It was, as expressed in the Q&A session, “a refreshingly upbeat and optimistic panel.” And indeed, the stereotypical gripes and whines that are too often associated with independent bookstores, for legitimate and not-so-legitimate reasons, were not really in evidence Tuesday afternoon. That isn’t to say this was a complaint-free session, as WORD Bookstore’s Stephanie Anderson, Andy Laties of the Eric Carle Museum Bookstore, and Nicole Magistro of The Bookstore of Edwards were pointed in what frustrations they have with publishers, most notably the reluctance to move to more efficient billing practices and the price disparity on non-agency e-books.) Shelf Awareness […]
eNews
Executives Open Digital Book World Celebrating A “Healthier” Digital Market
“We’ve heard it before,” my quotable neighbor said of this morning’s CEO panel at a packed Digital Book World, “but they said it well.” David Nussbaum, the ceo of the conference organizer F+W Media, led the discussion with Jane Friedman (Open Media), Mike Hyatt (Nelson), Brian Napack (Macmillan) and David Steinberger (Perseus). In contrast to the same time a year ago, the panel’s executives were generally pleased to find themselves in the middle of a digital market that is broadening. Echoing Steve Jobs’ remarks on the introduction of the iPad, Brian Napack said, “Amazon did us a great favor by […]
Some Hints on Google eBooks
Also at this morning’s Digital Book World 2011, Google Books product manager Abe Murray presented the first (albeit scant) statistics and user insights into their recently-launched ebooks venture. Their bestseller list so far looks like the same Larsson-heavy list you find elsewhere, and on a category basis, the topselling subjects by volume are romance, biography, thrillers, finance, young adults, sci-fi/fantasy, politics and diet/fitness. Murray said they have well over 1 million apps installed, and “blew past this number within weeks of launch.” They have added 60 resellers since launch, now at 180, indicating that independent booksellers are continuing to enlist […]
eNews: A Social Bible, Faber Adopts RoyaltyShare, Libre Launches Digital Intel Service, DBW Awards, and Nook 3G Sells Down
There are a number of announcements timed to coincide with this week’s Digital Book World conference. Among them: RethinkBooks, the start-up backed in part by John Ingram that we wrote about recently, has announced their first publishing partnership for their SocialBooks software. Zondervan will release their NIV Bible as a SocialBooks-enabled ebook for the iOS platform. Release The UK’s Faber and Faber has signed with RoyaltyShare to aggregate and manage their worldwide ebook revenue, for both their regular publishing program and the Faber Factory digital distribution service for independent publishers. In a similar but different vein Mediamorph–which works with clients […]
DBW Kicks Off With Innovation Awards, 7x20x21
A packed crowd (helped, no doubt, by the drink-ticketed cocktails on tap for the first hour) turned out at the Sheraton Towers ballroom for Digital Book World’s opening ceremonies & reception. After brief remarks from F+W ceo David Nussbaum and a short speech from Harper Collins president of sales Josh Marwell on behalf of the Goddard Riverside Community Center, F+W president David Blansfield hosted DBW’s first ever Publishing Innovation Awards: Fiction: DRACULA: The Official Stoker Family Edition (PadWorx Digital Media) Non-Fiction: Logos Bible Software (Logos Bible Software, Inc.) Children’s: A Story Before Bed (Jackson Fish Market) Reference: Star Walk for […]
eNews: Amazon Buys LoveFilm; BDMI Leads Big Investment in Flat World; and More
Today a number of deals-in-progress mentioned previously have been confirmed. Amazon makes its accquisition of all remaining shares of LoveFilm, the “Netflix of Europe,” in which it already held a significant minority stake, official.Release Samsung has confirmed its acquisition of display technology firm Liquavista.Release Flat World Knowledge has received a big endorsement for their open-source textbook model, garnering more than $15 million in Series B Funding led by Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and Bessemer Venture Partners. Also joining the round are returning investors Valhalla Partners, GSA Venture Partners (formerly Greenhill SAVP), High Peaks Venture Partners, and several angel investors. FT […]