Streaming of books threatens to sell readers down the river

Scholastic is the latest publisher to phase out downloading, meaning ebooks already purchased might become unreadableScholastic, the publisher of such children's book juggernauts as The Hunger Games and the Harry Potter series, announced recently that its Storia ebook shop would shortly be "transitioning" to a streaming model. What this means for its readers is that books they have already purchased might become unreadable. According to Scholastic's website: "The switch to streaming means that ebooks you've previously purchased may soon no longer be accessible." In one of those brilliant physical/digital metaphors that seem to sum up all of the confusion of virtual cultural objects, the site also says: "You may be able to continue using your ebooks by making sure to open them on a bookshelf at least once by 15 October."Unlike some previous depressing episodes in ebook licensing that also hit UK readers, such as Barnes & Noble's shutting-down of its ebook store Fictionwise in 2012, or Samsung's abrupt closure this year of Readers Hub, when many lost not only their books but also their notes and highlights, Scholastic is offering a year to claim refunds on lost books. Given the continued prevalence of digital rights management (DRM) software, intended to prevent digital piracy, this story is likely to continue for a while. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Buys Out Pearson's Nook Stake

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YA fiction treads carefully in the Arab world

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[ The Guardian | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'A Book Is a Gift Like No Other,' Says Barnes & Noble (Watch the Newest Ads on TV)

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[ Advertising Age | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Starts Holiday Bundling Program

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What's the best passage in literature?

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Hunger Games to be London theatre show

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1' trailer shows a lot of action

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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3M Library, B&N Offer Nook Lending Program

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble Treads Water

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Testing Espresso Book Machines

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook review: good for reading, but hardly the best budget tablet

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[ Engadget | 2014-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N unveils Samsung/Nook co-branded tablet

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Streaming of books threatens to sell readers down the river

Scholastic is the latest publisher to phase out downloading, meaning ebooks already purchased might become unreadableScholastic, the publisher of such children's book juggernauts as The Hunger Games and the Harry Potter series, announced recently that its Storia ebook shop would shortly be... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Engadget | 2014-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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