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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Author Neil Gaiman is revealed as the final short story author of the Doctor Who stories. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Closures were up 42% over the previous year, according to the Guardian. The companies that folded included the 26-year-old healthcare publisher Panos London and Evans Brothers.Ninety-eight British publishers closed their doors in the year ending August 2013. The cause? E-books and online discounts. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Most startups will never see anything close to the amount of money Twitter plans on raising during its IPO this week (a reported $1.6 billion) and in fact, three out of four tech businesses fail. Entrepreneurs in training looking to create a successful company, then, might want to know what... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Confusing licensing rules, walled gardens, limited bundling, subscriptions, and library borrowing, buggy platforms. Why do we put up with this ebook nonsense? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has begun selling ebooks direct to consumers through new brand-specific websites,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Earlier this month, Simon & Schuster and Yilin Press announced a new distribution and publishing agreement that will expand the availability of electronic editions for works in Mandarin for readers worldwide. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Enthrill's Kevin Franco discusses his company's distribution platform to make ebooks salable in brick-and-mortar stores through ebook gift cards and author cards. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An exhibition on New York's graffiti traces the history of the art form in the city, a Parisian museum shows how immigrants helped shape comic books worldwide - and other stories from the world of arts. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The harmonisation of VAT across print and digital books could move a step closer this week with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By nixing DRM and selling in the MOBI format, Poland’s ebook players are making strides forward, but the market is still fragmented. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A federal judge has appointed a former U.S. prosecutor as the monitor who ensures that Apple Inc. complies with a ruling from the ebook antitrust case the company lost this year. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Students are the worst when it comes to ebook piracy, says an online data monitoring company. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oyster's unlimited ebook service has been more of an exclusive club so far; you've had to read on an iPhone, and request an invitation just to get in. Both of those barriers are disappearing today. The company has just launched an iPad app that offers a more comfortable reading experience, with... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After launching last month for the iPhone, Oyster, a Netflix-like app for reading ebooks, is available for the iPad. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 2013 National Book Award finalists were announced on Wednesday, and for the first time, the National Book Foundation has offered a free ebook series with samples of the finalists' work.The 2013 National Book Award finalists were announced on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Wednesday, and for the first... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Researchers from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) spoke with online editors and community managers at 104 news organizations from 63 countries to help assemble a report written by Emma Goodman about what works and wh ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo has said pornographic ebook material appeared alongside children’s literature on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Profile is to republish a short story by Alice Munro, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon removes abuse-themed ebooks from its Kindle Store after a report highlights titles depicting rape, incest and bestiality. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The first Canadian winner, Alice Munro has published nothing but short stories in a 50-year career. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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