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It’s quite possible that author Sylvia Day was not one of the survey respondents, as her most recent multi-million dollar book deal would have blown those figures out of the water. Day is one of the reported 2% of traditionally published authors who makes more than $100,000 per year from their book royalties, and her most recent figures from a new deal inked with St. Martin’s Press will add to that statistic. But more important than how much she’s earning as an author is the ability and clout she maintains to be selective in not only her books, but her publishers as well. Following the success of her Crossfire series, publishers came forward to up the ante for future titles. But what industry professionals are overlooking is that Day is not falling victim to the so-called “Fifty Shades” effect, as some believe. Rather than comparing and attributing Day’s success to a book series whose interest is beginning to lag, it certainly seems as though Day’s real genius lies in writing content that her fans clamor for, regardless of the name behind the publisher. After making similar book deals with Harlequin, Penguin, Penguin UK, and a few other publishers for various titles, Day’s most recent deal comes for a new series, “Blacklist.” Interestingly, Day’s books have earned her comparisons to other household name authors, but it’s not so much EL James who is often associated with Day as it is names like James Patterson and Nora Roberts. She’s carving out an entirely new genre of books that basically don’t fit into any single genre, and making quite a success of it.
Sylvia Day Defies the Numbers with Most Recent Multi-Digit Book Deal is a post from: E-Reader News |
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Sylvia Day Defies the Numbers with Most Recent Multi-Digit Book Deal
New collection lists available!
| Between the recent polar vortex cold temperatures and patron's shiny new gadgets brought by Santa, your OverDrive Digital Library is likely seeing a large boost in new patron registrations, circulations and website activity. To keep up with demand and to help make your Marketplace shopping effortless during this busy time of year, we have created a selection of custom lists that feature fresh, popular, in-demand titles that your patrons are sure to love. When you click the links below, they will show up as a Marketplace search result and you'll be able to easily add them to a cart.
You Collection Development Specialist is always available to help create any recommended lists. Email collectionteam@overdrive.com for more information today! *Some titles are metered access and may have limited regional or platform availability. Check OverDrive Marketplace to find what is available for you.
Rachel Somerville is a Collection Development Analyst at OverDrive.
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Kindle Lost or Stolen? Here’s What You Need to do
| If your Kindle is ever lost or stolen, there are a couple of things that you should do to keep your account safe and free of unwanted charges. The truth is devices like the Kindle that are designed to be taken with you wherever you go can be pretty easy to misplace, especially when kids […] |
How to Fix Wireless Issues with Your Kindle, eReader, or Tablet
| If you’re having problems getting your Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire HDX, or any other ebook reader or tablet to connect to the internet via Wi-Fi, here are a few simple fixes that you can try to get your reading device to establish an internet connection. It’s not unusual for a tablet or ereader to suddenly […] |
Norway’s Answer to eBook Lending: Free Books
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According to an article in the Telegraph, over 135,000 books will be available to users inside Norway and to foreign researchers under an agreement with Kopinor, who represents the interests of a number of publishers and their authors. While the books will only be consumable via browser-based reading and not be available for download, a fact that Pubsoft actually claims is the wave of the future of reading, there will not be any of the frustrating checkout limits or wait lists for these titles. One of the key problems that has arisen under US lending and subscription models is that publishers who are willing to take the risk on an experimental lending model have rightly been cautious about participating, often resorting to testing the waters with their backlist or a few midlist titles. However, this program features current works still under copyright from authors like Stephen King and Ken Follett, alongside out-of-print and far older texts. While the revenue agreements will have the National Library paying Kopinor what currently amounts to about two-cents per page of upload (with that funding being shared with the publishers and rights holders), there was no word about where that funding has specifically come from, or if there is a limit on the amount of funding that has been earmarked for this project. With the number of books currently uploaded–minus the 3,500 or so titles that have already been removed at the publishers’ requests–this is by far not an inexpensive project and certainly not one that every government can put in place for its citizens.
