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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Amazon Recruits Comedians, Engineers for Expanding Audio Service'

Can Amazon Transform TV?

Last Friday, when Amazon made 14 original TV pilots available for free viewing on its streaming video service, it launched an experiment that could do to TV production what the Internet juggernaut did to the book trade. The polite business term is disruption, but that’s not the word people whose... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2013-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tv production #book trade

What Would Happen Amazon Gave Every Ebook Away for Free?

Last week two of China's leading ebookstores Dangdang.com began offering nearly all of their ebooks for free, a move criticized by authors and publishers alike. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers alike

Jingdong Battles Dangdang, Amazon for China’s Online Book Buyers

Jingdong, China's third place commercial online bookstore, is boosting its challenge to Dangdang and Amazon's dominance by focusing on service and international titles. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international titles

UK court rules for news-clipping service

The British Supreme Court has decided partially in favour of news-clipping service Meltwater in its long-running dispute with UK newspaper publishers, who accused Meltwater of distributing excerpts of stories online without paying any licensing fees. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #licensing fees

Amazon reportedly launching in Russia, goes on Kindle-related hiring spree

Amazon is fleshing out its international empire. The company has already conquered the US, Japan, UK and Canada, and has even launched an ebook assault on the Chinese mainland. Now it looks like the online giant has settled on its next target: Russia. According to a report in the Russian edition... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle content #linkedin profile #important step #streaming video #ereader market

Amazon Snaps Up Goodreads, A Partner Apple Wanted

This article branches off of a longer story we're tracking called Apple's New Technology Partners: What Developers Need To Know.Steve Jobs once said said, "people don't read anymore." He wasn't the only tech pundit pronouncing books dead in the middle of the last decade, as people turned to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook stores #form partnerships #tech giants #deal worth #$200 million

Kindle drives Amazon print sales

New entrants to the UK ebook market buy more books, but tend to buy more from Amazon, even for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

BA's Godfray: Amazon can destroy book trade

Amazon’s quest for industry domination is “scary” and it could have the ability... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Open Road expands European partnerships

Open Road Media has signed publishing partnerships with five new European publishers, with plans... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #european publishers

H&S buys Ee from Amazon

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired fantasy thriller Angelfall by Susan Ee, a novel originally... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hodder stoughton #susan ee

Amazon attacked for Welsh-language stance

West Wales-based publisher Y Lofla has attacked Amazon over the unavailability of Welsh-language... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon attacked

Barnes & Noble creates a new self-publishing service

Nook Press gives authors up to 65 percent of their revenue and allows them to sell their titles anywhere. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-publishing service #nook press

Amazon and US publishers dismiss indie DRM lawsuit

Amazon and six US publishers have asked a US court to dismiss a lawsuit by three American... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Amazon Picks Up Bibliophilic Social Platform Goodreads

Amazon continues to socialize itself. The e-commerce giant announced today that it has acquired bibliophilic social platform Goodreads. “Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world. In addition, both Amazon... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent entity #inching closer #couple months #profile pages #foreseeable future

Amazon Buys Book Recommendation Site Goodreads

It's kind of a natural for a company that, despite its many other ventures, still makes a lot of its money selling books. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

NLT Young Readers Programme to expand

The National Literacy Trust’s Young Readers Programme will expand this year after increased... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Amazon's new imprints give opportunities to debut authors, short story writers

Amazon's Little A imprint will release novels, memoirs, and story collections, while Day One will focus on short stories and new writers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut authors #short stories

Hudson Booksellers opens online store, expands beyond overpriced sundries

Is it not enough to make a killing selling $5 bottles of Dasani and two-pill packs of Tylenol? Hudson Booksellers, from the folks behind those fine Hudson News airport establishments, has begun peddling ebooks and book books online. The site, which appears to be (at least partially) powered by... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wide variety #dan brown #online store