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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Waterstones picks next 12 Book Club reads

Waterstones has today announced the next 12 titles in its quarterly Book Club, featuring four... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Boys' reading 'a worry in 75% of schools'

A report into boys’ reading has found that three out of four UK schools are worried about... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Unveils Private Ad-Buying Marketplace for Its Magazine Websites

Another big magazine company is looking to ad tech to make its online ad inventory more valuable. Six months after Conde Nast launched a private ad marketplace to increase the sell-through of its online ad space without opening it up to public ad e ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #magazine websites #ad tech


Kobo eReader Touch Edition packs bags for Japan, books flight for July

Rakuten's $315 million buyout of Kobo will bear some e-reader fruit come July. The e-tailer's CEO and chairman, Hiroshi Mikitani, announced plans to release the Kobo eReader Touch Edition in Japan next month for 10,000 yen (on par with its $130 US sticker price). Timing is key, of course --... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wattpad Takes Quick $17.3M for Thriving E-Book Community

Wattpad, a booming ebook community site, hosts five million stories, with 500,000 added per month. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2012 Summer Reading Guide

For book lovers, the summer is always a busy, exciting season, and this year is no exception. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Open access take-up 'variable'

Take-up by academics of the option to publish via Open Access models is “variable”,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Early News Apps Evolve Based on Lessons Learned, User Demands

When Apple introduced the iPad tablet in 2010, many newspaper publishers were eager to step up and create apps for the device. These early adopters recognized the tablet as an important medium to attract audiences and gain revenue, and they introduce ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What He's Reading: Bill Wackermann

CONDÉ NAST Publishing Director Bill Wackermann made a tempora-ry move to the other side of the desk by writing his first book, Flip the Script. The self-help guide is filled with examples from his years overseeing Glamour, but Mr. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One third of Brits now e-reading, says Bowker study

Nearly a third of British adults (31%) say they are likely to buy an ebook in the next six... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HP takes print away from town for seven days, laughs at 'print is dead' claim

With ebooks and digital subscription of magazines and newspapers becoming the new hot, many are sending off the message that print is gradually losing or has even already lost to its digital counterpart, while others argue that print is far from dead. Needless to say, being one of the leading... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PPA Conference: Digital takes up 80% of our time, says Hearst's Dolphin

Although print accounts for 80% of Hearst's revenues, the publisher is spending 80% of its time on the "huge potential" of digital, according to Ella Dolphin, publishing director of Hearst Magazines UK's young women's group. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2012-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Solomon takes author concerns to Vaizey direct

The general secretary of the Society of Authors has called for a one-on-one meeting with culture... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading Agency and PA launch digital skills scheme

The Reading Agency and the Publishers Association have launched a digital skills sharing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yes, people still read: ebook sales by UK publishers grew 54 percent in 2011

All hail the ebook! Seriously, if it weren't for this marvelous literary development, try saying with a straight face that you wouldn't at least take pause before adding a new title to your collection. Numbers are in from The Publisher's Association -- a group of 120 companies across the trade... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PBC 2012: Excellence and Innovation Take Center Stage

By James Sturdivant The 2012 Publishing Business Conference & Expo brought together more than 1,300 industry experts and solutions providers for three days of education, idea sharing and opportunity at the... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Steve Jobs' and 'The Help' dominate reading lists in many American cities

Data gathered by Nielsen BookScan for The Daily Beast show many of the same titles are popular in American cities – but exceptions include 'Heaven Is For Real' and 'The Great Gatsby.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Media Equation: Byliner Takes Bissinger’s E-Book Off Amazon

Byliner.com, a digital publishing company, withdrew the ebook “After Friday Night Lights” by Buzz Bissinger from Amazon because of a pricing dispute involving a promotional giveaway. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spring Clean for Trinity Mirror's Regional Websites

Regional publisher Trinity Mirror has been carrying out an overhaul of its network of newspaper websites designed to give them a ‘cleaner’ look. Digital publishing director David Higgerson has overseen the changes which have now b ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S takes two on Melissa Nathan shortlist

Two titles from Simon & Schuster have made the shortlist for the Melissa Nathan Award for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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