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 ]
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eBay takes on Amazon with launch of new Entertainment Store

eBay has launched a dedicated storefront for entertainment products, including books, as it bids to become “the destination for physical media in the UK”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google and Bertelsmann expand digital scholarship programme

Bertelsmann and Google are between them to fund 75,000 scholarships through US online education provider Udacity, in which Bertelsmann has a stake. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Naggar tells publishers to slash ebook prices

Amazon’s publishing chief David Naggar has said publishers should slash their ebook prices to 99p to sell more books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print, Audio Keep Publishers Moving Ahead

Print and downloadable audio gains countered soft ebook sales in the first half of 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Opens Latest NYC Store at 34th Street

At the opening of its 11th bricks and mortar bookstore this morning, which is located across the street from the Empire State Building in New York City, Amazon said it will be continuing to open a number of new stores in 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon slashes Whole Foods prices; supermarket shares plummet

Online retailer Amazon is to slash prices at US supermarket chain Whole Foods Market Inc in a move which could threaten supermarket rivals. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookspeed expands after sales grow to £9m

Specialist book and gift supplier Bookspeed has more than doubled its operational capacity to more than 25,000 sq ft by investing significantly in additional warehouse facilities. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trump tweet causes Amazon's stock to fall $5bn

Amazon had $5bn (£3.8bn) wiped off its stock market valuation after the US president Donald Trump hit out at the e-commerce giant for doing “great damage to tax paying retailers” in a tweet. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon rejects advertisement for Kapiti author's book for being 'too provocative'

Amazon has rejected a Kiwi author's advertisement for her debut novel, stating the cover and content is too provocative. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon plans Prime Video shows with ‘Walking Dead’ creator

It looks like we're not finished with deals between comic book creators and online movie studios. Hot on the heels of Netflix announcing its acquisition of Mark Millar's comic book empire Millarworld comes news from Amazon. The company now has a firs... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print and audio book sales boost S&S revenue

Sales at Simon & Schuster grew 10% in the second quarter of 2017, hitting $206 million (£158m). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-published archaeological thriller takes £20,000 Amazon award

The Relic Hunters by David Leadbeater is inaugural winner of online retailer’s DIY publishing prizeThe writer David Leadbeater has struck gold with his self-published archaeological thriller, The Relic Hunters, scooping up the first Amazon Kindle Storyteller award.Leadbeater pronounced it “a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Suffers Major Earnings Drop in Q2

Increased investment led to a 51% decline in operating income in the second quarter of 2017 compared to the second quarter of 2016, Amazon reported Thursday afternoon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon to double R&D roles as it moves to Shoreditch

Amazon has said it will double its number of research and development roles in London as it opens a new UK head office boosting its overall workforce with 5,000 new jobs across the country this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wicks dominates print in Amazon Summer Trends report

Joe Wicks has claimed three spots on a ranking of Amazon’s top 10 bestselling print books, in a list dominated by non-fiction and lifestyle titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best of the week: Amazon makes push for video publishers

This week, our top stories examined Amazon’s video platform and Facebook’s tool that will give publishers more Instant Articles performance data. The post Best of the week: Amazon makes push for video publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC's Mallender to head HC's audio arm

HarperCollins has hired BBC’s Radio 1 editor Rachel Mallender to head up its audio book arm. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst's Pioneer Woman Magazine Expands in Second Outing

The Pioneer Woman Magazine is increasing its distribution to 500,000 copies and moving past its Walmart-only distribution strategy for its second issue, which will be released in September.The Hearst Magazines publication, a joint venture with Scripps Networks Interactive, features Ree Drummond,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon boosts kids' reading app with Signature Stories

Reading app Amazon Rapids has extended its offering with Signature Stories, a feature which introduces stories from its TV shows. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Princeton sells Chinese rights to The Expanding Blaze for six figures

Princeton University Press has sold simplified Chinese rights to historian Jonathan Israel's forthcoming title The Expanding Blaze for six figures. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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