Both Apple and Audible have agreed to end their worldwide digital audiobook exclusivity agreements following an investigation by the European Commission and the German federal cartel office. The investigations began in November 2015 and were sparked by a complaint from the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, which asserted in their filing that approximately 90 percent of the digital audiobook market was controlled by Audible and iBooks. With the agreement in effect as of January 5, Apple can offer digital audiobooks from other suppliers for sale in their iTunes stores and Audible is free to sell their product through other digital music platforms. […]
eNews
Leak Indicates Microsoft Will Try Again At Selling eBooks
Leaks from this spring’s Creators Update to the Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system suggest that Microsoft is yet again trying to establish a presence in the ebook market. In this first look on MSPowerUser, which contains screenshots of the new feature, we learn that a “new e-book store will be integrated into the Windows Store as a dedicated section where users will be able to buy books from a range of different publishers and authors. Buying a book from the Windows Store works just like how you would buy an app, game or a music album — simply find a […]
People: Onder to Lead HMH Children’s
Catherine Onder will join Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s as svp and publisher on February 6, based in New York. Onder fills the position vacated when Betsy Groban left HMH last summer. Most recently she was editorial director at Bloomsbury Children’s. HMH trade president Ellen Archer says in the announcement, “She has a wealth of experience and a tremendous track record in middle reader and young adult publishing. Working with our gifted editors, she will direct and grow both our front and backlist business to new levels of excellence.” Onder comments, “I’m proud to join HMH with its rich tradition of children’s publishing of the […]
Barnes & Noble Tells New Nook Tablet Owners to Stop Using Adapter, Pending Replacement and Possible Recall
An internal Barnes & Noble memo posted on 9to5 Google and cited by a store employee on Reddit on Friday showed a January 9 advisory telling store managers to return all the recently-released $50 Nook Tablets to the company’s distribution center. At the same time, the tablets are listed as “not available” on the company’s web site. Shortly thereafter, the company said in a brief statement that they are investigating three cases involving “the adapter casing breaking apart while still in the socket.” They say that “out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that customers stop using the adapter until we […]
S&S Children’s Authors Protest Milo Deal, IDPF Dissidents Keep Trying
A group of over 160 children’s book authors and illustrators have signed on to a letter to Simon & Schuster ceo Carolyn Reidy objecting to the house’s book deal with Milo Yiannopoulos. The effort began as a conversation among Erin Murphy Literary Agency clients under contract with Simon & Schuster and “quickly became a national dialogue across agencies and genres.” They write, in part: “Threshold has placed Simon & Schuster’s considerable reputation and weight behind one of the most prominent faces of the newly repackaged white supremacist/white nationalist movement and financially supported a man who routinely denigrates, verbally attacks, and directs dangerous internet doxxing and hate campaigns against […]
HarperCollins Buys Out Ediouro In Brazil; Firebrand Launches Eloquence on Alert
HarperCollins has bought out Ediouro, its partner in HarperCollins Brasil, to take sole ownership of the venture. Harper Brasil is also moving its headquarters to Rua da Quitanda in Rio de Janeiro’s financial center. CEO Brian Murray said in the announcement: “While we have enjoyed a successful relationship with Ediouro, we are very pleased to take full ownership of HarperCollins Brasil. We see Brazil as an area of growth both for titles from our global imprints being published into the region, as well as for local authors. We are excited about this new structure and the new home for the organization.” […]