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Let's not fall out over e-book lending

Submitted by Philip Jones on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 14:00

It's the debate that just won't go away. The issue over how libraries should loan e-books is generating noise on both sides of the pond, with no signs of agreement or let up. In the US HarperCollins got into hot water for attempting to restrict the 'life-time' of an e-book; while in the UK last year's action by the Publishers Association to adopt a restrictive 'baseline' position on e-book lending, led to uproar among librarians. Read more »

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Book Hackday

Submitted by Nick Harkaway on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 09:54

Book Hackday - the place you should be on May 14th.

I mentioned Book Hackday a while ago, but the date wasn't settled. Now it is (May 14th. Did I say that? That's when it is. And did I mention you should go?) and I feel I should emphasise a couple of things. Read more »

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Have publishers already lost the war over agency pricing?

Submitted by Philip Jones on Wed, 03/16/2011 - 14:00

Publishers would be wise today to keep one eye on an interesting debate over at the Guardian about agency pricing. Like me, I think the author Sam Jordison is an advocate of publishers setting prices in order to preserve a business model that might otherwise be toppled by sudden low pricing. Read more »

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New iBooks update opens door to fully illustrated publishing

Submitted by Charlotte Williams on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 17:38

Apple's latest version of its iBooks app, which allows e-books to have a pictorial layout similar to printed books and supports full page illustrations, has been hailed by one publisher as being "the beginning of a phenomenally exciting phase in picture book publishing".

The new version of the online store means all publishers signed up to Apple's terms on the iBookstore, including HarperCollins, Hachette, Penguin, Pan Macmillan, Canongate and Simon & Schuster, will be able to release fully illustrated e-books. Read more »

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Trendspotting

Submitted by Felicity Wood on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 15:26

In recent months various surveys of consumer attitudes towards e-books, e-readers and devices have been released. All of them have revealed trends for the future of digital publishing, with some responses bucking oft-envisioned ideas and others helping to support common e-predictions. Read more »

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What the global e-book report shows

Submitted by Jens Bemmel on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 14:45

The discussions at the IPA's EC meeting, which led to the publication of the global e-books market report, revealed some interesting points. Read more »

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E-book bestseller chart with prices: 14th March 2011

Submitted by Sam Missingham on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 12:30

Charts expert Philip Stone: The first book in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, returns to the summit of The Bookseller's eBestseller chart after a week's hiatus, while "the next Stieg Larsson" Jo Nesbø's The Redbreast joins the Top 10 as the only new entry. According to Waterstones.com, the latter is "Book 1" in the Norwegian's Detective Harry Hole thriller series, but in actual fact it is the third book in the series. The first two titles, The Bat Man and The Cockroaches, are yet to be released in the UK. Read more »

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Charting the global e-book market - exclusive data

Submitted by Philip Jones on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:36

In February, the International Publishers Association asked each of its executive members to answer four questions about their developing e-book markets, granting The Bookseller and FutureBook exclusive permission to print edited versions of the answers. Read more »

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Measure for measure - it's time for proper e-book sales data

Submitted by Simon Appleby on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 08:44

In the most recent Bookseller editorial, the point is made that if ebook sales are taken in to account, the book trade has turned a corner and is starting to enjoy a period of modest growth. Good news. But why are we not reflecting this new reality in our charts and publicised sales figures? There's a massive irony in the fact that there is nothing more measurable than a digital sale (trust me on this, I'm a geek), and yet we have far less published data than we do for physical book sales. Read more »

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Planning for pain before enjoying the gain

Submitted by Daniel Winner on Fri, 03/11/2011 - 15:06

The transition to digital formats offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for trade publishers to re-energise customers, address structural issues with the current industry model, and emerge bigger, stronger and much more profitable.  However, a number of publishers will not survive long enough to enjoy these benefits. An industry shakeout is on the horizon which will cull weaker, less digitally savvy players.
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