Ingram Content Group has an agreement to sell their etextbook platform VitalSource Technologies to Francisco Partners, an investment firm focused on technology businesses. The acquirer says in the announcement it is, “Committed to furthering the VitalSource mission of improving learner outcomes and accelerating our commitment to developing innovative, forward-thinking solutions and platforms that open doors…
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Shelley Husband has joined the Association of American Publishers as senior vice president, government affairs and special projects. Most recently she was staff director and general counsel for the House Committee on the Judiciary from 2013 to 2019. At Hachette Livre, Nathalie Houël has been promoted to group chief financial officer. Arnaud Robert becomes group secretary…
Storytel Meets Its Growth Goals for 2020, Sets Aggressive New Targets
Swedish audiobook subscription service Storytel published its 2020 annual report, with total sales of SEK 2.39 billion ($268 million), up from SEK 1.84 billion, exceeding its goal for the year despite a strong Swedish krona. The company’s pretax loss was SEK (210) million, an improvement from SEK (380) million last year, though the company remains…
Tencent’s Ebook Outlet Launches North American Platform
China Literature, the ebook venture of the Chinese chat and gaming giant Tencent, has launched a North American platform, featuring more than 200,000 original English-language titles as well as 1,000 works translated from Chinese. (All My Beasts Are Legendary and Rebirth: Pampered Wife’s Counterattack are the two titles currently featured on the front page’s top…
Digital Briefs: Costco Audiobooks, AAP Opposes Library eBook Legislation
Costco started selling value-priced collections of digital audiobooks recently, playable through their own audiobooks app. For now they offer approximately 175 different collections to members. As Maryland (and other states) considers legislation that would require ebook publishers to also “license the book to public libraries in the state on reasonable terms,” the AAP explains in…
Briefs: Barnes & Noble Announces New Tablet, Endeavor Eyes IPO Again
Barnes & Noble will replace their out-of-stock Nook branded tablet with a new model from Lenovo. Like their previous tablet, the new model will be 10.1 inches and priced at $129.99, available as of April 5. After pulling their planned IPO at the last minute in September 2019 and broad layoffs during the pandemic, Endeavor…