| Writer Scott Snyder and artist Sean Murphy revealed this week that Detective Comics #27 will include a glimpse at a Batman first: A black Robin. Batman has had a sidekick named Robin for almost as long as he has been around himself: Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, and Robin came along less than a year later, in Detective Comics #38. For the first 43 years, Robin was Dick Grayson, but since then, Batman’s sidekick has changed frequently: Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Batman’s own son, Damian Wayne. Currently, there is a vacancy for the position. But Snyder and Murphy aren’t planning to fill it anytime soon. CBR compiled some of their Tweets, in which they discuss the new character, and it’s clear that this will be just a fleeting glimpse of a possible future Robin. “Now the structure of the story is such that you see a LOT of time pass, and w/o giving too much away, the Robin in question only appears in a brief moment. And whether or not he’ll ever make it into some future continuity, I have no idea,” Snyder Tweeted. DC started renumbering Detective Comics with #1 when they rebooted it two years ago as part of the New 52. With the historic issue #27 coming around again, group editor Mike Marts explained in another CBR article, DC decided to do a special issue, kicking off the “Gothtopia” storyline, written by John Layman and illustrated by Jason Fabok, and backing it up with a number of short stories that comment on Batman’s timeless, mythic nature. Snyder and Murphy’s future-Robin story is one of these side stories. (DC has a number of comics that feature the Caped Crusader; Snyder is the lead writer on Batman and Murphy has done some Batman work as well.) Reaction has been so positive, though, that this Robin might become a reality after all. “to be clear-NO ONE seemed upset about a black Robin, dude,” Snyder Tweeted on Friday after word got out. “Opposite. I don’t want to get people’s hopes up about his role is all” “Agreed–people seem thrilled about this,” Murphy responded. “Hope the book does well so we get a chance to do more with him.” Batman Team Shares a Glimpse of a Black Robin—From the Future is a post from: E-Reader News |
Monday, November 18, 2013
Batman Team Shares a Glimpse of a Black Robin—From the Future
Good e-Reader Radio – GoodReads Update, Kindle Accessories and iPad News
| Welcome to another edition of the Good e-Reader Radio Show with Michael Kozlowski and Jeremy Greenfield. Today we talk about the new firmware update for Amazon Kindle Tablets that adds GoodReads functionality. This allows customers to be able to share, review and talk with other like minded souls about the books they love. We live in a world of personalization where people have the ability to craft their technology to their own needs. Motorola is allowing customers to change the colors on their phone cases, camera lens and accents. Amazon just launched their new customized cases that allow people to upload their own pictures and designs on Kindle accessories. Sourcebooks has just signed an agreement with Hello Kitty to put your child in the books. We talk about all of this and more! Finally, there is a new Barnes and Noble Nook Glowlight e-Reader and Apple iPad Mini with Retina tablet available now. We tell you a bit about about these devices and how they will do in the current market climate this holiday season. A great show as always, so check it out! Good e-Reader Radio – GoodReads Update, Kindle Accessories and iPad News is a post from: E-Reader News |
AASL 2013 conference wrap up
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What do you get when you cross 2,400 school librarians and the world's leading distributor of digital content? Lots of excitement in the OverDrive booth at the AASL Conference in Hartford, Conn.!
It was a busy few days with lots of exciting events and announcements:
OverDrive looks forward to meeting with school librarians in Columbus, Ohio for AASL 2015!
Bailey Hotujac is a School Launch Specialist in Collection Development at OverDrive.
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ePubDirect Partners with Oyster for eBook Distribution
| Publishers using the ePubDirect system can select Oyster as an outlet on their distribution platform, only titles with US rights will be sent to Oyster at the moment as Oyster is a US based subscription service. There are currently more than 200 publishers using the ePubDirect eBook distribution system . In addition to supplying the channel, ePubDirect also provide analytics and sales reports for the channel to publishers who have selected Oyster. These reports show details of sales by title, territory, date and revenue. App based, Oyster allows users to get unlimited access to a library of books for one monthly price. Designed for Apple iOS7, the easy to use app was designed from the ground up to optimize the reading experience on mobile devices. Oyster combines discovery with access and reading, so users will be able to get recommendations and immediately begin reading. "ePubDirect work continuously to add the most relevant retailers to our eBook Distribution service, and we are very excited to be able to add Oyster to our platform", explained Gareth Cuddy, CEO, ePubDirect. "Oysters app based subscription model extends our publishers reach and offers our customers new discoverability and sales opportunities." ePubDirect Partners with Oyster for eBook Distribution is a post from: E-Reader News |
OverDrive Launches Streaming Video Service Pilot Program
| Overdrive revealed exclusively to Good e-Reader at Book Expo America their new streaming video platform that allows libraries to offer video in addition to eBooks and audiobooks. Today the first phase of their pilot project is finally getting off the ground at the Los Angeles Public Library. The video service ties into libraries existing ILS systems and titles are available to purchase instantly. The video titles are housed on the same platform as all of your eBook, audiobook and music titles, creating a simple, one-location user experience for the patrons. This means, that users can watch the videos in the same app as they use to read eBooks. When libraries purchase videos a large number of titles are available under a one copy/one user access plan. They also offer Streaming Video collections under simultaneous access plans. OverDrive will also support new metered access models for streaming video such as Cost per Checkout (CPC) as required by select studios. "OverDrive's Streaming Video service allows us to expand the library's e-media offerings while dramatically improving convenience and our users' experience," says Peggy Murphy, Principal Librarian and Collection Services Manager. "For the user, it couldn't be easier. There are no apps to install, no software to download – like they're used to doing with OverDrive Read, they can just click on a title and instantly enjoy!" OverDrive Launches Streaming Video Service Pilot Program is a post from: E-Reader News |
Amazon adds Goodreads Functionality to Kindle Fire HDX
| Amazon acquired the eBook social community website GoodReads back in March for $100 million dollars. The intent behind the purchase was to integrate social reviews and book discovery experience into the Kindle Fire and Paperwhite e-Readers. Today, almost a full month after the new Kindle tablets have been out, Amazon has announced a new firmware update that gives users new GoodReads interface. The free OTA update will give Kindle Fire HDX users a number of new abilities, such as; Effortlessly capture and share favorite quotes with Goodreads friends from inside the book, See what friends are reading with the Goodreads updates feed and add books to your want-to-read shelf, making choosing a new book easier than ever, Rate and review a book you’ve've just finished and immediately share it with Goodreads friends and Import all of the books you'you’ve purchased from Amazon—print and Kindle books—into your Goodreads account. Goodreads was founded in 2007 and currently has over 16 million members and over 30,000 bookclubs. Users have added 530 million books to their shelves and written more than 23 million reviews. Authors are attracted to the GoodReads ecosystem, mainly because this is where the users are and the entire interface is fairly intuitive. Over 74,000 authors are registered in the system, actively engaging in Q/A and addressing questions from their fan base. James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, Nicolas Sparks, E.L. James, and Neil Gaiman are a few examples of the more active names. Amazon adds Goodreads Functionality to Kindle Fire HDX is a post from: E-Reader News |
Google Court Decision Has Implications for Readers with Print Disabilities
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According to a blog post by Bill Steele for Cornell University, access to books is not universal. “Perhaps we should just say ‘equal’ access. Most people can walk into a library, pick up a book and read it, but a person with a visual impairment or a reading disability such as dyslexia must rely on computer assistance, using software that reads digital text out loud, enlarges the type on a screen or converts the text to braille. This requires access to the full text of the work in digital form.” Like many libraries, Cornell had initially begun scanning its collection for its own uses, including use by students and faculty members with limitations on print consumption, as well as supporting the national HathiTrust with its scanned content. When Google launched its worldwide project, Cornell began turning over content to the project, to the tune of about 1,000 items per week. But when the Authors Guild put a temporary stop to the undertaking, a great number of students and researchers stood to lose out, not just from not having geographical access to the various international collections, but by not having the basic ability to consume a book that many readers take for granted. As Steele points out in his post, this access to digitized editions for those with specific needs is not the free-for-all that critics might argue. There are verifiable steps that patrons must take in order to have access to scanned works, steps that–again–the average reader not only does not have to endure, but also does not even have to think about. The recent decision to dismiss the Authors Guild’s case against Google will hopefully speed up the once forward-moving project to enable book access for everyone.