Norway’s Answer to eBook Lending: Free Books is a post from: E-Reader News |
Apps Magazine Dedicated to Apps Goes Entirely Digital
| Apps Magazine happens to be one of the most sought after magazines dedicated entirely to apps. Ironically, the magazine had lacked a native digital edition so far, but the leadership behind the magazine has stated they intend to go entirely digital from now on. The company has come up with just a digital clone of the print version, and the new digital versions are available at both the Google Play Store as well as iTunes App Store for £2.99 or $4.99 per issue. There will also be a version available for both the Kindle Fire and Nook range of tablets, which can be picked up from the Amazon and B&N app stores respectively. The magazine carries extensive reviews of all the latest apps along with other features, such as the Top 200 Greatest Apps Ever, a comprehensive list of the best apps from every category. There is also the latest news and developments pertaining to apps, along with interviews with app developers. The magazine also hosts regular contests where users have the chance to win exciting freebies.
Apps Magazine Dedicated to Apps Goes Entirely Digital is a post from: E-Reader News |
Daily Deals and Freebies: Kindle, Nook, and Kobo
| This is the first post of a new daily deals and freebies section that I’ve decided to add to The eBook Reader Blog. Each morning I’ll post a roundup of the daily deal offers for ebooks from Amazon, Kobo, and B&N, along with a couple of hand-picked free ebooks with good reviews. I’ll also include […] |
How to Count Cells with COUNTA
Excel's COUNTA function is a great way to count non-blank cells in your spreadsheets. We'll show you how to use this simple but useful function. |
6 Things Your Tennessee Library Is Trying to Do for You
Think you're making full use of the services your local library offers? You may not be--here are six lesser-known services available at virtually any Tennessee library:
1. Teaching you a new language
The divide in digital language learning is pretty wide. On the one hand, software like Rosetta Stone provides all the tools necessary—and costs around $500. On the other, free websites exist for learning everything from Spanish to Esperanto, but their overall usefulness is hit-or-miss. Enter the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL, tntel.info), which this year added Gale's PowerSpeak Language tool to its vast array of holdings.
PowerSpeak is a multimedia language learning center with an available (but not required!) sign-in feature. It offers lessons in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean, along with English for speakers of Spanish and Mandarin. Rumor has it that other languages are being considered as well. The only downside is that this is a Flash-based system, so i-device users are out of luck.
In addition to TEL's offering, R.E.A.D.S. provides audiobook and eBook texts which can be downloaded from home, and the library's print collection also includes print and audio texts for a multitude of languages.
2. Providing safe technology for your children
My pre-reading daughter is pretty tech-savvy, and I've seen hear tear her way through YouTube without even being able to activate the voice search system. So it's safe to say I'm a little frightened of what she can find on the Internet. The solution turned out to be simple, and it just took a little help from TEL.
The TEL4u portal (tel4u.org) is designed with K-5 students in mind. I added a bookmark to my browser, set my homepage to something that requires reading and isn't link-intensive (Google worked just fine), and my daughter now has a safe Internet portal. While this solution doesn't preclude parental supervision, I rest easy knowing that she's much less likely to find something age-inappropriate when my back is turned.
TEL4u combines links to kids' sections of standard TEL databases (World Book's Early World of Learning is great!) with links to safe sites like PBS Kids and National Geographic for Kids. It's good for entertainment as well as research for elementary school projects.
Many libraries also carry CD audiobooks, Playaway audiobooks, and Playaway View video players for children. These devices can help keep kids entertained on long road trips, and they're educational to boot.
3. Helping you keep up with your field of interest
The idea of the library as a repository of old books is outdated. While many of these books still grace the shelves, libraries have found ways to keep up with the times. Print magazines and newspapers have their place in the buildings, but a vast treasure is available online.
Gale databases available through TEL provide current periodicals, including trade journals, newspapers, and news and entertainment magazines. Many of these are current to the previous issue, and most contain full-text articles. Considering the cost of buying an annual subscription to many of these periodicals—and getting little or no access to the archives—there's no real reason not to take advantage of this service. Gale's PowerSearch even offers to add search results or publication updates to an RSS feed or a regular email. It's just like getting it delivered to your computer.
4. Learning your family history
Interest in genealogy has spiked recently, spurred on by online databases likeancestry.com. Many Tennessee libraries offer in-house access to Ancestry, but several resources are available regardless of which library you call home. ProQuest's HeritageQuest Online database, available through TEL, brings millions of census records and other sources to you for no charge. The state has also partnered with Ancestry to place certain Tennessee records online and open to state residents.
While online searches are great for starting, though, a good genealogist knows that some things are only available in print. Libraries around the state have holdings relating to their area, and many hold manuscripts that have never been indexed and do not exist anywhere else in the world. If your heritage ever took a turn through Tennessee, the library local to the family home should be a stop on your search.
