Something Is Rotten In The State Of E-Book Publishing

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 ]
News tagged with: #rich media #tablet screens #kit eaton #fast company

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Something Is Rotten In The State Of E-Book Publishing'


Publishing’s Leap of Faith

Ed Nawotka examines the publishing industry's changing relationship with data and how that might or might not impact the way publishers acquire and sell books. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry #sell books


Watch Videos from Thursday at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Watch our Frankfurt Book Fair video interviews with Peter Usborne (Usborne Books), Bob Campbell (Wiley), Jamie Byng (Canongate), Richard Nash (Small Demons), and other leading figures in the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #watch videos #leading figures #publishing industry


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: WME, HC Lead the Deal-Making in Active Show

If there a theme emerged from the deal-making at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, it was the dominance of HarperCollins as a buyer of big books, and of William Morris Endeavor as the seller of those books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big books


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Ferals Emerges as Hot Middle-Grade Property

One of the big children’s projects that has bubbled up at Frankfurt is a series called Ferals that was acquired jointly by HarperCollins Children’s Books U.S. and U.K. last week, and has already been optioned for film. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big children #acquired jointly #harpercollins children


AUDIO: 'People realise the value of books'

In the world of books, 10 October is Super Thursday - the day many publishing houses release what they hope will be their biggest sellers for the Christmas market. The BBC's Will Gompertz reports. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #biggest sellers #christmas market


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Pricing is the New Piracy

At this year’s fair, piracy has been a noticeably absent topic, replaced by a new, more pressing concern for publishers in the digital age: pricing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital age


Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'</em>s Comic Book Easter Eggs: Episode 3

Just like the Marvel movies, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. enjoys adding references to the more obscure details of the Marvel Universe as tiny presents for longtime readers of the comic books. And we enjoy breaking them down.     Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #marvel movies #obscure details #marvel universe #tiny presents #longtime readers #comic books #enjoy breaking


Can Digital and Print Peacefully Coexist in the World of Comic Books?

While digital distribution has roiled the newspaper, book publishing and music industries, a different story may be playing out in the world of comic books. Continue reading at Knowledge@Wharton

[ Knowledge@Wharton | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital distribution #comic books #book publishing


STM Publishing Meets “Tarzan Economics”

At the annual conference of the International STM Association just before the Frankfurt Book Fair, Jim Griffin advised publishers to get serious about exploiting the rights they own. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #annual conference


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Knopf Nabs Galassi's Debut Novel

Muse pulls from Galassi's own life and follows a book editor who, Knopf explained, "is caught in the middle of the decades-long rivalry between two publishing lions over the work of a beautiful, iconic female poet." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book editor


Bilton Twitter Book -- Co-Founder Jack Dorsey Almost Went to Facebook (And More!)

An excerpt from a forthcoming book on the birth of Twitter reveals surprising new details about the company's founders. Some not-so-pretty. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Self-Publishing Output Jumped 59% in 2012

A new analysis of ISBN data by Bowker found that the number of self-published books in 2012 rose 59% over 2011, growing to over 391,000 titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-published books


Videos from Frankfurt: CONTEC, Publishers Launch and More

The Publishing Perspectives team attended CONTEC Frankfurt and Publishers Launch at the Frankfurt Book Fair to find out what the crowds were buzzing about. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers launch


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Debut From Joshua Ferris’s Wife Draws Buzz, Along With Co-Authored Iraq War Novel

Two more books drawing buzz at the fair include a debut novel by Joshua Ferris's wife, and a co-authored book about friendship and the Iraq war. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #joshua ferris #iraq war


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: 'We Have to Get this Right,' Says Dohle

The CEO of the recently merged mega-publisher Markus Dohle addressed a range of subjects. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Where the World Plugs In

At an opening session at last year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, U.K. Publishers Association CEO Richard Mollet remarked that digital publishing was no longer in its infancy, but in the “voting and drinking stages of early adulthood.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #opening session #digital publishing


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Redmayne Talks New Storytelling Models and Competing With PRH

The CEO of HarperCollins U.K. talked about taking his new job and how he plans on taking HC into the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Brain Food: McDonald's to Push Kids' Books in Happy Meals

McDonald's just might become the country's largest children's book publisher for the month of November.The chain, which typically offers toys in its kids meals, will package four original children's books carrying a nutritional message Nov. 1 through Nov. 14 with its Happy Meals, the beginning... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #happy meals #largest children #book publisher #original children


Terézia Mora Wins the 2013 German Book Prize

On Monday evening, the jury of the German Book Prize announced Terézia Mora as the 2013 winner for her novel, Das Ungeheuer. Mora will receive at 25,000 euro prize. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #monday evening #das ungeheuer


Frankfurt 2013: CONTEC Opens 'Good Mood' Frankfurt Book Fair

The popular Tools of Change is no more, but in its place a more intimate digital conference--CONTEC--kicked off what Frankfurt v-p of conferences and entertainment &amp; media Holger Volland said was going to be “a good mood” Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |