The NYT reported on Google’s continuing discussions with publishers of their plans to sell online access to the full text of some books currently available for searching and limited reading in their Partner Program with publishers. An offline component, similar to Google Gears, will allow purchased books to be cached in the browser. And Google has indicated to publishers that they will allow some form of limited printing (done a single page at a time) and limited copy and paste privileges, probably in the range of 20 percent of a book’s content. Now dubbed Google Edition, this initiative is the […]
Screen-Maker PVI to Acquire E Ink for $215
Here’s a sign of the actual (and anticipated) growth of the market for e-readers: Prime View International, the company the manufactures the screens for both Kindle and the Sony Reader, is buying E Ink. “The new company will expand capacity and develop improvements for ePaper display screens that are easy on the eyes, long-lasting, and highly portable.” (PVI bought Philips Electronics’ ePaper business in 2005.) Interestingly, the company quotes in their press release iSuppli analyst Vinita Jakhanwal, saying “the market for electronic book devices such as the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle is forecasted to grow from 1.1 million units […]
BEA Wrapup: The Forces of Contradiction
Enough ink has been spilled and will be spilled here and elsewhere about the big stories of BEA – the decreased attendance, the absence of certain major publishers on the show floor, the call for new ventures, all things e-book. But if there’s one big takeaway from this year’s convention, it’s that, at least to my mind, it was all about contradictory forces. Yesterday was the last Sunday of BEA, and yet most everyone I spoke with found it to be the most relaxing and enjoyable day of the show – probably because there were no expectations, smaller crowds and […]
BEA: The Sequel
Yesterday marked the last time Book Expo expects to convene on a Sunday and by the sparse activity in the aisles (aside from packing up) very few will miss the third day when the show moves to weekdays next year and only two days of exhibition. With a big decline in paid exhibitor space and expectations of smaller crowds, show management appears to have set the expectations bar low enough that many attendees and companies ended up pleasantly surprised by the activity. The AP calls its “a low-budget, low-celebrity convention, with fewer parties and fewer advanced copies of books than […]
Secret Publishers Cabal on GBS Settlement in Javits Basement (Not)
On Friday, at the invitation of the AAP and Google I moderated a panel discussion with John Sargent from Macmillan and Richard Sarnoff from Bertelsmann that had the modest and focused goal of illuminating for publishers some of the basics of the proposed settlement of the Google Book Search lawsuits. The session was strictly limited to publishers only, which was apparently just the stimulus to make a number of people (mostly press) want to attend, only to get turned away at the door. Sargent’s opening statement addressed head-on the question of what will happen if the settlement is not approved […]
Crushed But Not Fermented: Online Web Guru Shares Tips for Booksellers
After hearing the big build-up for WineLibrary TV founder Gary Vaynerchuk I have to admit I found his Saturday BEA panel underwhelming–more beaujolais nouveau than aged vintage wine if you will. Vaynerchuk may be the first Web 2.0 motivational speaker, and as he let us know repeatedly, his simple but enthusiastic message is apparently in demand from a variety of companies. (I’ve never heard the expression “have the chops” repeated so many times.) And at least some booksellers in the audience at his BEA panel certainly seemed to be nodding along with his advice. Tailored as an independent wine dealer […]