Kobo is partnering with Brazilian bookstore chain Livraria Cultura to sell e-readers and ebooks. Ebook sales makes up less than 1 percent of book sales in Brazil but are expected to grow fast. Kindle also plans to launch in Brazil this year. Read more at paidContent »
A new report from the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, shows that the number of jobs created by startups has fallen sharply since 2010. Small businesses are hiring again, so what is the particular problem with startups — and why are they suffering even in a recovery? Read more »
In a letter to literary agents, Amazon Publishing VP Jeff Belle shares sales numbers for some of the company’s titles and says that authors who previously worked with other publishers — like Barry Eisler — are doing better under Amazon. Read more at paidContent »
Starting in October, libraries will pay an average of 220 percent more for Hachette’s ebooks. Hachette still does not make new ebooks available to most libraries; all the books affected were published before April 2010. Random House increased prices for librairies earlier this year. Read more at paidContent »
In celebration of what would have been Roald Dahl’s 96th birthday, eight of his children’s books, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach,” are available as ebooks in the U.S. for the first time. (Still no digital “Matilda” or “BFG,” though.) Read more at paidContent »
On Demand Books, makers of the print-on-demand Espresso Book Machine, is expanding its footprint substantially in a partnership with Kodak that will integrate the Espresso technology with Kodak Picture Kiosks in stores such as CVS and other retail outlets. Read more at paidContent »
At an event in the UK on Tuesday, Waterstones CEO James Daunt shared a few more details on how the bookstore’s partnership with Amazon will work, but admitted that working with “a major competitor” is not easy. Read more at paidContent »
Apple didn’t want to compete with Amazon on ebook prices. But it is already showing that it is more than willing to do so. And if customers are drawn to Apple’s new low prices on ebooks, it’s possible to envision the company’s ebook market share rising. Read more at paidContent »
Just a few days after the approval of the DOJ’s ebook settlement, HarperCollins has entered into new contracts with ebook retailers, and they’re already discounting its titles. What kinds of deals will you get? Read more at paidContent »
Just a few days after a federal judge approved the Department of Justice’s settlement with HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster, Amazon and other digital bookstores have begun discounting HarperCollins ebooks, revealing that the publisher quickly entered new contracts. Read more at paidContent »
Last week, a federal judge approved the DOJ’s proposed settlement with Simon & Schuster, Hachette and HarperCollins for allegedly conspiring with Apple to set ebook prices. What does the settlement mean for ebook prices now? Read more at paidContent »
With the releases of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Glo today, we saw an evolution in e-readers. The devices don’t have more tablet-like features, but they should still provide much better reading experiences than older models. Read more »
Serialized ebooks aren’t a new idea, but Amazon’s Kindle Serials combine a pay-once buying process and automatic downloads that could help the initiative succeed where similar efforts haven’t. Read more at paidContent »
We’re here in Los Angeles for Amazon’s press conference. The company is expected to announce a new Kindle Fire and Kindle e-reader today, and we’ll have all the details for you live from Santa Monica. Read more »
UK thriller author Stephen Leather’s admission that he created fake accounts to review his own books has led to a storm of controversy over bad author behavior and “sock puppet” reviews. Here’s what’s happened so far and how bad author behavior might be fixed. Read more at paidContent »
Though most eyes are on Amazon’s Thursday press conference, Kobo is angling for early attention with its announcement of two new e-readers and a new 7-inch Android tablet called the Arc. How do the devices stack up to the competition? Read more »
Attorney and licensing expert Bob Kohn, who opposes the DOJ’s proposed ebook pricing settlement with three book publishers, has condensed his argument into comic strip form. He filed the artsy amicus brief with the court today. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon and EPIX have signed a deal to make streaming movies like The Hunger Games, Iron Man 2 and The Avengers free to Amazon Prime members. Previously, Netflix had exclusive rights to EPIX recent releases. Read more »
What should we expect from next week’s Amazon press conference in Los Angeles? The rumor mill suggest a front-lit Kindle e-reader, a new Kindle Fire with a camera and location technology, and more streaming movie offerings for Prime members. Read more »
Amazon Publishing has acquired about 1,000 romance, Western and horror titles from defunct publisher Dorchester’s backlist. Amazon will pay Dorchester authors any outstanding royalties and divide the books among its various West Coast imprints. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon says the Kindle Fire is sold out, meaning the company will definitely announce a new tablet at its press event next week. Meanwhile, Amazon says the Fire makes up 22% of the U.S. tablet market — suggesting actual sales far lower than early analyst estimates. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble announced three more partners for its Nook UK launch this fall: Academic bookseller Blackwell’s, independent bookseller Foyles and general retail chain Argos. B&N also announced John Lewis as a retail partner earlier this week. Read more at paidContent »
