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 ]
For a limited time, you can score a free copy of "Get Up to Speed with Online Marketing," by Jon Reed. Read it on your PC, your Kindle, or any device that can run a Kindle app. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Libraries are having to engage in new discussions with publishers and booksellers over electronic books, similar to those already settled in the printed-book world and with loans of CDs and DVDs, says Association of Public Library Managers chair Ian Littleworth. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The newspaper business’s reliance on the industrial machine of printing and distributing is often understated. It’s a delicate ecosystem that can have a real effect on publisher margins – as the fluctuation in newsprint ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US bookseller Barnes & Noble has confirmed that it will be bringing its Nook digital eBook readers and bookstore to the UK in the autumn. Initially the devices, which include Nook Simple Touch and the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, will only be available through the company’s online... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2012-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple called the DOJ's proposed settlement to the ebook price fixing case 'fundamentally unfair, unlawful, and unprecedented.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google has won the right to appeal the granting of class status to thousands of authors suing the search engine company over its ambitious plan to create the world's largest digital books library. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US digital publisher Open Road is publishing the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series as... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An ebook being offered on the Kindle store for 20p has broken the top-three monopoly of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online retailer Amazon announces it sells more ebooks than hardbacks and paperbacks combined. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Department of Justice has filed a motion with Judge Denise Cote asking her to approve the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A ebook literary festival expecting up to 20,000 visitors ends early after only 100 show up. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new study by the Book Industry Study Group says readers are choosing both print and ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tim Cooper, commercial director of Harlequin, has spoken out over the inclusion of one of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK indie Short Books has teamed up with Simon & Schuster US imprint, Atria Books, to ... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo is due to launch a country-wide roadshow to showcase its ebook offering to independent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Polarised views on low ebook prices have been raised this week, as Sony and Amazon continue to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arrow has acquired six novellas that follow on from Francine Pascal's adult novel, Sweet... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster’s Atria imprint has teamed up with British independent publisher Short Books to start a new imprint called Marble Arch Press. The imprint—the name refers to the famous London landmark near Hyde Park—will premiere in fall 2012, releasing (in the U.S. and Canada) roughly 12... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Headline has acquired contemporary erotic novel, Because You Are Mine by Beth Kery, and will... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown c.e.o. Ursula McKenzie was among those speaking out against low-priced ebooks at... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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