Google Court Decision Has Implications for Readers with Print Disabilities is a post from: E-Reader News |
Fire OS 3.1 Software Update for Kindle Fire HDX Adds Lots of New Features
| Today Amazon released the promised mid-November software update for their new line of Kindle Fire HDX tablets as well as this year’s $139 Kindle Fire HD that adds a number of new features, including Goodreads integration, Cloud Collections, and more. Most of these new features have been advertised all along, so it’s good to see […] |
Grab the popcorn: OverDrive is going Hollywood with Streaming Video!
| OverDrive's much-anticipated Streaming Video lending service has launched in its first pilot at Los Angeles Public Library (http://lapl.lib.overdrive.com) with great success. The Streaming Video service is a convenient and exciting way to instantly watch videos anytime, anywhere, on any computer, tablet or mobile device with an internet connection.
Adding streaming video titles is completely seamless for our library partners; there is no software installation or learning curve involved. The video titles are housed on the same platform as all of your eBook, audiobook and music titles, creating a simple, one-location user experience for your patrons. The OverDrive APIs and our free MARC records integrate your streaming videos into your OPAC or ILS, so your patrons don't have to go anywhere else to get the materials they want.
Once you adopt our Streaming Video service, titles are available for you to curate and purchase from within the OverDrive Marketplace just as you would find an eBook or audiobook today. Streaming Video titles are offered with familiar access models (one title/one user and simultaneous access) to keep purchasing as easy as possible. OverDrive Streaming Videos can be sampled on the OverDrive Media Station and showcased right within your library so you can introduce the new service to your patrons easily. "OverDrive's Streaming Video service allows us to expand the library's e-media offerings while dramatically improving convenience and our users' experience," says Peggy Murphy, Principal Librarian and Collection Services Manager. "For the user, it couldn't be easier. There are no apps to install, no software to download – like they're used to doing with OverDrive Read, they can just click on a title and instantly enjoy!"
One title/one user and simultaneous access models go live in pilot
Patrons can have fun just viewing samples or checking out streaming video titles of all kinds including award-winning Independent films, children's videos, foreign films, documentaries, comedies, dramas, educational videos and more. Movies starring Academy Award-winning actors such as Forest Whitaker, William Hurt, Cate Blanchett, Susan Sarandon, Philip Seymour Hoffman and others are accessible with one click through the OverDrive-powered digital library website. Whether you're interested in learning guitar, catching up on classical adaptations of Huckleberry Finn or The Gift of the Magi, or entertaining your family with titles like Inspector Gadget or The Adventures of Paddington Bear, we've got you covered. Lee Milstein, Erica Lazzaro and team have been busy in California talking with major motion picture studios, and big announcements are coming soon! Thousands of additional titles in all genres from major studios, including Hollywood blockbusters, will be added on a continual basis.
The new Streaming Video service is replacing OverDrive's download video (WMV) service that has been on the market for many years. Library WMV titles will be removed from the website and replaced automatically with streaming video titles wherever possible.
OverDrive is going live with several libraries as part of a limited pilot program starting this month. Additional information about OverDrive Streaming Video service is coming soon – keep reading our blog for the latest updates, and contact your Collection Development Specialist to learn more. In the meantime, check out search.overdrive.com to see our available Streaming Video titles.
Heather Tunstall is the Public Relations Specialist at OverDrive.
