E-Book Sales Pass Print on Amazon

While the Rapture isn’t scheduled to occur until Saturday, according to members of certain religious fringe groups, it looks like doomsday has come early for publishers of print books. Amazon announced Thursday that sales of ebooks on the site have finally surpassed combined sales of hardcovers and paperbacks. For every 100 print books sold since April 1, the company said, it sold 105 digital ones, and credited the surge in ebook sales to its new ad-supported, lower-priced Kindle. “We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly,” said CEO Jeff Bezos. “We’ve been selling print books for 15 years and Kindle books for less than four years.” The vice president for Kindle content, Russ Grandinetti, claimed that the digital trend is actually good for publishers. “Even though some digital sales may be substitutions from print, one of the great impacts . . is people spend more minutes a day reading. They make reading more of a habit, and that’s good for the total book business.” But Mike Shatzkin, CEO of the Idea Logical Company, which advises publishers on digital matters, isn't buying it. “[Amazon is] taking print sales away from others while their own devices are taking print sales away from them. That’s the real import of those numbers. It’s one more nail in the coffin of brick and mortar stores,” he told The New York Times. Still, publishers shouldn’t lose hope just yet, some analysts say. According to Forrester... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #mike shatzkin #mortar stores #forrester research #e-book reading #big deal #forrester analyst

Other Publishing stories related to: 'E-Book Sales Pass Print on Amazon'


New everyday philosophy title for Rider Books

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 03/06/2011 - 10:03 Rider Books has acquired a non-fiction book telling readers how to use philosophy to improve their everyday life by journalist and blogger Jules Evans. Rider Books commissioning editor Sue Lascelles bought world rights,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #everyday life #jonathan conway #paperback original


People Wins Four min ‘Sales Executive of the Year’ Awards

People is the most profitable U.S. magazine and had an excellent, +5.6% ad-page advertising 2010, so it was appropriate that the magazine did very well at min's seventh "Sales Executive of the Year" awards breakfast Thursday morning (June 2) at New York's Grand Hyatt. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year awards #grand hyatt


Orion acquires "genius" diet food book

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 02/06/2011 - 08:54 Orion has acquired The Pure Package: The Diet for Food Lovers by food and health entrepreneur Jennifer Irvine. Orion non-fiction editorial director Amanda Harris bought world rights to the title from agent Clare Hulton,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #orion acquires #creative genius


Buzz books at BEA

Written By: Gayle Feldman Publication Date: Wed, 01/06/2011 - 09:09 There was no one standout book of the fair at last week's Book Expo America however, talk continued to dominate the stands and aisles of those likely to succeed in the months to come. Here are some of the books highlighted by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #buzz books #books highlighted


Pan Mac digital sales worth 8% in first quarter

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 01/06/2011 - 09:52 E-book sales accounted for over 8% of Pan Macmillan's trade sales in the first quarter of 2011, with the publisher predicting a rise to up to 10% by the end of the year. Over the same period, the publisher's sales of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trade sales #pan macmillan #print books


Three in 10 households do not contain a book

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Wed, 01/06/2011 - 09:14 Three in 10 children live in households that do not contain a single book, according to a new survey. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #single book


Duffy stages benefit for Poetry Book Society

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 31/05/2011 - 08:00 Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy has organised a benefit for the Poetry Book Society, which faces an uncertain future following the withdrawal of all its Arts Council funding. The event, to be held at London's Institute of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uncertain future #feature readings #george szirtes #imtiaz dharker


Lonely Planet brings photo travel books to iBookstore

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 31/05/2011 - 16:09 Lonely Planet has brought three of its photo-heavy travel books to Apple’s iBookstore for the first time from today. The travel publisher is offering Lonely Planet's Best in Travel for free until 14th June with The Travel Book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #apples ibookstore #travel publisher #travel book #lonely planet


Edinburgh indie proposes World Book Night alternative

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 31/05/2011 - 16:21 An Edinburgh independent has proposed an alternative to World Book Night next year, where readers buy tickets to attend book swap events across the country. Vanessa Robertson, co-owner of the Edinburgh Bookshop, said she has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #buy books #edinburgh bookshop #received interest #money raised #put back #reading groups


Book stores will close if no buyers

ADMINISTRATORS for the troubled book retailers Borders and Angus & Robertson have warned both chains may close if buyers can't be found. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2011-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book stores #angus robertson


Children's publishers welcome Waterstone's sale

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 27/05/2011 - 12:26 Children's publishers have welcomed the acquisition of Waterstone's by Russian businessman Alexander Mamut. Francesca Dow, m.d. of Penguin Children's Books, said: "The Waterstone's takeover is good news for children's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin children #francesca dow


Amazon reveals frontlist deal for Eisler at BEA

Written By: Gayle Feldman Publication Date: Thu, 26/05/2011 - 08:52 Thriller writer Barry Eisler, who turned his back on a two-book deal for half a million dollars from St Martin’s Press, has decided to accept six figures from Amazon and become one of its first frontlist authors. The Eisler... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #million dollars #buy bn


E-Book Prices Fuel Outrage--and Innovation

A pricing war among the big guns of the book industry is causing pain at the checkout screen, but sprouting new opportunities for writers and readers. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big guns #book industry


E-Business Is the Buzz at Book Fair

This year’s BookExpo America, an annual publishing business trade show, is full of talk of e-reading and other shifts in the industry. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fair


Barnes & Noble Announces New Nook; Amazon Responds with Cheaper 3G

Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch announced the new Nook, aimed at "those turned off by buttons." Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon responds


Bloomsbury launches new digital imprint for out of print titles

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 26/05/2011 - 08:57 Bloomsbury will bring 500 out of print titles by the likes of Alan Clark, Edith Sitwell and Bernice Rubens back into the market as digital editions this autumn with the launch of a new imprint. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital imprint #print titles #alan clark #digital editions


B-to-B Publishers Say E-Media, Sales Expenses To Increase the Most in 2011

Spending on e-media infrastructure increased for both large and small b-to-b publishers in 2010 and will again in 2011, according to respondents to the 2011 FOLIO B-to-B CEO Survey. Larger publishers expect operating expenses to jump 6 percent in e-media, while smaller publishers expect a 5... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ceo survey


Amazon to open new service centre for Kindle support

Publication Date: Wed, 25/05/2011 - 14:24 Amazon is to open a new customer service centre in Edinburgh this August, with one of its roles to handle technical support for the Kindle. The move will create more than 900 permanent and temporary jobs over the next five years. The centre will be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Amazon's Publishing Plans Cause Rivals Some Unease

Earlier in the week, Amazon announced that it was hiring Laurence Kirshbaum, the former CEO of Time Warner Book Group, to head a new publishing imprint. This seems like an odd time for Amazon to be making its mark on the pubishing industry: book sales are down, major book chains like Borders are... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing imprint #publishing executive #bookexpo america #digital side