In the UK, Google is sponsoring free access for all public libraries to two “virtual bookshelves” of 20 digital books from Bloomsbury’s Public Library Online. One collection is 10 Shakespeare plays, with versions from Bloomsbury’s Arden Shakespeare; the other is a selection of 10 books on the environment. Libraries can enroll for the offer in January, and the access will be available for a year, through February 2013. Libraries that already have licensed these collections from PLO “will be able to pick from a range of alternate digital shelves.” Barnes & Noble’s promised software upgrade for their Nook Color units […]
Apps/iOS
eNews: Indiebound Reader App Launches; eBooks in Europe; and More
Indiebound has launched its ebook reading app, Indiebound Reader, in conjunction with Bluefire, as announced in August (and originally set for release in October). So far the app is only available for Android devices, but “it will soon be available” for iOS devices. Consistent with Apple’s revised rules, the iOS version will be for reading only, and will not include in-app purchasing. Indiebound Reader page At the same Reuters Global Media summit where Penguin ceo John Makinson spoke of “dark clouds” hovering over the publishing horizon in 2012, Hachette ceo Arnaud Nourry was more optimistic about the prospects for digital […]
eNews: Amazon Augmented Reality App; La Vanguardia’s New eBookstore; and More
Though Amazon’s ebook lending service for Prime members is the big story for the day, they also launched another service (through subsidiary A9.com) worth remarking upon. Flow Powered by Amazon is a free augmented reality iPhone app that, when pointed in the direction of any good with a UPC barcode (like video games, DVDs and books) will display Amazon product information, including the option to play multimedia content and read customer reviews. Release La Vanguardia, Spain’s 4th largest newspaper (and the top newspaper in Barcelona, where most of Spanish book publishing is located) announced on Wednesday that it is launching […]
eNews: HBG Licenses System to Create App Storefront
Book packager and publisher Round Table Companies is licensing Hachette’s digital content management system to create an app storefront that allows Round Table to sell their titles on the iPad. Hachette’s system provides app publishers features for direct consumer relationships that include push notifications, feedback generation, analytics tracking, and direct sales. HBG is hosting the content on their servers and licensing access to their digital platform, but spokesperson Sophie Cottrell says that “going forward, HBG will consider licensing the software” for installation on third-party servers. This is their first software-as-a-service agreement, and they are interested in licensing additional clients. The service […]
eNews: Kobo’s Tablet, Berkley/NAL’s Digital Imprint, S&S’s Author Portal, 11 Million iPads, Google’s Bookshelf, and More
Kobo is joining the ereader/tablet movement with their just-announced Vox, dubbed “the People’s eReader.” Selling for $199.99 and shipping as of October 28, it runs Android 2.3 and promises easy web browsing, e-mail, and access to “over 15,000 hot music, video and game apps.” It weighs 14.2 ounces (lighter than Nook Color or Kindle Fire), and a vibrating Kobo pulse icon signifies pages with more social activity. Kobo says it comes with three free color ebooks. Berkley/NAL has announced a digital imprint (actually they call it an “e-initial eBook imprint”) launching in January 2012, InterMix. The line will debut with […]
eNews: Open Road Launches YA Original Title; Lerner Develops iPad App
Open Road is launching their first YA original for publication next February and it’s a work conceived and created especially for the digital medium, Andrea Buchanan’s paranormal ghost story GIFT. The full version–the full feature-set of which will work only on Apple’s platform, though more limited versions will work on other major platforms–includes such features as: audio tracks and music videos written and performed by one of the novel’s main characters (so the Booktrack-soundtrack idea, expanded); sound and visuals that “triggered” at key points in the story; a graphic novel created by one of the characters that is revealed throughout […]