Subsequent to our report based on accounts from others, Amazon spokesperson Susan Stockman has clarified that the WriteOn by Kindle beta program is a separate initiative from the still-unnamed –and still-unlaunched — reader-powered publishing program that was explained a little further in a recent company email. “Write On is a new community where writers and readers share in the creative process,” Stockman writes. “It’s been rolling out slowly and will continue to ramp up over the coming months.” According to Write On forum posts, the site has been quietly live at least since some time in April. Community manager Jon Wahlgren posted […]
Direct publishing
Harper Offers Authors Additional Net Royalty For Online Direct Sales Referrals
As promised in July when HarperCollins relaunched their web site to focus on making their full catalog of books, ebooks and audiobooks available for sale to consumers, the company is now ready to provide additional compensation to “our authors who want to sell directly” via Harper’s shopping cart. Authors who add a linked HarperCollins “buy” button on their sites or directly integrate the Harper shopping cart will receive an additional 10 percent of net on those sales, to be credited through their regular twice-annual royalty statements. Authors interested in implementing the new offer should start by contacting their editors, though […]
Corporate: Bloomsbury Adds Conway; Full Fathom Digital; New Rizzoli Bookstore Lease
Bloomsbury has purchased the 200-title naval and military history list of Conway from Pavilion Books in the UK (the rebranded version of Anova). Bloomsbury will integrate the titles into their existing lines. Terms were not disclosed, but the Bookseller notes that Conway publisher John Lee will leave after 20 years in that position. James Frey’s packaging company Full Fathom Five is launching a digital imprint that intends to issue a new ebook every week starting October 1. Mashable, which reports the news, explains (?) FFF will publish “genre e-books that the new imprint believes wouldn’t fit into a traditional publishing model but […]
Amazon Adds KDP For Kids
Amazon has officially launched a KDP Kids initiative that provides authors access to a Kindle Kids’ Book Creator to help create files for illustrated children’s books “that take advantage of Kindle features like text pop-ups.” The new software is offered as a download for both Mac and PC that Kindle svp Russ Grandinetti says in the release their new tool “makes it easy. In addition to helping authors craft their books, we’re helping customers find them with things like age and grade range filters.” A little more description is posted here.
eNews: Verso’s eBook/Print Bundle; DropBox Rumored to Buy ReadMill; and More
Verso Books will sell its books, both print and digital, direct on its website as of April 8, and will also offer print/ebook bundles for all new titles and “hundreds” of recent ones (free postage is also included.) Verso is working with Booxstream on DRM, and each ebook will be visibly watermarked. In a statement managing director Jacob Stevens said Verso readers can choose which title to read regardless of format, print or digital. We know that our core readership would like to support radical publishing directly, and we hope that this new approach will benefit our writers, readers, and […]
Harper Launches Reader App and Direct eBook Sales, Starting with CS Lewis
HarperCollins has relaunched their CS Lewis and Narnia websites, adding for the first time a direct-sales ebookstore to both sites, selling Lewis’s work in English in ebook editions in major territories around the world. As part of that new ebook sales offer, they have launched a branded Harper Reader app on iOS and Android. A customized version of the Bluefire Reader, it displays the encrypted EPUB files that Harper is selling — along with digital “extras” that Harper is offering their direct customers. So when you download the app, it comes with an “exclusive” free copy of Beyond the Wardrobe: […]