In addition to presenting substantial excerpts of 40 highly anticipated titles, our free Buzz Books 2013 fall/winter ebook also includes an extensive preview of additional upcoming titles put together by editor Sarah Weinman. By itself it’s a great overview of important books and authors to look for at BEA and throughout the big fall publishing season, and another reason why downloading this free ebook now is a great way to prepare for the convention. We have been featuring extracts from that preview of the season as part of our run-up to BEA. Last week we started with the fiction overview, and, […]
With Kindle Worlds, Amazon Turns Fan Fiction Into A Business
A little more than a year ago, EL James spun what originally began life as Twilight fan fiction into one of the most successful book series ever. Now Amazon.com is tapping into the energetic world of fan fiction with the first broad, legally licensed, commercial model. Wednesday morning the company announced Kindle Worlds, a new digital publishing program that allows writers to upload and sell fan fiction based on well-known entertainment properties with characters that inspire fans. The initial properties all come from Alloy Entertainment — PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, GOSSIP GIRL, and THE VAMPIRE DIARIES — and Amazon “plans to […]
Bookselling: Waterstones To Restructure Store Management; New Bookstores in Bryn Mawr, PA and Astoria, Queens
Waterstones is preparing to restructure store management and has begun the required consultation with more than 560 employees that will result in an unspecified number of layoffs, the Bookseller reports. In a letter to staff, managing director James Daunt said the current positions of branch manager, assistant manager, general manager and deputy manager will be abolished, replaced with a “bookshop manager” role that will “call on different skills.” Daunt explained: “It is particularly important that we do this because more than ever before our managers will be central to our ability to deliver effective bookshops: the decisions that define the […]
More Fall/Winter Buzz Books: Nonfiction
In addition to presenting substantial excerpts of 40 highly anticipated titles, our Buzz Books 2013 fall/winter sampler also includes an extensive preview of additional upcoming titles put together by editor Sarah Weinman. By itself it’s a great overview of important books and authors to look for at BEA and throughout the big fall publishing season, and another reason why downloading this free ebook now is a great way to prepare for the convention. We have been featuring extracts from that preview of the season as part of our run-up to BEA. Last week we started with the fiction overview, and […]
eNews: Winning Hacks, New Launches, and More
At least 30 projects were submitted as part of the Publishing Hackathon over the weekend, viewable here. Contestant Eric Hellman reports that the six finalists are: BookCity (suggests books to match places you visit) Captiv (turns your Tweets into book recommendations) Coverlist (shows 100 curated jackets; hover over an image to see a related recommendation) Evoke (connects books for teens based on the emotional connection to characters — classifying reading experiences as “inspired, challenged, amused, or informed”) KooBrowser (browser plugin that matches book recommendations to web pages you visit) Library Atlas (app that sends you book quotes based on your […]
Briefs: People, Terms, Awards, and More
As part of Simon & Schuster’s move towards what they see as a “globally coordinated, strategic approach to our worldwide ebook business,” current vp, business development Doug Stambaugh has been named vp, global ebook market and development strategy, reporting to Dennis Eulau. In the newly created position, Stambaugh will evaluate opportunities for retail expansion, and new partnerships, digital channels and publishing initiatives, and develop company-wide strategies, policies and best practices in areas ranging from terms and pricing to DRM, technology platforms and new business models. “While digital content is firmly established as a significant portion of our business, the digital […]