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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Concerned about Amazon.com's low pricing of ebooks, publishers had taken measures as early as 2009 such as "windowing," a practice of delaying ebook releases to benefit sales of hardcover editions, Apple said in a filing in an ebook price-fixing lawsuit.The U.S. Department of Justice in an... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese publishing houses, long frustrated by the sale of pirated books in the country, have... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Endeavour Press has rushed out an ebook on the topic of which players would make up Manchester... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recent reports from Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia indicate growth in indigenous ebook development and dealmaking across the region. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Start-up company ReDigi had planned to allow users to sell used ebooks but were told by a judge that doing so would be illegal. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette, the last holdout among America's "big six" publishers, will make its full ebook catalog available to nonprofit public libraries and school libraries across the nation on May 8th. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you're still balking at the cost of download-to-own ebooks, and would rather stick to the tried-and-true library lending system, then this Hachette news is for you. Come next Wednesday, the entirety of Hachette's ebook catalog -- over 5,000 titles -- will be made available to nonprofit... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has bought UK and Commonwealth rights in the autobiography of actor and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A price war earlier this month between two of China’s biggest online booksellers has... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times is one of the initial major publishers to unveil a Google Glass app, which will allow the currently scant number of users of the wearable device to access stories on the go. The app's audio component reads headlines and story summaries aloud and provides breaking news alerts. ... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Association of Online Publishers has launched a new initiative with 16 leading media owners, to demonstrate the value of premium mobile advertising, with a view to standardising formats. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2013-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2012, Brazil became the latest battleground for the big international ebooksellers. Ebook sales have since skyrocketed, with Apple in the early lead ahead of Amazon. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night gives away 500,000 print books. Wouldn't it make good sense to extend the promotion by offering free ebooks as well? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last week two of China's leading ebookstores Dangdang.com began offering nearly all of their ebooks for free, a move criticized by authors and publishers alike. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Visitors to London's Science Museum will be offered a free ebook from author Tony White, to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has acquired the rights to a memoir by Alexander Hanscombe, the son of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's well off the triple year-over-year growth that ebooks saw a few years ago, but the latest report from the Association of American Publishers shows that ebooks did inch up even further in 2012 to account for a sizeable chunk of overall book sales. According to its figures, ebooks now... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House has appointed ePubDirect to manage distribution of ebook assets and provide retail support for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"The Office" writer B.J. Novak signed a two-book deal with Knopf. The first title will be a collection of stories based on some of his previous performances. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publisher And Other Stories has teamed up with Consortium Distribution to launch a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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