Thursday, June 30, 2011
Kobo Sales are added to the USA Bestsellers list
USA Today added Kobo ebook sales to their bestsellers list, they join a host of other retailers including Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Borders.
Buy a Nook, get 30 free books!
Wow. If you're planning to jump onto the Nook wagon, better do it now!! If you compare your ereader to a Nook and buy a Nook will get 30 free books (They decide which 30 you get)! Press release after the break
Amazon has yet to change it's iOS Kindle app. Strategy?
Tomorrow is the big day when the Apple Hammer is supposed to come down on all those who do not comply with Apple's demands, either selling through the app store (and giving 30% to Apple) or removing all links that point to an outside store.
So far Amazon hasn't done anything, and some people think that they may try and call Apple's "bluff" and announce their new tablet with the news that Apple won't allow the Kindle app on iOS devices with how it stands right now. That would be a gutsy move on Amazon's part - and it may give them the publicity they need in a market so strongly dominated by Apple.
What do you think? Will Amazon use this as their entry into the tablet world?
So far Amazon hasn't done anything, and some people think that they may try and call Apple's "bluff" and announce their new tablet with the news that Apple won't allow the Kindle app on iOS devices with how it stands right now. That would be a gutsy move on Amazon's part - and it may give them the publicity they need in a market so strongly dominated by Apple.
What do you think? Will Amazon use this as their entry into the tablet world?
Get new Fonts on Kindle: No Hacking Required
Chris over at Book Sprung was playing around with a Calibre plugin that allows Collections to be added to the Kindle from the comfort of ones computer when he discovered that the plug in could do a lot more! It can change the font on the Kindle too!! It turns out that the developer of the plugin also has detailed instructions on the MobileRead forums. After the break I've Cut and Paste the instructions. Happy Reading!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
A Good First Week! Comments are now open!!
We've been at it for a week with better than expected results!!
The comments are open now.
Remember to follow us on twitter and subscribe to our feed.
Thanks for reading!
The comments are open now.
Remember to follow us on twitter and subscribe to our feed.
Thanks for reading!
Amazon Threatens To Close CA Associates Program
The letter is after the break:
ComiXology CEO Talks About the Future of Digital Comics
Today, David Steinberger, the President and CEO of ComiXology gave an interview with eBookNewser discussing the usual topics (formatting, devices, future plans etc...).
Steinberger feels that the digital comic field will expand as more comic book publishers start releasing their comics in the digital format, and he hopes that many will follow the same example as DC in releasing the digital version the same day as the print. As well, he hints to a possible future release on to the Nook Color reader - although it seems he has never actually used one.
You can read the interview here.
WSJ Fight Club: Kindle vs. Nook
Teleread Is Back! And addresses the concerns.
He posted today:
First and foremost, it’s not required. No site functionality will be blocked if someone decides not to use social sign-on.I am confident in the integrity of the NAPCO people and so I’m looking forward to seeing how this all works and hoping that it will help TeleRead to grow.
Second, when someone uses the social sign-on functionality, depending on the site (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) the user will be shown exactly what is being shared, which also is part of the terms of service of the respective site (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) that the user already agreed to. Regardless, we’re not collecting the users “Friends” data, but get normalized profile data that includes the users email address.
E-Ink credit cards
The future of credit cards may be eink. The cards display an unique authorization number when a button is pressed and battery life is a very impressive 3 years. They're already in production and use in Korea. Check out the video below!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Tuesday 28th eReader news.
There was lots of exciting news, including one of the loudest blogs on eReader news remaining completely silent! Check out the links below to see if you missed anything. See you all tomorrow!!
CBC Radio: Closing the Book
CBC Radio: Closing the Book
You can download and listen to the episode here.
TeleRead Remains Silent
Teleread has remained silent all day today after Paul Biba tweeted:
And posted this blog:
Hopefully Napco takes Paul's advise wisely (I for one appreciate his privacy concerns) and things go back to normal soon.
I just was alerted by one of our major contributors, Andrys Basten, that a new login system has been put in place by our owners, Napco, which looks as if it is collecting information about commenters’ Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. accounts. I’ve checked it out by logging in as a regular user and it seems to be the case – at least to me.Later the blog was taken down and the website hasn't published all day.
Our owners, Napco, did not tell me anything about this change and I have just sent them an email saying that this is completely unacceptable and 100% contrary to what TeleRead stands for. Since it is late here, about 11:30pm, I probably won’t receive an answer until tomorrow, but rest assured that this is NOT something I condone.
I am postponing any further postings until I get an answer about what is going on – I place the highest value on the privacy of your personal information.