Ebook buyers in 54 states and territories are set to receive $69 million in a settlement between the states and HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster. Those who bought agency-priced ebooks between April 2010 and May 2012 are eligible for payment if the settlement goes through. Read more at paidContent »
The Department of Justice wants the court to accept its proposed ebook pricing settlement with Apple and book publishers, but presiding Judge Denise Cote is allowing more parties who oppose the settlement — the Authors Guild and attorney Bob Kohn — to weigh in as amici curiae. Read more at paidContent »
Personalized tablet magazine Zite is releasing a large upgrade to its Android app Tuesday afternoon. Among the changes: The end of support for large-screen Android tablets, enhanced sharing options and bug fixes. Read more at paidContent »
In a move to boost sales through social recommendations, online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos, which is owned by Amazon, has added a new feature called “PinPointing” that offers recommendations based on Pinterest accounts. Unfortunately, the feature doesn’t work very well yet. Read more »
Ebook company Kobo has signed a deal with the American Booksellers Association to allow indie bookstores to sell Kobo ebooks through their websites and stores. The new partnership replaces the ABA’s deal with Google, which had been set to end in January. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon’s New York-based imprint has signed a deal with Ingram to distribute its ebooks to other retailers, paidContent has learned. The deal will make the ebooks available to Amazon competitors like Barnes & Noble, Apple and Kobo. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon shared a few facts about Amazon Prime, which offers unlimited two-day shipping and other perks for $79 a year. The company won’t state how many members Prime has, but says it ships more items with Prime than with its basic free shipping option. Read more at paidContent »
Barry Diller’s IAC/Interactive will buy the New York Times’ About Group in a $300 million cash deal. Peter Horan’s Answers.com had been set to buy About.com for $270 million before Diller got in a late-stage bid last week. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon Prime Instant Video and NBCUniversal expanded their content licensing agreement to include new shows like “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood” and “Battlestar Galactica.” Read more at paidContent »
Many newspapers have tried ebooks as a new revenue stream, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s “In the Footsteps of Little Crow” stands out. Curt Brown’s extensively researched narrative of the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War is #13 on the NYT ebook bestseller list this week. Read more at paidContent »
The Huffington Post is holding virtual political conventions during the DNC and RNC in order to promote its new video streaming network and call attention to issues like drugs and poverty. Read more at paidContent »
In a filing late Wednesday in response to Apple and book publishers, the Department of Justice reiterates its claim that agency pricing and the alleged conspiracy have resulted in “unmistakable consumer harm,” but refuses to release its ebook pricing analysis. Read more at paidContent »
Longform journalism site Longreads is giving paying members exclusive access to long-form content that is not available elsewhere on the web. The first selection is a chapter from Charles Duhigg’s bestselling book “The Power of Habit.” Read more at paidContent »
Twenty-four percent of Indian adults with Internet access have bought an ebook. Now that group could get a lot bigger: Amazon has launched a standalone Kindle Store in India and is selling Kindle exclusively through Indian electronics chain Croma. Read more at paidContent »
Microsoft invested $300 million in Barnes & Noble’s Nook business. As the following chart shows, that probably wasn’t a great idea: Production problems, slowing ebook sales and other factors are contributing to the Nook’s troubles. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble has a $300m investment from Microsoft and will launch the Nook in the UK this fall. But the country’s largest bookstore chain is struggling to compete against Amazon. Nook device sales fell during Q1 2013, though digital content sales were up. Read more at paidContent »
A new ebook bestseller list from book publishing website and community Digital Book World aims to provide a clearer picture of the books that are actually driving the most revenue by taking price point, not just unit sales, into account. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble will sell its Nook e-readers in the UK starting this October, but at the beginning they will only be available through a website, nook.co.uk. B&N says it will announce partnerships with “leading retailers” soon. Read more at paidContent »
