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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International Hot Book Properties, Week of January 23, 2017

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chicken House signs three-book deal with Millwood Hargrave

Chicken House has signed three more titles from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink & Stars. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s helps Sainsbury’s book sales rise 7.5%

Sainsbury’s has revealed its book sales grew 7.5% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2016, The Bookseller can reveal, with its growth in total retail sales a more modest 0.8%. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnhill, Steptoe, 'March: Book Three' Win Newbery, Caldecott, Printz

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Nielsen's US book services acquired by NPD

The American data and market insights company NPD has acquired Nielsen's US book industry services. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry Changes: Nielsen Book’s US Services Sold to NPD Group

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week: the book that changed America, and an early candidate for the best graphic biography of 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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The Bestselling Books of 2016

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Irish book community 'dismayed' over library tender

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Author Who Turns Classics Into Children’s Books Is Sued

The author Fredrik Colting, whose KinderGuide books are based on classic novels. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2017-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NPD Buys Nielsen's Book Services

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O’Reilly defects to former Dulwich rival Village Books

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