5. Studying for that police officer exam…or ASVAB…or SAT…or…
A core value of the local library is assisting in the education and welfare of the community. But most patrons only take advantage of the educational benefits while in school. Library shelves are full of books to help adults with math or reading, and study guides for common tests like the GED, ACT, and ASVAB are among the most-bought books for libraries.
Of course, these books are also among the most-stolen in libraries. Digital versions are available on TEL, through the LearningExpress Library. This database offers current test prep materials in both eBook and online course formats, all available 24/7. A simple sign-up is required, but it's worth it for study materials ranging from 4th grade math and reading through post-graduate placement tests. Professional certification preparation is available as well, in fields such as cosmetology, medicine, real estate, and civil service.
6. Helping write your résumé
Gale's Career Transitions database is one of TEL's newest tools, and it provides several tools for those between jobs or looking to improve their careers. One of the best tools available is a free online résumé creator. Creating an account is optional, but it provides the ability to make changes to a résumé from anywhere with access to Career Transitions (which includes anywhere in Tennessee).
Many library computers also include Microsoft Word, which also has a résumé wizard available. For those unfamiliar with this program, many libraries also host computer classes, providing needed skills to anyone in the community for free.
TEL resources available at tntel.info
R.E.A.D.S. materials at reads.lib.overdrive.com
DBW Buzzwords, Interview with Tim O’Reilly
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The buzzwords this year were direct-to-consumer book sales, ebook subscriptions, and marketing and discovery. Whereas D2C was a large focus at last year’s Digital Book World Conference as well, the process then seemed to be to get publishers to create their own branded webstores to sell their titles; it didn’t take off, largely because getting readers to remember at least the title and author is enough, but asking them to remember the publisher in order to buy directly was a little too much. eBook subscriptions were a major discussion point this year, especially with the growth of Oyster and Scribd, but the inherent problems with the model came up a lot, namely that libraries are already offering ebook lending without the monthly fee. Finally, the ever-important book discovery was another often discussed topic, with very interesting data points presented in a number of panels. Good e-Reader sat down with Tim O’Reilly, CEO of O’Reilly media, to ask his thoughts on some of these buzzwords. Given his experience with subscription ebooks through Safari Books, O’Reilly explained where some of the reluctance to adopt even the current models comes from. “One reason they didn't pick up, I think, was people couldn't figure out if the math word work, the math on revenue. The way we do it on Safari is we take your subscription and say, 'What books did you read?' We've gone to a very extensive percent-based model, times the price. If you consumed one book and you paid us for the month, all of the revenue gets attributed to that one book. If you read a hundred books, that revenue gets spread [to the publishers] across those one hundred books. Each one will get one percent of the revenue. “What we've found in general is that the revenue per book from Safari is actually comparable or higher than the revenue of an actual sale. One of the things that's also true about pricing of books is that people buy more than they read. Isn't that true of print too? How many books do you buy and never read, or buy them and read a little bit. If we held print to the same standards that we hold digital to, getting trust in the math is the biggest thing that holds people back from the model.” O’Reilly also presented a keynote earlier in the conference on book discovery, and he holds that one of the largest factors in book promotion is still the sense of community that readers have around a particular title or author. He explained in the interview, referencing his keynote, that author John Green has an incredible community of fans because he’s actively engaged not only with his own readers, but with other authors, in a similar way as his YouTube channels has helped launch other YouTube channels through support and features. “John Green is doing what we all need to be doing,” O’Reilly said. Overall, the energy that events like this bring forward into publishing make this yet again an exciting time to be in the book business. The consensus–stated repeatedly–was that the ebook revolution has only just begun, and that the rate of change taking place is faster than it ever has been. “There's a lot to learn, a lot to experiment with.”
