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 ]
News tagged with:
#share books
#social reading
#lets publishers
#launch titles
#reading experience
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 13/09/2011 - 09:05 Hodder & Stoughton will publish the first official book by Lady Gaga this November after signing a deal for a book of photographs by fashion photographer Terry Richardson. Editorial director Fenella Bates bought British and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#official book
#lady gaga
#pop star
#everyday life
Written By: Tom Tivnan Publication Date: Tue, 13/09/2011 - 16:30 A D Miller and Carol Birch's novels are the big winners of the Man Booker Prize shortlist so far, with sales across the six books surging 290% by volume on last week. The six books on the list shifted 18,496 copies for the week... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sales surge
#carol birch
#big winners
Amazon.com Inc. is talking with book publishers about launching a Netflix Inc.-like service for digital books, in which customers would pay an annual fee to access a library of content, according to people familiar with the matter. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book publishers
#digital books
#annual fee
#people familiar
Amazon's "Netflix for E-Books" lending program is still a rumor, and not popular with book publishers, but here are some ways it could work. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2011-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#lending program
#book publishers
Even as readers grow more comfortable with digital books, some continue to question why so many of the most popular new ebooks are priced so high. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital books
Three French publishers have dropped lawsuits against Google alleging that the company infringed their copyright. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2011-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#french publishers
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 09/09/2011 - 11:17 Virgin Books has acquired a title about US political firebrand Sarah Palin, written by Joe McGinniss. Publishing director Ed Faulkner bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Crown Publishers in the US to The Rogue, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#crown publishers
#personal life
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 08/09/2011 - 08:40 Vermilion has acquired a fitness book from the trainer who worked with Natalie Portman to make her body mimic a ballerina's for her Oscar-winning role in "Black Swan". Editor Louise Coe bought UK and Commonwealth rights,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#fitness book
#natalie portman
#black swan
#isabelle bleecker
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 06/09/2011 - 09:00 Book sales throughout the UK in August have remained "tough" according to the British Retail Consortium, as it reported general retail sales were down by 0.6% compared to last year on a like-for-like basis. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#6% compared
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 05/09/2011 - 11:19 Fig Tree publishing director Juliet Annan has bought world rights in a new book by playwright and novelist Nell Leyshon. The deal was done at auction through Anna Webber at United Agents. The Colour of Milk is told in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#anna webber
#united agents
#high price
#fig tree
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 05/09/2011 - 08:00 The London Evening Standard will launch Calling London, a book about its recent Dispossessed campaign, on 7th September. The book, by chief features writer David Cohen, will tell how a conversation between Cohen and Evening... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book tells
#evening standard
#7th september
Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Mon, 05/09/2011 - 14:05 Spending on printed books slumped 4% in August, with sales plummeting to a seven-year low for the month, according to Nielsen BookScan data. A total of £107.5m spent on physical books at UK booksellers in the four weeks to 27th... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#27th august
#physical books
#uk booksellers
#6m year-on-year
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 01/09/2011 - 08:51 Readers will be able to download the ebook of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for free with the limited edition model of the new Sony Reader. Further details have emerged about the Reader, which is set to go on sale in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sony reader
#harry potter
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 01/09/2011 - 14:45 Hodder Children's Books has bought two teen titles from journalist and presenter Dawn Porter. Publisher Emily Thomas did the deal directly with Porter for a "sizeable" sum. The books are described as "epic stories of an... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#dawn porter
#hodder children
#teen titles
#deal directly
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 02/09/2011 - 07:55 The Galaxy National Book Awards ceremony will not be broadcast in full this year, instead being showcased in a six-part series on More4, with submissions for the awards closing on 16th September. The six-part series,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#six-part series
#16th september
#12th november
As ebooks become popular, there are increasing opportunities to share and personalize the digital reading experience. That's where the upcoming Readmill iPad app and social network come in. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 31/08/2011 - 08:15 W H Smith has announced it is embarking on a share buyback scheme worth £50m for the next financial year. It did not disclose reasons for the initiative but it is a similar scheme to one it ran in the 2011 financial year, when... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#financial year
#similar scheme
Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Wed, 31/08/2011 - 08:05 Penguin is aiming to bring traditional family storytelling into the digital arena with a new picture book reader app, Me Books, which enables parents and carers to personalise stories by selecting parts they want to record... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ipod touch
Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Wed, 31/08/2011 - 14:45 The Edinburgh International Book Festival, Scottish indie Cargo and US publisher McSweeney's are to team up on a four-volume collection of stories from authors including Roddy Doyle and Ali Smith. Fifty authors are to take part... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ali smith
#alan warner
#jackie kay
#michel faber
At no time in its history has the opportunity and danger been greater for Books-A-Million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |