no longer pertained to their long term vision, notably the travel assets and the Frommer’s line of travel guides. The sale is reported between $23 and $25 million and will include the Frommer’s website as well, although Google has apparently not officially committed to continuing … [Read more...] about Google to Acquire Frommer’s from Wiley
Kobo Launches ‘New Voices’ and puts the Spotlight on New Authors
Everyday this week Kobo is putting on the spotlight on new and up and coming authors. The company will be conducting a Q/A on their main blog and give people a sense of where the authors are coming from. In conjunction you can purchase a number of the books they profile with massive deals to purchase eBooks! Check out their list of fiction eBooks priced at $4.99 is starting … [Read more...] about Kobo Launches ‘New Voices’ and puts the Spotlight on New Authors
Singularity & Co. is Saving Sci-Fi Through Digital Publishing
While current science fiction writers are enjoying the wealth of opportunities that digital publishing affords its authors, last week’s opening of the New York City brick-and-mortar bookstore Singularity & Co. is doing more than giving authors a platform for their new works. Rather, it aims to revive out of print and lost titles through ebook formats.“We started with a … [Read more...] about Singularity & Co. is Saving Sci-Fi Through Digital Publishing
Many Companies Expressing Interest in Sponsoring UK Fiction Book Prize
Orange Mobile has been sponsoring the 'Orange Prize for Fiction' which is based in the United Kingdom and mainly for Women's books. Ever since T-Mobile acquired Orange, the two companies are restructuring and this resulted in the sponsorship being pulled. This is creating a large gulf in UK Fiction, but others are willing to step up to the plate.The Telegraph newspaper … [Read more...] about Many Companies Expressing Interest in Sponsoring UK Fiction Book Prize
eBook Review: Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson
Verdict: 4 StarsIn the spirit of other great talking animal books like The Jungle Book or Dr. Doolittle, Anderson’s work makes you simply forget that these are animals. But this dramatic and violent tale is no Wind in the Willows. These animals just aren’t all that…cute. Certainly, they’re from Australia and we’ve come to associate the platypus or the wallaby with cuteness, … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson
Google to Fight eBook Piracy with Major Search Engine Shakeup
Google is rolling out updates that will drastically reduce the amount of piracy you find when casually surfing the internet. In many cases, when you are looking to buy an ebook or a new music track, often an avalanche of pirate sites dominate the results of your query. Google is revising its search engine to filter out many websites that have active DMCA complaints or are known … [Read more...] about Google to Fight eBook Piracy with Major Search Engine Shakeup
Good eReader Week in Review – August 5th to 10th
During the last week, no new e-readers have dropped but rumors continue to swirl about the new line of Amazon Kindle Tablets and e-Readers hitting the market. Sony also intends on releasing a followup to the Sony PRS-T1 in the next few weeks and Blackberry released the Playbook 2! In our Week in Review, we focus on only the MAJOR news items that you might have missed but need … [Read more...] about Good eReader Week in Review – August 5th to 10th
BiblioCrunch’s MeetUp for Self-Publishing
BiblioCrunch, who launched earlier this year as a way for indie authors to let those in the industry bid on their projects for cover designing, editing, formatting, and more, has arranged a series of MeetUp events for everyone connected to the industry. The first of these events was held last week in New York, and had a specific focus on the need for editing with guest speakers … [Read more...] about BiblioCrunch’s MeetUp for Self-Publishing
CourseSmart: Results of a Two-Year Digital Textbook Study
CourseSmart, a leading supplier of e-textbooks for higher education, shared the results of a two-year study on the use of digital textbooks which had been commissioned by Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) and AccessText Network (ATN) following a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). The study tracked the reactions of 1,185 higher … [Read more...] about CourseSmart: Results of a Two-Year Digital Textbook Study
Amazon to Halt Processing of Crowd-Funded eBook Access
Unglue.it, the recently launched crowd-funding site that allows consumers to make pledges of payment to "unglue" ebooks, thus eliminating the copyright and DRM, has just been informed by Amazon that the retailer will no longer honor pledge payments for this kind of transaction. CEO Eric Hellman issued a statement today:“Amazon Payments has informed us that they will no … [Read more...] about Amazon to Halt Processing of Crowd-Funded eBook Access
CourseSmart and Blackwell’s Form Distribution Partnership
CourseSmart is one of the industry's largest companies that focuses on etextbooks. They have a strong presence in the USA, UK, and Europe for digital textbook distribution. The company currently serves over 3.3 million users worldwide and represents 90% of US core higher education course material. Currently, CourseSmart is available at around 1,000 American campus bookstores. … [Read more...] about CourseSmart and Blackwell’s Form Distribution Partnership