Marketing

Springer announces the Springer API (Application Programming Interface) Challenge 2.0, its second competition for original, non-commercial applications using its freely available metadata and content APIs. The Springer API Challenge 1.0 asked participants to develop applications that offer users new ways to find, visualize, and manipulate relevant data drawn from Springer’s large and growing content database. The Springer API Challenge 2.0 is a goal-directed competition to develop more specific solutions

Penguin Group (USA) announced today the release of its Holiday eSampler featuring excerpts from over 40 frontlist, backlist, and upcoming titles. Available for free wherever eBooks are sold, this collection provides readers with the opportunity to browse sample chapters of a variety of adult and young adult books across genres: from bestselling thrillers and critically-acclaimed

From the Fortykey website comes this screenshot of a clever marketing idea: Actually, the book looks pretty interesting: ABOUT “CARDANICA” “A delicious steampunk nightmare dripping blood and oil from every crevice.”Graham Edwards, Fantasy writer “Not since Harlan Ellison’s ‘I Have no mouth and I must scream’ has there been a better depiction of man at [...]

Godin's biggest takeaway, he writes, is the importance of “permission”: “The core group of 50,000 subscribers to the Domino blog made all the difference in getting the word out and turning each of our books into a bestseller.

Just in time for Cyber Monday, Open Road Integrated Media has launched Gift of E (giftofe.com), a site aimed at educating consumers on how to gift e-books this holiday season.

Reading Group Choices is introducing a literary director who will work with authors, booksellers and publishers in guiding title selections that spark lively and fun book discussions for book clubs around the nation.

To better connect publishers with their audience (and give them a shot at acquiring new readers), Link.me has been forging partnerships with the top book publishers to launch trials, deals, promotions, and more through QR codes. In October, Link.me signed with its newest client, McGraw-Hill, and as an example of the kind of work they’re doing, one of the publishing company’s recent publications, “The Zappos Experience” embedded QR codes in over 15 individual chapters. The goal was, of course, to bring The Zappos Experience “to life."

Mark Cuban has 335,000 friends on Facebook and 760,000 followers on Twitter. Monday, the Internet billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team will test just how friendly those fans really are. Mr. Cuban has written a 30,000-word e-book, "How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It". To drive sales, Mr. Cuban plans to tap all his online followers.

Ads for e-books are likely to increase as the number of self-published titles continue to grow. E-reader ads received a big push earlier this year when Amazon.com unveiled a Kindle with software to show ads to readers. General Motors, Buick, Procter & Gamble’s Olay skin products and Visa were among the first advertisers.

First Street Research Group, the research arm of First Street(tm) by CQ Press, today launched a new website for showcasing its research reports and analysis of the lobbying industry.