Hopefully Napco takes Paul's advise wisely (I for one appreciate his privacy concerns) and things go back to normal soon.
Star Wars collection coming the Digital Age
The books will also include bonus content including timelines and overviews of major Star Wars eras.
Source
Kobo upgrades eReader Touch Software - New Fonts!
Kobo has just upgraded its New Touch Reader software again! This time to include new fonts! Go to the Kobo blog to get all the details!
Penguins Classics release Iphone App
Penguin has released it's own iphone app which feature descriptions of 1500 descriptions of classics that Penguin publishes and includes quizzes on over 65 books. The app also lets users keep track of the books they have read and share this info with friends over Facebook or by email. Although there is no ebookstore in the app itself it does have a link to where print editions can be ordered.
source
3M has Cloud Service and a "new" Reader
If the device looks familiar, that's because it's the txtr reader which 3M invested in and was killed off this December. After the break is the rest from Nate:
Overdrive and 3M set to bring Libraries more lending options
Quoted from Good eReader
At the 2011 American Library Association Conference going on now in New Orleans, participants eagerly awaited the demonstrations on new launches of two key players in ebook lending, OverDrive and 3M Library Systems. Both companies were staged to introduce new technology in ebook library lending, and conference attendees were not disappointed.
While OverDrive has had a hand in library services for some time now, its news was the updates to its lending service. Up until now, lending libraries maintained a one book-one user format, in which an ebook was borrowed just like any other print book. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Patrons could sign up to borrow the ebook, but had to wait for it to be returned, just like other books. This model didn’t make much sense in a world of instant downloads, and OverDrive introduced its Always Available content at this event. Operating as OverDrive WIN, it has brought a select list of first ever DRM-free titles and multi-user books to library systems.
Meanwhile, 3M unveiled its new library service, complete with 3M e-reader devices that will be available for patron check-out, 3M apps, and the Discovery Terminal, a free-standing inside-library kiosk that lets patrons browse titles via a touch screen. This terminal boasts an ease of use that sets the bar higher than OverDrive ever could have hoped, a must for some library patrons.
Read the rest here
Libraries are seeing a spike in ebook lending
Source
Monday, June 27, 2011
Authors may soon be signing your ebook!
Kindlegraph and Autography are programs being developed that allow writers to literally sign your ebooks so that the autograph is viewable on the ereader.
The first was developed by a former Amazon veteran, Evan Jacobs, during a hackathon sponsored by Docusign (he won second prize!). So far Kindlegraph is more of a side-project than anything serious, but more authors are jumping at the opportunity.
Here's how it works: A reader will make a request to KindleGraph that they want a certain book signed, Kindlegraph contacts that author and gets the e-signature which is then sent to your kindle as a separate page. Users could collect a whole 'book' of autographs.
Autography is another start-up with the same idea. Right now both are trying to get authors excited about this idea. Hopefully we'll see some good things come out of these companies in the near future!
Source
KindleGraph
Autography
A Day in E-Reader News
It was a big day in E-Reader News today, here's the summary with links:
Enthrill helps bookstores enter the Digital Age - A Calgary-based company helps traditional bookstores compete in a digital marketplace.
Enthrill helps bookstores enter the Digital Age - A Calgary-based company helps traditional bookstores compete in a digital marketplace.
Sony using Pottermore to get back into the eReader race? - What is Sony's role going to be in their deal with Rowling's Pottermore? The details are still vague.
Why John Locke would be better off with a publisher - A great op-ed piece that aspiring writers should consider.
Is there a New model of the Que coming? - The Que has already been dropped but Plastic Logic is hiring more people, is something new on the way?
Indigo Struggles to Keep up With Amazon and B&N - the CEO of Indigo, Heather Reisman, talks with the Star about the struggles of the traditional bookstore and how the Kobo reader might save the company.
E-Reader ownership Doubles! - Ereaders outpace tablets and the ownership rate doubles in just 6 months.
Check out Amazon's Best Kindle releases of 2011! - Amazon announces it's best of 2011, for now.
Hanvon releasing New eReader - Hanvon announces 2 ereaders coming soon to the Chinese market and one of them is color!
Pottermore Goes on the Defense - Pottermore defends itself against the bookstores who claim they're the reason Harry Potter is the success that he is.
Crave calls New Nook: Best overall e-ink reader
Enthrill helps bookstores enter the Digital Age
A Calgary-based company called Enthrill Entertainment is giving traditional bookstores get a competitive edge by helping them break into the digital age.
