Tag Archives: Digital Publishing

News

YBooks Releases Its First Ebook

December 16, 2010 – 6:50 pm

Just weeks after releasing their first print title, Donal MacIntyre’s Hitmen, Gangsters, Cannibals and Me, YBooks has released the title as its first ebook.

The book is available through a wide selection of ebook retailers including Amazon, Kobo, ebooksdirect and The Book Depository.

In a statement today Chenile Keogh, MD of YBooks said. ‘We are very excited to release our first venture into the electronic market and will be publishing Boiling Point, Adventures in the Restaurant Game by Nick Munier with Esther McCarthy and Paperboy by Tony Macaulay in the coming weeks.’

YBooks was formed by Keogh and Robert Doran after Merlin ceased trading earlier this year.

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Briefly Noted

Briefly Noted | Amazon to Unveil New Kindle Web App Tomorrow

December 7, 2010 – 8:48 am

An Amazon rep said in an email to ComputerWorld that the new version of the web app is intended to “enable users to read full books in the browser and any website to become a bookstore offering Kindle books” — exactly what Google E-books aims to do with its own platform. The previous version of Kindle for Web, as the app is properly called, was not nearly as noteworthy, allowing users to read only first-chapter previews of books online.

via Amazon to Unveil New Kindle Web App Tomorrow.

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News

G&M To Launch EBooks In 2011

December 6, 2010 – 8:37 am

Gill & Macmillan, the largest Irish-based publisher, is to launch consumer targeted ebooks in the first quarter of 2011.

According to Tony Hetherington, Digital Developments manager, the company will ‘focus on device linked stores as the way forward.’

Hetherington highlighted Amazon’s Kindle, Apple’s iPad which is linked to their iBooks and iBookstore and also Kobobooks which has an ereader as part of their offering. Currently, iBooks offers only free public domain titles to Irish readers.

Gill & Macmillan has been experimenting with digital books in its educational business for some time having launched an ereader trial as early as 2008.

Hetherington said that the company had previously hoped to launch before Christmas but it still needed to put ‘a couple of things in place.’

The company relaunched its website earlier this year with a new ecommerce engine and has rolled out a number of mini-sites to support its titles.

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News

Easons Agrees Agency Pricing Contract For EBooks With Two Publishers

December 3, 2010 – 3:33 pm

Stephen Boylan, Books Purchasing Manager at Easons with responsibility for ebooks has confirmed that Easons has signed Agency contracts with Hachette and HarperCollins.

Both publishers have also changed from wholesale to agency terms for ebooks in the UK, as have Canongate, Penguin and Simon & Schuster.

The new agreements mean that Easons, ‘currently have a mix of agency and wholesale pricing on their ebook site,’ according to Boylan.

Agency contracts change the basis of partnerships between retailers and publishers from a wholesale one to an agent based one for ebook sales. Instead of retailers getting a set discount off the list price of titles from the publisher and selling titles at whatever price they choose, the publisher instead sets the price and pays a commission to the retailer based on that selling price once an ebook sells.

Other publishers are likely to follow suit over the coming months. Tony Hetherington, Digital Development Manager at Gill & Macmillan, the largest Irish publisher, said that Gill & Macmillan will be introducing ebooks in the first quarter of 2011 and ‘will look to implement Agency pricing wherever we do business.’

Gareth Cuddy of ePubDirect, an Irish ebook technology firm, said that, ‘Hopefully the eBook selection in Ireland will increase for the many people suffering from a lack of available titles. We haven’t gone down the agency route for our own reasons, but we’re just glad to see the profile of eBooks raised in this country.’

Boylan said that Easons is, ‘keeping an open mind in relation to its [Agency pricing‘s] potential impact. It’s still early days, but we’re in close contact with the publishers and will keep discussions open with them about any future developments.’

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News

Amazon Turns On Kindle Gifting

November 22, 2010 – 12:25 pm

Irish ebook readers and book lovers can now give digital editions of books to friends, family or strangers with only an email.

