While Memorial Day has typically grown into a day of picnics and discount furniture sales, a resurgence in a true observance of the holiday has evolved in recent years. As one of the longest-standing observance holidays, Memorial Day--once known as Decoration Day--grew out of the need for national cemeteries to bury the fallen from the deadliest war in US history, the Civil … [Read more...] about Important Holiday Reads in Remembrance
digital publishing news
BookExpo Kicks Off This Week with the IDPF Conference
The IDPF, of International Digital Publishing Forum, is on a mission to be the bridge between what the publishing industry has known about its business for the past few centuries, and where books and bookselling is headed. For the past many years, IDPF has conducted a one-day conference just prior to the official opening of the largest publishing industry event in the world, … [Read more...] about BookExpo Kicks Off This Week with the IDPF Conference
BitLit, Kobo Founder Raise Seed Funding for Print-to-eBook App
eBooks suffered the same initial criticism that happens whenever a new movie format is launched: do I have to buy all of my favorite books over again, just to enjoy them in digital? Thanks to BitLit and its latest round of funding, that answer is no. BitLit bundles ebooks and print by having readers "prove" they own the print edition. Users simply write their names on the … [Read more...] about BitLit, Kobo Founder Raise Seed Funding for Print-to-eBook App
Simon & Schuster Signs eBook Backlist Deals with Scribd, Oyster
All-you-can-eat unlimited ebook subscription reading has finally come into its own with the launch of a couple of different platforms, namely Oyster and Scribd. Billed as a Netflix-style approach to reading, these platforms charge users one flat-rate monthly fee for unlimited access to their full catalogs of ebook titles. When subscription-based ebook reading was first … [Read more...] about Simon & Schuster Signs eBook Backlist Deals with Scribd, Oyster
Kobo, Aquafadas Launch Innovative Digital Magazine Publishing Tools
Digital publishing tool provider Aquafadas has had an ongoing relationship with Kobo's digital content consumption platform for quite some time, but news came out today that the partnership just got better. Aquafadas initially released its Cloud Authoring tool as a streamlined process for publishers looking to make their digital magazines and newspapers even better for readers … [Read more...] about Kobo, Aquafadas Launch Innovative Digital Magazine Publishing Tools
Debate Continues over Books in Prisons
In light of two pieces of polar opposite legislation concerning books in prisons, it would seem like ebooks have found a whole new purpose. One UK ruling has banned books from being sent to inmates, while legislation was just approved in one region of Italy that would allow inmates to earn days off their sentences for reading books. The UK ban came about following the … [Read more...] about Debate Continues over Books in Prisons
OverDrive, MediaDo Partner to Bring Japanese eBooks to Libraries
An announcement today from the world's leading provider of digital content to libraries just made foreign language texts more accessible to US readers. Through a partnership with Japanese publishing aggregator MediaDo, OverDrive announced the launch of OverDrive Japan, which will put 9,000 Japanese book and manga titles into the OverDrive catalog. In addition to the ability … [Read more...] about OverDrive, MediaDo Partner to Bring Japanese eBooks to Libraries
eBook Review: Time’s Echo by Rysa Walker
Verdict: 5 Stars Books like this one make me love digital publishing. Not only do I have something to read while suffering through the interminable wait between Timebound and Time's Edge (book 2), but I get a whole new perspective on the storyline, thanks to author Rysa Walker self-publishing this novella-slash-teaser while we wait for Amazon Publishing's Skyscape imprint to … [Read more...] about eBook Review: Time’s Echo by Rysa Walker
New Attacks Against Amazon’s International Expansion
Amazon bashing is nothing new, and it's certainly a popular topic at events where publishers have an open format to discuss the state of the industry. But what does it say about a company when its current most vocal critic is himself called a string of names in the industry and is at the seat of controversy at every turn? Literary agent Andrew Wylie of the Andrew Wylie … [Read more...] about New Attacks Against Amazon’s International Expansion
Romance Once Again Innovates Digital Publishing with Mills & Boon’s Chatsfield
If you want to attempt something new in digital publishing, start with the romance genre. What have romance publishers done that's so astounding? They were among the first publishers to adopt ebook-first and digital-only titles at a time when books were only released as ebooks after a hardcover run. They were the first in the industry to offer 70% royalties to authors on … [Read more...] about Romance Once Again Innovates Digital Publishing with Mills & Boon’s Chatsfield
Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge Kicks Off for 2014
As the world's largest publisher of children's content, Scholastic is one of the pioneers in both engaging content and innovative instructional strategies for young readers. As such, the company hosts its annual Summer Reading Challenge every year to keep students motivated and to prevent the dreaded "summer slide," in which students return to school having lost many of the … [Read more...] about Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge Kicks Off for 2014