Amazon MatchBook makes a big push for print book buyers to go digital

Amazon MatchBook, which lets customers who've previously bought the print edition of a book from Amazon score a digital copy on the cheap, is now open for business. Months in the making, the new service is a bold plan by Amazon to convert the world's stacks and stacks of books into digital form. At prices that range from free to $2.99 per book (the latter is by far the most common price point), even consumers with very large libraries won't have to spend a fortune to get copies of their old books in Kindle format. Part of the beauty of MatchBook is how seamlessly it integrates with the Amazon experience and customers' shopping history. By visiting the MatchBook home page (see the link above), it just takes one click for MatchBook to scour your entire Amazon purchase history, dating back to 1995, to turn up all the titles available for the discount. On the sellers' side, publishers have to opt in to have their books made available for the program, and about 75,000 titles are available for conversion to date. Many bigger publishers are playing it safe for the moment, with HarperCollins the largest mainstream book company in the mix. Harper reportedly has over 9,000 books enrolled in MatchBook, though its focus is heavily geared toward older titles instead of new releases. That, of course, makes sense: Publishers looking to skim a little more profit off of the bestsellers of 1998 aren't going to do it by marking down hardcover copies of those dusty old titles in 2013. To... Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2013-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #big push #kindle format #dating back #makes sense

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If it's spring, authors are making their best pitches for baseball books

Baseball’s annual rite of literary passage each spring is never shy of more rewrites. To get a clear read on why book publishers put on their straw hat and usher back Major League Baseball with dozens of new titles, note that all sorts of revisionist history, personality-driven essays or bios... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #annual rite


Story time with ebooks 'not as helpful' as print books

A study finds parents focus more on technology with electronic books and interact less with children. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2019-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #story time #print books #electronic books


The dark lesson of a $24 million Amazon book

This is what happens when algorithms call the shots. I can still recall my surprise when a book by evolutionary biologist Peter Lawrence entitled The Making of a Fly came to be priced on Amazon at $23,698,655.93 (plus $3.99 shipping). While my colleagues around the world must have become rather... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #academic book #steep price #sales staff


London Book Fair 2019: Why the Double-Digit Growth in Audiobooks Is Likely to Continue

For a second year in a row, the rapid growth of digital audio will be a hot topic at the London Book Fair, and that growth shows no signs of slowing down in 2019. PW recently caught up with Amanda D’Acierno, President & Publisher, Penguin Random House Audio Group to talk about audio’s rise,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital audio #double-digit growth #rapid growth #hot topic #continued growth


San Diego’s Laotian community pushes for a place in California history books

Members of San Diego’s Laotian community have launched a statewide movement to get their history added to California textbooks. Lao Advocacy Organization San Diego, or LaoSD, formed last fall after then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that added lessons on the Vietnamese American refugee... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mueller report to be 'instantly' printed as a book, if made public

Publishers prepare to race ‘the most anticipated investigative document of this century’ into printPublishers are lining up to release special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report as a book – if and when it is made public.The investigation into alleged collusion between Moscow and Donald... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #robert mueller #attorney general #public service #good business


3Doodler's mobile app is like a coloring book for 3D printing

3Doodler is finally launching a mobile app, and it'll come with step-by-step instructions you can follow to hone your 3D-printing skills. The company will also roll out a new project every week to give you something fresh to work on after you've alre... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile app #coloring book #3d printing


PubWest Keynote Focuses on Amazon's Dominance of the Book Market

In her speech, Open Markets Institute senior fellow Lina Khan said: “More than any other firm, Amazon depicts how a company can come to monopolize all sorts of markets without triggering scrutiny under our anti-monopoly laws.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Callaway Makes Sure You'll Remember Its Books

Remember Madonna’s 'Sex,' the 1992 succès de scandale that shook the publishing world? Or the Miss Spider books, TV series, and app? Both, and more, are the brainchildren of Nicholas Callaway, founder and CEO of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, which turns 40 this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Big Books of Winter Institute 14

One of the main attractions of Winter Institute is the chance for booksellers to get their hands on forthcoming titles. Here, attendees share some of the titles that got them talking...and excited. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forthcoming titles #big books #winter institute


New Amazon Crossing Kids: Translating Picture Books Into English

Translations from Portuguese, German, and Italian open the new imprint from Amazon Publishing. Releases in July, September, October. The post New Amazon Crossing Kids: Translating Picture Books Into English appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #english appeared #amazon publishing


Librarians, Let’s Make 2019 the Year of the Book

When ALA introduced its successful Libraries Transform campaign in 2015, it was meant to build on our foundational principles. What’s more foundational to libraries than books? If we envision 2019 as the year of the book, imagine the transformation we might lead. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Print Book Sales Stayed Flat in 2018

The value of print books sold in Canada totaled C$1.13 billion ($850 million) in 2018, with 54.7 million units sold, according to data released by BookNet Canada and BNC SalesData, the national sales tracking service. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Germany’s Bestselling Books of 2018: Crime, Politics, and Big Questions

In fiction, thriller writer Sebastian Fitzek tops the list of Germany's bestselling books in 2018. In nonfiction, the top-selling title is Michelle Obama's 'Becoming.' The post Germany’s Bestselling Books of 2018: Crime, Politics, and Big Questions appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post germany #bestselling books #big questions #top-selling title #michelle obama


'Leading the entertainment pack': UK print book sales rise again

Bestsellers including Michelle Obama’s Becoming cited as reasons for success, with industry voices praising sector for fourth consecutive year of growthFormer first lady Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, which sold more than half a million copies in less than two months, has helped the UK book... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best photo book printing service: Cherish your memories in a DIY project

Online photo printing has disrupted the photography business, and now you can create your own custom photo book that will look at home on any coffee table. Before, you’d have to bring your film or SD card to a studio to turn your photos into a professional-looking photo book. But now you can... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mixbook photo book review: Great online editor, stunning photo prints

In the wide world of online photo book services, Mixbook handily distinguishes itself as one of the best. One main reason is Mixbook’s smooth, easy-to-use web editor which makes it a pleasure to assemble your creation. The resulting photo book was also quite good. Colors popped, quality was... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best e-readers for digital-book lovers

Folks used to think that e-readers would relegate traditional paper books to the scrapyard of the past and destroy the publishing industry as we knew it. But, in the time since the first Kindle e-reader was unveiled in 2007, the dire declarations of what effect the devices might have on our... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pretty great #easily readable #direct sunlight #models equipped #excellent choice #browsing periodicals #storing thousands #ink displays #word aficionados #market today—


FutureBook Wants to Make Books 'More Compelling than Netflix'

At this year's FutureBook conference in London, attendees from across the U.K. discussed trends in downloadable audiobooks, voice technology, and podcasts, and how publishers could compete with rivaling forms of entertainment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #futurebook conference #make books #downloadable audiobooks


Financially Strapped Digital News Site Mic Looks for a Buyer as Layoffs Loom

Digital news publisher and suddenly-strapped-for-cash Mic is in sales talks, according to sources familiar with the matter who speculated that Bustle Digital Group (BDG) or its founder, Bryan Goldberg, might end up buying it. Mic was founded in 2011 and has largely targeted millennials, covering... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #layoffs loom #sources familiar #bryan goldberg #social issues