College textbook maker Pearson eyes NFTs to claim a cut of second-hand sales

NFT advocates often tout the technology's ability to grant the creator a cut of second-hand sales as one of its major attributes. Artists can earn from one of their digital creations years after first selling it. Others are looking at NFTs to earn a buck from the secondary market too, including the publishers of college textbooks.Pearson, which said in 2019 it would focus on digital textbook sales, wants a piece of the action. “In the analogue world, a Pearson textbook was resold up to seven times, and we would only participate in the first sale,” CEO Andy Bird told Bloomberg this week. “The move to digital helps diminish the secondary market, and technology like blockchain and NFTs allows us to participate in every sale of that particular item as it goes through its life."There's an obvious reason why students resell textbooks. They're expensive! Students often have to spend hundreds of dollars on required materials each semester — or even hundreds of dollars on a single textbook. Selling on a textbook when it's no longer needed just makes sense.Turning textbooks into NFTs and banking on the blockchain to track ownership of them (from “owner A to owner B to owner C,” as Bird put it) seems unnecessary, though. Digital rights management already exists and doesn't need to go anywhere near cryptocurrency. Pearson has a $15 per month subscription service for its textbooks as well.Bird could simply be bloviating about a zeitgeisty technology to try and keep Pearson's investors... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2022-08-03 20:10:20 UTC ]
News tagged with: #second-hand sales #nft advocates #major attributes #secondary market #analogue world #makes sense #pearson

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‘Invisible Things’ is a science fiction novel with an eye on the now

Mat Johnson’s latest book delivers a biting satire of American politics and class issues — from the vantage point of outer space. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-22 13:00:32 UTC ]
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Tim Sale, Comic Book Artist Who Reimagined Batman, Dies at 66

Series like “Batman: The Long Halloween” influenced big-screen images of the hero, while “Superman for All Seasons” was another fan favorite. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-06-18 01:12:50 UTC ]
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Print Sales Fell 5% in Early June

More declines in the nonfiction categories led to a 5.3% drop in unit sales of print books overall in the week ended June 11, compared to the similar week last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Book Sales Fell 5% Last Week

Unit sales of print books fell 5.3% last week from the comparable week in 2021 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The drop was the smallest decline in about two months. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookstore Sales Rose 31% in April

Bookstore sales posted a solid increase in April over 2021, rising 31.6%, to $633 million, from $481 million a year ago. For the first four months of 2022, bookstore sales increased 19.4% over the comparable period in 2021, rising to $2.62 billion, from $2.19 billion in 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Wiley Sales Topped $2 Billion in Fiscal 2022

Wiley overcame a decline in its education publishing segment to post a 7% increase in revenue for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022 and a 18% increase in operating income. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury reports record sales amid reading boom

People who turned to books during Covid lockdowns continuing to buy them, company saysBloomsbury has reported a record year for sales, as the Harry Potter publisher said the increase in reading during the pandemic had become “permanent” after lockdowns eased.The company benefited substantially... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-06-15 08:09:40 UTC ]
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LGBTQ Fiction Sales Surge in the U.S.

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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James Patterson claims White male writers face ‘another form of racism’

“It’s even harder for older writers," Patterson, whose net worth is estimated to be $800 million, told the Sunday Times. "You don’t meet many 52-year-old white males.” Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-14 14:28:52 UTC ]
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'Chaos' at Toronto's Pearson airport could continue until end of August, ex-Air Canada exec says

Extremely long wait times being experienced by arriving and departing passengers at Toronto Pearson Airport are likely to continue until Labour Day, a former Air Canada executive said Wednesday. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-06-08 17:55:58 UTC ]
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Audiobook Sales Up for 10th Straight Year

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[ Book Riot | 2022-06-08 17:45:20 UTC ]
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YA Fantasy eBooks On Sale for $3-4 This Week

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Indigo Sales Topped C$1 Billion in Fiscal 2022

Driven by an increase in its physical stores, sales at Indigo Books & Music increased 17.4% in the fiscal year ended April 2, 2022, over fiscal 2021, rising to C$1.06 billion. Canada’s largest bookstore chain had an operating profit of C$29 million, compared to a loss of C$31.9 million in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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LGBTQ YA eBooks On Sale for $2-3 for Pride!

More than 20 popular LGBTQ YA ebooks are on sale for under $5 on Amazon right now. Grab these deals while they last! Continue reading at Book Riot

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Print Sales Fell 9.3% in Late May

With declines in all categories, unit sales of print books fell 9.3% in the week ended May 28, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Russian plane grounded at Pearson airport racks up massive parking bill

A Russian cargo plane stranded at Toronto Pearson International Airport is racking up parking fees of more than $1,000 per day. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-06-02 18:22:24 UTC ]
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Amazon to close Kindle bookstore in China, halt device sale

Amazon said Thursday it will shut down its digital Kindle bookstores in China and stop selling the device to retailers in the country Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2022-06-02 17:45:04 UTC ]
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Print Book Sales Fell 9.3% Last Week

With sales down in all categories, unit sales of print books fell 9.3% last week compared to the week ended May 29, 2021 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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‘Tragically ugly’ school textbook causes social media outcry in China

Education ministry orders publisher to rectify illustrations of children deemed inappropriateChina’s education ministry has ordered a state-owned publisher to rectify a school textbook that went viral owing to what social media users described as “tragically ugly” and inappropriate depictions of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-05-30 09:20:38 UTC ]
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Print Sales Fell 6.4% in Mid-May

With only the adult fiction category posting gains, unit sales of print books fell 6.4% in the week ended May 21, 2022, from the comparable week last year, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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