The Princeton University Press is beginning the rollout of their Princeton Legacy Library this week, bring back out-of-print backlist in ebook and on-demand editions available through Ingram Content Group. Over 1,200 titles will be released this week, with the full program comprising over 3,000 titles for reissue in “batches” through 2016. Press director Peter J. Dougherty says in the announcement, “By digitizing our backlist in the Princeton Legacy Library, the Press has used the latest technology to make our past publications readily available to readers all over the world. Researchers and students in many developing countries will have access to our historical […]
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Wattpad Acquires Red Room and Takes It Offline With Five Days Notice
On July 3, founder of online writers community Red Room Ivy Madison posted a chipper note with “big news,” writing, “Red Room is becoming part of Wattpad!” Apparently Wattpad acquired Red Room, and wasted no time in killing it: “Red Room will go offline on Tuesday, July 8, 2014. You won’t be able to log in after that. If you ever need to view or copy your content, you can do so, thanks to our friends at the Internet Archive.” Madison’s note offered, “please let me know what I can do to make this move a big success for you,” […]
Amazon Proposes Hachette Authors Should Get 100% of eBook Sales and Everything Else Will “Return to Normal”
On Tuesday afternoon Amazon made a new proposal to Hachette Book Group, only after an email from Amazon’s David Naggar to “a few authors and agents” looking for some “feedback” magically found its way to both the WSJ and the NYT at the same time. Amazon’s suggestion is to give the entire sales price of HBG ebooks directly to the authors, in exchange for restoring normal relations on the publisher’s list while negotiations continue: “Hachette authors would get 100 percent of the sales price of every Hachette e-book we sell,” Naggar’s letter says, and in turn, the etailer “would also return to normal levels of […]
Amazon Said to Offer Normal Trading with Hachette — As Long As All eBook Revenues Go to Authors
[This was a quick, preliminary version of this story. See our far more comprehensive, updated version here] Following a stream of public criticism from authors — starting with James Patterson, Malcolm Gladwell and Stephen Colbert but then spreading to many of the best-known authors in the business through the Douglas Preston-driven open letter — Amazon has “floated” to a set of agents a proposal that would reward authors better than ever on ebook sales (and therefore only punish Hachette). The hypothetical proposal from David Naggar at Amazon, which amazingly found its way in letter form to both the WSJ and the NYT at […]
Harper Targets Readers with Relaunched Web Site, Direct Sales and Offers
HarperCollins has relaunched their primary web site to focus on readers, and as part of that effort they are selling their full catalog of print, ebook and physical audio books directly (while also linking out to an extensive set of retailers). The new home page prominently highlights three recent releases available at 15 percent off plus free shipping in print, or 20 percent off in ebook form. Additional banners promote other value offers, including a sale on summer reading picks for kids and teens. Chief Digital Officer Chantal Restivo-Alessi says in the press release, “We are excited to be able […]
Amazon Revises 20-Year Customer-First Policy
In brief remarks to the WSJ, longtime Amazon executive Russ Grandinetti has rewritten the core principle that has guided Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos for the past 20 years. As the many Bezos quote compilations will confirm for you, their position has always been, “We start with what the customer needs and we work backwards.” They “don’t focus on the optics of the next quarter; we focus on what is going to be good for customers.” There have been “three big ideas at Amazon that we’ve stuck with for 18 years, and they’re the reason we’re successful: Put the customer […]