What does Perseus do for an encore after last year’s all-consuming Book: The Sequel BEA project in which they compiled a published a book live during the show? This year they are asking attendees to contribute their picks for the 10 most anticipated titles, across 10 different categories of books. Their publishing client The Daily Beast will cover results from the app on their site. And of course if your book is selected and you happen not to have digital distribution yet, Perseus’s Constellation will convert your book and arrange distribution. The app is available in Apple’s App Store, and […]
eNews
More Store (and Device) News As Len Riggio Admits "The store model is under pressure" and iPad Estimates Are Raised
With the rapid expansion of ebook market, the WSJ has a prominent story looking at the corollary of greatest concern in book publishing: to what extent will ebooks push bookstores out of business? (There is a self-reinforcing cycle in which, if rising ebook sales lead to store closings, still fewer print books will sold as result, further propelling ebook market share.) Barnes & Noble chairman Len Riggio concedes that “the store model is under pressure, whichever way you look at it.” Over the next three or four years, “Riggio says, a different, more diverse Barnes & Noble retail store will […]
eNews from the Publishers: Ballantine and Harlequin Try Digital Shorts that Connect to Longer Works; Sesame Street eBookstore Opens with Subscription plan
Ballantine will publish a 6,000-word digital short story from Steve Berry in September for $1.99 that bridges to his November 23 book release THE EMPEROR’S TOMB. The WSJ calls it “a literary appetizer, inexpensive enough to attract potential readers who might otherwise not be willing to buy a new novel from an author whose works they haven’t yet read.” Matt Schwartz at Random House says, “realistically, it would be hard to get something like this in print. But the e-book format is very flexible. What this does is offer an affordable entry point into Steve’s world.” In the press release, […]
From the eVendors: Libre Raises Another $8.1 Mil; Overdrive Debuts Consolidated Apps; Self-Publishing from BookMasters; Follett Integrates Moodle with CafeScribe
LibreDigital announced another round of financing, raising $8.1 million in a round led by new investor S3 Ventures, with participation from existing investors Adams Capital Management and Triangle Peak Partners. Libre has been in search of the right application of their technology for over ten years (when they started as Newsstand to provide digital copies of newspapers) and now they are riding the ramp up in the ebook market. CEO Russell Reeder says the funding “will be used to accelerate the delivery of e-books, and expand our technology offerings to include new solutions that help publishers better promote and sell […]
Barnes & Noble Launches Online Self-Publishing Program, PubIt!
BN has finally announced an electronic self-publishing program via BN.com and their ebookstore to compete with Amazon and others, “coming in summer.” The company announced scant details, but assures independent publishers and individual authors that they “will appreciate PubIt!’s simple and competitive royalty model and compensation process.” As described on their placeholder web page, they will convert digital files to EPUB. The program is pitched for both ebooks and broader “digital content.” Director of digital products Theresa Horner is the BN executive quoted in the release.Release
Today's Bulletins from Open Road, Vook, Amazon, Kobo and Google Editions
Open Road has announced their first original title, former diplomat Mitchell Reiss’s NEGOTIATING WITH EVIL, “a guide to talking — or not talking — to terrorists and insurgents.” Reiss met Jane Friedman while traveling last year in Africa. He’s getting no advance, and a 50 percent profit share. The ebook releases in September with a print version to follow. Friedman reiterates her belief that “exciting videos are going to move the needle” in marketing books. Speaking of videos, the latest Vook adds studio and concert footage and interviews to a version of Marc Canter’s Guns N’ Roses book RECKLESS ROAD […]