Scribd, HarperCollins deal casts long digital shadow

Whether publishers want it or not, the Netflix model is coming to the book business.The San Francisco startup Scribd, best known as a site for posting PDFs of documents, announced Tuesday it is launching a multi-platform digital book subscription service that will provide access to a wide range of titles for $9 a month. Users can read ebooks on iOS and Android devices, as well as on Web browsers, and keep as many as 20 titles available for reading offline.Unlike other Netflix-like services that have launched recently, including Manhattan-based Oyster, Scribd is starting with thousands of titles from HarperCollins, or the majority of the publisher's backlist up until July 2012. Getting the cooperation of the so-called Big Five New York publishing houses has been the holy grail of subscription-service startups, and having even one of them represents a significant advance.More than 30 smaller publishers are also working with Scribd, including Sourcebooks, Workman and Kensington.Scribd, founded in 2007, also starts out with a high profile and an enormous user-base: It claims 80 million active readers monthly, and says that the subscription service—which soft-launched in January—has been growing by 60% every month. The company declined to provide subscriber numbers."There's never been an access model rolled out with this level of support and scale," said Trip Adler, Scribd's 29-year-old CEO and co-founder.Publishers have typically shied away from subscription services on the... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #literary agent #message directly #forrester research #attractive option

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Scribd, HarperCollins deal casts long digital shadow'


Gadget magazine T3 is UK's most popular digital title

Magazine doubled e-edition sales to 22,000 in past year, ahead of rivals Stuff, GQ and BBC's Top GearGadget magazine T3 is the UK's most popular digital magazine, doubling e-edition sales to 22,000 in the past year, with GQ and BBC titles including Top Gear also making the top 10.T3 reported an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Oyster launches children’s vertical, signs Disney deal

US ebooks subscription start-up Oyster is rolling out a new children’s vertical this week... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Digital Publishing: Live-Tweeting vs. Live-Blogging

With the 2014 Winter Olympics here, many newsrooms are covering the games with their specific readers in mind. Maybe you’re a newspaper in a small town that has a local Olympian, or maybe you’re a niche sports site devoted to cove ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishing #small town


Scribe signs Scandi-Noir three book deal

Scribe has acquired UK & Commonwealth rights in a trilogy by Swedish crime writer Christoffer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book deal


Native vs Cross-Platform Apps – What’s Better for Digital Newspapers?

2 years ago it was "nice to have" a mobile strategy for large and medium-sized companies. But today the reality is that a mobile strategy is a must-have for all businesses of all sizes. And the publishing industry is no exception.  Toda ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile strategy #medium-sized companies #publishing industry


Measuring Your Digital Magazines

Understanding why and how readers engage with the product will inform your marketing. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital magazines


Finding the Value in Digital Publishing

Digital—readers, advertising, revenue—is growing, but publishers are managing that growth in different ways depending on where their value propositions lie. For a news-driven operation, that could mean emphasizing speed and developing paid products in niche verticals. It could be offering... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishing


Sequential Adds Enhanced SelfMadeHero Digital Graphic Novels

Sequential, a comics storefront app focused on literary graphic novels, has released a new version of the app with upgraded features in addition to offering three specially-enhanced titles from acclaimed U.K. comics publisher SelfMadeHero. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


After a Long Wait, FDA's Latest Anti-Smoking Campaign Arrives Next Week

The Food and Drug Administration is rolling out an ambitious anti-smoking campaign designed to dissuade young people from picking up the habit by appealing to their vanity.DraftFCB is handling creative for the campaign, a two-year, $115 million campaign with the tagline "The Real Cost."... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long wait #real cost #teen vogue #bus shelters


India’s Buoyant Book Market Attracts More Foreign Deals

India's effervescent literary culture have begun to attract more foreign writers looking to license books in search of a bigger audience and accolades. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #foreign deals #foreign writers #bigger audience


Times Co. Reports Digital Subscriber Increase, but Continued Ad Declines

The New York Times Company said it added digital subscribers and slowed its declines in print and digital advertising revenue during the fourth quarter of 2013, a year of transition for the newspaper publisher. For all of 2013, revenue from digital ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fourth quarter


Intersections: Data and Digital Advertising

As they now become digital publishers, newspaper organizations have a glut of audience insight into what both readers want and advertisers want to know. “Newspapers … are among the most trusted brands for providing valuable a ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital advertising #digital publishers #trusted brands


LBF Sets Digital Conference Lineup

The sixth edition of the conference will take place April 7, just before the opening of the London Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sixth edition


Cengage Reaches Restructuring Deal

Cengage Learning, Inc. announced Monday morning that it has reached an agreement with its major financial stakeholders and creditors that will allow it to emerge from Chapter 11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cengage learning


Fancy Our New Digs? Hachette, HarperCollins Go Lux in London

Hachette and Harper Collins in the UK are moving into impressive new buildings in London, projecting an aura of confidence and seriousness about their futures. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harper collins


Bolstered by Digital, Meredith Stabilizes

Judging by its 2014 fiscal first half earnings report, Meredith's National Media Group is stabilizing as it continues to diversify its revenue streams and adapt to a changing marketplace. The publisher of brands like Better Homes & Gardens and Parents saw revenue increase slightly to $517... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #revenue streams #changing marketplace #homes gardens


Scribd launches Kindle Fire app

Book subscription service Scribd has launched a new app for the Kindle Fire. The app, which can... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle fire


The Sun links up with O2 to offer Premier League clips with 4G deals

Publisher's Sun+ digital offering gains massive boost as it joins packages available to mobile network's 23 million UK customersThe Sun has struck a deal with mobile operator O2 to offer its 4G customers content including Premier League football goal clips, a groundbreaking move that could... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #marketing campaigns #including tv #print ads #nationwide network


Scribd takes on Amazon, brings its subscription ebook service to Kindle Fire tablets

The whole point of owning an Amazon tablet is that you're eventually gonna buy stuff. Want movies? Amazon's got you covered. Music? Time to check out Amazon's MP3 store. And then, of course, there's books: Amazon expects you to buy lots and lots of ... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #scribd takes


Scribd Offers Kindle Fire App, iOS, Android Updates

The recently launched Scribd subscription ebook service is adding an app for the Kindle Fire tablet as well as providing updates to its iOS and Android apps. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #android apps