The idea of "social reading" has been around for years, but there's a cluster of new companies trying to make it actually work. Two of these startups, Subtext and Findings, launched Oct. 25. Another, Readmill, built around sharing clips/excerpts, is currently being tested. Subtext, for example, lets publishers and readers annotate ebooks. One of its launch titles was the blockbuster A Game of Thrones, annotated by the author's editor and researcher. Co-founder Rachel Thomas says that in some ways she's just trying to mirror the discussions that readers are already having among themselves. But, she admits, there also are times when you just want to "drop into the book" without being distracted by social commentary. That's why her team has tried to build "fine-grained" controls to determine whose comments you see when. This isn't just about adding a few features to the reading experience. In a recent blog post for the Nieman Journalism Lab, Megan Garber argues that books' immersive, intimate qualities make them "pretty lousy as actual sharers of ideas." With technology, she says, that's beginning to change. Continue reading at 'AdWeek'
[ AdWeek | 2011-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The National Book Awards are getting a rewrite.New rules announced Tuesday include a "long list" of 10 nominees to be offered for each of the four competitive categories before being narrowed to the traditional five finalists. And the pool of judges will be expanded beyond writers to include... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The late journalist Anthony Shadid, Los Angeles writer Reyna Grande and the novelist Zadie Smith were among the finalists announced Monday for the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Awards. The late journalist Anthony Shadid, Los Angeles writer Reyna Grande and the novelist Zadie Smith... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Add to the growing list of prize shortlists the latest from the NBCC, which includes just a single translation: Lauren Binet's HHhH, translated by Sam Taylor. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Audiobooks.com launched a year ago, the service’s distinguishing factor was that it provided unlimited audiobook listening for a flat $25 monthly fee. On Monday, the company changed course and switched to a two-tier pricing model for a specific number of books. Audiobooks.com now charges... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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School libraries will be celebrating National Libraries Day with a Guinness World Record attempt... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Brown, bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, is to release a new book in May called Inferno. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Union Books has acquired a "strikingly original" non-fiction debut, The Will to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade magazines Publishers Weekly and The Bookseller have put out new lists analyzing the bestselling books of 2012. No surprise, but E.L. James dominated. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Local and national booksellers discuss some of the books they're most anticipating in 2013.Looking ahead to books in 2013 is a little like predicting the Los Angeles weather: sunny, pleasant, better than average. The fiction fields are fertile, the nonfiction skies clear and the young adult... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The fast food restaurant chain is aiming to distribute 15 million books by the end of 2014. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walker Books and Scholastic have picked up two nominations each in the shortlists for the 2013... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Still have an old Kindle Touch sitting around? You have some new features to play with. Despite replacing it with a brighter son, Amazon is still updating its original touch sensitive e-reader -- outfitting it with a new UI, enhanced parental controls and Whispersync for Voice, which shares... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Captain Hook becomes a Nazi and Peter Pan is a freedom fighter in the series 'Peter Panzerfaust.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Aptly titled new Tumblr "Lousy Book Covers" collects the delightfully dubious achievements in jacket design. The book Spending Christmas With a Yeti is already at a marketplace disadvantage, what with that title, but then there’s the book cover. Oh boy, where to start. The real-life... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Nielsen BookScan survey reveals that in 2012 unit sales of paper books dropped more than 9 percent, more or less the same amount that they declined in 2011 and 2010. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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McDonald's has launched a two-year children’s books campaign, committing to "hand... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reader's Digest UK will no longer produce or sell books, following a restructuring of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What is the future of the comic book format? Will it go all digital? Continue its slow decline? Disappear? Or is due for a nostalgic revival like so much else? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Religion and spirituality publisher Darton Longman and Todd is publishing an "immediate... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This month's starred BlueInk reviews offers a look at some of the best literature the self-publishing community has to offer. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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