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Sunday, November 17, 2013
NZ Classic Books Released in eBook Format
| Auckland University Press has released more than 240 classic books from the region in ebook format. This can be considered a significant development considering many of the books that have been launched in digital format have ceased to be in print for long. Not only do the literary works get a new lease of life, the newer generations too get the chance to get acquainted with past works of literature. This has been made possible thanks to the efforts of Creative New Zealand, the country's national arts developmental agency, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and the Vice-Chancellor's Strategic Development Fund at the University of Auckland. Among the titles that has been released in ebook format include 'Keith Sinclair's Origins of the Maori Wars and M. P. K. Sorrenson's three-volume, collected letters of Apirana Ngata and Sir Peter Buck, Heather Nicholson's award-winning story of knitting The Loving Stitch, Ian Wedde's Spells for Coming Out and Roger Horrocks's superb biography of Len Lye.' “Over a hundred of the titles were published long before PDFs, so we sent hard copies off to India for conversion and then checked them back in New Zealand. For many of the old books, our information on the author and the title was shaky. Finding covers, updating websites, contacting authors and their estates – all of this work allowed us to get to know again the amazing depth of the Auckland University Press list,” the press release revealed. Auckland University Press also stated all of their ebooks are available with major ebook retailers, which includes Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google, Apple, Whitcoulls and so on. “Along with our US distributors IPG, we have been fortunate to partner with Faber Factory who handle our digital distribution outside North America. Rooted in one of the world's great publishing houses, the Faber Factory team have developed innovative ways to make sure ebooks get out to multiple retailers in multiple formats around the world, to monitor availability, sales and pricing in real time, and to promote ebooks to readers,” the press release stated. The ebooks are available in epub and mobi ebook format along with PDF for many of the titles.
NZ Classic Books Released in eBook Format is a post from: E-Reader News |
eBook Review: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
| Verdict: 5 Stars This book should come with a warning: Don’t even open the cover until you’ve got your adult diapers firmly in place. Even from the Introduction, Brosh will have you crossing your legs while you laugh. Fans of Brosh’s blog, Hyperbole and a Half, turned out to purchase the author’s debut graphic novel (Touchstone), complete with her intentionally crudely drawn illustrations that just put the finishing touches on her amazing storytelling capability. In what is probably not even close to the weirdest thing about this book, it is at this very moment the number one bestseller on Amazon in the Love/Sex/Marriage, Satire, and Biography & History Graphic Novels categories. There’s not a metadata genius on Earth who can explain that. For the most part, Brosh’s writing serves as an amazingly hilarious cautionary tale for the rest of us. Our lives look stellar in comparison, and that’s even if we were facing jail time for a minor but repeat offense. However, the author also pours open several veins when she tackles the topics of self-loathing and clinical depression, even while making you laugh. Some of the criticisms of this graphic novel have been that there’s not enough new material, citing that most of the content within the book has been posted previously on the author’s blog. While frustrating for longtime fans of the site, new readers will delight in the side-splitting stories; additionally, a number of well-known bestselling titles that were curated from popular blogs contain previously published content. Readers will still enjoy having a collected volume of their favorite Brosh stories. The Hyperbole and a Half book is available now.
