Diesel eBooks finally confirmed that it is shutting down by the end of the month, just shy of its tenth anniversary. The news was made more obvious as a result of the company’s March 14 lawsuit (under the “new” name of Lavoho, Inc.) against Apple and the “Agency Five” publishers last week for effectively ruining its business by implementing the agency model. In a statement on its website the independent digital retailer said: “It’s been a great ride! We’re exploring our options – eBooks are still in the infant years and there are many opportunities opening up now and in […]
eNews
Some Hints on UK eBook and Self-Published Sales
In London, Nielsen presented 2013 data about the UK market from their Books & Consumers surveys at their annual conference. (They survey approximately 3,000 book buyers per month. Surveys are different from Nielsen Bookscan’s direct point-of-sale data, so bear that in mind when reading about these results.) They estimate based on their respondents that UK book sales totaled £2.2 billion in 2013, with ebooks comprising 25 percent of unit sales but only 13.5 percent of revenues, at £300 million. In their view, ebook sales rose 20 percent during the year. We had noted recently that consumer surveys are one tool […]
Briefs: Trudeau Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison; Carnegie & Greenaway Awards Shortlists; and More
Allen Guelzo has won the inaugural Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History for GETTYSBURG: The Last Invasion (Knopf). The $50,000 prize was announced Monday night at a ceremony held at the New-York Historical Society. The Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal shortlists were announced this morning, with the winners to be named on June 23. Anne Fine, Rebecca Stead, and Susan Cooper landed on the Carnegie list, while Jon Klassen appears twice on the Greenaway shortlist for THIS IS NOT MY HAT and THE DARK (text by Lemony Snicket). Onetime bestselling weight-loss “guru” and infomercial staple Kevin Trudeau was sentenced to 10 […]
Kobo Continues to Press Case to Preserve Agency In Canada
Kobo continues to press their motion to rescind the ebook pricing consent agreements in Canada between the Competition Commission and the four agency publishers that we first reported on last week. In a memorandum of fact filed March 10, they reiterated their primary argument that “without a stay, Kobo will be irreparably harmed. Its contracts with four of the largest E-book publishers in Canada will be terminated or fundamentally altered. Kobo – not the Consenting Publishers – will bear the financial losses arising from these changes.” As in the US, the Commission has focused on their predictions that “the price […]
Microsoft Will Try Again with “Microsoft Consumer Reader”
Microsoft has expanded ambitions for the ebook market beyond their existing partnership with Nook Media, indicated through amendments to their contract with Barnes & Noble filed with the SEC. As with the previous agreements, key portions are redacted, but the important development is plans to release a Microsoft Consumer Reader. The description of that forthcoming product is omitted, but sample slides submitted to the SEC show what appears to be a Microsoft ebookstore, which will be “powered by Nook.” Once the Microsoft Consumer Reader (yes, they have a knack for consumer product names, don’t they?) is launched, Nook Media is […]
eNews: Mondadori Takes Over Anobii, Plus Indie Links for LAT and A Rooster
Sainsbury’s has passed on the social network part of Anobii (a European Bookish, with all that implies), to Mondadori. Despite Anobii’s multi-year efforts to build a viable ebookstore focused on the UK, the site’s strength — if there was one — was an international audience centered in Asia (since it was founded in Hong Kong in 2006) and Italy (Anobii was run for many years by Italian-born Matteo Berlucchi). Mondadori says in the release that Anobii’s “strongest base” is Italy, “with 300,000 users.” Mondadori Group chief executive Ernesto Mauri says, “A platform that will enable us to listen to people is […]