Digital Book World has a long report on Kobo’s sales relationship with ABA stores in the US. Sales are said to be much better than what indies experienced through Google Books–but still, by most accounts are negligible, ranging from low dozens of ebooks sold since the initiative launched last November up to stores reporting sales of a few hundred ebooks. Booksellers says their margin on device sales if 5 percent, and “the margin on ebooks varies between books, depending on Kobo’s pricing and discounts, but it usually falls between 8 percent and 20 percent.” General manager of The Harvard Bookstore […]
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Harper and Open Road, Cont.
HarperCollins and Open Road have both followed their respective motions from mid-March asking for summary judgment in the lawsuit over ebook rights to the late Jean Craighead George’s Julie of the Wolves with reply filings. “Did, too,” Harper asserts in their latest brief; “Did, not,” Open Road responds with vigor. Each side reasserts its case with even finer detail. Since it rests with the judge–there is a reason older ebook rights are termed by many as simply “in dispute”–we’re not sure it’s worth examining the latest arguments in depth, but both filings are attached for those who wish to read […]
Agency Lite Comes to Macmillan, and Begins in the UK As Well
Agency Lite has formally come to Macmillan titles now, after a longer-than-expected delay. Discounts on ebooks beyond what was previously allowed by the publisher can be seen on some of the company’s bestselling titles, such as Silver Linings Playbook (agency price, $9.99; discounted price $7.99); the Shred diet (agency price, $11.99; discounted price $9.99); and Killing Kennedy (agency price, $12.99; selling price $9.99). Price matching on discounts was observed across the three top ebookstores, Amazon, Nook and the iBookstore, though Google Play–often an early and aggressive discounter–seems to still be selling Macmillan ebooks at full agency prices for now. As […]
Amazon and the Big Six Agree
The class action lawsuit brought by independent booksellers has gotten Amazon and the six largest trade publishers to agree on something: they all think the suit is without merit and should be dismissed. Since the suit appears to be a proxy action against Amazon’s market power more than anything else, their reply is likely of more interest. Amazon argues that in the ebook pricing suits Judge Cote already “determined that complaints by ‘industry stakeholders like bookstores’ about harm from Amazon’s low prices and innovations were not the basis for a legitimate antitrust claim.” Amazon turns their reply into a celebration […]
ReDigi’s Sale of “Used” Digital Music Is Copyright Infringement, Court Holds In Clear Ruling That Makes Any “Used” Digital Marketplace Unlikely
US District Court Judge Richard Sullivan in New York’s Southern District handed down a serious unequivocable judgment last Friday that came to light on April Fool’s Day: ReDigi’s resale of “used” iTunes music files was copyright infringement pure and simple, and plaintiff Capitol Records was granted summary judgment. While the case was brought over music files, the opinion would seem to clearly apply to all other similar digital goods (including ebooks, as well as video, games and software). Judge Sullivan’s opinion is rendered is clear, generally non-technical language: “Courts have not previously addressed whether the unauthorized transfer of a digital […]
Bertelsmann Backs Food52, Which Will Partner with Random House
In other social online opportunities, Food52, a social site for cooks founded by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs in 2009, has closed a $2 million round of financing in which Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments is a significant participant. Among their plans is “expanding our publishing platform through an innovative partnership with Random House Inc.” VP business development at the Crown publishing group Ranjana Wingender says, “We are excited to welcome the Food52 investment as part of the Bertelsmann Family – we at Random House have long considered them a leader not just in food content but also as a community of writers.” […]