Amazon, the giant internet retailer, has turned on the ability of buyers to send Kindle ebooks as gifts. Users don’t need to worry if their friend has a Kindle device either as Kindle ebooks can be read on laptops, Macs, Blackerry devices as well as iPhones, iPod Touchs, iPads and desktop computers.

‘We are thrilled to make it easier than ever for our customers to give their favorite Kindle book to a friend or family member as a gift,’ said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. ‘We’re making this functionality available in time for the holidays to offer an easy, stress free holiday shopping option for anyone – not just Kindle owners.’

Irish readers can currently gift last week’s number one John Giles: A Footballing Man for only $14.99, or around €10.90. Emma Donoghue’s Booker nominated Room can be bought or gifted for $11.74 around €8.55 a saving of some €2.50 on the price for an epub ebook at The Book Depository and €6.40 on the Easons price.

Amazon is one of the first ebook seller to make the gifting process available, Kobobooks announced a similar feature would be available in time for the holidays but has yet to launch it.

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News

Blackhall Publishing Releases Its First Trade Ebook

November 18, 2010 – 2:25 pm

Open Dissent by former Bank Of Ireland CEO, Michael Soden, is Blackhall Publishing‘s first trade book to be published as an ebook.

The title, which went live today on Amazon’s Kindle ebook store is the first of the publisher’s trade books to be made available in digital format and is the first of three ebooks in the pipeline.

Open Dissent and one other will be converted in partnership with Tech-net Scientific e-Publishing services and the company plans to release the third through Kobo, the ebook retailer founded by Indigo of Canada.

Blackhall aims to have all its new trade titles available in ebook format by the end of 2011 and is working on a plan for its backlist.

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Quick Links

Quick Link | The Australian Apple iBookstore launched paid content today | BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER Online

November 3, 2010 – 12:59 am

The Australian Apple iBookstore launched paid content today with ebook titles from Hachette Australia, Murdoch Books, HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan, Hardie Grant, Melbourne University Publishing and John Wiley & Sons among the initial offerings.

Prices on the iBookstore range from $2.99 for ‘classics’, to a mid range for many titles of $11.99, $12.99 and $14.99, and as high as $39.99 for some titles.

via News Articles – BOOKSELLER+PUBLISHER Online – your gateway to the Australian book industry.

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News

Daily Links 21/09/2010

September 21, 2010 – 1:50 pm

Milk & Cookies from Cian Brennan on Vimeo.

Milk and cookies at Exchange Dublin on the 14th of September.

(HT @darraghdoyle)
Milk and Cookie Stories is a non-profit storytelling group based in Dublin, Ireland. We’re looking to find out what stories our city has to tell.

Storytelling, though very much a thriving art form, is rarely the focus of any event or performance. We believe that storytelling deserves to be placed in the spotlight. Dublin needs a place for people to come to hear a good story, and maybe tell one – we aim to provide that place.

Milk and Cookies isn’t just for writers and performers – we would like anyone who has a tale to tell, or wants to hear a story told well, to have a warm, relaxed environment to do just that. Dublin needs a place for people to eat to hear a good story, and maybe tell one. A place with tea, cushions, cookies and friends.

Hachette e-books removed from Waterstone’s, WHS, and Book Depository
There’s trouble ahead, and the news, though seemingly interesting, may not be good for Irish Publishers.
Read more…

Micheál MacLiammóir & Culture Night 2010
I swear, these get even more beautiful every time he posts!
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Spending on UK books passes £1bn-two weeks late
Book sales down 3.4% on 2009 in the UK!
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Fingal’s Annual Writers’ Festival
I’ll be on the Blogging panel, overall a very fine festival
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Sunday Tribune Book Club
Is there a national paper without a book club now?
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Paperbacks Tom Widger
Includes a short rerview of The Downfall of The Spanish Armada in Ireland
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Unlocking a mother’s love
Another ROOM review
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Culture Night reading by Galway Writers at Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop
Nice idea for culture night
Read more…

