Major publishers are notoriously risk averse and rarely do they experiment with alternative distribution models in a meaningful way. Over the course of the past three years they dipped their toes into the unlimited e-book subscription model, but many of the top CEO's were against this business model. The publishers had draconian terms that made companies such as Entitle and … [Read more...] about Why Don’t Print Books Come With e-Book Download Codes?
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Authors and Politics Don’t Mix
We've probably all been there. We come across a great book by a new author, and immediately seek out our new favorite writer on social media. After connecting, the truth comes out: this person is not who we thought they were based on their ability to craft a wonderful story. Their Facebook feed may be filled with shared memes that go against our political and religious views, … [Read more...] about Authors and Politics Don’t Mix
Radish is betting short fiction will appeal to e-book readers
Over the course of the past two years e-book sales continue to plummet, as people are gravitating back to print. One of the segments that is growing at a rapid pace is serialized and short fiction that are easily read on your smartphone. Some of the most notable companies that seem to be making money are Rooster, Harlequin Book Breaks, Bookshots and Crave. A new company is … [Read more...] about Radish is betting short fiction will appeal to e-book readers
New Scholastic Report Sheds Light on Kids’ Reading
Scholastic is arguably the go-to source of information on the children's publishing industry, and it's not just because they've had some out-of-the-park smash hits (ever hear of Harry Potter? The Hunger Games?). Scholastic also runs a thriving education division and as such it makes it the company's business to know what kids want to read, how they interact with books, and what … [Read more...] about New Scholastic Report Sheds Light on Kids’ Reading
New Data Suggests Boys Are Reading More than Ever
A widely held belief that has long reduced parents, teachers, booksellers, and publishers to tears is the sad state of reading priority exhibited largely by boys. It's a common stereotype that boys make up the bulk of the "struggling" or reluctant readers, a belief that relies on compilations of different sources like book sales and "fill in the bubble" standardized test scores … [Read more...] about New Data Suggests Boys Are Reading More than Ever
Amazon Backs Down to Avoid EU Punishment
It's a strange day for book retailing and publishing, as readers and authors alike react to the news that Amazon, apparently, can be frightened into compliance. In a story that carries just as many questions as answers, book retail giant and worldwide phenomenon Amazon has agreed to back off on its iron-fisted terms of service, at least in European markets, under threats from … [Read more...] about Amazon Backs Down to Avoid EU Punishment
Smashwords Pays Out Royalties and It’s NOT the End of the World
A number of authors opened their email inboxes yesterday to a pleasant surprise: the payment of old royalties from ebook publishing and retail site Smashwords. These royalties, typically within the one dollar to nine dollar range, had not been paid (in some cases, for years) because they didn't meet the minimum threshold for payment; it's important to note that a lot of other … [Read more...] about Smashwords Pays Out Royalties and It’s NOT the End of the World
Does Publishing Have a Future without Amazon?
With the end of a pretty rough year behind us and the first few weeks of 2017 under our belts, it's a good time to take a deep breathe and take stock of the state of publishing. There's perhaps no more comprehensive analysis of the current trends than the annual Smashwords Book Industry Predictions, written each year by founder and CEO Mark Coker. Before looking at Coker's … [Read more...] about Does Publishing Have a Future without Amazon?
There are now 5 Million Amazon Kindle eBooks
Amazon is celebrating their ten year anniversary of the Kindle in November, but the Seattle company has already hit a major milestone. The total number of e-books available on the Amazon Kindle have hit the 5 million mark. It depends on what country you access Amazon though. In the United States, Amazon will display 4,947,718 e-books and at the current growth rate there will be … [Read more...] about There are now 5 Million Amazon Kindle eBooks
Overdrive Reports e-Book Loans are up 21% and Audiobooks 34%
Overdrive is the leading company responsible for powering the audiobook and e-book collection of your local library. They have reported that in 2016 readers borrowed 196 million digital books, an increase of 21% over 2015. Of the 678 million visits to library and school websites, readers borrowed more eBooks (+16%) and audiobooks (+34%) from their local and school libraries … [Read more...] about Overdrive Reports e-Book Loans are up 21% and Audiobooks 34%