Pelican’s new browser-based reading website takes flight with grace

With subtle interactive features and simple, bold design, Penguin’s resurrected non-fiction imprint places the focus on the reading experienceAfter reading Economics: The User’s Guide by Ha-Joon Chang, published by Pelican Books, I feel confident enough to explain the word “disintermediation”. This catchy term means cutting out the middlemen from a supply chain, and it’s crucial to an understanding of modern publishing. Amazon has been trying to cut out publishers for two decades, in the hope of achieving a more efficient ecosystem. Publishers, once they got wind of this, started thinking of clever ways they could turn the tables: that is, cutting out Amazon and going direct to consumers.A new front in this literary conflict has opened at pelicanbooks.com, although it looks less like a battlefield than a boutique in an online Marylebone High Street. Penguin’s original non-fiction imprint relaunched earlier this year, its predictably covetable paperbacks glowing with turquoise nostalgia for the days when people bettered themselves rather than slumping in front of Gogglebox. Pelican’s digital incarnation is stunning, its flat design bold yet understated, with a studied simplicity reflected in the intuitive user experience. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #supply chain #modern publishing #started thinking

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Amazon Publishing will get new publisher, based in Seattle

Amazon Publishing will have a new leader when publisher Larry Kirshbaum leaves on Jan. 17 and is replaced by Daphne Durham. Durham will be based in Seattle — not the New York office. She has served as editor in chief and has already taken over responsibility for adult trade books and children’s... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2013-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #daphne durham #amazon publishing #york office #half years

Books in Browsers IV: The Rise of the Reader

At Books in Browsers 2013, the summit kicked off with several discussions about how readers, both as consumers and creators of content, are transforming the book publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Watch the Books in Browsers IV Live Stream

Tune in to this year's Books in Browsers conference live from San Francisco. Books in Browsers is a summit for the next generation of publishing companies exploring the digital future of reading online. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital future #reading online

Samsung taking preorders on Core i7 Ativ Book 9 Plus

Samsung is taking preorders on an updated version of its Ativ Book 9 Plus Ultrabook, which features a Core i7 processor and a touchscreen display with a native resolution of 3200 by 1800 pixels. The company expects to ship the new notebook in early November. The new Ativ Book 9 Plus looks a lot... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #company expects #early november

WH Smith website back online

WH Smith's website is back online following an earlier suspension over abuse and rape themed ebooks found on its site. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith website relaunches

W H Smith’s website has gone live again after nearly four days without trading. Smith'... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Taking a Punt on a New Name

When David Shelley, publisher of Little, Brown U.K., arrived at a lunch to meet a potential new author named Robert Galbraith, he instead found a blonde woman sitting next to agent Neil Blair. "When she turned round I had the surprise of my life. She said, ‘I'm Jo.'" Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One Year Later, Medium Is Changing the Way Its Writers Write and Its Readers Read

It was just more than a year ago that Ev Williams and Biz Stone created the publishing platform Medium. The Internet officially met the site in August 2012, and since then, Medium&rsquo;s popularity has grown enough for even the most ske ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Furloughed by the government? At least you've got time to read

In the wake of the government shutdown, Baltimore-based breathe bookstore café is offering a 10 percent discount to furloughed workers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Furloughed by the government? At least you've got time to read. (+video)

In the wake of the government shutdown, Baltimore-based breathe bookstore café is offering a 10 percent discount to furloughed workers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #government shutdown #furloughed workers

Does Reading Literary Fiction Makes You a Better Person?

A new study finds that reading literary fiction “leads people to perform better on tests that measure empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #study finds #social perception #emotional intelligence

Scribd Founder Envisions Google Glass–like Wearables For E–Reading

The content on Scribd, the San–Francisco based startup that aims to create the digital library of the future, is available on a range of devices, from laptops to smartphones to tablets. But CEO Trip Adler tells Fast Company we won't be reading e–books in our hands in the future––they'll be... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #free reading #digital library #company launched #book space #barnes noble #crazy idea

Big date coming up? Try reading a good book before you go

A recent study done by New York's New School for Social Research found that, after reading literary fiction, participants displayed more social perception and empathy. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good book #recent study #social perception

Star Wars Reads Day is being held for the second time

Chain bookstores, indie locations, schools and school libraries are participating all over the world. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chain bookstores #school libraries

Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: An American’s Take on the French E-book Market

When I moved to Paris in 2010, I’d already begun doing the majority of my reading on my Kindle. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Memoir-based '12 Years a Slave' is getting major Oscar buzz

'12 Years a Slave,' which screened at the Toronto Film Festival, is already being discussed as an Oscar Best Picture frontrunner. The movie arrives in theaters Oct. 18. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Abomination of Ebooks: They Price People Out of Reading

The real problem with ebooks is that they're more 'e' than book, so an entirely different set of rules govern what someone can and can't do with them compared to physical books, especially when it comes to pricing. The collusion in pricing has been a public issue for a while, but we need to talk... Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones auction raises £75k for Children's Reading Fund

Waterstones has raised over £75,000 for Booktrust's Children's Reading Fund at a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst's Dr. Oz Magazine Takes Shape as 'The Good Life,' Pitches Buyers

Hearst is likely to call its forthcoming Dr. Mehmet Oz magazine "The Good Life," according to two people familiar with the matter. The title will likely also include the celebrity physician's name, though it's unclear precisely how that will be presented.A Hearst spokeswoman declined to... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #people familiar #tv industry #ad buyers #ad inventory