Play.com sold to Rakuten

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 12:10 Play.com has been bought by Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten for £25m in cash. The move is part of the company's European expansion plan, with Play.com the third company it has bought during the last two years. The deal is expected to be completed by early October 2011. Rakuten operates e-commerce businesses across 10 countries, including Japan. read more Continue reading at 'The Bookseller'

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Blair plays down Rowling translation fears

J K Rowling's agent Neil Blair has played down reported concerns over the decision to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Play Books starts a new chapter in France

Now that the legal dust has settled and Google's publishing woes in 'ol Gaul have been swept under the rug, it's back to business as usual. Starting today, the land of Jerry Lewis lovers will have access to books on Google Play, making it the fifth European country to participate in Mountain... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder Blog: Spin Magazine Is Sold to Buzzmedia, With Plans to Expand Online Reach

The sale to Buzzmedia, a portfolio of music and celebrity Web sites, calls into question Spin's future as a print publication. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Play Books makes an efficient arrival in Germany

Germans, grab your reading glasses, for it's today that Google is announcing the arrival of Play Books -- complete with the ability to purchase native language texts -- in the land of the Kant and Goethe. Yes, those in Deutschland may now buy and read titles from Google Play Books on their... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder Blog: After Long Resistance, Pynchon Allows Novels to Be Sold as E-Books

Thomas Pynchon, author of “Gravity’s Rainbow” and “The Crying of Lot 49,” characteristically declined to speak about his decision. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Satiric iPad App Punch Wants You To Laugh, Play, Pay

Despite a cheeky promotional claim that profitability is "not something we think about," Punch has a grand vision of becoming a lucrative tablet publishing platform. But first, a quiz: hedge fund or organic farm?David Bennahum is the CEO of Punch, a news and entertainment app that launched last... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Play to launch in France

Google is about to launch ebooks on the Google Play entertainment portal in France, according to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bluff Media Sold to Churchill Downs Inc.

Bluff Media has been acquired by horse racing and entertainment company Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) for an undisclosed amount. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo to grow at speed under Rakuten

E-book retailer Kobo has the capability to grow at three times the speed under its new owner... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What Sold in E Over Christmas

Last year, when we asked publishers for their five bestselling ebooks over Christmas, we received lists full of frontlist bestsellers, with a handful of backlist hits in the mix. This year, we again approached publishers for the same lists—in most cases sales are only for December 25 and 26,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bangor Metro Regional Magazine to be Sold to Private Investors

Bangor Metro, a six-year old business, lifestyle and opinion magazine serving the Bangor, Maine region, will be sold next month to a group of investors within the city—principally Jack Cashman of Cashman Asset Management, a long-time Bangor businessman. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Japan's Rakuten to Acquire E-book Retailer Kobo

Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten said on Tuesday that it plans to acquire Canadian ebook and e-reader company Kobo in a bid to expand in the area of media... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson goes open source with Plug and Play

Written By: Anna Richardson Taylor Publication Date: Thu, 01/09/2011 - 08:53 Pearson has embraced an open-source approach to digital content, making its proprietary content available to third-party digital developers. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Advertising: A Magazine Bets That Readers Play Tag

Glamour wants readers to scan the Facebook icon next to the singer Rihanna, and other icons placed throughout the issue. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Child's play for Lee as he tops charts

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Wed, 10/08/2011 - 09:08 Lee Child's 15th Jack Reacher thriller, Worth Dying For (Bantam), was the bestselling book in the UK last week, scoring impressive sales of 32,275 copies in just three days upon its release on Thursday. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstone's sold, Daunt in, Myers out

Written By: Lisa Campbell, Philip Jones and Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 20/05/2011 - 08:50 Waterstone's has been sold to Alexander Mamut's A&NN Group for £53m. In a surprise move, James Daunt will run the bookseller as its managing director when the deal completes, with current... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Cache: Playing Catch-Up in E-Books

Outside the United States, the digital book business is still in its infancy and has problems to resolve before taking off. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Club Associates sold to Webb Group

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 08/03/2011 - 16:00 Online bookseller Book Club Associates (BCA) has been sold to a retail home entertainment supplier. The Webb Group, which supplies retail home entertainment products including games, DVDs, music and gifts, announced the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indies could earn as much as 30% from books sold via Gardners' Hive

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 18/02/2011 - 16:30 Book wholesaler Gardners has begun consulting with independent booksellers over the direction of its consumer website, with one option revealing that booksellers could earn as much as 30% when books are sold at their full RRP.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iPhone app store, Amazon Kindle: Why ebook sellers should stop playing by Apple's rules.

Over the last few months the tech industry has been inching toward ebook nirvana. For one thing, gadget makers keep improving e-readers while slashing prices. (I'm going to renew my bet that Amazon will begin selling the Kindle for less than $100 by the end of the year.) The bigger story,... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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