It’s the retail ebook platform that everyone loves to hate, at least according to its numerous critics, but Amazon’s April 4th report on the status of its KDP Select program would show otherwise. Authors who have opted to enroll their titles in the exclusive program and fans who buy up those titles seem to be supporting the program very well. When KDP Select first launched, … [Read more...] about Amazon’s KDP Select Contains Over 100K Titles
ebook lending
Libranda, OverDrive Take On eBook Library Lending in Spain
One of the polarizing issues in the U.S. ebook market right now is the conflict over public library access to ebook titles for lending, but we may be able to take a lesson from Libranda’s new partnership with OverDrive to afford access to new and bestselling ebook titles to library patrons in Spain. While it will be some time before the model can be declared a success or a … [Read more...] about Libranda, OverDrive Take On eBook Library Lending in Spain
Bilbary eBook Library in Beta Test
Last month, GoodeReader profiled a new ebook company that aims to offer many things to its reading customers. Bilbary, founded by former Waterstones CEO Tim Coates, was developed to bridge the divide that currently exists between publishers and libraries, as well as to offer an alternative to the current ebook lending model. Bilbary opened its beta period yesterday with … [Read more...] about Bilbary eBook Library in Beta Test
ALA President Raphael on the Current State of eBook Lending
Publisher’s Weekly caught up with American Library Association president Molly Raphael at the recent Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia to find out the latest state of affairs over ebook lending from public libraries. Over the last year and a half, major changes from both the larger publishing houses and the libraries and lending systems have left patrons … [Read more...] about ALA President Raphael on the Current State of eBook Lending
ALA Asks Random House to Remove 300% Price Increase
The American Library Association has been doing all it can to end the strife between the Big Six publishers and the public library systems, meeting with many of these publishers individually and collectively to negotiate the best possible ebook lending terms for all parties involved. However, the current battles over ebook lending have still left many patrons and librarians … [Read more...] about ALA Asks Random House to Remove 300% Price Increase
Libraries, Patrons to Pay the Price in Random House’s eBook Lending
Just when it seems that libraries and publishers are finally coming to terms on how to make ebook lending feasible, another blow is struck to the libraries and patrons. In this round, it comes in the form of a 300% price increase from Random House on ebooks over the hardback editions of the same titles. In an article for The Digital Shift, Michael Kelley outlines just a few … [Read more...] about Libraries, Patrons to Pay the Price in Random House’s eBook Lending
Bilbary Seeks to Heal the Digital Rift Between Publishers and Libraries
When ebook platform Bilbary launches sometime in March or April, it will have something that can’t be found in one uniform web location: ebook access from all of the Big Six publishers. Currently, the negotiations surrounding Bilbary’s partnership with those and some 2,300 other publishers are for ebook purchasing, although some of those major publishers are already at work on … [Read more...] about Bilbary Seeks to Heal the Digital Rift Between Publishers and Libraries
AudioBooks.com Launches with 11K+ Digital Editions
There are so many innovative new startups emerging almost daily that consumers have grown accustomed to watching for the beta launches of new companies and tracking their growth. These beta users provide feedback and vital data that can make or break a new company. Sometimes, as in the case of Pottermore, the beta period is so important to the success of the company that it … [Read more...] about AudioBooks.com Launches with 11K+ Digital Editions
Penguin Severs ties with OverDrive and Strikes a Blow to Ebook Lending
GoodEReader reported last month that the American Library Association had asked for and gotten meetings with three of the Big Six publishers to discuss moving forward with ebook lending. In an era where public libraries are trying to meet the digital needs of their patrons, it seems that obstacles keep cropping up for the ALA. Today, Penguin spurned the ALA’s hopes for that … [Read more...] about Penguin Severs ties with OverDrive and Strikes a Blow to Ebook Lending
Random House Titles Available for Library Lending…with a Price Increase
The ALA Midwinter Conference was held in Dallas, TX, only a couple of weeks ago, but some major news came out of that event for the American Library Association. Essentially, the leadership finally expressed that it was fed up with the current upheaval in public library ebook lending, with different members of the Big Six publishing houses setting their own rules—from no … [Read more...] about Random House Titles Available for Library Lending…with a Price Increase