Review: Homecoming by Cathy Kelly
Great Review for Cathy Kelly’s latest
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Deirdre Sullivan launches Prim Improper
Some great pics from New Island’s Prim Improper launch
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January, February, March, March, March
Nice review for Blood & Thunder by Darach MacDonald
Read more…

Magical writer casts his spell
Decent review for Landy this one!
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On the trail of the killers
Good old Declan Burke gets stuck into some crime
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The more things change . . .
Tom Garvin’s latests gets a review
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Emma Donoghue Booker nominee
Emma Donoghue author of the Man Booker shortlisted Room Saturday 9th October 2010 at 1pm Edmund Burke Theatre, Trinity College entrance off Nassau St) Admission free. Booking: 01 674 4873 Email: dublinpubliclibraries@dublincity.ie
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Friends of the earth
LITERARY CRITICISM: Out of the Earth: Ecocritical Readings of Irish Texts Edited by Christine Cusick Cork University Press,
Read more…

Go Read This | Hachette UK to set e-book prices from Monday | theBookseller.com
Hello Agency pricing, bye bye cheap ebooks?
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Rambo writer David Morrell launches latest thriller as ebook exclusive
This is big news
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Fry says bookshops could go the way of blacksmiths
Everyone seems to have it in for bookstores these days, though at Mountains To Sea last weekend, Tim Waterstone seemed clear they’d survive.
Read more…

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iPad Launch News

iBooks Is The Number One Free iPad App In Ireland

July 24, 2010 – 2:27 pm

This morning iBooks is the number one free iPad App in Ireland.

Amazon’s Kindle for iPad app, at number eleven is just outside the top ten free Apps.

The Elements: A Visual Exploration published by Touch Press is the top ranked paid book app at number 15 in the overall list of paid apps.

Drilling down to the paid apps in the book section, The Elements: A Visual Exploration is at number one, the full version of Disney’s toy Story Read Along App at number two, Alice for the iPad at number three, Self Help Classics at number four and The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss at number five.

iBooks is joined by the Kindle App, Marvel Comics App, Toy Story Read Along App and the Free Books App in the top five free book apps.

For more on reading and book apps, read Robert Maguire’s post from yesterday: To E Or Not To E: A Beginner’s Guide To iPad Ereading Apps.

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Publishing

Amazon Vs Macmillan

February 9, 2010 – 10:35 am

Amazon and Macmillan have reached an agreement over ebook pricing. The buy buttons which Amazon had removed as part of a dispute concerning new pricing arrangements have been re-instituted for all Macmillan titles.

The dispute arose when Macmillan CEO John Sargeant informed Amazon late January that he was proposing a new model for selling ebooks through Amazon. This new model would change the way that books were priced as well as shifting to an “agency” basis whereby Amazon instead of receiving a discount and selling the book at a price of their choosing, would sell books at a price set by the Publisher and receive a commission of 30% on that price.

The “Agency Model” emerged as a point of discussion during discussions between industry players and Apple in the run up to the lauch of Apple’s iPad on 26 January 2010.

RESOURCE READING
~ The Financial Times carries a piececovering the issues in the dispute today that is worth reading.

~ Macmillan placed a statement on US industry website Publishers Marketplace explaining their actions:

Under the agency model, we will sell the digital editions of our books to consumers through our retailers. Our retailers will act as our agents and will take a 30% commission (the standard split today for many digital media businesses). The price will be set the price for each book individually. Our plan is to price the digital edition of most adult trade books in a price range from $14.99 to $5.99. At first release, concurrent with a hardcover, most titles will be priced between $14.99 and $12.99. E books will almost always appear day on date with the physical edition. Pricing will be dynamic over time.

~ Amazon’s response is freely available too:

Macmillan, one of the “big six” publishers, has clearly communicated to us that, regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an agency model and charging $12.99 to $14.99 for e-book versions of bestsellers and most hardcover releases.

We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan’s terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books.

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