From Tech Vibes:
See the whole article hereEnthrill’s ebooks system stocks gift card-esque products shops—from one's own bookstore to a corner store or grocery store—and when a customer purchases a car, they can enter its redemption code online to download a book to the device of their choosing.Enthrill's co-founder, Kevin Franco says, “Enthrill’s eBook sales program is a natural fit for booksellers. It utilizes the merchandising skills and knowledge the traditional bricks & mortar booksellers already have. The content is the same, we’ve simply given them a package they can sell.”“When we brought our idea to the Canadian Booksellers Association," Kevin adds, "they were excited that their members could finally take part in eBook sales,” says Franco. “Now anyone, not just device holders, can purchase an eBook. Finally, eBooks can be given as gifts.”
Enthrill Website
Wondering where to find DRM-free books? try Open Books
Sony using Pottermore to get back into the eReader race?
Quote from PC World:
"Sony’s association with J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore brings together one of the world’s most innovative brands with the most successful book series in history, in a pioneering partnership that will help shape the future of story-telling," said Sony CEO and president Howard Stringer, adding "We are proud to be a part of it, both at this momentous announcement, and as we collaborate on its development over the coming years."
Want the latest updates?
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Why John Locke would be better off with a publisher
The Shatzkin Files has a great piece about the first independent author on Amazon to reach 1 million sales and why that author would be (financially) better off if he signed with a publisher instead of selling his books for a dollar independently. Here's a quick section:
Check out the entire article here.
Let’s do the math. Locke has sold 1 million ebooks at 99 cents each. He gets 35% of the revenue, so that amounts to something less than $350,000 (credit card fees are deducted from the net). There are some production costs involved (he hires a cover designer and he gets help formatting his books), so knock off another ten or fifteen grand. That means his net for nine novels averages out to about $35,000 each. He’s getting no apparent revenue from print and he’s getting no print exposure in stores which would further stimulate online sales. At 35 cents per copy, he’s earning less than the per unit royalty he’d get from a publisher selling his books for about $2.99, the point at which the 70% payment from agency re-sellers would kick in, even if the publisher didn’t yield at all on the now-prevailing 25% royalty standard. And if his books were $9.99, he’d be getting $1.75 a copy from a publisher, or about five times what he’s getting now.
Check out the entire article here.
Is there a New model of the Que coming?
Get the Digital Reader's take on it here
Indigo Struggles to Keep up With Amazon and B&N
E-Reader ownership Doubles and outdoes Tablet Growth!
From the Pew Research Centre:
Read the whole article here
The share of adults in the United States who own an e-book reader doubled to 12% in May, 2011 from 6% in November 2010. E-readers, such as a Kindle or Nook, are portable devices designed to allow readers to download and read books and periodicals. This is the first time since the Pew Internet Project began measuring e-reader use in April 2009 that ownership of this device has reached double digits among U.S. adults.Tablet computers—portable devices similar to e-readers but designed for more interactive web functions—have not seen the same level of growth in recent months. In May 2011, 8% of adults report owning a tablet computer such as an iPad, Samsung Galaxy or Motorola Xoom. This is roughly the same percentage of adults who reported owning this kind of device in January 2011 (7%), and represents just a 3 percentage-point increase in ownership since November 2010. Prior to that, tablet ownership had been climbing relatively quickly.
Read the whole article here
Academic Publishers Gear up to Stop Piracy
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports:
Read the whole article hereNow on sale in some online marketplaces: cheap, illegal access to SciFinder, an extensive database of scholarly articles and information about chemical compounds run by a division of the American Chemical Society. The sellers are pirates, hawking stolen or leaked SciFinder account information from college students and professors."There are reseller Web sites in China where we've purchased access to our own products for pennies on the dollar," says Michael Dennis, vice president for legal administration and applied research at the Chemical Abstracts Service, the division that publishes SciFinder. "We're shutting down hundreds of these every couple of months," he says, though in some cases the publisher has trouble taking effective action against sites in other countries.He says sellers use Taobao, a Chinese service similar to eBay, and other online marketplaces to sell SciFinder access, giving buyers hacked user names and passwords and instructions on how to remotely log in to a college Web site so that they appear to be on the campus. The database is popular with companies as well as with academics, though exactly who is buying the access is not clear.There is so much unauthorized access through college Web sites that SciFinder has focused antipiracy efforts on higher education. Its leaders have run informational campaigns aimed at college presidents, librarians, and technology officials encouraging them to do more to secure their accounts...
Check out Amazon's Best Kindle releases of 2011!
Amazon has released it's list of best Kindle books for 2011, check it out!
Pan Macmillan Launches Compass
Trevathan said this about the new imprint: "We’re already in conversation with a number of agents who, like us, are very excited by this new project. We believe we are the right partner for agents because in addition to our proven digital skills, we will bring all the attributes and reputation of the Macmillan brand to tailored marketing and social media campaigns, print and online publicity and direct-to-consumer e-commerce."
