Two UK bookstore chains reported encouraging holiday sales. Waterstones says print book sales were up 5 percent in December, and Foyles said same-store book sales were up 11 percent for the holiday. With 290 stores, Waterstones now expects to open a dozen or more new stores during 2015. Both booksellers also reported weak sales for ereading devices — which should hardly be a surprise, as most consumers have moved on tablets and ereading loyalists are most likely to buy directly from their platform of choice rather than stumbling on devices through a third party. Waterstones said Kindle device sales “disappeared to […]
eReaders
New Google Play Features Aim to Improve Nonfiction eBook
On Thursday morning Google Play Books introduced an update to their reading app providing “a redesigned reading experience that’s optimized for nonfiction books” with feature improvements meant “to solve the ever more challenging reference book” in digital form. Their new “skim mode” makes it easier to skim across an entire book (recommending for reference works from cookbooks to travel guides). And “quick bookmarks” let you flag and navigate back and forth between multiple spots in a book. For students, the new features also make it easier to find and refer back to highlighted text passages and personal notes. Since we’re […]
Kobo Shares Examples of Reader Data Analysis
Kobo has released a white paper designed to show publishers and authors how reader data that platforms like Kobo compile “can actually help publishers unlock previously hidden equity within their publishing lists and inform decisions on which authors and franchises to invest in, which ones are running out of steam, and where trouble may lie within any individual book.” Multiple examples focus on “completion rates”; books that readers actually finish. Apparently, large numbers of people do not finish their ebooks. As an example, “the industry benchmark for completion in mystery books is 62 percent.” Books with higher-than-average completion rates with […]
Amazon Refreshes Kindle eReaders and Tablets, Adding Kids Tablet
After some leaks at their international stores, on Wednesday evening Amazon announced new ereaders and tablets, all set to ship in October. The new basic Kindle is thinner, adds a touchscreen, and sells for $79, with ads. (That’s $10 more than the previous basic model, or 15 percent higher. So the people who fight to control pricing because “e-books can and should be less expensive” are charging more for their least expensive device to read those ebooks.) The newest addition, tipped earlier, is the Kindle Voyage, “the thinnest device we’ve ever built” (7.6 mm thick), weighing 6.4 ounces, with a high-resolution display (300 pixels per inch) and improved front […]
Kobo Confirms October 1 Launch of Waterproof eReader
Kobo went poolside to unveil their newest ereading device, the Kobo Aura H20, which will go on sale for $179 on October 1 in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. Kobo president Michael Tamblyn says in the release: “When we asked our customers what held them back from reading more ebooks, many told us they love to read in the bath, by the pool, or on the beach, but believed that devices and water didn’t mix. As we dug deeper, we found that more than 60 percent of customers surveyed said they would love to be able […]
eNews: Sainsbury Takes Full Control of Anobii; Nook GlowLight in the UK; and More
Sainsbury’s is now the sole owner of fledgling ebookstore Anobii, the Bookseller reports, buying out Penguin Random House’s 24 percent stake and Harper UK’s 12 percent stake. (The company first acquired HMV’s 64 percent stake in Anobii in 2012.) Sainsbury’s said the move “gives it full control of the platform as part of its growing Sainsbury’s Entertainment digital offer”, with plans to expannd its current website selling film, music and books. Barnes & Noble will sell its current version of Nook GlowLight in the UK for £89, with the ereader stocked in retailers including Argos, ASDA, Blackwells, Foyles, John Lewis, […]