Amazon Recruits Comedians, Engineers for Expanding Audio Service

Amazon.com Inc. is ramping up its investment in podcasts and other radio-style shows to expand the types of programming it offers via Audible, the audio book company it acquired in 2008.Audible has recruited well-known comedians, along with radio and podcast producers for the initiative, and job postings suggest a significant global push. Maria Bamford and Jonathan Katz are taping episodes of "Bedtime Stories," a show in which comedians rewrite fairy tales, according to their manager Bruce Smith.Entertainment plays a crucial role in Amazon's effort to push beyond its core business of selling books, laundry detergent and televisions online. The Seattle-based company's original films and TV shows have won critical acclaim and helped increase the appeal of its $99-a-year Prime service, which includes delivery discounts along with video and music streaming. Audible has more than 250,000 audio programs including books and plays, with downloads available for iPhones, Androids and other smartphone systems. Continue reading at AdAge.com Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2016-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #selling books #laundry detergent #tv shows #music streaming

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‘Adventure Time’ Expands with Abrams

Abrams continues to add to its adult-skewing publishing program tied to Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Ramps Up War Against Hachette

Amazon has now removed the preorder capabilities for many major forthcoming Hachette titles. The publisher said that it is "doing everything in our power to find a solution to this difficult situation." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kinokuniya Expanding Foreign Book Offerings

Kinokuniya, Japan's largest bookstore chain, announced that it will be opening a newly expanded and refurbished foreign books section in its Shinjuku South store May 29. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA re-promotes indies' Amazon tax campaign

Bookshops are being encouraged to redisplay "We Pay Our Taxes" posters following the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AAR Calls Out Amazon in Hachette Dispute

In a letter sent by the AAR to Amazon, which PW has obtained, the organization says it "deplores any attempt by any party that would seek to injure and punish innocent authors...in order to pursue its position in a business dispute." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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OverDrive Adds 2,100 Libraries, More Consumer Services

OverDrive added more than 2,100 libraries to its global network in the first four months of the year, gains that mark its effort to add a wide range of direct-to-consumer services to its offerings. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tracking Amazon: Killer Book Climbs the Chart

A memoir by a man who claims his father was the Zodiac Killer, kept under lock and key by HarperCollins for months, rocketed up Amazon's bestseller chart on May 13, the book's publication date. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BAM Steps Into Hachette, Amazon Fray

While Amazon slow-tracks HBG titles, at least one chain is stepping up HBG's presence. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Much at Stake in Amazon-HBG Fight

Among the issues in dispute between Amazon and the Hachette Book Group are negotiations over new ebook terms, sources familiar with the matter said. And publishers also see the latest fight with Amazon as part of an ongoing battle to retain retail diversity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&T Expands to Canadian Libraries

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Audio Book Club Visits the Dept. of Speculation

This month, Dan Kois, Jessica Winter, and Meghan O’Rourke discuss Jenny Offill’s slim but potent novel Dept. of Speculation. Does the novel’s bifurcated structure work? Is its theme of the difficulty of making art when facing the daily struggles of domesticity resonant? What does that title... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodge on Amazon: 'We should shop elsewhere'

Outspoken MP Margaret Hodge has said customers should not use Amazon after it emerged that the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Erica Kochman Warshal Memorial Service

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recorded Books Buys HighBridge Audio

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Memorial Service Set for Charlotte Zolotow

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blurb Debuts Amazon Distribution

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seven Questions About Amazon’s Acquisition of Comixology

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Net Income Up in Quarter

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comedian David Mitchell to write for Guardian Faber

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon takes half of UK's online retail spend

More than half of Britain’s online retail spend goes to Amazon, working out at £70... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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