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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Murdoch Books signs Olivia Newton-John cookbook

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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F + W Media Acquires The Writers Store

Adding to their rapidly expanding portfolio of e-commerce storefronts, F + W Media acquired The Writers Store. Becoming the 26th store under the F + W umbrella, The Writers Store sells third-party writing and filmmaking tools globally. The Writers Store offers tools, services and exclusive... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Borders is Toast, But Don't Blame E-Books

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[ PC World | 2011-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Book Revolution Upends a Course

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[ The New York Times | 2011-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zinio Announces Availability on All Android Devices with Free Mags for Users

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orla Kiely to create range of baby and toddler books

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fathers Day fails to boost June book sales - BRC

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Sheila Bair to Write Book on Financial Crisis

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[ The New York Times | 2011-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA opposes Amazon and Book Depository merger

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA and PA set to oppose Amazon-Book Depository merger

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rose Fenton appointed Free Word director

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon to acquire The Book Depository

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ BBC News | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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