Peter James's Host, published on two disks, was an early example – but exactly where the medium started life is surprisingly tricky to identifyWhat was the first ebook? Debate rages … When Peter James published his thriller Host on two floppy disks, in 1993, it was billed as the "world's first electronic novel", and attacked as a harbinger of the apocalypse which would destroy literature as we knew it. Now it has been accepted into the Science Museum's collection as one of the earliest examples of the form, as the spotlight of academia begins to shine on the history of digital publishing."I got absolutely pilloried," says James. "I was on Today accused of killing the novel, I was a front-page headline on papers in Italy – 99% of the press was negative … one journalist even took his computer on a wheelbarrow to the beach, along with a generator, to read Host in his deckchair."The digital version of the novel (it was also published physically) went on to sell 12,000 copies, according to James, and two years later, he was speaking on a panel on the future of the novel at the University of Southern California, together with Apple founder Steve Jobs. "I said ebooks would catch on when they became more convenient to read than the printed novel," said James. "It was astonishing the amount of outrage it caused."And Host – about a scientist who downloads his brain into a computer and has his body frozen – has now become a historical artefact, accepted into the Science Museum's... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Russian ebook market more than doubled in 2012, to 250 million rubles (USD $8 million), but remains just 1% of market. Some 95% of ebooks downloaded are pirate editions. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK and Germany were the top overseas markets for US print books in 2012, while Europe led the UK in consumption of US ebooks, according to the AAP. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Preliminary results from a new survey say that Japan's ebook market is valued at 72.9 billion yen ($740 million), a 15.9% jump over 2011. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department’s ebook price fixing trial – alleging that Apple conspired to raise ebook prices – is scheduled to end this week. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Veronica Roth will release four short stories written from the point of view of 'Divergent' hero Four. The first will be released a month before the last book in the trilogy comes out. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Libros, one Colombia's few digital publishers, is using the tarjeta e-libro, or ebook cards, to reach readers accustomed to only buying print books. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Apple/ DoJ ebook price fixing trial will enter its final sessions later today (20th June),... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nearly half the titles read by children in a national reading competition were consumed online, according to the charity Booktrust. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magzter, an online store front for digital magazines, is to launch an ebook store with a planned... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Joshua Tallent, well-known ebook expert and founder of Ebook Architects, shares his views on current issues in digital publishing and ebook development. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The OED bent the rules slightly by adding 'tweet' in under 10 years – a nod to the word's rapid and widespread rise into everyday usage. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Passing on your favorite books to your heirs has sentimental value. But how will that work if your library is digital? Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Society of Authors has ignited a public row with publishers over ebook lending terms, after... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Government lawyers allege the agreements Apple signed in 2010 with five publishers amounted to a conspiracy to get consumers to pay more for electronic books.NEW YORK — Eddy Cue, the Apple Inc. executive in charge of negotiating the company's controversial ebook deals, defended how the tech... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new survey in Japan shows that Amazon's Kindle is leading the market for ebook sales, with Apple (launched in March) second, followed by Kinokuniya's Kinoppy, Sony's Reader Store and Kobo. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple director Keith Moerer said in court on Tuesday that the company holds about 20 percent of the US ebook market, double the size commonly assumed. The revelation came after the Department of Justice tried to bolster its price fixing case against the company by asserting that "Apple forgot to... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Few people understand the magic of libraries better than Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, but all is not well when it comes to digital lending. As the soon-to-be president of the Society of Authors, Pullman is leading the charge against publishing houses that may be shortchanging... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Macmillan CEO John Sargent, who testified this week at a trial over alleged price-fixing of ebooks, was no one's idea of a friendly witness. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2013-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Society of Authors has warned that authors may be losing out twice over on ebook loans, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling novel The Time Traveller's Wife is to be made available as an ebook for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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