DBW Buzzwords, Interview with Tim O’Reilly is a post from: E-Reader News |
Poster competition update #2
| Here, for your edification, are hundreds more of the posters you made as entries to our poster competition. This slideshow contains most of the posters you sent us by email. We’ve lingered on each poster for under two seconds so we could get through them all in less than ten minutes: if you want a closer look, hit the pause button! Clive is lying under a tsunami of paperwork, preparing for BETT next week, so he did not have time to extract images from about 60 posters we were sent by email that came in non-standard image formats. If yours was a ppt, doc, pdf or pub file (we had some other…curious…formats as well), I’m afraid we haven’t been able to include it in this slideshow: but if you sent us a poster by email before the deadline, you will be receiving a Pi even if you can’t see your poster here. Everybody who entered gets a Raspberry Pi kit. Some of the posters were so imaginative and so well-executed that we’ll be choosing a favourite each and rewarding them with a little extra something: we’ll let you know which ones we select next week. We’ll be basing some tutorials and real-life projects on some of the ideas you sent us too. Thank you so much to everybody who entered; we’ve really enjoyed going through the posters! |
Kids’ Tablet Usage on the Rise in the UK
| We have earlier come across reports of half of the adults in the UK to own a tablet device though the kids too aren’t too far off, new studies have revealed. A recent survey by uSwitch.com has found that more than a quarter of kids, or 27 percent to be precise below the age of 8 now having a tablet of their own. If that sound to be too small an age to be introduced to tablet computing, here is some more food for thought: about 10 percent of kids below 2 years have had a taste of touchscreen operations. The figure goes up to 17 percent for those aged between 2-3 years to be introduced to touchscreen based operations. Tablet devices were a big hit during the Christmas and were the most preferred gifting option during the last holiday season. Another trend that became evident was that it was the relatively cheaper Android devices that seemed to be more in favor than Apple's iPad. With tablets increasingly becoming common in UK households, it is only but natural for the kids to be introduced to these from very early in their life. Couple that to the ease of use that the tablet devices have come to be known for and what you have is the perfect scenario for tablets to increasingly become an integral part of a kid's growing-up process. With tablets in their hands, kids also pose several risks if there aren't enough parental controls in place. Take the instance of 12 percent kids reported to have made in-app purchases much before reaching the legal age of doing so. Nevertheless, what seems evident is that there is no way parents can keep their kids totally alienated from tablet devices for long. What is needed therefore is a pragmatic approach towards kids and their exposure to tablet devices.
Kids’ Tablet Usage on the Rise in the UK is a post from: E-Reader News |
Simon & Schuster Demands Libraries Start Selling eBooks
| Simon & Schuster was the last major publisher that resisted the sirens call establishing relationships with libraries in the US. Penguin-Random House, Hachette and many others have most of their catalog available and library patrons can checkout audiobooks, eBooks and magazines. Today, Simon & Schuster has expanded upon a limited pilot project that started in New York and will now start distributing titles on a wider scale. Simon & Schuster has selected 31 public libraries in the OverDrive network to participate. The pilot program provides access to front-list titles from Simon & Schuster such as Dr. Sleep by Stephen King, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman and many more. Other notable authors now available to library patrons include Glenn Beck, Cassandra Clare, Kresley Cole, Rachel Renée Russell and Brad Thor. Part of the new deal with Overdrive is to make libraries offer a Buy it Now button on their online websites. When patrons visit the online portal to see what digital titles are available there will be a button next to S&S titles to instantly purchase the book. Digital titles are very much akin to their tangible counterparts, where popular titles often have long wait times. S&S and Overdrive are betting on people not wanting to wait and make a purchase. S&S mandated that the only way they would participate in contributing their titles to libraries in the US, was that if 3M, Overdrive and Baker & Taylor developed systems that would give people a buying decision. This is in effect blackmailing libraries to either start acting as an online bookstore or you won’t be able to get a wide array of tittles. You can thank Penguin for first introducing the Buy it Now button that started at the New York Public Library. I spoke to Christopher Platt, the Director of Collection & Circulation Operations at NYPL who said at the time “Buying eBooks is not looking to disrupt the traditional bookstore experience. It's about giving our patrons more freedoms." Publishers demanding libraries start selling eBooks is setting a dangerous president. Libraries are publicly funded entities because they serve the community, if they start selling eBooks or opt into the program to start doing it, it could influence public perception on what exactly libraries are doing in 2014. Simon & Schuster Demands Libraries Start Selling eBooks is a post from: E-Reader News |
Simon & Schuster and OverDrive launch pilot program at public libraries
| Today, Simon & Schuster and OverDrive announced that the full catalog of Simon & Schuster eBooks are in pilot at 31 OverDrive partner public libraries in the United States. The titles are available for lending, as well as for purchase by readers through the Library BIN platform. As part of the pilot, each eBook purchased for lending can be checked out an unlimited number of times on a one copy/one user basis for a period of 12 months. Alternately, readers can purchase the eBook directly through the library website, in which case the library will receive an affiliate fee. Simon & Schuster's full catalog of frontlist and backlist titles is eligible for the program, with all new titles available simultaneous with publication. FAQ about the pilot program: Q: How were the participating libraries chosen? A: All pilot library and market availability decisions were strictly made by Simon & Schuster Q: What are the conditions for inclusion in the program? A: Pilot libraries were required to offer the Library "Buy It Now" (BIN) link on their OverDrive digital collections page to participate. Q: Will these titles be made available to more libraries and markets soon? A: Simon & Schuster indicated that if the program is successful with the pilot group, they will consider adding additional libraries and markets in the coming months.
