“Stop Hitting Yourself!”

After months of wielding the stick, Amazon is trying the carrot—or at least pretending to—in its feud with Hachette over ebook pricing. Early this week, it sent a letter to “a few authors and agents” with a sugarcoated proposal to “take authors out of the middle” of the dispute. So long as negotiations continued, why not have both Amazon and Hachette forgo their revenue and profit from ebook sales, and give 100 percent of the proceeds to the authors until an agreement is reached? Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Predicting the Winners and Losers in Brazil’s Ebook War

Surprisingly, Apple leads Brazil's ebook sales, but by 2014 Amazon should dominate, with Kobo, Google, Saraiva and others behind. We explain why. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The War Between Publishers and Libraries Over Ebooks: An Overview

At the heart of the debate between publishers and libraries over ebook pricing and lending is a simple question: do libraries increase book sales or cannibalize them? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster consolidates

Simon & Schuster just got a little smaller. The publishing division of CBS Corp., known for Bob Woodward bestsellers, Glenn Beck polemics and Stephen King novels, announced Tuesday that it was consolidating its imprints into four publishing groups. Most significantly, the Free Press, a... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-books Offer Silver Lining for Australians

Australian book sales have plunged 10% in 2012, but ebook sales are finally taking off, writes Andrew Wilkins. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder Blog: Survey Shows Growing Strength of E-Books

The ebook format became the most popular one for adult fiction in 2011, surpassing hardcover books and paperbacks, according to an annual survey. Net revenue from ebook sales over all more than doubled from 2010. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers 'missing out' on school ebook sales

Publishers are "missing out" on ebook sales to schools because of the lack of a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Changing Online Mix

According to the newest figures from Bowker Market Research, online retailers accounted for 39% of all book sales in 2011, up from 30% in 2010. The increase gave the online channel, led by Amazon and BN.com, a commanding lead over bookstore chains as the largest outlet for sales. The chains,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yes, people still read: ebook sales by UK publishers grew 54 percent in 2011

All hail the ebook! Seriously, if it weren't for this marvelous literary development, try saying with a straight face that you wouldn't at least take pause before adding a new title to your collection. Numbers are in from The Publisher's Association -- a group of 120 companies across the trade... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weighing the Consequences

The government views its settlement with, and continuing litigation against, publishers and Apple over ebook pricing as a great victory for consumers. The overwhelming reaction in the book industry, however, is one of bewilderment, with many members believing that the government has no sense of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Australia pondering joining ebook lawsuit bandwagon

If Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillian, Penguin and Simon & Schuster thought they only had to contend with a federal ebook lawsuit in the US, they'd better think again. Australia's Competition and Consumer commission is inviting local businesses to raise formal concerns as it weighs... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple and four publishers seek EC deal; Penguin does not

Five of the companies under investigation in Europe over ebook pricing have made representations... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple, publishers face U.S. antitrust lawsuit over ebook pricing

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department on Wednesday sued  Apple Inc. and five major book publishers for allegedly colluding to fix ebook prices. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple, Major Publishers Sued Over E-Book Pricing

The Department of Justice is accusing the companies of colluding to raise ebook prices by using the 'agency' model of ebook pricing. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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U.S. files price-fixing lawsuit over eBook pricing

The U.S. filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc., Hachette SA, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster in New York district court, claiming collusion over eBook pricing. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple, two publishers resist ebook settlement

The Justice Department is nearing a settlement with publishers over allegations of ebook pricing, but finalizing the deal is proving problematic as Apple and two publishers are balking at the terms of the deal. Amazon will be permitted to once again discount ebooks to its customers as a result.... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2012-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book price probe 'approaching resolution'

The European and US investigation into ebook pricing may be approaching resolution, say US press... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Right pricing ebooks: Is the government actually discouraging competition?

Authors Guild President Scott Turow charges in an open letter about ebook pricing: “Our government may be on the verge of killing real competition in order to save the appearance of competition.” Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Catching the Digital Wave

In the early days of the digital revolution, most independent publishers were moving slower than the larger houses in getting on the ebook bandwagon. That period has clearly passed. With only a couple of exceptions, the publishers that made it onto this year’s edition of PW’s fast-growing small... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple, Amazon rivalry could grow

With iPad 3 rumored to be on the way—possibly boasting a sharper screen and talking personal assistant Siri—Apple CEO Tim Cook may drop the price of the iPad 2 so he can go after the cheaper tablet market now dominated by Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook. Analysts figure a $200 to... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Taking E-books To the Next Level

Despite technological petting zoos, QR codes on shelf-talkers linked to bookstores’ Web sites, and in-store displays of physical books with signage reminding readers that they can also buy e-editions, only a handful of independents are making more than about $100 or so on ebook sales a month. To... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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