Speaking at yesterday’s Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), ceo Steve Jobs said “five of the six biggest publishers in the US tell us that the share of iBooks is up to about 22 percent — in about 8 weeks.” That confirms and also well exceeds our report gauging the market about a month after the iPad launched (on May 6), when large publishers said the iBookstore was capturing ebook market share for them of 12 to 15 percent, and indicates continuing ramp-up as Apple puts more units into the marketplace. Jobs also said, “in the first 65 days, users have […]
eNews
eNews: Amazon Splits Lists, and More
Amazon is live now with separate hourly Kindle bestsellerlists for paid and free titles.Current list Rosetta Books’ latest one-year exclusive ebook deal with Amazon is for four older books by Congressman Ron Paul (but not his latest two, already available at multiple ebookstores from Grand Central).Release In Canada, price comparisons performed by Index/mb show that Kobo’s advertised claim of the “best selection and prices for ebooks in Canada” appears to be fully valid, with a side-by-side look at Kobo and Amazon Canada ebook prices.Post
Today's eNews: F+W Sells Books via Ingram; More UK Agency News; Sony On Accelerating Conversion to Digital; New Textbook Platform Launches, with Big Partners
F+W Media has entered an “online commerce collaboration” that means the company will sell direct to consumers approximately 500,000 books fulfilled by Ingram across their 21 community/vertical-focused estores. F+W ceo David Nussbaum says in the announcement, “Our mission is to serve our enthusiasts with the best available content and services in support of their creative pursuits. As our eCommerce business continues to grow and diversify, we will further that mission by offering other high-quality content, regardless of publisher. What makes the F+W eStore experience unique to other e-tailers is the trusted relationship shared between readers and the company’s expert editors.” […]
Financials: $4 Mil for Open Road; $10 Mil for BookRenter; An IPO for Nielsen
Open Road Integrated Media has received a second round of funding, getting another $4 million from Kohlberg Ventures, which also provided the start-up’s original $3 million in capital. Jim Kohlberg at Kohlberg Ventures says in the announcement “with the convergence of expanding device options and the rapid adoption of ebooks, we strongly believe that the Open Road model and its team are uniquely positioned to succeed in the marketplace. We are pleased to continue our support through additional funding.” BookRenter has collected even more, raising $10 million in their latest financing, led by Norwest Venture Partners, with follow-on investments from […]
S&S Release eBooks of McMurtry Backlist
As of today Simon & Schuster has issued all of their Larry McMurtry backlist in ebook editions. Later this month they will release two ebook “boxed” bundles of the Lonesome Dove series (comprising four titles, for $36.99) and the five-book Berrybender Narratives, at $31.99. They will also publish a 25th anniversary trade paperback edition of LONESOME DOVE with a new introduction on June 15.
Texas Attorney General Probes Agency Model and Apple
As reported in May, Apple is said to be the target of one potential Federal Trade Commission inquiry into their new requirements for software developers building apps for the iPhone operating system, and a second antitrust inquiry from the Department of Justice over their online music business. At least a few publishing eyebrows were raised last week when the NYT reported that “investigators had asked in particular about recent allegations that Apple used its dominant market position to persuade music labels to refuse to give the online retailer Amazon.com exclusive access to music about to be released.” Now Publishers Lunch […]