eBook Review: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh is a post from: E-Reader News |
Digital Comics Bargains for November 17, 2013
| Here’s our weekly look at the best-selling comics, as of Sunday evening. 1. The Walking Dead #116 You know, comiXology had some really great sales on really interesting comics this weekend, and it’s sort of disappointing to see that none of them showed up in the top ten—not the Hernandez Brothers’ Love and Rockets, not the excellent indie graphic novels published by Top Shelf. Just The Walking Dead and a bunch of superheroes who have been around since I was a kid. The top charting sale title was Eddie Campbell’s From Hell, a steal at $3.99, which made 14th place, and a bunch of Grant Morrison’s Superman titles did pretty well, too. 1. The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes Kindle users mixed it up a bit more, putting From Hell in fourth place (just behind another sale title). And the Calvin and Hobbes fans were out in force. George R.R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight did well in pre-orders and will probably be on the list for a while longer. 1. The Sandman: Overture #1 The Nook top ten is exactly the same as last week’s. Just sayin’. iBooks 1. Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Search, Part 3 The iBookstore remains reliably eclectic, with a heaping helping of kid-friendly titles (Avatar: The Last Airbender, My Little Pony) and some seriously adult titles (The Walking Dead, Blue Is the Warmest Color), as well as a mix of single-issue comics and graphic novels. Digital Comics Bargains for November 17, 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Rogers Media Pulls All Digital Magazines out of Zinio and Launches their own Service
| Rogers Media is likely the largest magazine publisher in Canada and they have pulled all of their digital editions out of Zinio. Rogers intends on launching their own Netflix-like app, called Next Issue magazine that will provide access to all of its magazines as well as dozens of high-profile American titles for a monthly fee. Rogers insists the decision to pull its titles from Zinio was not their own, and referred inquiries to trade association Magazines Canada. Zinio has been inroads in distributing their digital magazines all over Canada and the US by way of Recorded Books. Recently Zinio started offering back-issues available to be purchased, instead of just the most recent issue. The Toronto Public Library trumpeted their relationship earlier this fall, saying the digital magazines were extremely popular, with about 55,000 copies checked out in since June. Many libraries are voicing their disdain about the whole situation. Next Issue grew out of a joint venture started in 2009 by U.S. publishers Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp., and Time Inc. It provides subscribers with access to around 100 monthly magazines for $9.99 a month or both monthly and weekly publications for $14.99. Rogers’s Next Issue Canada service has adopted the same pricing as the U.S. service: $9.99 a month for monthly publications and $14.99 a month for monthly and weekly publications. Libraries may not have the large selection of Canadian titles via Zinio as they had before, but there is silver lining. In January, Magazines Canada is rolling out Canada's Magazine Store, promoted on its website as a "one-stop shop for all member titles." The association states that its "relationship with digital circulation suppliers is changing, including our Zinio-based program." It sure looks like Zinio is starting to get phased out and their one time allies are turning into direct competitors. Rogers Media Pulls All Digital Magazines out of Zinio and Launches their own Service is a post from: E-Reader News |
TWO MILLION!
| It took us almost exactly a year to sell the first million Raspberry Pis. Going on that basis, we calculated that we might, if we were lucky, reach the second million around January 2014, or slightly afterwards – we were confident we’d get there by the end of February 2014. So it was a bit of a shock at the end of last week when we got the latest sales figures and discovered that the 2,000,000th Raspberry Pi was sold in the last week of October. We don’t know who owns it – if you bought one between October 24 and October 31st, it might be yours. (It could even be the one we gave to Prince Andrew when he visited on Halloween.) Back in February 2012, we produced the first 2000 Raspberry Pis in China (UK manufacturing came later), and they were delivered to Jack’s garage in March, from where Eben and I split them into two lots of 1000, stuck them in the boot of our car, and drove them to Farnell and RS Components’ headquarters.  The first 2000 Raspberry Pis The Pis were in boxes of 50, stacked together to make a pallet of 2000. We took the web’s first Raspberry Pi unboxing picture. And on getting the news about the 2,000,000th Pi at the end of last week, it struck us that every single Raspberry Pi in that pallet represents 1000 of the Raspberry Pis that are spread around the world today. We never thought we’d be where we are today when we started this journey: it’s down to you, our amazing community, and we’re very, very lucky to have you. Thanks!
