Hodder & Stoughton announced a reorganization that creates two divisions within the group, “designed to strengthen the appeal and focus of its publishing and to take advantage of structural changes in the publishing industry.” The new division, called John Murray Press, will comprise John Murray, Hodder Faith, Consumer Learning, Two Roads and Saltyard Books–to be run by former Hodder & Stoughton publisher Nick Davies, who is rejoining the company in January as managing director from his current post as Canongate publisher. The Hodder & Stoughton division, comprising Hodder & Stoughton general fiction and non-fiction, Coronet and Sceptre, will have Carolyn Mays […]
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Avon’s New Facebook App Doubles as Experiment in DRM-Free Purchasing; Amazon’s Whispercast For Bulk Kindle Distribution
Avon launched a Facebook app, Avon Social Reader, which excerpts up to 20 percent of approximately 30 titles and gives Facebook users the ability to share a given book, once browsed, in their News Feed or timeline. The app doubles as an experiment in DRM-free purchasing, allowing users to click through to buy the selected titles at AllRomance.com (though they can also choose to purchase DRM-enabled versions of the books at other online retailers.) The DRM-free editions will be delivered as secure Adobe ePub files. Avon vp, publisher Liate Stehlik said in a statement the DRM-free experiment was “a publishing […]
June AAP Trade eBook and Paperback Numbers Stay 50 Shades Strong
The AAP reported strong trade sales again for the month of June, as you can see the big contribution of the 50 Shades series (which was in its second month of republication in June) and the diminishing sales boost from The Hunger Games. eBook sales remained at their highest levels yet, at $137.6 million–though month-to-month that was only $3.6 million higher than June, and children’s ebooks went from $27.7 million in May to $17.7 million (probably due to Hunger Games). With Random House having sold 9.6 million EL James ebooks in the first three months on sale, 50 Shades is […]
WIMPY KID Goes Digital, With eBooks Available on October 30
The first six books in Jeff Kinney’s DIARY OF A WIMPY KID series, which have sold more than 75 million copies worldwide, will finally be available in ebook format as of October 30, while the newly arriving seventh volume, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE THIRD WHEEL, will be published simultaneously in print and digital on November 13. “The decision came after a lot of thought and deliberation,” Kinney told the AP. “I am very excited about this. It feels like the time is right.” Published under a new banner of Wimp-E-Books, the digital editions will list for $13.95, at […]
Briefs: FBF Trade Attendance Declines Slightly; Retailers Send Mail On eBook Settlement Credits
The Frankfurt Book Fair said that trade attendance decline 1.6 percent–while total visitors including the German public rose slightly, by 0.6 percent. FBF said in their release that “the fact that the number of visitors declined only marginally during the trade visitors’ days reflects the fact that the industry remains optimistic and is well equipped to face its challenges.” As previously announced, major ebook retailers started notifying qualifying customers by email that they will be entitled to unspecified store credits as part of the settlement of the suit by state attorneys general and the three Settlers. Amazon’s mail landed first, […]
Amazon Posts Additional Paperwhite Info After Some Customers Complain About Screens
At least some buyers of the new Kindle Paperwhite model have been posting complaints online both about screen performance and screen defects–though “professional” reviews of pre-release models were enthusiastic about demand (or supply) that has resulted in a four-to-six week wait for new orders. Earlier this week, Amazon added a link to a new explanatory “We want you to know…” page that some speculate is in response to customer reaction. The page underscores “there are certain limitations and changes from prior generations that we want you to know about.” The company says: “Under certain lighting conditions, the illumination at the […]