| Would you buy an e-book from an airport, museum or hotel? Big five publisher Simon & Schuster hopes you will. Simon & Schuster has partnered with mobile content delivery service Foli to offer customers complimentary access to a selection of full-text e-books in airports, museums and hotels in the United States. Foli specializes in Geo-targeting, which basically allows the delivery of a single digital e-Book, or group of titles, to a specific geographic location. In order to access the e-books in the program you need to download the official Foli app for Android or iOS. If you visit the National Air & Space Museum a free digital edition entitledd “The Wright Brothers” will be available to read for free. You have three days from visiting the venue to read it, then you have to buy it. S&S has also ironed out agreements with a number of airport lounges for another 18 titles. Will customers buy single editions on their smartphone or tablet? Obviously you will not easily be able to load it on your Kobo or Nook and these DRM e-books are not compatible with the Kindle. Would you buy an e-Book from a Hotel or Airport? is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Would you buy an e-Book from a Hotel or Airport?
Overdrive Audiobooks can Now be Played on a Web Browser
| Overdrive has been quite progressive about having content displayed within an internet browser. Whenever a patron borrows an e-book from the local library, they have the option to read it within a dedicated app on their smartphone or tablet, or their favorite browser. Today, Overdrive has just announced that they now have support to listen to audiobooks in a web browser too. The new platform is called OverDrive Listen and requires no software to play an audiobook, other than your internet browser. You can now browse, checkout and listen in a singular experience, without the need to lean on a dedicated app. Libraries can rest assured that Overdrive Listen feature has automatically been added to any audiobook that is available in the MP3 format. Nothing else has to be done on an individual branches part, other than just build awareness that patrons now have the ability to listen to audio content on their PC, MAC, smartphone or tablet. Overdrive Audiobooks can Now be Played on a Web Browser is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Margaret Atwood Will Time Capsule a New Book May 26th on Periscope
| Margaret Atwood is the first author that will be participating in the Future Library time capsule project, which was announced last year. The official ceremony will begin next Tuesday, May 26 and the historic moment will be captured on Periscope. Her work will remain unpublished – and unread – until 2114. Margaret posted a short essay in her involvement in the project on Wattpad. The key takeaway is that she loves digging in the dirt and finding things. “As a child, I was one of those who buried treasures in jars, with the idea that someone, some day, might come along and dig them up. I found similar things while digging in the various gardens I have made: old nails, old medicine bottles, fragments of china plates… That is what the Future Library is like, in part: it will contain fragments of lives that were once lived, and that are now the past. But all writing is a method of preserving and transmitting the human voice.” What is the Future Library Project all about? Well, a thousand trees have been planted in Nordmarka, a forest just outside Oslo, which will supply paper for a special anthology of books to be printed in one hundred years time. Between now and then, one writer every year will contribute a text, with the writings held in trust, unpublished, until 2114. Tending the forest and ensuring its preservation for the 100-year duration of the artwork finds a conceptual counterpoint in the invitation extended to each writer: to conceive and produce a work in the hopes of finding a receptive reader in an unknown future. Margaret Atwood Will Time Capsule a New Book May 26th on Periscope is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Viz Manga Hires Dreamworks’ Brad Woods
| Manga distribution company Viz Media announced on Monday that they will be making a big staff change. Brad Woods, previously the Senior Vice President of Dreamworks Animation, has been named as the Chief Marketing Officer at Viz. What this means is Woods will be in charge of marketing all the titles Viz holds. Woods has had experience marketing successful film franchises, notably 'Madagascar' and 'How To Train Your Dragon.' This is also not his first, or even second, company rodeo. Woods worked at Mattel and Warner Bros. before Dreamworks. While hiring a man with a successful marketing background may seem like a very good idea, it has some wondering. How much does Woods know about manga, anime, and the world he is entering into? Will he hep put manga 'on the map,' so to speak? Or will he end up mis-marketing the titles? How will this affect Viz Manga in the long run? It is interesting to note that Woods is coming from Dreamworks Animation, the offshoot to Dreamworks, and the company responsible for the upcoming 'Ghost in The Shell' movie. Could bringing in a man with such a Hollywood background mean we may get more of a Westernised, Hollywood feel to Viz Manga? And if so, is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Only time will tell as Woods embarks into the world of manga. But we'll be watching to see if the changes he makes are good, or if he makes any change at all. Viz Manga Hires Dreamworks' Brad Woods is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Shortlist Announced
| Kobo has just unveiled the shortlist for a new literary initiative that celebrates digital works by Canadian authors. The Emerging Writer Prize was created for debut authors in three categories: Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction, Mystery and Non-Fiction. Each winning author will be awarded a $10,000 CAD cash prize as well as promotional, marketing, and communications support. More than 140 entries were received from 40 different traditional publishers, as well as from more than 45 self-published authors. The shortlist, selected by Kobo's team of booksellers and taking into consideration book completion rates, customer ratings and reviews, comprises five books in each genre. The shortlist will now move on to the final selection process, led by top Canadian authors: Charlotte Gray for Non-Fiction, Miriam Toews for Literary Fiction, and Ian Hamilton for Genre Fiction (Mystery), with winners announced on July 7. Non-Fiction
Literary Fiction
Fiction (Mystery)
Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Shortlist Announced is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kobo Glo HD PDF Review (Video)
| People are always asking how each ebook reader handles PDF files, so I wanted to put together this dedicated PDF review for the Kobo Glo HD to show all the features available for PDFs. Like the Kobo Aura H2O and Kobo’s other ereaders, the Kobo Glo HD is designed primarily to display ebooks from Kobo […] |
The Inquirer Tech Hero Awards
| This is not a flashy post with lots of pictures and farkles. It's a thank you note. In February 2012 we started selling the Raspberry Pi (you may not have heard the story—it went pretty well ;)). A year later we moved into a small office. There were six of us. Our very first office. Aww, cute. Less than a year later we stormed the penthouse floor of the same building and have been there ever since. (We even have our own fridge now so we don't have to write our names on our pies with a Sharpie). And here we are three years later—things have gone swimmingly and we've picked up one or two awards (OK, lots) along the way. We love getting awards but not (just) in a big-headian way. They are a confirmation that we are doing something right and doing something good. Last night I travelled on the InterCity to London to attend the first ever Inquirer Tech Hero Awards (Liz and Eben are away and I was sent because I most resemble him physically). We were nominated in three categories: The Raspberry Pi 2 won 'Best Product' and Eben won 'Tech Champion'. We had a great night, chatted to a load of people and we brought back two impressive chunks of glass that say, "Keep doing your thing, it's good." The best photo I could manage – these things are shiny AND transparent So thanks to the Inquirer and to everyone who voted. But the biggest thank you goes to our amazing, unique and lovely community. We wouldn't be here without you. Cheers. The post The Inquirer Tech Hero Awards appeared first on Raspberry Pi. |
OverDrive Listen is now live!
| We are excited to announce a new listening option for audiobooks, called OverDrive Listen, is now available for your audiobook collection! Similar to OverDrive Read for eBooks, OverDrive Listen offers the same ease of use; simply browse, borrow, and listen right in your browser with a single click. There are no downloads or software required; all you need is a compatible web browser. Using OverDrive Listen, you can add bookmarks, take notes, or make highlights. This additional listening option has been automatically added to MP3 audiobooks in your digital collection (where publisher permits) at no additional cost. There is no action required on your part. We look forward to offering this new listening option for your users. If you have any questions, please contact your OverDrive Account Specialist.   |