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Queens Library to Start Lending Nexus 7 Tablets Out
| Queens Library in New York will start offering tablet devices for free to its members from next week, or Nov 20 to be precise. The generosity can be attributed to Google donating 17,000 of its new Nexus 7 devices to the New York State Community Action Association to commemorate one year of Hurricane Sandy hitting New York and adjoining areas. Of these, Queens Library will be getting 5,000 units of the Nexus tablets. Valid card holders of the library will be able to retain the tablet for a month and can be renewed thrice at the most. What this means is that each member will be able to keep the tablet to themselves for four months at a stretch. The tablets on offer from Queens Library have proprietary software running on top which is based on icons. Further, each of the Wi-Fi capable devices being lent out by Queens Library will come pre-loaded with educational content, job searching resources, information on immigration and citizenship, information about health, and so on. The tablets also come loaded with curated content, which means users have access to lots of information irrespective of them being online or offline. Also, Queens’s move to lent out tablets running its proprietary software is perhaps a first among public libraries in the US. The other locations in Queens that will be lending the Nexus tablet devices include Howard Beach, Broad Channel, Arverne, Far Rockaway, Queens Library for Teens in Far Rockaway, Rockaway Beach and Rockaway Park. “Google is excited by the Queens Library innovative use of technology to engage their community and patrons,” said William Floyd, Head of External Affairs for Google. “With this tablet donation, we hope that the residents of this borough will have access to the information and resources they need to strengthen their communities.” “Public libraries are all about lifelong learning. The tablets provided by Google, coupled with innovative work by Queens Library, puts information and educational resources into the hands of Queens residents. It is a first step toward our strategic goal of bridging the information divide through digital resources, coupled with educational partners. We expect to advance adult learning, language learning, student resources, and more.”
Queens Library to Start Lending Nexus 7 Tablets Out is a post from: E-Reader News |
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Pan Macmillan Signs Up Multi-Book Deal With Self Published Author Rachael Lucas
| Indie author Rachael Lucas has landed a deal with Pan MacMillan that covers publishing three of her books as well as an ebook. The titles covered include Sealed with a Kiss which will be launched in paperback form in May 2014. This will be followed by a sequel of it which will be released during Christmas 2014 along with a novel slated for a release in the Spring of 2015. Lucas' Sealed with a Kiss has seen over 70,000 downloads and has made it to among the top 10 Kindle titles. The story dwells on the topic of romance, friendship and rescued seal and is set on a remote island in Scotland. “I fell hook, line and sinker for Rachael’s writing from the first page. She writes with a warm, natural humour and creates characters that you feel you’ve spent years with, not just chapters,” said Senior commissioning editor Caroline Hogg explain the motive behind the deal.
Pan Macmillan Signs Up Multi-Book Deal With Self Published Author Rachael Lucas is a post from: E-Reader News |
Kobo Aura vs Barnes and Noble Nook Glowlight
| Kobo and Barnes and Noble both have new six inch e-readers that will be vying for you attention this holiday season. These devices feature illumination technology that have been refined over the course of a few generations for each company. Today we compare the Barnes and Noble Nook Glowlight and the six inch Kobo Aura. The big difference between these two e-readers is the fact Kobo uses a five point capacitive display screen and the Nook runs a rather old Neonode IR that was popular a few years ago. This allows for Kobo Aura users to enjoy more pin point procession when navigating around or turning the pages of a book. The glowlight technology is fairly similar on both units, but I think the Aura edges the Nook out again. In the video below we compare eBooks, PDF files and other written content. The objective is to provide you with the same content right next to each other. If you are thinking about buying or upgrading to either of these readers this is the video for you. Kobo Aura vs Barnes and Noble Nook Glowlight is a post from: E-Reader News |
Book Discovery Enhanced with Stumleupon for eBooks
| There are millions of self and traditionally published out there and trying to discover the next good read is something everyone is focusing on. A new website launched today that is billing itself as the Stumbleupon for eBooks and at the click of a button presents over 10,000 eBooks. Developer Raimonds Plavenieks launched the site only today and has gained a ton of traction with hundreds of users online and 10,000 eBooks added. Authors can automatically submit their books into the discovery engine by Tweeting @stumblary with your teaser and link to the book. Books can be added from a myriad of websites such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and Kobo. Raymond cites the reason for launching the platform as “ a fun experiment in recommending books.” The entire project is a bit of a lark with authors encouraged to submit ideas for features directly to Ray. Considering how much money is being sunk into discovering digital books by major publishers, this is a unique way to go about finding the next great read. Book Discovery Enhanced with Stumleupon for eBooks is a post from: E-Reader News |
