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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We talk to David Fernández Payatos, CEO of Nubico, the Spanish ebook subscription service that is looking to acquire 30% of Spain's e-reading market. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pocklington - nicknamed Pock - is a small market town in the Yorkshire Wolds, about 13 miles (or 21 kms) from the city of York.Its population of 8,337 is served by a weekly newspaper, the Pocklington Post, which was chosen by its owner, Johnston Press, to pioneer the publishing of user generated... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In France, the manga bubble never burst—although it may be starting to deflate a bit. Last year French manga sales declined for the first time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple will continue to be watched by an antitrust monitor during its appeal of a court order creating the position, a court ruled.While a setback for Apple, which had asked for a stay of the appointment of an external compliance monitor in an ebooks price-fixing conspiracy case, the ruling by... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Open Road, the largest independent ebook publisher, has purchased E-Reads, which is the oldest. The deal, announced Monday, adds 1,200 titles to Open Road's catalog of more than 4,000 ebooks at a... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The PC business isn’t the only one Sony will abandon. The electronics giant is also closing the books on its North American ebook efforts.“Wait,” you’re probably saying after reading that sentence: “Sony was making an ebook effort in North America?”And you know, that’s pretty hurtful.Still, you... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With its eye firmly fixed on a return to profitability, Sony's been making extensive cuts to its business arms in recent days (bye bye, VAIO!). So it's no surprise the company would train that cost-cutting eye onto another underperforming unit -- its... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Inc. faces as much as $840 million in state and consumer antitrust claims related to electronic-book deals with publishers as it continues to oppose a court-ordered monitor in a related U.S.... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2014-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The survey was conducted by the site Good e-Reader among participants whom Good e-Reader estimated buy between 50 and 100 books a year. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK publishers are reporting strengthening international ebook sales across 2013, with good... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Romance author's fans succeed with social media drive to persuade Atria books into a paper version of free e-novella released late last yearAfter fans of the romance author Colleen Hoover bombarded her publisher with thousands of tweets and Facebook pleas, Atria has finally bowed to the pressure... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#follow suit
In an article for the Paris Review, “This Month’s Most Expensive E-Books," Dan Piepenbring wonders 'what's the limit one is willing to pay for a digital edition?" Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two Pulitzer Prize-winners and a Man Booker-shortlisted author are among the 16 people longlisted... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The whole point of owning an Amazon tablet is that you're eventually gonna buy stuff. Want movies? Amazon's got you covered. Music? Time to check out Amazon's MP3 store. And then, of course, there's books: Amazon expects you to buy lots and lots of ... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In this Exprima Talks episode, Corey Pressman talks to startup Beneath the Ink about their ebook enhancement technology, and to author Emma Boling about how she used it in her book, Mistress of France. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two of the writers shortlisted for last year's Costa Short Story Award have made the final... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Appell of Bookmate.ru, Russia's leading ebook subscription service discusses the company's ambitions to expand beyond Russia's borders and to beat piracy. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new collection of contemporary short stories by Man Booker Prize-winning Hilary Mantel –... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new story reading app will launch later this month with nine picture books from publisher... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Nazi dictator’s controversial manifesto is among the bestselling political books on Amazon and iTunes. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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