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Google Introduces Google Play Movies and TV Shows on iOS Devices
| In what can be considered as a boon to those who rely more on cross-platform apps and services, Google has made available another of its service, Google Play Movies and TV on iOS. This will enable users of the iPad and iPhone to play back movies and TV shows that they have bought from the Google Play Store. However, while the above development can be considered to be one in the right direction, there still are a few issues to be wary of. These include the inability to playback movies when offline or on the go. This since the new app only supports streaming over a wi-fi connection and won't sync to allow playback in offline mode. This no doubt can dent the prospect of the Google service against Apple's own iTunes that allows both offline playback and video streaming while on the go. In addition, there also is the restriction of in app purchase which is understandable considering this would entitle Apple to seek a share of all sales made. All these issues notwithstanding, the app looks almost the same as their Android counterpart. Further, the movies downloaded quickly enough while the quality too is top notch. In any case, the new app that enables Google Play Movies and TV Shows to be viewed on iOS devices can still be a boon to those who have invested considerably on Google Play Movies and related media ecosystem. For movie buffs, Apple's own iTunes still steals a march over the Google service so far as iOS devices are concerned.
Google Introduces Google Play Movies and TV Shows on iOS Devices is a post from: E-Reader News |
First Time Authors Normally Get a $10, 000 Advance from a Major Publishing Company
| Getting inked to a major publishing company is something all authors dream about doing. First time authors normally have no clue on what the average advance is for their debut book or the first edition in a series. Many authors have come out recently to give an indication on what they are making. Wendy Higgins who was recently signed to Harper Collins said “The day my first agent told me the publisher was going to make an offer I remember his exact words. My agent said, “Now, don’t go thinking you’re going to be able to buy a beach house.” He then told me to try and stay grounded and focus on my family. So I braced myself. And he was right. There would be no beach house purchasing. Shortly after my offer was made I came across a conversation on Goodreads that made me laugh. Some readers were discussing upcoming books and they mentioned one new author who was given over $100K for her book. The reason this was funny to me is because I knew that author and I knew her deal was about the same as mine. I got a $10,000 advance for my first book. Not horrible for a brand new author, but not $100K either. The average author does not get a huge advance like that.” New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Brandewyne weighed in on how much author advances are “An author signing a first contract can expect to receive an advance of anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, on average, per book. Naturally, there are exceptions to this rule. However, it would be unwise and unrealistic with regard to your financial planning to assume you will be that rare, unknown author who garners a multimillion-dollar advance. So, let us say the author receives a $10,000 advance, for a single book. That means the author would subsequently need to earn $10,000 in royalties from the sales of that book before receiving any additional income from it.” Rachelle Gardner is a Literary Agent with Books and Such, she mentioned “A typical first-timer advance might be anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 per book. Most publishers offer the advance they project your book will earn back in the first six to twelve months after publication. Of course, many books don’t earn out during that time, but if you don’t earn back your advance in the first year, your publisher might not be falling all over themselves to publish you again.” Jeaniene Frost is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the Night Huntress series. She weighed in by saying “Across the board for fiction in all genres, including both small and large publishing houses, the average advance for a new author for a first book is $5,000.00 to 10,000.00. Out of that, if the author has an agent, 15% commission is shaves right off the top. Then, as an author, you're often encouraged to get a website. The average starting cost of a basic website, if you're not technically-inclined yourself, is $1,000.00 (and can go way up from there). After that, you have the cost of self-promotion, which can include attending a conference, investing in promotional items, or doing a mailing. As we can see from many authors and agents the average first time author is projected to earn around $10,000 for their new book. After you pay your agent and invest in promotion, there isn’t much left over. Authors have to ground themselves and realize what the industry pays for people who aren’t on television and are not famous. First Time Authors Normally Get a $10,000 Advance from a Major Publishing Company is a post from: E-Reader News |
