DRM-Free E-Books Makes Writers A Bundle of Cash

A group of writers are quids in following an experiment to sell a bundle of DRM-free ebooks. Sales of The Humble Bundle, which included works from authors Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman and the much-loved xkcd comic strip, have been anything but humble, with over 84,000 bundles sold, earning the authors $1.1 million in sales. What made the experiment so extraordinary was the fact that buyers could choose what they paid for the bundle, and how much of their price went to charity. WIth the average price coming in at $14.18: anyone who paid more than that got extra content included. One user even paid $1,238 for his 13 books which, if bought separately, would cost $157. One of the writers has been left gobsmacked. Lauren Beukes, author of Zoo City, initially saw the concept as a crazy experiment. "I didn't realise there would be over 75,000 of them spending more than a million dollars in two weeks on books!" she said. "This is New York Times bestseller-level sales." The online publishing industry will have been given a real fillip by this - especially authors who choose to publish their own work by themselves. Larger publishing houses and retailers such as Amazon, both of which swear by the draconian DRM, will be looking to see how future bundles, already in the Humble Bundle pipeline, fare. Continue reading at 'Fast Company'

[ Fast Company | 2012-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #included works #neil gaiman #bought separately #lauren beukes #zoo city

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Book Deals: Week of February 20, 2017

Knopf nabs a biography of Anne Spoerry, a debut author brings a noir sci-fi trilogy to Kensington, Sourcebooks takes three titles in thriller series, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Picks: Books of the Week, February 20, 2017

This week: a girl begins receiving letters from her dead sister, plus the violent mutiny on the HMS "Hermione." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little Free Library Design Competition Announces International Winners

Some whimsical, some outlandish, more than 300 concepts arrived when Chronicle Books and Little Free Library opened a competition for designs. The post Little Free Library Design Competition Announces International Winners appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Child of Books wins Bologna Ragazzi Award for fiction

Walker Books' A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston has won the fiction category in the Bologna Ragazzi Award 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edinburgh's Word Power Books seeks new owner

Edinburgh-based radical bookshop Word Power is looking for a new owner after founder Elaine Henry has decided to step away from the business. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book series for children focuses on Treaty of Waitangi story

A set of books have been written to  teach children about the Treaty of Waitangi. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Redrawing women: Tackling sexism in comic books

Women are fighting back against sexism in an industry steeped in a history of hyper-sexualised female characters. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Top authors to celebrate 20 years of World Book Day

Book Aid International has teamed up with 20 stars of the children’s book world to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World Book Day (WBD). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Hogwarts to Hygge’: London Book & Screen Week Program

Surrounding and extending the reach of London Book Fair, London Book & Screen Week has events scheduled all over the British capital, March 13-19. The post ‘Hogwarts to Hygge’: London Book & Screen Week Program appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retail wars begin as The Book of Dust shoots to number one in pre-order charts

Less than 24 hours after the announcement that Philip Pullman is to release a new epic fantasy series entitled The Book of Dust, the first volume has shot to number one in Amazon's bestseller charts. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Long-awaited Philip Pullman series The Book of Dust revealed

Twenty-two years after the release of the first book in His Dark Materials trilogy, Philip Pullman is set to release a new three-part series to stand “beside it” called The Book of Dust, with the charter of Lyra “at the centre of the story”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LGBT+ children's book released after New Zealand crowdfunding campaign

Like every tried and true fairytale, Promised Land had romance, a villain and in the end, love overcame hate. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edinburgh Book Festival to move some events

Edinburgh International Book Festival is to move some events to a nearby street in a bid to reduce its impact on the private square where it holds most events. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jess Phillips' book campaign sees donations to Women's Aid

Penguin Random House has launched a promotional Twitter campaign for MP Jess Phillips' book Everywoman (Hutchinson), in which every tweet hashtagged #EVERYWOMAN will see a book donated to domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Italian writer Elena Varvello to publish with Two Roads

Elena Varvello - an Italian author who Elena Ferrante's publisher is predicting big things for in the UK - is publishing her first English novel with Two Roads. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brexit forces Microsoft to push up Surface Book price by £150

The UK's decision to leave the European Union continues to hit the pockets of consumers. The latest victim of Brexit is Microsoft's Surface Book, with every model in the range hit with a £150 price hike. While not a direct response to the Brexit vote itself, the resulting drop in the value of... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Green Bookshop tweets entire Harry Potter book to Piers Morgan

North London retailer the Big Green Bookshop is tweeting out every word of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Bloomsbury) to broadcaster Piers Morgan following his Twitter spat with its author J K Rowling. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Morpurgo and Crossan compete for Children’s Book Award

Michael Morpurgo and Sarah Crossan are among the nominees for the Children’s Book Award 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First Authors Announced in France’s Frankfurt Book Fair Guest of Honor Program

At the Berlin Film Festival's Soirée française du cinéma, authors are announced for participation in France's Guest of Honor plans at Frankfurt Book Fair. The post First Authors Announced in France’s Frankfurt Book Fair Guest of Honor Program appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ukraine publishers speak out against ban on Russian books

Latest skirmish in conflict with hostile neighbour will threaten domestic book trade, say leading figures from the industryUkrainian publishers have reacted angrily to their government’s ban on importing books from Russia, claiming it will create a black market and damage the domestic... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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