Self-publishing technology company FastPencil has a new initiative to put their offers in front of patrons of libraries that work with services provider Auto-Graphics. (The company works with 5,500 libraries, but the program begins with “a select group” of those customers.) The new Library Management Platform lets self-publishing customers issue “their musings” from within the library and then work with the library to “add that book, whether digital or print, to the library’s offerings.” Boston start-up Libboo.com has announced a seed round of $1.1 million in financing, led by MassVentures. It’s another platform that aims to create a community of […]
Direct publishing
More from Amazon: Merging the Digital/Audio Reading Experience, Kindle Serials
Amazon’s new device launch on Wednesday garnered the most media attention, but the company also introduced some intriguing new features that merge or break apart reading experiences — while potentially raising rights-related questions. People have long speculated that it would be great to “sync” ebooks and digital audio recordings so you can go back and forth between reading and listening without losing your place, and Amazon has built that with what they call Whispersync for Voice. It offers what they call a “continuous reading experience” between digital and audio editions, in which a customer can start reading one edition and continue in […]
eNews: Amazon Sets September 6 Press Conference; Washington Post Does eBooks; And More
Amazon will host a press conference on September 6 at 10:30 PDT (1:30 EDT) at the Barker Hangar near Santa Monica Airport. The company provided no additional details of what they will announce next month, but it’s fair to speculate that any number of new devices, from the latest versions of the Kindle Fire and eInk devices, will be discussed. The Washington Post will launch a line of branded ebooks this fall, in conjunction with Diversion Books, that will “focus on a targeted topic featuring content from the Washington Post archives” and be available on all major online retailing platforms. […]
eNews: Amazon UK Says Kindle Sales There Surpass Print; AG Asks Court To Declare GBS “Is Not Fair Use”; And More
Amazon UK issued a press release Monday touting the news that ebook sales now outpace all print sales combined, measured across 2012. For every 100 print books sold from Amazon.co.uk (in all formats combined), they’ve sold 114 Kindle editions. As usual, their ratio excludes free Kindle books (but does include very inexpensive ones, and KDP titles). Amazon US passed a similar milestone as of April 1, 2011. They also declare EL James as Amazon UK’s all-time bestselling author, they say, her combined print and Kindle sales eclipsing JK Rowling’s total sales at the site. Amazon UK has sold more than […]
Briefs: RH UK Adds Digital Distribution Service; S&S Downplays PR for Posnanski Bio of Paterno; Rudin, Diller “Exploring” eBooks; And More
Random House UK‘s distribution unit–which include The Book Service and Grantham Book Services–is partnering with ePubDirect to offer a digital distribution service. It “includes e-book storage” and “global distribution in multiple formats to a growing list of customers which allows current access to over 1,000 e-tailers worldwide, and over 25,000 libraries.” ePubDirect CEO Gareth Cuddy says, “I am hugely excited about this agreement with Random House Distribution through TBS and GBS. We have developed our expertise over the last number of years working with many leading publishers and we know that Publisher sales thrive when fuelled by speed, innovation, reach […]
eNews: Nook Finally Comes to the Web; Selectric Artists Launches eBook Imprint for Clients; And More
Barnes & Noble finally introduced its own free digital reading experience for browsers, NOOK for Web, for PC and Mac. Complimentary titles available for those who try the new offering through July 26 include Map of Bones by James Rollins, Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell, The Vow by Kim Carpenter, The Boxcar Children Summer Special by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Brave by Tennant Redbank and Perfect Island Getaways by Patricia Schultz. Christopher Schelling at Selectric Artists has launched a new ebook imprint, Roadswell Editions, for backlist and frontlist titles by clients. The launch title is Kathe Koja’s 1991 horror […]