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 ]
News tagged with: #streaming model #hunger games #ebook licensing #barnes noble

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World Young Reader Prizes Opens For Entries

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marvel Offers Digital Extras for Comic Book Fans

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[ PC World | 2012-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'The Idea Factory' by Jon Gertner

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin buffs brand to retain readers

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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OUP grows picture book list

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Schnittman leaves Bloomsbury for Hachette Book Group

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Bonnier imprint to publish scented books

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BA calls for nominations for IBW Book Award

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Stranger Than Fiction: Oprah Was Bad for Book Sales

By encouraging readers to tackle longer, more sophisticated novels, the queen of daytime TV may have hurt overall fiction sales. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair: Row over China

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Works revamps book range

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