During the early days of the pandemic, US book sales were going through the roof, and everyone thought that the format was going to make a comeback. In 2021, things started out just fine, but starting in the Spring, things have been in a constant state of decline. In the first ten months, ebook revenues were down 5.6% as compared to the first ten months of 2020. Year to date, … [Read more...] about ebook revenues were down 12.3% in October 2021
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Podimo audiobook platform raises $78 million in Series B funding
Podimo, the Copenhagen based podcast and audiobook platform announced they have completed  $78 million Series B funding. The company said they are going to utilize the fund in expanding its reach to more markets worldwide. The platform is currently active in parts of Europe which includes Denmark, Spain, Germany, and Norway along with the entire Latin American region. CEO … [Read more...] about Podimo audiobook platform raises $78 million in Series B funding
Spotify to spend $3.5 billion on enhancing podcast and audiobook experience
Spotify is increasingly turning to audiobooks and podcasts to achieve its future growth targets. Towards that, Spotify CFO Paul Vogel said they have earmarked a budget of $3.5 billion which they intend to spend in enhancing its podcast and audiobook offerings. The process is already underway at Spotify, something exemplified by the recent acquisition of Findaway. This makes … [Read more...] about Spotify to spend $3.5 billion on enhancing podcast and audiobook experience
Will audiobooks surpass eBooks in popularity?
Audiobooks are all the craze these days. The pandemic brought into focus eBooks and audiobooks which came across as a no-contact means of accessing new reading material. However, while the eBook craze seems to have somewhat frittered away, demand for audiobooks continues to be steady and strong. With the pandemic easing a bit and bookstores across the world getting back to … [Read more...] about Will audiobooks surpass eBooks in popularity?
Storytel is entering the US market with acquisition Audiobooks.com
Storyel is quickly becoming one of the largest audiobook and ebook subscription services. They got their start in 2006, primarily marketing their services in the Nordic countries. Over the years they have made a few minor acquisitions, primarily to get access to more titles. They currently operate in 25 different countries, such as Russia, Spain, India and the United Arab … [Read more...] about Storytel is entering the US market with acquisition Audiobooks.com
Playster has gone bankrupt
Playster was an unlimited streaming platform for audiobooks and ebooks and the company has gone bankrupt. They have removed their apps from Apple and Google Android, the website has been shut down and it looks like it is over. There are reports that customers who did not cancel their subscription are continuing to be billed and there is no way to actually stop the … [Read more...] about Playster has gone bankrupt
Kobo Writing Life now accepts Audiobook submissions
Writing Life is the self-publishing arm of Kobo and when authors submit an ebook, it is sold across all of the various markets where Kobo sells digital content, which is most of the world. Kobo also launched an audiobook store in 2017, they sell titles on an individual basis and also have a subscription based system. You cannot play audiobooks on any of their E Ink devices, … [Read more...] about Kobo Writing Life now accepts Audiobook submissions
Are Unlimited ebook subscription services viable in 2019?
Many people purchase ebooks from their favorite retailer or borrow them from the public library. A small majority of people happily pirate them. There is an alternative to all of these things, unlimited ebook subscription services. Is there a future this business model? There are only a small handful of companies that participate in the unlimited model. Kindle Unlimited, … [Read more...] about Are Unlimited ebook subscription services viable in 2019?
This is the big reason why we don’t own ebooks
Digital books have been available to mainstream consumers for the past ten years. Prior to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and other platforms, authors sold PDF files online online or a myriad of other proprietary formats. Whenever you purchase an ebooks from a major retailer, you do not own it, instead you are licensing it. If a retailer goes bankrupt or shutterers their … [Read more...] about This is the big reason why we don’t own ebooks
Playster fires all of their employees and is on life support
Playster has fired their entire staff two weeks ago and only a few executives remain with the company. Management has asked everyone to keep it a secret and not to post about it on social media. Playster will not be investing anymore money into new digital content, which means they will no longer be adding new audiobooks or ebooks to the platform. Playster was initially … [Read more...] about Playster fires all of their employees and is on life support
How to Self-Publish an Audiobook – The Best PC Apps
Audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in digital publishing and are a billion dollar industry. There are no shortage of services that allow authors to outsource the production and narration to other companies such as the Audiobook Creation Exchange, Findaway Voices, ListenUp Audiobooks but it will cost almost $1,000 to have one developed. There are numerous tools available … [Read more...] about How to Self-Publish an Audiobook – The Best PC Apps