How Amazon's bid to bury Hachette has backfired

Amazon's suggestion that the ebook and paperback revolutions are comparable has sparked scorn, satire and indigationWhen Amazon published their rather extraordinary "Message from the Amazon Books Team" at readersunited.com last week, they got a few things right and a few things wrong. Alongside a realistic analysis of ebook pricing and a rather aggressive plea to bombard the CEO of Hachette with threatening emails, the letter noted that "Just ahead of World War II, there was a radical invention that shook the foundations of book publishing". This was the paperback, and apparently it was opposed by publishers who "dug in and circled the wagons". Which is a bit odd, as the person most widely credited with the popularisation of the paperback (but not its invention) was Allen Lane, who, as founder of Penguin Books, introduced paperback classics to the British public.Amazon's other bizarre decision, alongside the somewhat unnecessary second world war reference, was to quote George Orwell selectively on the subject and accuse him of "collusion". In fact, Orwell was making a sarcastic dig in favour of the paperback, and Amazon has been accused of doublespeak by the Orwell estate. The parody page booksunited.org, created by online writer Dan Hon in the voice of the books themselves, smartly notes that "We are not fighting for our existence. We know that as long as you humans exist, you will write, and you will read." Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Faber boss says future of book publishing is mobile

Stephen Page also says publishers must ‘understand mobile’ and put smartphone communication at the centre of thinkingThe chief executive of publisher Faber & Faber has challenged the book publishing industry to respond to the rapid increase in smartphone use, particularly by young... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Content Will Exist in a Continuum

Dan Nigloschy of codeMantra believes that now is the time for a second digital revolution in book publishing, one that takes advantage of digital agility. The post Content Will Exist in a Continuum appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How News Corp is uniting 10 business units and 25,000 employees in a global IT push

Embarking on a new IT project is a major undertaking no matter what your company's scope or size, but when you're News Corp -- with 10 business units and 25,000 employees around the globe -- it's not for the faint of heart.That, however, was exactly the challenge that faced Dominic Shine less... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2015-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Director Nicholas Winding Refn Wants to Teach You About Movie Marketing

The director's first foray into book publishing is a deep-dive into the art of exploitation cinema marketing. The post Director Nicholas Winding Refn Wants to Teach You About Movie Marketing appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Allen Lane buys Third Reich drugs book

Allen Lane has acquired an “extraordinary” new book on the Third Reich and drug use, which was published in Germany this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rebekah Brooks says it ‘is a privilege’ to be back at News UK

Chief executive of Rupert Murdoch’s UK publishing business acknowledges Sun colleagues are still facing trial over alleged corrupt payments for storiesRebekah Brooks has described how good she feels to be back running Rupert Murdoch’s British publishing operation on her first day after being... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Agent’s Insight Into the South Africa’s Children’s Book Market

South African children's book publishing is winning international attention — and awards — as the market evolves beyond being a government-driven sector. The post Agent’s Insight Into the South Africa’s Children’s Book Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Return of Rebekah Brooks is 'two fingers up to British public' – shadow minister

Chris Bryant, shadow culture secretary, condemns apparent reappointment of Brooks as News UK chief a year after she was cleared of phone-hacking chargesThe return of Rebekah Brooks to run Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspaper operation has been described as “two fingers up to the British public” by the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Games Meet Books at Gamescom Cologne

Gamescon Cologne and the Frankfurt Book Fair invited rights pros from book publishing, video games and others to meet and discuss rights and licensing. The post Games Meet Books at Gamescom Cologne appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp sees strong growth in digital real estate services and book publishing

The company’s quarterly earnings call beats analysts’ expectations despite a fall in total revenue from the previous quarter and a net loss of $379mNews Corp, owner of the Wall Street Journal and the Times, reported a better-than-expected quarterly results as strong growth in its digital real... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With War, Literature Grows Even More Important in Ukraine

Book publishing and literary culture is playing a increasingly important role in the Ukraine's defense of its independence. The post With War, Literature Grows Even More Important in Ukraine appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can We Stop Pretending The Publishing Industry Is Fair Now?

Book publishing is an absolute meritocracy, if you disregard all the deeply ingrained misogyny and racism. Wait ... Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2015-08-06 13:54:21 UTC ]
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Global Publishing Leaders 2015: Egmont

Egmont is a leading Nordic media group that includes Nordisk Film, Norway’s TV 2, and PlayStation distribution along with book publishing. The company is active in 30 countries with 6,600 employees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Publishing Leaders 2015: HarperCollins

HarperCollins is a subsidiary of News Corp., a global media and information services company that covers news and information services, cable network programming, digital real estate services, book publishing, digital education, and pay-TV distribution. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebook Distributors Meet to Discuss Common EU Digital Market

In Madrid, several top ebook distributors meet to discuss mutual challenges in book publishing and the possibility of a common European digital market. The post Ebook Distributors Meet to Discuss Common EU Digital Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mixed Signals From Three Publishers

First-quarter reports from three of the largest U.S. trade houses gave mixed messages about the state of book publishing at the start of 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thought Catalog tiptoes into commerce

Thought Catalog, long the go-to platform for navel-gazing 20-somethings, is digging into e-commerce. Shop Catalog, its parent company's new experimental shopping site, is using the product recommendation as a form of self-expression, which it hopes will keep readers coming back and, hopefully,... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hawks, butterflies, coasts and footpaths: how nature writing turned to literary gold

Books about the natural world are now huge sellers, tapping into a new appreciation for the countryside and scepticism about material wealthBondage is so last year. Publishers who spent much of the past year in search of the next Fifty Shades of Grey are now seeking to exploit another literary... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales Rep Ted Heinecken to Retire

After 50 years in book publishing, Ted Heinecken, who started his career in 1963 as a Midwest sales rep for Oxford University Press, will retire from Fuji Associates on February 28. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp newspaper revenue falls 6% as ads and subscribers go online

Newspaper revenue in the UK, the US and Australia is down despite a rise in the company’s overall revenue thanks to book publishing and real estate divisionsDeclining sales, advertising and subscriptions hurt revenues at Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper business in the final quarter of last year, News... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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