Publishers Pleased with First Children’s Book Fair Held in China
| The first Children’s Book Fair held in China ran from 7th till 9th November and publishers who had been part of the inaugural edition of the fair report to having made a killing at the event. Publishers had to themselves two days before the fair was thrown open to the public which was marked by hectic activity. This also proved to be a golden opportunity for the publishers from the west and elsewhere in the world to interact directly with the public and their Chinese counterparts, something that they had to rely mostly on agents to get going. “It has been phenomenal: overwhelming at times. I have been in back–to-back meetings since I arrived. I planned to have 40–50 meetings but I have had about double that. I could have sold rights 10 times over if I was able to,” said Andrew Sharp, groups rights and digital director for Hachette Children's Books while speaking to ‘The Bookseller’. “The culture is very much that children read to learn but I have sensed that this fair is trying to get out the message of reading for pleasure,” said Sharp saying the focus has been more on fiction and picture books. “What this has really done is given us an opportunity to meet Chinese publishers,” Sharp further added. Abdul Thadha, founder of Leicester-based Sweet Cherry Publishing echoed similar feeling saying: “There was massive interest from librarians who wanted to buy books in different languages, which is a bonus I wasn’t expecting. Picture books have been of the main interest. I haven't signed any deals but I have got so many leads that I can’t help but think there will be a lot to come from it.” He also added: “I think this show has been absolutely brilliant. Those who have not come have missed out. I did not anticipate there would be this many publishers here . . . on the first day all my slots had gone, there was no time for lunch and I was meeting with publishers back to back. The only thing I would change for next year is to have more distributors here as there doesn’t seem to be any and obviously they are important." The Chinese publishers though weren’t as enthusiastic with the results they met, claiming there were less interest in their titles from UK publishers. This can be made for the words of Zhu Jing, foreign rights manager for Zhejiang Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House as revealed to The Bookseller: “We publish about 500 new titles a year, of which around 20% are imports. We do a lot of business with Dorling Kindersley in the UK. We really hope to sell more titles into the UK but right now we don't have much understanding of what the young readers are looking for or interested in. We have been to the London Book Fair, Frankfurt and Bologna and tried different agents to sell titles to the UK but it hasn’t been very successful so far.” The first Children’s Book Fair held in Shanghai saw attendance of publishers such as Publishers Association, Hachette Children's Books, HarperCollins, Nosy Crow, Top That!, Windmill Books and Brown Bear Books, World of Books, Digital Leaf, Sweet Cherry Publishing and Small World Creations, along with several other from around the world.
Publishers Pleased with First Children’s Book Fair Held in China is a post from: E-Reader News |
Pottermore Debuts on Tablets and Smartphone Devices
| The Harry Potter interactive website Pottermore is now available on mobile connected devices such as tablet PCs and smartphones. Up until now, the same was limited to just web browsers on traditional computing devices such as notebooks or desktops. Good to see the same transcending to the new age devices such as tablets which has emerged the most preferred device for personal computing needs. Pottermore though didn't reveal which platforms the site is compatible with except that it has got 'leading tablet devices' covered. This should include iOS and Android platforms at the least. As for the site itself, Pottermore has been found to be just as responsive and interactive as it has been known to be when accessed via a browser on a PC. Sure the smaller screen of a smartphone can't make up for the all the fun that the site provides for when viewed in a bigger display of a PC or even a tablet, though nevertheless, its availability in a smartphone provides a greater penetration than that was possible when it was exclusive to web browsers to be viewed on PCs. As with the site to be made accessible via mobile devices, there is also a huge demand for a Pottermore app and the good news here is that sources – though unconfirmed – have announced a collection of apps is already under development.
Pottermore Debuts on Tablets and Smartphone Devices is a post from: E-Reader News |
