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'


HarperCollins Children's Books acquires four

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 14/02/2011 - 17:21 HarperCollins Childrens Books publishing director Helen Mackenzie Smith has bought her first books since joining the publisher from Random House earlier this year. She bought four books by picture author and illustrator Rachel... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books acquires #harpercollins children #world rights #literary agency


Barbara Cartland is latest author to be wooed by digital

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 11/02/2011 - 07:59 The estate of the romance writer Barbara Cartland has fallen to the embrace of digital, in a move that sees her print publisher suffering a painful rejection. About a quarter of Cartland's extensive ouevre is to be published... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barbara cartland #latest author #published digitally #ebook format


Time Inc. Launching 'All Access' Digital Subscription Plan

At a press conference this morning, Time Inc. announced it is launching an "all access" digital subscription plan in an effort to offer their brands to readers on any platform. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #press conference


Digital and Kobo help push sales at Indigo

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 09/02/2011 - 07:00 Profits at Indigo Books & Music have dropped by $4.4m year-on-year in its fourth quarter. The Canadian book retailer reported profits of C$30.1m in the fourth quarter ending 1st January, down from C$34.5m in the same... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #push sales #4m year-on-year #fourth quarter


Literacy still crucial in digital age, says Mollet

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 09/02/2011 - 07:28 PA chief executive Richard Mollet has stressed the "political . . and social imperative to promote literacy", calling on delegates at the PA's second annual digital seminar to "do all we can to promote people and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital age #promote literacy #keynote speech #publishers association


Hearst walks away from BBC Magazines deal

Hearst Corporation, parent to the National Magazine Company, has confirmed for the first time it is no longer in talks to buy BBC Magazines following its Lagardère move. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hearst corporation


HarperCollins buys Paul Merson memoir

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 04/02/2011 - 08:57 HarperSport has bought a book by former Arsenal footballer Paul Merson. The publisher bought world rights directly from the author to How Not to be a Professional Footballer. The title will be published on 31st March. Merson... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #31st march #drug addiction


iPad is a devil's deal for publishers

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Apple's approach to magazine and newspaper subscriptions and third-party ebook sales stink of the kind of practices that got Microsoft into trouble with trustbusters on two continents during the late 1990s and early 2000s. A year ago, publishers embraced iPad as the... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bad business #barnes noble #fight back #windows pcs #copyright betanews


PA opposes review of Digital Economy Act

Written By: Charlotte Williams The Publishers Association [PA] has attacked the culture secretary's decision to allow communications watchdog Ofcom to "delay" the Digital Economy Act. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced yesterday [1st February] that Ofcom is to assess whether the Act's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #charlotte williams #culture secretary #copyright infringement


It's a Digital Book World

There was no shortage of debates and discussions at last week's second annual Digital Book World, where about 1,300 members of the trade publishing industry turned out in New York to explore ways to navigate the digital transition. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital transition


Hearst To Buy Lagardere Magazine, Digital Units for $889 Million

Hearst Corp. announced today that it has made an offer of 651 million euros (or about $889 million) for Lagardere's international press and magazine business, including 102 titles in 15 countries, and 50 related Web sites. The deal includes publishing rights to Elle in 15 countries as well as 10... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hearst corp #digital units #announced today #magazine business


Man Booker to accept digital submissions for first time

Written By: Katie Allen E-books are to be accepted for entry for the Man Booker prize for the first time in 2011 as a number of changes are made to the rules. Publishers are being asked to submit a digital version of their submissions as judges are to be supplied with e-readers for the first... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #man booker #digital version


eBookFling Brings Digital Libraries to Kindle, Nook

Borrowers can create a wish list queue of books they would like to read and lenders earn 1 credit for every 5 books they list on the site as available for borrowing. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Barnes & Noble Digital Newsstand Passes 650,000 Periodical Downloads

While publishers and Apple haggle over the pending launch of a digital newsstand, Barnes & Noble took the opportunity to remind everyone that it not only has a functional newsstand, but it's chugging right along. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital newsstand #barnes noble


Paste Returns? Music Mag Acquired, Set to Relaunch as Digital Edition

The assets of music magazine Paste—which folded in print last fall but kept Pastemagazine.com alive—have been sold to Wolfgang's Vault, owner of a variety of music sites including Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital edition


Digital Soars, Print Improves For Meredith in Second Quarter

Total revenue jumped 9 percent to $367 million for Meredith Corp in the second quarter of fiscal 2011, driven by strong advertising growth and integrated marketing services. Total advertising revenue for the first six months of fiscal 2011 jumped 11 percent to $420 million (with total revenue of... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #meredith corp #$420 million #total revenue #large part