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 ]

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Stevens‘ boarding school mysteries set for big screen

Robin Stevens’ children’s detective series Murder Most Unladylike has been optioned for television and film by independent production company Pilot Media. Pilot Media optioned the rights from Emily Hayward Whitlock, head of book to film at The Artists’ Partnership, who was acting on behalf of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Can Women Change the World? Book by Book

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crisp signs fantasy writer Hawke

Julie Crisp has signed up her first author as a literary agent following her departure from Pan Macmillan. Crisp will represent Sam Hawke, an Australian fantasy writer from Canberra, who has written a novel called Proof, described as “intelligent fantasy concentrating on issues of race, gender... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Coen and O'Halloran join Madeleine Milburn Ltd

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Are There No Literary Agents in the Middle East?

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little City Books to Open in Hoboken

An unlikely trio—a literary agent, a singer/songwriter, and an investment banker—are bringing the first general independent bookstore in over a decade to this New Jersey city. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iVerse Inks Digital Deal With DC, Adds DRM-Free and Rentals

iVerse has signed DC Comics to a digital distribution deal via its ComicsPlus app, and has announced other significant upgrades that make it a more attractive option for digital comics consumers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Morris joins Tonkinson at Pan Mac

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent Q&A: Claudia Wittman, Germany

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent Q&A: Madeleine Milburn, UK

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Steve Laube: Agent + Publisher

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent Q&A: Taryn Fagerness

Taryn Fagerness, a literary agent in Washington, talks about her recent success with author Matthew Dicks and how she's optimistic about the digital future of publishing. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent to Re-Publish Author's 2004 Novel

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Tries to Drive Wedge Between Hachette and Its Authors

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[ Advertising Age | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent Q&A: Sedef Ilgiç, Kalem Agency in Turkey

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Bill Adler, 84

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Helen Mackenzie Smith joins Bell Lomax Moreton

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lindsay Lohan reportedly at work on a book about her life

Lindsay Lohan now has a literary agent, according to TMZ. And where a literary agent with celebrity clients goes, book deals tend to follow.Lindsay Lohan now has a literary agent, according to TMZ. And where a literary agent with celebrity clients goes, book deals tend to follow. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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