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
HP Announces New Slate 6 & Slate 7 ‘Voice Tablets’
| HP has taken the plunge in the rapidly evolving phablet segment with two new Android devices – Slate 6 and Slate 7. Both the devices will offer calling facility which means these can be used as a regular smartphone though HP has chosen to designate both the devices as Voice Tablets. This no doubt keeps things simple, instead of calling the 6 incher a phablet and its bigger cousin a tablet. What makes the latest launch all the more significant is the fact that this marks the return of the company to the smartphone segment which it had deserted back in 2011. That was an unceremonious exit though whether the new Slate range will mark a glorious re-entry remains to be seen. Coming to its specs, HP has been a bit choosy when revealing all the details. For instance, while its known both the Slate 6 and 7 devices will sport quad core processors, it has held back on the clock speed or the make of the chipset used. No word on how much of RAM that the Voice Tablets will feature though there will be 16 GB of storage on-board, which can be complemented further with a micro SD card. Both the devices run Android 4.2 (strangely not the latest Android KitKat) and will come with 5 megapixel camera along the rear. As for the display, the Slate 6 comes with a 720p resolution while the bigger Slate 7 will offer 1280 X 800 pixel display. HP has been having a tough time in making the transition to a maker of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Most of its past efforts in the tablet and smartphone segment had bombed though things do look different with the latest Slate incarnations. The new Voice Tablets look sleek and stylish what with their slim profile, and does look to be built for the course. However, pricing which is yet to be revealed will no doubt be the most crucial aspect that will determine the prospect of the device after it proves to be viable enough in the real world scenario. Both the Slate 6 and Slate 7 devices is slated to go on sale in India towards end January. HP didn't explain why it chose to launch the new Slate 6 and 7 version in India before anywhere else though the smartphone market in the country being among the fastest growing in the world could be one good reason. Samsung smartphone have a significant presence here but so has HP in the PC segment and commands a considerable brand loyalty. Maybe these could provide it with the headstart it needs to start a whole new innings in the tablet space.
HP Announces New Slate 6 & Slate 7 ‘Voice Tablets’ is a post from: E-Reader News |
ComiXology Tops the iPad Charts, Brings In New Readers
| For the third time in three years, the digital-comics app Comics by comiXology was the top grossing non-game app for the iPad. This comes as no surprise, as it is often at the top of the charts on Wednesdays, when new comics are out. Rachel Edidin has a great piece about it on Wired’s Underwire blog, in which she interviews comiXology CEO David Steinberger. ComiXology has truly been a game-changer: Not only is it the dominant digital comics app, it has actually been bringing new readers to comics, not just to digital but to print as well:
That’s pretty impressive. ComiXology was founded in 2007 and launched the Comics app as an iPhone app in 2009. I spoke to Steinberger shortly after the launch, and he was pretty excited that comiXology could offer 100 comics, with 40 more in the queue, and that readers could buy them in-app rather than having each comic be a separate app, which had been the paradigm up till then. And from the very beginning, comiXology was promoting brick-and-mortar stores, with a built-in comic shop locator and an affiliate program. Also, at the time of the interview, the app cost 99 cents to download (being an early adopter, I paid for it) and it was the top selling book app in the iTunes Store. Not even five years later, comiXology has a library of over 45,000 comics from 75 different publishers, and they announced this week that they have downloaded over 6 billion pages of comics—4 billion pages in the past year alone. That looks like exponential growth, but it’s interesting that they have switched from the number of comics, which is what they usually talk about, to pages: In September they announced that they had reached 200 million downloads. But maybe they just thought 6 billion was a more impressive number. Whatever. The fact is that just a couple of years ago the single-issue comics market was looking dire. ComiXology has managed to not only sell a lot of comics but also bring more readers into (or back to) comics, thus growing the overall market, print as well as digital, and they have also promoted independent and emerging creators via their ComiXology Submit program. That’s not a bad set of accomplishments to rack up in less than five years. ComiXology Tops the iPad Charts, Brings In New Readers is a post from: E-Reader News |
German Bookstore Chain Weltbild Goes Bankrupt
