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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A New York judge has given the go-ahead for a group to collectively sue Apple for damages over its collusion with publishers to fix the price of electronic books.Denise Cote, a judge at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, wrote in her approval of class status that... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Commenting on the merger of Random House and Penguin, Thomas Rabe, CEO of RH parent company Bertelsmann, wrote in the company’s annual report that the “formation of Penguin Random House is the best possible path to new growth in the book industry—and to new growth for Bertelsmann.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Gifts' consists of 18 short stories by young residents of Afghanistan who write about their lives – filled with tradition and warfare, on top of all the more ordinary things that young people everywhere hope and wish for. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Super Furry Animals second film will be accompanied by an album, a book and an appMusician Gruff Rhys latest project saw him following in the footsteps of 18th-century explorer John Evans, who spent 1792 hunting for a fabled Welsh-speaking Native American tribe.The American Interior project has... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Thompson says New York Times journalism will remain impartial and won't be swayed by commercial considerationsMark Thompson, the chief executive of the New York Times, has hit out at rival Bloomberg for saying it shouldn't have published investigative news stories criticising China, because... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Customers of Amazon.com Inc. found credits in their inboxes Tuesday from the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit over ebook prices. Amazon, in a Customer FAQ posting on its website, said the credits are partial refunds and will be applied automatically to the accounts of those eligible: people... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Remember that antitrust suit concerning publishers, ebooks and price rigging? The good news, at least if you bought one of the affected titles between April 2010 and May 2012, is that Amazon is sending some money your way. If the book you purchased... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the six months since its debut, the $14 million Oyster ebook subscription platform has yet to take off. What's lacking? What could be improved? We advise. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you bought a lot of bestsellers, you could see a hefty credit on your Amazon account on Tuesday. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New York's attorney general says buyers of electronic books will get account credits this week from five publishers from settlements reached after 33 states sued in federal court alleging they... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2014-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK government is bringing in new laws that will mean some downloads become subject to UK tax rates. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Merger with Santillana will force the Brazilian operation to choose whether to stay or leave the powerful DLD digital distribution platform. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A newspaper that allowed its local police force to publish an article directly on to its website should be wary of celebrating the initiative.Torbay police posted a "story" on the site of the Torquay Herald Express, headlined "Who is this man?" over a picture of the said gentleman in a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, has made the prediction that self-published books will account for 50% of ebook sales by 2020. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frederator Books, the year-old children’s ebook publishing program founded by cartoon veteran Fred Seibert, is getting a boost in the arm, or at least a shot of caffeine: Letters From Catbug,... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Our digital magazine for March focuses on ebook businesses and initiatives around the world, from sales to format, enhanced content to devices. Download your copy here. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rolling Stone Keith Richards is to publish a picture book with illustrations by his daughter.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gollancz is to drop the price of ebooks of six of its 2014 debut novels to £1.99 over... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The author's "Tenth of December" was fittingly the tenth winner of the short fiction award, which came with a $20,000 prize. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A decade after beginning his successful Cherub series, best-selling children's author, Robert Muchamore, publishes his new book, Rock War. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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