With the steady stream of news coming across the internet, there is no shortage of opposing viewpoints, political leanings, and outright bias to the reporting. It can make uncovering the actual facts rather difficult, especially when coupled with the anonymity provided by so-called news sources. But even more alarming--though humorous, depending on who you ask--is the abundance … [Read more...] about Facebook to Add “Hoax” Button
Digital Publishing News
BookShout Brings in Key Players for New Print Distribution
BookShout, the ebook distribution platform that has seen a great deal of recent success in partnering with publishers to produce sales dashboards and seamless, device-agnostic file integration for ebook consumers, announced at today's DBW event that several industry veterans from across major publishers have joined BookShout's team for its new print distribution … [Read more...] about BookShout Brings in Key Players for New Print Distribution
Cutting Out Amazon: Why Direct-to-Consumers Hasn’t Taken Off
At this year's Digital Book World event, there's a highly anticipated panel on publishers selling directly to readers, branding themselves for their loyal fans in such a way that there's no need to haggle with Amaz-- make that, negotiate with book retailers. Unfortunately, this highly anticipated panel just isn't new. Publishing industry events have been debating the ins and … [Read more...] about Cutting Out Amazon: Why Direct-to-Consumers Hasn’t Taken Off
Were “Flash in the Pan” Predictions Right?
When ebooks first appeared on the literary scene in a big way, critics and supporters alike had some pretty bold predictions. From the "death of print" side came support for the worldwide benefits of digital reading, while the "flash in the pan" crowd refused to let go of their paper editions and that "new book smell." There was even a solid middle ground as parents--even those … [Read more...] about Were “Flash in the Pan” Predictions Right?
French Publishing Contracts Now Have a Separate Clause for e-Books
There has been a dramatic change to French Intellectual Property Code in regards to publishing contracts being offered to authors. Any new contract that publishers give to an author will now include a provision for digital distribution in e-Book form. The amended French Intellectual Property law clearly states that a publishing contract not only covers the “manufacture of … [Read more...] about French Publishing Contracts Now Have a Separate Clause for e-Books
Samsung Slowly Becoming a Leader in Digital Publishing
Samsung has been enjoying the position of being the number one device maker in the world for Android driven smartphones and tablets. They have been enjoying a solid 65% market share of all Android devices sold worldwide. Given the popularity of their devices they have been really hyping their forays into digital publishing, to bring e-reading to the masses. Samsung is … [Read more...] about Samsung Slowly Becoming a Leader in Digital Publishing
Amazon Kindle Unlimited will Never Take off Relying on Indie Authors
Amazon Kindle Unlimited is a new program that for a small monthly fee allows you to read 10 eBooks at a time. No major publisher has bought into the Amazon initiative, which insures that there is a tremendous lack of mainstream or bestsellers. Instead, the Seattle company relies on its own cadre of indie authors to populate the ecosystem with their titles from Kindle Direct … [Read more...] about Amazon Kindle Unlimited will Never Take off Relying on Indie Authors
Amazon Offers Ups Its Percentage of Sales to Charity
In the latest twist in the Amazon-Hachette dispute, Amazon has proven once again that it has the best PR team in corporate history. Following an open letter from authors involved in the current issue which stated that their livelihoods were being impacted by Amazon's refusal to concede to Hachette's terms, Amazon offered to give the authors 100% of the price of their sales … [Read more...] about Amazon Offers Ups Its Percentage of Sales to Charity
Oyster Adds Web-Based Mobile Reading to Its Platform
eBook subscriptions services are making headlines right now, especially following the launch of Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program. In some ways, correlations can be made that two other pioneering subscription services--Scribd and Oyster--could have paved the way for KU, despite the various differences in their platforms. While other ebook subscription startups have been around … [Read more...] about Oyster Adds Web-Based Mobile Reading to Its Platform
Authors United to Issue New Directive to Amazon
As Hachette, Amazon, and the laundry list of household name authors who make up the faux-power group Authors United continue to battle and make headlines over the contract dispute, there's another major player who's caught in the crossfire of the whole mess: the readers. While critics and supporters on both sides argue over the costs of doing business, the power of … [Read more...] about Authors United to Issue New Directive to Amazon
First Quarter Digital Sales on the Rise
The PA Digital Sales Monitor, new report from the UK-based Publishers' Association, showed that ebook sales are on the rise for the first quarter of 2014. This report, which showed a 10.5% increase in digital sales, comes at a time when the debate around ebooks and their viability from different angles is starting to make waves again. According to a press release issued on … [Read more...] about First Quarter Digital Sales on the Rise