Macmillan ceo John Sargent has taken up the call to speak to readers directly about ebook pricing with a new posting on the company’s blog. He notes that the agency model will eliminate any delayed releases of new books in ebook editions: “Readers were clearly frustrated at the lack of availability of new titles, and the change to the agency model will solve this problem.” And he underscores, as we have mentioned before, that hardcover NYT bestsellers will cost $12.99 or less under the new model. He points out to readers that the company is providing “a tremendous discount” on […]
eNews
Random House Is Developing Video Games
The Random House Publishing Group has set up a unit to develop video games, first reported in WSJ and then confirmed in a press release, run by director of creative development Keith Clayton and director of business development Mikita Labanok, who report to Del Rey/Spectra publisher Scott Shannon. The announcement says the unit will create “original transmedia intellectual property–story content that can be accessed through multiple media sources including video games, social networks on the web, mobile platforms, in print and on film–that will be developed and marketed in partnerships with other media companies.The group will also offer editorial services […]
O'Reilly: Stay Focused On the "Boring Stuff"
O’Reilly Media ceo Tim O’Reilly provided a commanding ending to the company’s multi-day Tools of Change conference yesterday, where organizers said they had over 1,250 attendees. Curiously, however, in speaking to the core strengths of what a publisher does, O’Reilly seemed to rebut much of what had been presented during the conference itself. He made it clear that it is virtually impossible for publishers to “be the winners in a technology race.” So publishers should spend less time chasing what’s cool and what’s new and focus instead on the nuts and bolts of nurturing audiences and sales channels and delivering […]
Textbook Publishers Win Preliminary Injunction in Germany Against RapidShare
Two weeks ago, textbook publishers won an important victory in German court against Swiss file-sharing site Rapidshare, in the form of a preliminary injunction ordering Rapidshare to prevent the illegal sharing of 148 copyrighted works named in the suit. The ruling indicated “it is not only necessary to promptly block access to the specific file, but rather to also take precautions going beyond this in order to prevent to the largest possible extent the occurrence of further similar infringements.” The court awarded the plaintiffs legal fees of 7.2 million euros, and said violations could incur fines of 250,000 euros per […]
eNews: Kobo UK, Colleges Lukewarm on SuperKindle
Kobo has officially launched their UK ebookstore, the first of many planned international launches. The Hachette imprints are not included yet, though the Bookseller says that they will be once the company has completed their transition to selling ebooks on an agency model. For now Kobo is pricing new bestsellers at 8.99 pounds.Press release Colleges participating in the “pilot program” to test how students use Amazon’s SuperKindle have reported findings that should be of interest to anyone looking to this market as a key part of their ereading strategy. USA Today reports that “if one clear consensus emerged from the […]
Next It's Enhanced Textbooks, As Macmillan's "DynamicBooks" Platform Encourages Customization
Macmillan is launching DynamicBooks, a platform pitched as web 2.0 textbooks, that lets professors customize and annotate textbooks to “make the book fit your course.” Part of the pitch to students is that the etextbooks cost lest–and of course, since they are heavily customized, they have no real value on the resale market. They plan to sell 100 titles by August. The Chronicle of Higher Education says professors will receive a dollar a book for each customized copy bought that features material they added. “That could add up if a professor’s retooled book becomes popular and is assigned by professors […]