In a different type of strategic acquisition, Pearson Australia has acquired the online bookselling and ebook businesses of the bankrupt REDGroup retail, which includes the online stores for Borders Australia and Angus & Robertson. (The sites are http://www.borders.com.au/ and http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/.) They intend to retain 16 staff members associated with the businesses, and will run the two sites separately for now. Pearson also has an agreement with REDGroup’s ebook partner Kobo. While it’s not entirely clear if they will continue to use Kobo as their vendor (REDGroup was an investor in Kobo as well), it will at a minimum give “customers continued […]
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Amazon Ends California Affiliates As New Tax Bill Is Signed
California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that requires online retailers with affiliates in the state to collect sales tax. Amazon promptly informed its thousands of California affiliates that it was terminate those relationships, effective immediately. The company said in an e-mail that it is “also working on alternative ways to help California residents monetize their websites and will be sure to contact you when these become available.”
Pottermore Launches, Will Sell Ebooks in October
After days of feverish speculation, JK Rowling announced her new interactive and collaborative site Pottermore at a press conference Thursday morning. It’s free for users and features new illustrations and interactive “moments.” And yes, there will be ebooks, which the site will sell exclusively and directly to users, along with audiobook versions of all seven Potter books. The digital editions will be available for a variety of platforms through OverDrive. But even though the ebook and audiobook editions will only be available at Pottermore, her print publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic are partnering in the venture and will receive unspecified royalties. […]
Adams Media’s Stanley Cup Insta-eBook, and More eNews
This week Adams Media published Newsday sportswriter Alan Hahn’s BRUIN REDEMPTION: THE STANLEY CUP RETURNS TO BOSTON as a $7.99 ebook after a 72-hour turnaround time. The publisher said they had the book “within hours” of the Bruins’ Stanley Cup win on June 15. Powell’s director of strategic planning Darin Sennett talks with Seattle Business Journal about the bookstore’s previously announced mobile app, now set to launch in full by the end of the summer. OverDrive will now supply ebooks to Easons, making the bookstore chain the first OverDrive partner to offer EPUB and PDF eBook content directly to Irish […]
eNews: Google Affiliate Program; Success of Book Apps; and More
After launching the program in limited beta last December, Google eBooks’ affiliate program is seemingly ready for prime time. The program is only open to “Retailers, bloggers, book publishers and other website owners in the U.S.,” and no specific commission rates are cited, but they will have access to Google’s affiliate network and to APIs for more specifically targeted programs. Inside Google Books Blog The jury still seems to be out on the effectiveness of book apps, though two of them merited attention at Thursday’s Futurebook Innovation Workshop conference in London. UK studio Ustwo said its Nursery Rhymes With StoryTime […]
eNews: Amazon Cuts Ties to AR, CT Over Sales Tax; Kobo eBook Lending; and More
Add Arkansas and Connecticut to the list of states Amazon is cutting ties with over new sales tax laws. In Arkansas, where the law enables the state to charge sales tax on companies who exceed $10,000 in annual sales, Amazon notified associates by email that it would terminate their contracts on July 24. And in Connecticut, affiliates will be cut off “effective immediately,” per a separate Amazon email. AP UPI Kobo is said to be preparing its own ebook lending and self-publishing services to launch before the end of the year. GoodeReader Waterstone’s sale to Alexander Mamut will not affect […]