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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Plant-based meat sales exploded during the pandemic. Here’s how to keep consumers coming back

Four in five consumers say sustainability matters, but taste and health both rate higher. During the early stage of the pandemic, consumers had trouble buying meat as food processing facilities shut temporarily to slow the spread of COVID-19. As a result, consumers turned to plant-based... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-10-21 06:00:54 UTC ]
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Arsène Wenger's story guns into top spot amid strong book sales

Arsene Wenger's My Life in Red and White (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) has immediately lifted the trophy in the UK Official Top 50, scoring the number one spot with 35,297 copies sold in its launch week. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-19 21:24:07 UTC ]
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How an Agency Cut Through ‘Purpose Clutter’ With Its Bookstore Campaign Trolling Amazon

In this David-versus-Goliath battle, mom-and-pop bookstores wrapped themselves in Amazon's familiar brown cardboard as a protest against the retail giant and a plea to shop local. The Instagram-ready stunt, with Amazon lookalike boxes covered in sick literary burns and topical quips, came... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-10-19 20:06:41 UTC ]
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Children’s trade optimistic sector can weather the pandemic after sales boost

A survey conducted by The Bookseller found most staffers in the children’s publishing sector were optimistic concerning its odds of surviving, and thriving, in a post-Covid market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-18 18:23:09 UTC ]
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A Cut Cable Knocked Out Virginia's Voter Registration Site

Plus: Barnes and Noble got hacked, Zoom adds real end-to-end encryption, and more of the week's top security news. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2020-10-17 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Up 7.9% in Early October

Unit sales of print books rose 7.9% in the week ended Oct. 10, 2020, over the comparable week in 2019, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan, with three new titles topping the bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Declined 3.3% Last Week

Unit sales of print books fell 3.3% last week, the third consecutive week in which print sales have fallen. In contrast, unit sales continue to do better when compared to 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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August Bookstore Sales Dropped 30.7%

Bookstore sales tumbled 30.7% in August compared to August 2019, putting an end to a brief rally that saw the rate of sales declines slowing compared to 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite is on sale for only $80 for Prime Day

It’s Amazon Prime Day, so unsurprisingly the company’s own hardware is on sale. One of the more noteworthy deals is on Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite, which is selling for $80, down from the usual $130. The Kindle Paperwhite has been our favorite e-reade... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-10-13 10:00:23 UTC ]
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Higher Digital Sales Drove Gains of Adult Books in August

Sales of downloadable audio jumped 32% in August over a year ago and e-book sales rose 14.6%. With hardcover sales up 29% in the month, sales of adult books rose 13.2% in August, according to AAP's BookStat. Total industry sales inched up 0.3% in the month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Surprisingly Strong Year of Book Sales Continues

In spite of historical challenges, unit sales of print books were up 6.4% in the first nine months of 2020. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Weekly Unit Sales Slip Again

Despite seven new titles appearing among the top 10 bestsellers last week, unit sales of print books fell 1.2% compared to the week ended September 26. The decline followed a 5.5% unit sales decline in the last full week of September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Surprisingly Strong Year of Book Sales Continues

In spite of historical challenges, unit sales of print books were up 6.4% in the first nine months of 2020. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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V&A to close dedicated bookshop and cut 10% of staff as Covid-19 hits finances

The Victoria & Albert Museum is closing its dedicated bookshop and making 103 roles redundant across its retail and visitor experience teams as the Covid-19 crisis hits its finances. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-05 09:58:53 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Fell 5.5% Last Week

With no new big book hitting shelves last week, unit sales of print books fell 5.5% compared to the week ended September 19 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan, but were up 10.3% over the week ended September 28, 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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HMH Reorganization Will Cut 525 Jobs

As Houghton Mifflin Harcourt shifts more of its education publishing business to the creation of digital products, the company said it has implemented a restructuring program that will cut its workforce by 22% in order to save between $95 million to $100 million annually. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Continue to Roll in Mid-September

Helped by the release of Bob Woodward’s Rage, unit sales of print books jumped 16.4% in the week ended Sept. 19, 2020, over the comparable week in 2019, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Spotify Eyes Audiobooks

The music streaming giant is poised to enter the audiobook market. Here's what that means for publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookstores Need More than Hope. They Need Sales. And Soon.

Despite expanding their services during the most challenging time for retailers in recent memory, booksellers enter the holiday season worried about forces beyond their control. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Children's non-fiction poised for record year as Q3 sales leap 25%

Children's books have seen a boom during coronavirus-hit 2020 with non-fiction heading for a record year, according to Nielsen. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-24 11:31:27 UTC ]
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