Amazon's Russell Grandinetti: Kindle champ takes on the books trade | Observer profile

Why are some of the world's most widely read authors now at daggers drawn with Amazon? The answer lies in Jeff Bezos's chief lieutenant, now the most powerful man in publishingEarlier this year, Amazon threw a party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to celebrate the launch of Alpha House, a political comedy TV series. It was an important moment for CEO, Jeff Bezos, signalling the global retailing giant's push into creating entertainment. Bezos's laugh pierced through the social din and his executives laughed along with him.But in less than six months, Amazon's mood has soured. Initiatives designed to establish the loss-making firm as a creative powerhouse have stumbled. The most bruising, an effort to push further into online book publishing, has pitched the book industry against the retailer it depends upon. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #important moment #book industry

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Amazon's Russell Grandinetti: Kindle champ takes on the books trade | Observer profile'


Amazon made flipping through books on Kindles and tablets easier

As useful (and as crazy thin) as e-readers can be, there's something terribly satisfying about thumbing through a sheaf of processed plant matter with words on it. While you'll never get the same sensory experience using a Kindle, Amazon at least tri... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Amazon's New Page-Flip Feature Makes Kindle Books More Skimmable

Skip ahead. Skip backward. Roam as you please. Then go back to where you were in a jiffy.The advantages that ebooks have over their dead-tree forebears are so many and varied that I'm not going to bother detailing them here.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2016-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Amazon Echo can read your Kindle books aloud on request

You don't even need to lift a finger when you're done playing Jeopardy! on Amazon Echo and want to relax with a book. Simply say "Alexa, read [Kindle book title]," and the voice assistant will start narrating almost anything you purchased from the Ki... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon echo


Amazon's Kindle for Android adds popular highlights, book instructions, and more perks

Kindle for Android wants to train your brain along with serving as your go-to e-Reader.Version 4.11, which is rolling out through the Play Store, brings in a feature called Word Wise, which pops up hints above words that Kindle thinks may be challenging. The goal is to give you confidence to... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #play store #book section


Oyster, a Netflix for books, will take on Amazon with new ebookstore

Oyster, the subscription ebook startup that has been slowly persuading publishers to embrace the Netflix model for books, has now ventured into the ebook retail business: On Wednesday, the... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2015-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #netflix model


Amazon Kindle Convert turns paper books into ebooks, if you're patient

Got books to digitize and plenty of patience? Amazon's Kindle Convert software will let you scan them at home. As spotted by The Ebook Reader, Kindle Convert is a $50 PC application that turns printed pages into Kindle ebooks. It should work with most scanners, provided they support at least... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #handwritten notes #kindle book #ebook reader #kindle format


DBW: Amazon’s Grandinetti 'Cautiously Optimistic' About Kindle Unlimited

Amazon senior v-p Russ Grandinetti was genial and a bit elusive while fielding questions on author discontent and Amazon Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #russ grandinetti #amazon publishing #cautiously optimistic #kindle unlimited


Take The Fast Company News Quiz: Amazon's Reshuffle, Zuck's Book Club, And More

Show how much you know! Here's our quiz for January 9, 2015.What the heck happened this week? Research says that one of the best ways to solidify new information is to be tested on it. Here's a chance to bolster your knowledge of current events—and earn a special emoji badge. Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book club


Amazon Tests Kindle Unlimited, Its Own E-book Subscription Service

The $9.99 monthly service offers access to more than 600,000 books and audiobooks.Now the go-to place for electronics, groceries, and pretty much everything else, Amazon's e-commerce empire was built atop books. The site hasn't forgotten about its roots--it is reportedly testing an ebook and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


In Brazil, Amazon Starts Selling Kindles Direct, Books are Next

After 13 months of using partners to sell Kindles in Brazil, Amazon is now offering direct sales. If they can do that, books are not likely far behind. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sell kindles


Scribd takes on Amazon, brings its subscription ebook service to Kindle Fire tablets

The whole point of owning an Amazon tablet is that you're eventually gonna buy stuff. Want movies? Amazon's got you covered. Music? Time to check out Amazon's MP3 store. And then, of course, there's books: Amazon expects you to buy lots and lots of ... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #scribd takes


Amazon’s Australian Kindle store: an unhappy ending for the book industry?

Amazon has been prising open the wallets of Australian consumers for years – but what will its local push on Kindle mean for readers, writers and publishers?Ben Eltham Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book industry


Amazon to Let Independent Bookstores Sell Kindles and Gives Them a Cut of E-Book Sales

Amazon, which has been blamed in part for the decline of independent bookstores, said it has a new program called Amazon Source to allow them and other retailers to resell Kindle devices and accessories, and also give them 10 percent on every ebook bought on them for two years. "With Amazon... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon source #e-book sales #independent bookstores #customers don


Amazon intros Kindle First for those who can't wait a month for the new Gloria Gaynor book

Waiting another month for that new inspirational Gloria Gaynor book? You'll survive, most likely -- but just in case, Amazon's debuting a new program called Kindle First. Customers can get early access to new titles for $1.99 - or for free, if they're a member of the exclusive club that is... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early access #exclusive club


Amazon's New Offer: Discounted Kindle Versions of Print Books You've Already Bought

Amazon said on Tuesday that it will unveil a program that will let Amazon customers purchase the digital versions of print books they've already bought -- or will buy -- from Amazon, for $2.99 or less. The initiative, called Kindle MatchBook, will launch in October with at least 10,000... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #print books #digital versions


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 |


Amazon's E-Book Business Is Up 70 Percent, but It's Still Not Disclosing Kindle Sales

Whatever Kindle sales were in Q4, they could have been better had Amazon not sold out of its flagship e-reader. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle sales


Harry Potter books land in Amazon's Kindle Owners' Lending Library

All seven Harry Potter books are now available in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, marking the series' first availability outside the Pottermore store. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle owners #lending library #pottermore store


Amazon Updates Kindle for IOS With Support for Comics, Book Search

Amazon on Thursday released updates to the Kindle app for iOS, along with the Kindle Cloud Reader Web app. The updates add in support for children's books. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle app


The Media Equation: Byliner Takes Bissinger’s E-Book Off Amazon

Byliner.com, a digital publishing company, withdrew the ebook “After Friday Night Lights” by Buzz Bissinger from Amazon because of a pricing dispute involving a promotional giveaway. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media equation #buzz bissinger