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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Bookstore Sales Rose 27% in February

Bookstore sales were $583 million in February up from $459 million a year ago, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Easter Bump Lifted Print Book Sales by 10% Last Week

With Easter getting closer, the children's category had a big jump in sales last week over a year ago, leading to an overall 10.2% increase in print unit sales for the week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Sourcebooks Has Record First Quarter Sales

Widespread changes made last year to such things as its supply chain, remote work, and efforts to reach consumers led to a point-of-purchase print unit sales increase of 36% at Sourcebooks in the first quarter of 2022 over the comparable period in 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Book Sales Boom Has Ended

Sales of print books dipped 8.9% in the first quarter of 2022, putting an end to a long sales surge. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair Exhibitor Publishing Scotland: ‘Facilitating Rights Sales’

'Channels for voices in Scottish literature,' says Alan Bett, are enhanced by Publishing Scotland's international fellowship. The post London Book Fair Exhibitor Publishing Scotland: ‘Facilitating Rights Sales’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-04-05 00:50:03 UTC ]
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Print Book Sales Plummeted by Nearly 20% Last Week

The release of a new Dav Pilkey title and the approach of Easter last year combined to sink unit sales of print books 19.8% last week compared to the week ended March 27, 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Lipez, novelist who featured a gay private eye, dies at 83

He wrote under the pseudonym Richard Stevenson and also reviewed crime fiction for The Post. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-01 01:49:48 UTC ]
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Shares in educational publisher Pearson slump as Apollo pulls out

The company, which was on a steady recovery path, was biggest faller on FTSE 100 on WednesdayShares in Pearson slumped by as much as 12% after Apollo said it would not make another bid for the educational publisher after having a third offer valuing the company at £7.2bn, including debt,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-30 12:09:13 UTC ]
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Print Book Sales Declined 12.8% Last Week

The impact of an earlier Easter and a kerfuffle surrounding Dr. Seuss titles that sold many books last year proved impossible to overcome last week, when unit sales of print books were down 12.8% compared to the week ended March 20, 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ted Cruz May Have Just Boosted Sales For The Anti-Racist Children's Book He Attacked

"Antiracist Baby" is a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon a day after the GOP senator railed against it during Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2022-03-23 19:18:14 UTC ]
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In ‘Disorientation,’ a college campus is fertile ground for absurdist comedy

Elaine Hsieh Chou’s “Disorientation” is a hyperactive satire so funny it almost makes the reader forget about the serious societal issues that undergird the humor. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-03-23 14:07:29 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle sale brings the Paperwhite back to an all-time low

Amazon's latest Kindle Paperwhite is one of the nicest (and newest) e-readers out there, and you can now pick one up at an all-time low. It's on sale for just $105, for a savings of $35 (25 percent) off the regular $140 price. You'll also find deals on the regular Kindle with a built-in front... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-03-22 10:35:35 UTC ]
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Why the BBC drama Then Barbara Met Alan brought tears to my eyes | Frances Ryan

To see on primetime television the activists who fought for disability rights in the 1990s was a profoundly moving momentBefore we even reach the opening titles of Then Barbara Met Alan – the BBC’s one-off drama depicting the fight for the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), which aired on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-22 06:00:48 UTC ]
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Cheryl Strayed releases a cut scene from Wild in honor of the memoir’s 10th anniversary.

It’s been ten years since the release of Wild, Cheryl Strayed’s bracingly honest memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail as a young adult after her mother’s death with no experience or training—and to ccelebrate the anniversary, Strayed has released a cut scene from Wild, free to read... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-03-21 19:22:02 UTC ]
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Scholastic Posts Gains in Q3, Eyes Higher Costs

Revenue at Scholastic rose 24% for the third quarter ended February 28, 2022, over the prior year period, and the company cut the quarterly operating loss. While sales trends remain favorable, the company said that it is working on ways to control higher prices for paper, printing, and freight,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Unit Sales of Print Books Fell 8.3% in Early March

Unit sales of print books fell 8.3% in the week ended Mar. 12, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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NBCC Awards 2022: Moving Forward With An Eye to the Past

The NBCC virtual awards ceremony Thursday evening was an upliffting affair, with a diverse group of award recipients underscoring the importance of books, both to audiences today and to future generations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Quarto Group Posts Double-Digit Gains in Sales, Earnings

The launch of some new imprints and another good year for a number of its most popular series combined to boost sales at Quarto Group by 19%, to $151.5 million, in 2021 over 2020. Adjusted operating profit jumped 51%, to $ 16 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Fell 8.3% Last Week

With juvenile sales falling 13% and adult nonfiction dropping 8.6%, print unit sales fell 8.3% last week at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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January Bookstore Sales Rose 11.5% in 2022

January bookstore sales increased to $914 million in 2022 over 2021, but were 7.7% below bookstore sales in January 2020. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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