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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Nielsen Children's Book Summit: YouTube, Discoverability, All Ages Content, and Brands as Platforms

YouTube is the content king, discoverability remains kids' publishing's white whale, top brands are so ubiquitous that they are morphing into de facto platforms, and other takeaways from the 2016 Nielsen Children's Book Summit. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ghouls on film: the making of a prank video

Literary agent Peter Cox on the story behind a spooky Halloween video for Michelle Paver's Thin Air. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Readers Now Voting on Ireland’s Bord Gáis Energy Book Awards

Called in promotional text “exclusively Irish, inclusive in every other sense,” the Bord Gáis Energy Book Awards shortlists are now open for readers’ votes. By Dennis Abrams | @DennisAbrams2 November 11 Is Vote Deadline he shortlists for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards have been... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Karsten Dietrich, Longtime Book Club Runner

Karsten Dietrich, who ran the France Loisirs book club from 1973 until his retirement in 2009, died last week in Paris. He was 72. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s Book Summit: Nielsen on Kids, Their Trends, and Their Parents

Taking a holistic approach that might warm the heart of a millennial mom, Nielsen's third conference on the young readers' market looked at their parents, too. The post Children’s Book Summit: Nielsen on Kids, Their Trends, and Their Parents appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bryan Cranston leaves signed copies of his book at Heathrow

"Breaking Bad" actor Bryan Cranston's penchant for buying, signing and leaving copies of his autobiography in every airport he has flown from for his book tour has this week resulted in a welcome surprise for a fan in Heathrow airport.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unspeakable book to Canongate

Canongate has signed Unspeakable: The Things We Cannot Say by Harriet Shawcross, saying it will be the publisher's lead title in autumn 2018. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Table for Three: Rachel Maddow and Doris Kearns Goodwin on a Presidential Race for the History Books

Doris Kearns Goodwin, left, and Rachel Maddow talked about presidents past and future over lunch in the Gotham Lounge at the Peninsula Hotel in Manhattan. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2016-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Creative Industries Federation makes its Brexit recommendations

Reform of the migration system to enable easy access to critical skills and talent from both EU and non–EU countries is a key recommendation of a new report on Brexit from the Creative Industries Federation. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether Books put up for sale

Mobile ebook start-up Ether Books is to be sold after its founders decided that it needed fresh investment to develop the service out of beta. It is now looking to sell the business to a publisher or other book industry company. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YA author wins Edinburgh First Book Award

YA author Kathryn Evans has won the 2016 Edinburgh International Book Festival First Book Award for her début novel, More of Me (Usborne). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of October 31, 2016

Bloomsbury lands a bin Laden book, Blood Journals series author Tessa Gratton sells a standalone YA, Dawn Davis nabs one by a Tony winner, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WIRED Book Club: An Entire Trilogy in a Month? Boom.

Jeff VanderMeer's <em>Southern Reach</em> trilogy wraps up exquisitely, completing a journey from mystery to horror to understanding to, indeed, acceptance. The post WIRED Book Club: An Entire Trilogy in a Month? Boom. appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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India’s Book Haven: What’s Special About Bengaluru?

With bookstore expansions and a community-wide pride in hand-selling, Bengaluru has cinched a reputation as a book town. The post India’s Book Haven: What’s Special About Bengaluru? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Picks: Books of the Week, October 31, 2016

This week: a brilliant espionage novel, and a look at the emotional turmoil veterans endure upon returning home from war. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AMC's 'Comic Book Men' spotlights Geppi's Entertainment Museum as a place where dreams can come true

Here's televised proof that a visit to Baltimore's Geppi’s Entertainment Museum can fulfill a comic-book fan’s dearest fantasy: Sunday’s Season 6 premiere of the AMC show “Comic Book Men,” spotlighting the continuing adventures of writer-director-comic geek Kevin Smith and the staff at his Jay... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Second book from Clean Eating Alice to HarperThorsons

HarperThorsons has acquired Eat Well Every Day, the second book from Alice Liveing, the "powerhouse" behind the Instagram account, Clean Eating Alice. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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To Think That It Happened at Bank Street: Bank Street Book Fest 2016

On a blustery fall day, members of the children's book community gathered for BookFest at Bank Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book by 'Fixer Upper' Stars Has Blockbuster First Week

'The Magnolia Story' by Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV's 'Fixer Upper,' sold more than 121,000 print copies in its first week on sale, according to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Kids' and YA Books: Week of October 31, 2016

Hitting shelves next week are a picture book tribute to the creator of Peter Rabbit, a middle grade novel featuring two pranksters, and a YA novel centering on the romance of two teens from different worlds. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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