Ebooks are not 'stupid' – they're a revolution

The head of publisher Hachette has claimed ebooks are a failure – but as an author and a reader, they’ve completely changed my lifeI was a relatively late convert to the e-reader, getting my Kindle five years ago when it became clear that reading 600-pages of A Suitable Boy while breastfeeding wasn’t going to work. After a frenzied few months of almost exclusive e-reading, I returned largely to the traditional printed book for a number of reasons: screen fatigue, a tendency to scrawl in margins, because I want my kids to see me reading, and because I’m a passionate supporter of bookshops and booksellers. Hachette Livre CEO Arnaud Nourry recently called ebooks “stupid” – but last summer, they changed my life. Related: 'Ebooks are stupid', says head of one of world's biggest publishers Ebooks are not an enhancement on printed books? The built-in, one-tap dictionary is a boon for Will Self fans Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]

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This premium Kindle Scribe bundle is cheaper than the Scribe itself

We love the Kindle Scribe, but it’s even better when you upgrade it with premium accessories—and for a limited time, you can score the Kindle Scribe Essentials bundle for less than you’d pay for the Scribe alone. It’s an absolute knock-your-pants-off bargain. This sweet bundle is now... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-06-27 15:32:46 UTC ]
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Preserving our digital content is vital. But paying $38,000 for the privilege is not | John Naughton

Storing online data in perpetuity is not just about photos and texts but thoughts and ideas. Platforms such as WordPress are starting to act, but it must be at a realistic priceWay back in 2004 the two founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, thought that it would be a cool idea to scan... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-25 16:00:53 UTC ]
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Book readers have realised that you can’t replace the feel of turning a real page | Tim Adams

Record sales show that even the ability to carry thousands of books in one portable electronic device is not enoughIn 2009, when Amazon’s Kindle ebook was launched in the UK, it seemed impossible to imagine that a dozen years later booksellers would be reporting a record year of sales of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-01-15 17:00:27 UTC ]
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MUP launches audiobook pilot to help with student 'screen fatigue'

Manchester University Press (MUP) has launched an audiobook pilot programme, following claims students with 'screen fatigue' are increasingly turning to the format. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-13 00:08:43 UTC ]
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Pandemic drives ebook and audiobook sales by UK publishers to all-time high

Printed book sales plunge in first six months of 2020 on back of shop and school closuresSee all our coronavirus coverageSales of digital books by British publishers are set to hit an all-time high this year as the public turns to reading to escape pandemic cabin fever.However, the ebook and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-11-14 07:00:02 UTC ]
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The new better

Last week some £33m worth of printed books were sold through the Nielsen BookScan universe, including for the first time since the end of March high street bookshops in England and Northern Ireland. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-25 23:28:04 UTC ]
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Book launches just got better

It’s pretty obvious that the book industry, along with nearly all other businesses, will be hammered by the plague. The damage is somewhat mitigated by online ordering and delivery of printed books from you-know-who and by digital delivery of e-books and audiobooks. But that cannot compensate... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-01 14:21:00 UTC ]
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Government will abolish the 20% 'reading tax'

Rishi Sunak confirmed ebooks and online newspapers will no longer be subjected to sales tax The government will abolish the 20% “reading tax” on ebooks and online newspapers from December, although it is unclear whether publishers will pass the full saving on to customers.Printed books and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-03-11 19:46:19 UTC ]
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UK Publishers Association Slams Trump Tariffs: Book Exports as ‘Collateral Damage’

The export-reliant UK industry's publishers association raises the alarm, having invoiced close to US$160 million in printed books last year. The post UK Publishers Association Slams Trump Tariffs: Book Exports as ‘Collateral Damage’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-10-04 12:53:41 UTC ]
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EU council allows removal of VAT from ebooks

The EU's Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) today agreed on a proposal which will allow all member states to give ebooks the same VAT-free status as printed books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebooks are not 'stupid' – they're a revolution

The head of publisher Hachette has claimed ebooks are a failure – but as an author and a reader, they’ve completely changed my lifeI was a relatively late convert to the e-reader, getting my Kindle five years ago when it became clear that reading 600-pages of A Suitable Boy while breastfeeding... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Ebooks are stupid', says head of one of world's biggest publishers

The chief executive of Hachette Livre, Arnaud Nourry, says the industry has had ‘one or two successes among a hundred failures’ and that ebooks have ‘no creativity’The head of one of the world’s largest book publishers has described the ebook as “a stupid product” that is unlikely to see further... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 19th Century Moral Panic Over … Paper Technology

In the history of information technologies, Gutenberg and his printing press are (understandably) treated with the kind of reverence even the most celebrated of modern tech tycoons could only imagine. So perhaps it will come as a surprise that Europe’s literacy rates remained fairly stagnant for... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Andrew Davies to adapt A Suitable Boy for BBC1

Screenwriter Andrew Davies is to adapt Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy for BBC1, in the novel's first screen adaptation. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reactions to the Publishers Association’s UK 2016 Report: Clearly Unclear on Digital

The culprit-of-choice for the new report's 'downturn' in e-reading is 'screen fatigue.' And the usual confusion follows a data-challenged overview. The post Reactions to the Publishers Association’s UK 2016 Report: Clearly Unclear on Digital appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Screen fatigue' sees UK ebook sales plunge 17% as readers return to print

Consumer sales down to £204m last year and are at lowest level since 2011 – when Amazon Kindle sales first took off in UK Britons are abandoning the ebook at an alarming rate with sales of consumer titles down almost a fifth last year, as “screen fatigue” helped fuel a five-year high in printed... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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European Court rules ebook VAT cannot be reduced

The European Court of Justice has said VAT on ebooks cannot be reduced to that of printed books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Printed book sales rise for first time in four years as ebooks decline

Adult colouring book craze and 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland helped revival in traditional publishing last yearSales of printed books have grown for the first time in four years, lifted by the adult colouring book craze and 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, as ebooks suffered... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK ebook sales drop for the first time

It seems that our love affair with ebooks could be turning sour. For the first time since digital book sales were recorded, the number of ebooks sold in the UK dropped in 2015. The drop could be partly explained by the fact that we seem to be reading less in recent years. While sales of printed... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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