| Weltbild is the second largest bookstore in Germany and the company has a very complex ownership group that was not willing to put anymore money into it. On January 10th 2014 the company officially filed for insolvency and the future of the German book selling landscape looks bleak. Weltbild's owners is a very complex consortium of over a dozen dioceses of the Catholic Church. The ownership group was not happy that the bookseller put a huge priority on erotica titles both in tangible and electronic format. When holiday sales stayed much below expectations, and the required investment skyrocketed from €60 million to an estimated €160 million, the owners decided to pull the plug. The bookstore chain eked out a modest annual income of over €1.6 billion dollars and has a dedicated workforce of 6,800. Weltbild is considered one of the largest media and book trading houses in Europe, with operations primarily in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It boggles most industry annalists minds that a company of this magnitude can collapse in a short period of time. Adjusting to the new digital landscape was something the Weltbild group did very early on. They started selling eBooks a few years ago, before Amazon officially entered Germany. The Tolino Shine was a product of Weltbild, Thalia, and various Telecom companies to offer a low-cost e-reader and market it to German citizens. Sadly, the unit sales did not meet expectations and in conjunction with poor holiday sales and rising costs, the curtain was closed. The imminent closure of Weltbild will have reverberating effects on the entire German and European publishing industry. There is one less sales channel to distribute and sell tangible books. London Book Fair will be especially interesting this year to see how the industry is reacting and what adjustments will be made to sell books. German Bookstore Chain Weltbild Goes Bankrupt is a post from: E-Reader News |
Top 10 Android Apps of the Week – Jan 15 2014
| This week many new and exciting apps have been released and of course we are seeing new updates to existing ones like Snapchat, Simpsons Tapped Out and many more! Today, we look at the most compelling new apps from the last week and give you a sense on what the essential ones are to check out. Of course, all of these apps are available to download for free from the Good e-Reader App Store. There is no registration required and all of these great apps and games can be downloaded with one click. We also have an Android App you can install on your Blackberry or Android phone/tablet, you can download it HERE. Full Tilt Rush Poker.NET - Feel the Rush. The fastest poker experience. Tailored for mobile. Download and play Full Tilt Rush Poker on your Android device for free. Full Tilt Poker.net is only for play-money players 18 years old and up. City Island 2 – Building Story – In City Island 2 you will build houses for your citizens, decorations and community buildings to make them happy, and create jobs so you can earn money and gold from your happy citizens. People in your own city will provide quests and feedback on how well you are doing! Furthermore, you can decorate your city by placing walking paths, rivers, railroads with trains, parks and hundreds more fun and beautifully designed items. If you like playing free-to-play citygames, building a virtual city on City Island 2 is your best choice! Shiva: The Time Bender – The ultimate hero is finally here – saving the universe, one era at a time! SoundTracking – With a few taps of your phone, identify a song instantly and then share the song snippet, a photo and your geo-location all in one special music moment that you can share into Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare. You and your friends can follow, like and comment on each other's daily music tastes and even play songs in Rdio or Spotify! Rithm – Rithm is an awesome new way to message your friends with music. When you want to rock out, share an experience, enjoy cool new music or make someone laugh, use Rithm to send music messages, express yourself and have fun. Loopr – Task Switcher – Do you want to speed up your multitasking? Being able to customize your device with a new look? Then this app might be the right one for you. Loopr is a task switcher, pretty much like the recent apps menu on your android system, but with much quicker access and a few more options. Crazy Heroes : The Ninja Ropes – Crazy Heroes : The Ninja Ropes is an adventure game with the ropes climbing involved. Mechs Warfare – Become the greatest mercenary! Mechs Warfare is the world of merciless mech-warriors. KickAss Torrent Tracker – KickAss Torrents Tracker is among the first apps that offers secure browsing as a feature. If your country doesn't allow KickAssTorrents or if your company have a strict IT policy, no worries. KickAssTorrent Tracker handles this by using a secure proxy and relays the traffic over SSL to process the search. This gives much higher search speeds and lower data traffic. Magic Rampage – From the creators of Magic Portals, Magic Rampage is an addictive platformer that combines the action-RPG genre with hack 'n' slash gameplay! A tribute to the "Metroidvania" style! Top 10 Android Apps of the Week – Jan 15 2014 is a post from: E-Reader News |