For more check out The Bookseller, Ebooknewer, and Futurebook
Selling Print Books with E-Books
From the NY Times:
Source
How do you help brick-and-mortar stores sell books? Throw in an e-book.That is the idea of one publisher, Algonquin, which began a promotion in 300stores this month that gives a discounted e-book to customers who buy an Algonquin trade paperback. The publisher has planned a similar effort for October, giving customers who buy a hardcover copy of “When She Woke,” by Hillary Jordan, the digital version of the book free. Barnes & Noble
“We spend a lot of time lately trying to figure out how to sell books in this new world order,” said Elisabeth Scharlatt, the publisher of Algonquin, part of Workman Publishing. “And particularly to help booksellers to sell hardcover books, which seems increasingly difficult. So this seemed like one way of calling attention to a book by giving an incentive to the customer.”
Several publishers have experimented with bundling, whether by grouping several e-books together for one price or selling a print book paired with an e-book. “Consumers are starting to feel like, ‘If I’m buying the book, why do I have to buy it several times to have multiple formats?’ ” said, the group publisher of Workman. Robert S. Miller
For months, publishers have become increasingly concerned about the health of physical bookstores, where traffic has declined as the book business continues to shift online. If physical bookstores continue to disappear, publishers worry, their books will not have an opportunity to be discovered by customers who wander into a store without knowing what they want to buy. Sales of print books have suffered in the last year, while e-book sales have soared.
The Algonquin promotion that began this month allows customers to choose a trade paperback from a list of 12 titles, and then buy an e-book for $3 from a separate list of 12 titles. The second promotion, beginning in October, will be offered in independent bookstores and Barnes & Noble.
Source
Pottermore Goes on the Defense
"We always sought to add value for the fans when a new Harry Potter book was released and their launch days have become the stuff of legend at Waterstone's and other booksellers.
"We're therefore disappointed that, having been a key factor in the growth of the Harry Potter phenomenon since the first book was published, the book trade is effectively banned from selling the long-awaited e-book editions of the series."
A spokesman for Pottermore replied to the concern saying,
"Pottermore is designed to encourage the reading and re-reading of the Harry Potter books in all formats and editions, both print and digital, to both existing and new generations of readers. We think this will have a positive effect on those selling physical books as well as on sales of digital ones."
"The decision to make e-books exclusive to the site was to ensure ease of availability across all reading devices and to the widest possible audience and also to support the ultimate intention of the site to be an online reading experience.”
Source
Hanvon releasing New eReader
Good eReader is reporting that Hanvon is ready to release 2 new eReaders, which were on display at CES this year, in to the market soon. One is a 200 dpi, monochromatic e-ink reader supporting multiple files types and a native Opera web browser! The other would be the world’s first color e-ink reader. Both will be released in China later this year.
Source
Source
Sunday, June 26, 2011
All you ever wanted to know about EPUB 3
The Spring 2011 issue of The National Information Standards Organization (Vol 23, Issue 2) features a number of interesting and worthwhile articles on the future of ebook and ereaders, but none of them are as insightful as a look into the ePub3 format and what the format has to offer ebook readers in the near future! If you're interested in the future of the ePub format and up for a more of a technical read, it's definitely worth a glance.
EPUB 3: Not Your Father's EPUB (PDF)
If you're interested in the other articles they can all be found in PDF format here. The ToC straight from the website is available after the break:
EPUB 3: Not Your Father's EPUB (PDF)
If you're interested in the other articles they can all be found in PDF format here. The ToC straight from the website is available after the break:
Kobo upgrades eReader Touch Software
Kobo has released an update to it Touch eReader. The update addresses issues of ghosting on the device since it does not do a full refresh with every page turn. Users will now be able to set the number of pages the kobo goes through before a full refresh is done.
For more information and how to change these settings on your device, check out the Kobo blog!
For more information and how to change these settings on your device, check out the Kobo blog!
Maps for your E-Reader
Nate at The Digital Reader got a letter from a developer who has put together map books for 200 cities around the world for the Kindle, Nook and Sony Readers. The developer used maps from the Open Streetmap Project and apparently they work rather well on his K2 despite one or two slight glitches.
You can check out Ebook Maps here. Unfortunately I can't comment on their accuracy as I've never lived in the 200 cities for which they are available.
Source
www.ebookmaps.com
You can check out Ebook Maps here. Unfortunately I can't comment on their accuracy as I've never lived in the 200 cities for which they are available.
