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
Digital Publishing News
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
Amazon Offer Rejected by Hachette, Authors’ Organization
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
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