Spanish publisher Ediciones B launched a new digital imprint, B de Books, where the house will publish e-originals and ebook editions of its trade titles DRM-free, some at prices that are aggressively low for the Spanish market. Patricia Cornwell’s THE SCARPETTA FACTOR was available at launch for €1.99, and John Locke’s LETHAL PEOPLE will be released in January at €2.99. Commenting on the decision to publish DRM-free, B de Books director Ernest Folch said DRM had become a “barrier to readers” and is ineffective, since “DRM-protected titles are pirated the minute they hit the market.” El Cultural (in Spanish) Meanwhile Planeta […]
eNews
eNews: Smashwords Adds Management for Agents
Smashwords has adjusted their system to make it easier for literary agents to use the ebook distribution service. Their system now recognizes and allows agents to upload and manage clients’ titles as an authorized third party. (Up until now, the Smashwords paradigm made the uploader the “publisher,” a relationship that many agents did not want to accept.) In the new arrangement, agents can upload titles that will credit the author as the “publisher” and list the agency with an appropriate credit line in the metadata stream. Agents sign-up for a regular Smashwords account and then “upgrade” to Agent status. A […]
Bookselling: New Joseph-Beth Store in Cincinnati; Tattered Cover Adds Self-Publishing Services; and More
A new 20,000-square foot Joseph-Beth store has opened in a former Borders location just outside of Cincinnati, OH, with its grand opening celebration slated for November 19. General manager Craig Sherman told Cincinnati.com the new store will have a “friendlier atmosphere” than its predecessor. “If customers are looking for an engaging, memorable experience, they’re going to find it when they walk in here,” he said. “This is a community bookstore.” The Tattered Cover will use its newly installed Espresso Book Machine for self-publishing services within the Denver, CO community. “We are hoping to use the machine to provide better customer […]
Barnes & Noble Offers Exclusive Patterson Holiday Novella Promotion In Stores; Can Bundle Print and eBooks Through Store Cash Registers
Barnes & Noble has secured a significant in-store “exclusive” for the holidays: a novella from James Patterson, MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALEX CROSS. The bookseller will give a free copy–either printed, or digital–to customers who buy Patterson’s just-released KILL ALEX CROSS in hardcover and one other Patterson title in any format from a Barnes & Noble Store. Perhaps as important as the exclusive offer, designed to help drive store traffic, is that Barnes & Noble says they have developed a “cashiering system [that] will allow retail customers to seamlessly combine a Nook Book purchase with the purchase of the new hardcover title […]
People, Awards, Etc.
Molly Barton will move up to global digital director at Penguin as of December 1. She takes over from Dan Ruffino, who is returning home to Australia. At HarperCollins, Beth Silfin has been promoted to the newly created position of vp, deputy general counsel, responsible for overseeing the contracts department in working directly with literary agents on contracts and rights negotiations. As a result of the change in how the legal and contracts department is organized, vp, associate general counsel Tom Ward will leave the company after more than 15 years. In addition, Cindy DiTiberio has been promoted to senior […]
Authors Guild Says Kindle Lending Library Is “Outside the Bounds of the Publisher’s Authority”
In a strongly worded memo issued Monday afternoon, the Authors Guild took issue with Amazon’s Kindle Lending Library for Prime customers, in particular those titles available without express permission from publishers and authors. “How can Amazon get away with this? By giving its boilerplate contract with these publishers a tortured reading,” the Guild said, adding that permission appeared to be dispensed with “because, as Amazon apparently sees it, its contracts with these publishers merely require it to pay publishers the wholesale price of the books that Amazon Prime customers download.” The reasoning is “nonsense”, from the AG’s understanding of Amazon’s […]