Source
www.ebookmaps.com
Saturday, June 25, 2011
New Book Format wants to Challenge E-Book Market
The Daily Mail has a story about a new type of book. In order to rejuvenate the paper book market in England, Hodder is starting to bring in 'Flipbooks'.
Flipbooks are books which have taken some cues from the Bible (the best-selling book ever - apparently) and have started publishing books using ultra-thin 'Bible' pages. Not only that but the books read on their side with the text parallel to the spine and is about the length and width of a cassette tape (if you remember how big those were...) but thicker.
Flipbooks are books which have taken some cues from the Bible (the best-selling book ever - apparently) and have started publishing books using ultra-thin 'Bible' pages. Not only that but the books read on their side with the text parallel to the spine and is about the length and width of a cassette tape (if you remember how big those were...) but thicker.
The aim is to make books as small as possible so that they can be carried easier - and they make no qualms about going after the e-book market.
But there is a cost to it - books in this new format will cost about 2 pounds more. Photos after the break.
iShades: Could be reading your iPad 3 outside! (With a little help)
According to Apple Insider and the New Yorker, Apple has applied for a patent for a display which “Emits Circularly-Polarized Light,” this would allow the iPad to offer better visibility when being used in direct sunlight if the viewer is wearing polarized sunglasses. Check out Apple Insider (link above) for all the technical specs and info.
B&N Reports Big Losses Despite Strong Nook Sales
Publishers Weekly reported that despite strong sales of the Nook and BN.com huge 65% sales jump for the year, Barnes & Noble, the nations largest bookseller, still reported a $74 million loss for the year, partly due to R&D for their digital expansion. You can get all the number crunching details after the break!
MobiHandler for Windows
Alissa over at mobileread forums has been working on a handy Windows plugin that gives Windows better functionality when it comes to certain file types popular amongst ereader users
Once installed, this small program makes your Windows Explorer to handle .azw/.mobi/.prc files better; cover images are shown as thumbnails, and you can see the book titles and authors on the list of files. You can also see the Properties of the books. It helps managing Kindle contents on Windows PC, especially when you download a lot of (probably free) .mobi files from the internet...
It works on Windows XP (SP3) and Windows 7, including 64 bit editions. It should also work on Windows Vista, although I have not tested yet.Go here for the download link, install instructions and troubleshooting.
Review: Ehon
Ehon describes itself as a "digital comic book and ebook management program for your Mac." It is available from the Mac store for $17.99. So I dove in, my review is right after the break, enjoy!
Got a New Kobo? Want More Fonts?? Here's how!!
The guys over at the e-book reader blog have already figured out how to get a better selection of fonts into your new kobo ebook reader!! All the instructions are right after the break:
Jumping the NY Times Pay Wall... (And I'll add the WSJ, just for fun)
Lifehacker has a little trick for busting through the NYT pay wall:
Step 1. Select everything in the browser page address field starting from the ? to the end.
Step 2. Delete all that numbojumbo.
Step 3. Hit enter to reload the page.Easy right?! Now the WSJ jump is right after the break!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Re:Post - Getting Blogs on your Kindle (or any ereader)
If you have a decent selection of blogs that you like to read it is actually easy to get them on an e-reader with calibre. I've been using Calibre to get News Downloads for a long time now, but it never occurred to me to use it for Google Reader too.
Here's how:
Here's how:
Calibre 0.8.7 Released Today
Sales Up, Way up!
Why start a blog devoted to e-readers and ebooks? This story from publisher's weekly is a good indication: It's hot! While it's not enough to off set the downfall of traditional publishing, it certainly is not far off.
source
E-book sales had another strong month, with sales up 157.5%, to $72.8 million from 22 reporting companies. The increase, however, was not enough to offset declines in the print sector and as a result combined print and digital sales of trade books fell 10% at the reporting companies in the month.For the first four months of the year, the sales decline was less severe. E-book sales were up 162.9% for the period, to $312.9 million, while print sales in the five trade segments were down 18.7%, leading to an overall decline of 4% in the first four months of 2011.
source
Harry Potter ebooks - finally.
J.K. Rowling is seeking to extend "the relevance of Harry Potter to new generations of readers, while still appealing to existing fans" by opening a new website called "Pottermore" and selling her ridiculously popular Harry Potter books in e-book format - covering all the bases as it will include Kindle formats. Along with that she has written new material designed to enhance the story, characters and settings of the original story.
Overdrive, the company which is promenant is library lending, is the providing the platform for the store which will also make the physical books available.
Source
Related reading
Overdrive, the company which is promenant is library lending, is the providing the platform for the store which will also make the physical books available.
Source
Related reading
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