Sony has finally announced the newest iteration in their never-in-the-lead ereader line. Of more interest is the “first offer” in their collaboration with JK Rowling’s Pottermore. It’s not the blockbuster exclusive that has been rumored, but rather a voucher that lets Sony Reader purchasers get a free download of the first Harry Potter book from Pottermore. In the announcement, Sony indicates that their Reader estore will finally expand, “coming first to the UK, Germany and Australia in 2011.” The biggest claim for the new model of their ereader, finally a mainstream wi-fi model coming in October, is that it will […]
eNews
eNews: Piracy Monitoring/Takedown Program For Authors & Agents; Personalized eBook Apps for Kids; and More
The Curtis Agency and E-Reads are launching a piracy monitoring and takedown program through a system developed by Muso TNT, in which authors “authorize the antipiracy service to launch search engine ‘spiders’ to crawl over the Internet and detect unauthorized files.” Once files are discovered and stored in a password-protected area, authors and agents can then authorize Muso to send batch DMCA takedown notices. EReads Founders of e-card service JibJab are entering the children’s ebook market through a new personalized iPad app line for kids called JibJab Jr. A one-book-a-month subscription to the JibJab Jr. line will cost $3.99 a […]
Silly Sony, Funny Forrester, and More Serious eNews
Last week a Dutch website appeared to have leaked the specs for Sony‘s next generation of Reader, the PRS-T1. (That landing page is long gone, but MobileRead tracked down a screenshot of the device.) Allegedly priced at 165 euros, the PRS-T1 appears to be a 6″ device with WiFi and a dual-touch eInk screen. In other words, the finest model that mid-2010 had to offer. The prospect of new gadgets always brings out a plethora of speculation, warranted or otherwise. Which is why we’ll always take Forrester Research predictions with the requisite grain of salt, especially on a device – […]
Google Settles with La Martiniere; Will Launch Google eBooks In France
Google has settled its differences with another French publisher, La Martiniere. Perhaps more importantly, they acknowledge that Google eBooks is coming to France. (Now we just need to know when.) The companies will work together to put the publisher’s out-of-print, in-copyright books online, which “effectively ends the legal dispute” between the two. In 2009 a French court ordered Google to pay La Martiniere a small fine for scanning their books without permission. (They sought 15 million euros in damages, and were awarded 300,000 euros.) AFP says Google has now withdrawn their legal appeal–but indicates the company has not settled yet […]
ePublishing Initiatives from Objective Entertainment and Folio
Objective Entertainment is the latest literary agency to launch an e-publishing initiative, forming a separate company, Paperless Publishing, to issue ebook originals. Founded by Objective’s Jarred Weisfeld, Meghan Kilduff has moved over from Objective to serve as publisher and acquisitions manager for the new company. Paperless Publishing is focused on short-form content only, and Weisfeld underscores they do not intend to compete with established major publishers. The new company is looking to acquire short-form works on pop culture, poetry, romance, politics, general nonfiction, and graphic novels. They aim to publish “100 books next year,” and Weisfeld says they “have already […]
Coming Attractions: Cheney, Rice, Jobs, King’s Short, and Fall Books
The NYT has broken the embargo on former vice president Dick Cheney‘s memoir IN MY TIME, which is set for release next Tuesday. Though Cheney tells NBC in the first televised interview, which will air next Monday, that “there are going to be heads exploding all over Washington” over the book, it’s hard to see why from the Times’ read. Cheney is Cheney, as he “expresses little regret about many of the most controversial decisions of the Bush administration” and “is often pugnacious in tone.” He thinks former CIA director George Tenet was a quitter, and even though many would […]