Simon & Schuster announced that its pilot ebook lending program, which was originally available to a handful of libraries and then had branched out to twenty systems, will now expand to libraries nationwide, providing access to its entire catalog of frontlist and backlist titles as ebooks. As in the original pilot program, each S&S title acquired by a library for digital lending is available for unlimited checkouts, one user per copy at a time, for one year from the date of purchase. The ebook program also allows users to purchase their own copies via a “Buy it Now” button through a given library’s […]
eNews
Amazon Replies to German Trade Association Complaint
Following the filing of 22-page complaint against Amazon by Germany’s trade association representing publishers and booksellers (the Boersenverein), Amazon has issued a statement that replies to at least a portion of that complaint. The company states: “We are aware of the complaint by the Boersenverein that alleges that we are delaying shipments to customers – this allegation is not true. We are currently buying less print inventory than we ordinarily do on some titles from the publisher Bonnier. We are shipping orders immediately if we have inventory on hand. For titles with no stock on hand, customers can still place […]
German Trade Association Asks for Investigation Into Amazon
In Europe, the Germany Publishers and Booksellers Association (the Borsenverein) announced today that it filed a 22-page complaint last week against Amazon with the Federal Cartel Office, asking for an investigation into the etailers’ negotiations with book publishers and accusing the company of violating antitrust laws. They are protesting Amazon’s intentional “business interruption” with the books published by Bonnier in Germany, similar to what Hachette has been experiencing in the US. To be clear, the association is relying on media reports indicating Amazon is looking to increase their share of ebook proceeds to 40 percent or 50 percent. Borsenverien chief executive […]
Grandinetti and Godin Join DBW 2015 Line-Up
Another two major headliners have joined the already-booked keynotes for our biggest-ever Digital Book World conference, set for January 13 through January 15, 2015 in New York (back at the lovely space in the New York Hilton). Amazon executive overseeing Kindle and other publishing-related ventures Russ Grandinetti will engage in a first-of-its-kind open on-stage conversation with Mike Shatzkin and Michael Cader. And bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, marketing guru and provocateur Seth Godin will provide a keynote speech, looking at “what’s possible and what’s important” for a variety of publishing players. Godin, who has been a traditionally-published and self-published author; a book […]
eNews: Oyster App on Android; Crown Expands Blogging for Books; and More
Subscription ebook service Oyster has launched its Android app, Oyster for Android, available on Nook HD, Kindle Fire, and all other Android devices. The Crown Publishing Group has expanded its Blogging for Books initiative, which makes available both advance and finished print and digital copies to bloggers, across all imprints in eight categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Faith, Business, Cooking & Food, Better Living, Crafts, and Entertainment. The program was founded by Waterbrook Multnomah in 2009 and grew to a network of 12,000 bloggers, and has generated over 30,000 reviews. Ingram Publishing Services and Longleaf, launched in 2006 by the University of […]
Digital Etc.: More Google Play Books, Guild Statement, and A Wiley Buy
Google Play Books is in the process of adding 13 countries to the roster of territories where their service is live. Norway, the Netherlands and Colombia have already been added, with Paraguay, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Ecuador, Uruguay, Panama, Honduras, and Dominican Republic coming soon. A Google Plus post announced the new additions prematurely, but they will bring the service up to 55 countries in all. The Authors Guild posted a statement about the Appeals Court ruling in the Hathi Trust case. Despite the defeat, the Guild remains firm that, “We continue to believe that it is fundamentally unfair […]