The publishing industry has a problem. The old guard haven't innovated. And neither their business models nor their products embrace the digital books revolution. Take the ongoing and complicated spat between Apple and the Justice Department over the agency pricing model and alleged collusion which ended up with consumers being forced to spend more than they needed to. The battle may expand internationally, in fact. Apple tried to expand its 30% revenue share model, which has done very well in the billion-dollar app economy, into books. It also pushed publishers to agree to a very different way of selling their products: Instead of buying books traditionally, at a pre-agreed wholesale price and then pricing them as Apple saw fit in the iBookstore, it would let the publishers set their own price and extract its usual fixed share of the income ... as long as the publishers wouldn't sell ebooks elsewhere.It was a bold move, and one that could and did shake up the industry a bit. Amazon, the publishers contend, had established a monopoly on ebooks, and was selling their wares at overly discounted prices. With Apple's model they could choose to price ebooks lower than physical books cost (appeasing consumers who expect to pay less for a non-physical product), and yet extract more money due to the cost-savings of e-publishing.The DOJ disagreed, and says Apple's deal meant consumers ended up spending much more than they needed to, hence its action against Apple and a laundry... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2012-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Closures were up 42% over the previous year, according to the Guardian. The companies that folded included the 26-year-old healthcare publisher Panos London and Evans Brothers.Ninety-eight British publishers closed their doors in the year ending August 2013. The cause? E-books and online discounts. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The prize fund for the Wellcome Book Prize has been increased to £30,000. This marks a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As USA Today celebrates the 20th anniversary of its bestseller list, the organization says romance novels, children's books, and inspirational books defined the last two decades of reading. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"I was just sitting with my dog in the sun daydreaming and the book came along, the rabbit fur cover, the feeling of the thing, its weight," Iranian–New Zealander artist Nabil Sabio Azadi tells Co.Design of For You the Traveller, the world's furriest travel book, available this week for the... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waiting another month for that new inspirational Gloria Gaynor book? You'll survive, most likely -- but just in case, Amazon's debuting a new program called Kindle First. Customers can get early access to new titles for $1.99 - or for free, if they're a member of the exclusive club that is... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When it comes to reading, I use a Kindle PaperWhite. I hate paper books with a passion -- they take up space and are obsolete. The Kindle is wonderful because it allows me to easily bookmark pages, look up definitions, and scan the book for certain words with the x-ray feature. An Amazon Prime... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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McDonalds is giving away 20m copies of four original children's books about nutrition, while a similar giveaway in the 1970s focused on classics—reflecting a change in cultural priorities. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Like the rest of the publishing world, associations went through a traumatic period in 2009. Five years later, the industry is trending upward in the midst of a recovery. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Joseph has signed a five book fantasy series from crime author James Oswald. Writing as... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Denis Wilson It's not uncommon for sister publications within a publishing company to partner on issues or share content. For its October issue, Wired collaborated with fellow Condé Nast title bon appétit on... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Alyssa DelPrete Publishing Executive and Book Business magazines congratulate the winners of the 2013 Publishing Innovator of the Year Award, which recognizes companies that have demonstrated significant... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mashing up the places, characters and events of various works into one shared universe isn't exactly a new idea. Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton universe imagines that most of the great fictionalized characters of the last few hundred years – including Tarzan, Doc Savage, Dracula, James Bond,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For the UK celebration, fewer books will be given to volunteers to distribute, but they will be freer give away other titles instead. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Immediacy and accessibility are vital for today’s publisher. And now, multiplatform publishing is no longer a luxury just for consumer brands with flexible liquidity. In fact, there are several non-profit association publishers investing in new product suites that include responsive design... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The stage is set for the who's who of China's children's publishing industry and those interested in reaching the country's 230 million children under 16 years old. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books in Browsers showcased several, new big ideas for digital publishing, including 'Network Tense,' 'Collaborative Architecture,' 'Book Hacks' and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Scottish Book Trust has launched a search for the favourite Scottish book of the past 50... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A graphic novel about a man's beard is up against works by Booker winner Julian Barnes and best-selling author Kate Atkinson for the Waterstones Book of the Year prize. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oyster and Scribd let you read an unlimited number of books for a monthly fee, but is there enough content to make it worth it? Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Titan Books has signed a novel from Russian journalist Sergey Kuznetsov, described as Russia'... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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