Following last year’s agreement to allow the Espresso Book Machines to print the catalog of public domain books available through Google Book Search, the search giant finally has an online partner. All of the 2 million or so public domain titles in GBS now include a direct link under “Get this book” to QOOP’s store. (Actually it looks like every book in GBS has that link–so many times you click through only to be told “the link you followed is either broken or for a book that cannot be printed at this time.” When it works, the pricing appears to […]
Archives for October 2010
Nook Launches “The First Reader’s Tablet”; Pairs with Books-A-Million, and Says Sales Are Over A Million Units
Barnes & Noble introduced the expected Nook Color at a splashy press conference on Tuesday afternoon convened in their own backyard, on the fourth floor of their Union Square store–which was transformed into a nightclub-style space for the event. What is it may be the most asked–or mis-answered–question in the days to come. Contrary to many press reports, it’s not a true tablet, and even though it has an Android operating system this is not a device to compete with the wave of notPads coming from Samsung, Dell, Blackberry, Motorola and others. It’s a touchscreen color ereader that integrates other […]
Nook Color: “The First Reader’s Tablet”
At today’s press conference, BN ceo William Lynch declared, “Nook has sold well over a million units, and we’re well on our way to selling a million more.” To acheive that goal and more, Lynch has begun pitching the Nook Color, “the most social reading device ever built,” now with a Nook Friends feature built in to help readers discuss, share and buy books.They are positioning it as “the first reader’s tablet.” The color touchscreen is made by LG, with full lamination to “maximize the readability benefits of a backlit screen while minimizing the glare.” In other words, a blend […]
Seattle Judge Agrees with Amazon’s First Amendment Argument and Blocks North Carolina’s Sales Tax Request
US District Judge Marsha Pechman agreed with the argument that North Carolina’s request from Amazon for personal customer data that could be matched to their purchase records violates the First Amendment. She affirmed that an individual’s purchases of books, music, and other products is protected. Pechman indicated that the state was free to make a new request for customer data “provided it destroys any detailed information that the department currently possesses.”Bloomberg
Sourcebooks’ Community Play: A Paid Days of Our Lives Fan Site
Sourcebooks has launched another experimental new business (following on initiatives like PoetrySpeaks.com), creating a membership-based website for fans of the soap opera Days of Our Lives at DaysInsider.com. In exchange for a $9.95 membership fee, the site promises early online access to chapters from forthcoming Days of Our Lives novels and a commemorative book, discounts of more than 30 percent on the books when published, online chats and community forums that include participation from the Days of Our Lives team and more. Think of it as an online fan club where books are part of the mix, or a paid, […]
And a Different Paid, Pre-Publication Online Book Club Idea from WowOwow
Women’s website WowOwow, co-founded by former agent and publisher Joni Evans, is trialing an “early access” book club that sells pre-publication galleys of selected books in limited quantities. The coverage at Forbes says the site “believes they’ll pay a substantial fee for that privilege and for the various other perks associated with membership, such as author chats”–but the current test is charging from $15 to $30 a copy, which seems at odds with the first statement. The trial offer underway is for Jodi Picoult’s March 2011 release, SING YOU HOME. Evans tries to pitch a few different paradigms. “The concept […]