In a semi-olive branch move, Amazon offered last week to extend 100% of the sales price of Hachette titles to the authors themselves, in a conciliatory move meant to eradicate fears that Amazon's alleged "sanctions" against Hachette have hurt their authors. In an effort to avoid dragging the children into this while the grown-ups fight, Amazon offered to give the entire … [Read more...] about Amazon Offer Rejected by Hachette, Authors’ Organization
Digital Publishing News
The Stigma Around Erotica Continues
Despite the fact that Fifty Shades of Grey is old news--at least the book, the film doesn't release until Valentine's Day next year--and the door to free publishing of adult content has been thrown wide open since EL James' book took newsstands by storm, critics are still claiming the downfall of human society due to the abundance of explicit content. Interestingly, it seems … [Read more...] about The Stigma Around Erotica Continues
Advice to Indie Authors: Don’t Overlook Kobo
When Amazon introduced KDP Select, the exclusive program that offered indie authors extra benefits for only selling the ebook through their platform, critics argued that Amazon was encouraging authors to forfeit the ability to sell their books in other locations, thus hurting their overall careers. In exchange for incentives such as paid royalties when Kindle owners borrowed … [Read more...] about Advice to Indie Authors: Don’t Overlook Kobo
Wattpad Acquires Traditional Author Community Red Room
Wattpad announced a new acquisition to its growing family, this time in the form of traditionally published author community Red Room. Not to be confused with the reference from Fifty Shades of Grey, Red Room served as a bridge to connect readers and authors in a space that welcomed discussion surrounding books. With this acquisition, Wattpad welcomes the Red Room readers … [Read more...] about Wattpad Acquires Traditional Author Community Red Room
Amazon to Forfeit Royalties, Offers Hachette Authors 100% of Sales
In another twist in the ongoing fight between Amazon and publisher Hachette, Amazon has either demonstrated its true spirit of support for authors and readers, or made the best PR move in the history of book publishing. Yesterday, in a King Solomon-like letter that has not been sent to the publisher but was sent to various experts and author organizations for feedback and … [Read more...] about Amazon to Forfeit Royalties, Offers Hachette Authors 100% of Sales
Hugh Howey on Writers’ Unions: Who Really Speaks for Authors?
There are a few groups out there that claim to be the voice of advocacy and support for authors. Chief among them is the Author's Guild, an organization that actively works to block self-published authors from its inner sanctum by imposing hefty sales requirements before indie authors can join, thus making them a retailer's guild, rather than an author's guild. There's also the … [Read more...] about Hugh Howey on Writers’ Unions: Who Really Speaks for Authors?
Allegations that Amazon Seeks New Publishers Terms in UK
It's an understood truth in publishing that anyone who works for the industry keeps a tight lid on information, especially where sales talk is concerned. From numbers of units sold to overall sales of any given book, no one is going to speak up with specifics unless he has to (or unless he's a pioneer like Hugh Howey who wants to see transparency in order to foster good … [Read more...] about Allegations that Amazon Seeks New Publishers Terms in UK
Apple Gives Away an eBook a Day
While readers struggle to find new content in the wake of the Amazon-Hachette dispute, Apple has been faithfully supplying those titles at a discount to its customers. Now, Apple is taking it a step further by highlighting new titles with a daily ebook giveaway which will run from now through June 29th. The titles, which are debut authors' works spanning a variety of genres, … [Read more...] about Apple Gives Away an eBook a Day
OverDrive Adds Foreign Language Content, More Streaming
OverDrive is the world's largest supplier of digital content to public and school libraries, but that content isn't only ebooks. The company also meets the needs of libraries and their patrons with music, audiobooks, and the ability to stream movies from the library. OverDrive announced a recent addition to that catalog that will increase its already-10,000 strong list of movie … [Read more...] about OverDrive Adds Foreign Language Content, More Streaming
More Concern for Byliner
Long-form journalism is an increasingly popular type of reading, and various models are available for reader fans. With options for subscription-based consumable platforms as well as per-title basis sales, there are a growing number of companies making content from well-known journalists and authors available. Unfortunately, one of the more high-profile and pioneering … [Read more...] about More Concern for Byliner
UK Self-Published Titles Increased by 79%
New data released by Nielsen Book Scan shows that self-published sales are on the rise in the UK, even as print sales and total book sales continue to drop and ebook sales of traditional publishers increased by 20%. The report provided an interesting and comprehensive look at a number of the characteristics associated with this publishing route. First, the fastest growing … [Read more...] about UK Self-Published Titles Increased by 79%