Penelope Lively's recent short ebook for Penguin drew criticism for its brevity – but readers should not be put off the genre as a whole"Overpriced", "ridiculous", I feel cheated". Amazon reviewers haven't been wholly positive about a digital short Penelope Lively has written for Penguin Specials. On the evidence of the story itself, it's not Lively's fault. Abroad is about a pair of art students who travel to 1950s Spain in search of picturesque peasants and are disappointed when they don't live up to expectations. It's funny and evocative of a time when rural Europe was still exotic.It also peters out after just 4,000 words, so I sympathise with anyone who felt ripped off by its £1.99 price tag. These days you can buy two whole novels for that. The sad fact is, publishers don't make any money if an ebook costs less than £1.99. Amazon does, because singles are the literary equivalent of a gateway drug.This was brought home to me on finishing Susan Hill's latest effort, Printer's Devil Court (99p), a haunting tale about pre-second world war medical students who experiment with resurrection. More substantial than Lively's, it's a great, old-fashioned ghost story, whose chilling impact was somewhat undermined by turning the final page to find Amazon ordering me to rate, review, tweet, Facebook and buy more books by Susan Hill. Was the ebook I'd enjoyed little more than a trailer?Singles are a clever marketing tool. But it would be a shame if readers short-changed by one... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
As publishers migrate beyond the first phase of the ebook revolution, the IDPF's Digital Book Conference on Wednesday will address ebooks on the web, tablets, phones and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite his early support for ebooks, Stephen King latest novel, Joyland will be published in print only, with no digital version anticipated. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arthur Attwell, founder of Paperight, explains why his company has leveraged the network of photocopy shops throughout South Africa to cater to hard-to-reach readers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King said his new novel, 'Joyland,' will be released in paper format only. 'Let people ... go to an actual bookstore,' said King. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In its sixth year, the Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest) is expanding beyond Gaza and taking a roadshow across all of historic Palestine. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a move to bump up physical book sales, Stephen King will not release an ebook version of his new novel, "Joyland," the Wall Street Journal reports.In a move to bump up physical book sales, Stephen King will not release an ebook version of his new novel, "Joyland," the Wall Street Journal reports. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The number of ebooks sold last year grew by 43 percent, but that's a fairly small increase compared to the triple-digit increases of past years. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There is no convincing technological reason preventing ebook interoperability between different... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers from across Europe have urged European Commission representatives to act over the use... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Concerned about Amazon.com's low pricing of ebooks, publishers had taken measures as early as 2009 such as "windowing," a practice of delaying ebook releases to benefit sales of hardcover editions, Apple said in a filing in an ebook price-fixing lawsuit.The U.S. Department of Justice in an... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Short Books has acquired a thriller written by Justin Huggler, former foreign correspondent for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Endeavour Press has rushed out an ebook on the topic of which players would make up Manchester... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese publishing houses, long frustrated by the sale of pirated books in the country, have... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recent reports from Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia indicate growth in indigenous ebook development and dealmaking across the region. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Start-up company ReDigi had planned to allow users to sell used ebooks but were told by a judge that doing so would be illegal. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bogota International Book Fair convenes nearly the entire Colombian publishing industry and focuses on bringing the region's books and authors to the public. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The German Book Office's May Book of the Month is Rudolf Herzog’s "A Short History of Nuclear Folly: Mad Scientists, Dithering Nazis, Lost Nukes, and Catastrophic Cover-Ups." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette, the last holdout among America's "big six" publishers, will make its full ebook catalog available to nonprofit public libraries and school libraries across the nation on May 8th. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you're still balking at the cost of download-to-own ebooks, and would rather stick to the tried-and-true library lending system, then this Hachette news is for you. Come next Wednesday, the entirety of Hachette's ebook catalog -- over 5,000 titles -- will be made available to nonprofit... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A price war earlier this month between two of China’s biggest online booksellers has... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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