Mobile

What Can Publishers Learn from Pokémon Go?
August 8, 2016 at 9:28 am

Long considered nothing more than a gimmicky fad, it turns out that augmented reality (AR) is actually alive and well. At least that’s the case when it’s associated with a brand as large as Pokémon. By now you’ve undoubtedly heard all the Pokémon Go stories and maybe you’ve even dodged a player or two, overly-focused…

Hachette Partners With Tapas to Reach Mobile Readers With Bite-Sized Content
August 4, 2016 at 3:26 pm

On Monday, Hachette Book Group announced a unique partnership with Tapas Media, the creator of the bite-sized reading app Tapas. The Tapas app allows users to access free “episodes” of comics and books in a variety of genres, from fantasy to comedy and horror. Users can unlock the premium episodes of these stories by paying…

Mastering Mobile: Strategies for Optimizing & Monetizing Mobile Content
July 29, 2016 at 12:09 pm

Strong mobile content requires more than formatting text for a smaller screen. Often, the content itself must change to engage readers in a way that makes sense for how and when they use their phones. While it's a difficult nut to crack , mobile is a platform that book publishers cannot ignore. More and more…

What The Short-Form Content Resurgence Means for Book Publishers
July 25, 2016 at 9:38 am

I remember the first time I heard the phrase “info snacking” back in 2007. It was when the Kindle launched and Jeff Bezos said his newfangled device would slow the info snacking trend and enable deeper engagement with content. The Kindle platform certainly launched the ebook revolution but it’s interesting that it didn’t halt short-form…

3 Things Book Publishers Can Learn From the Podcast Model
June 27, 2016 at 8:31 am

Did you make the same mistake I did and assume that podcasts are yesterday’s platform, that interest in them has plateaued (at best), and that they’re not worth thinking about today? If so, here’s a short article that might help you re-think your stance. If you’re still not convinced have a look at the infographic…

Hachette U.K. Buys Mobile Game Company Neon Play & Will Create Stand-Alone Mobile Business
June 17, 2016 at 2:13 pm

Hachette has bought mobile games development studios Neon Play in a “substantial” acquisition. Hachette c.e.o. Tim Hely Hutchinson has said the acquisition “could be one of several” for the company in the app space. Neon Play was founded by co-owners Oli Christie and Mark Allen in Cirencester in 2010 and to date has created over 30 games, including Paper…

Press Release: Scholastic Expands Multiplatform Publishing with Launch of Horizon
June 13, 2016 at 2:29 pm

NEW YORK, NY (June 10, 2016)— Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, and the pioneering force behind the groundbreaking and bestselling multi-platform properties The 39 Clues® and Spirit Animals™, expands its innovative multi-platform publishing program with the worldwide launch of Horizon, a supernatural survival series for readers ages 9 and up. To…

At IDPF, ‘Japan and the World’: A Few Words With Alvin Lu
May 9, 2016 at 8:38 am

Alvin Lu is General Manager of San Francisco’s Kodansha Advanced Media, the digital division of Japan’s publishing powerhouse Kodansha. And on Tuesday (May 10) as part of the International Digital Book Fair’s (IDPF) DigiCon conference event ahead of the opening of BookExpo America, Lu will make an address titled “Global Update: Japan and the World.”…

Amazon Echo Reveals the Future of Connected Audiobooks
March 7, 2016 at 8:41 am

I almost bought an Amazon Echo last November. It was on sale for $129 and I figured it was too good a deal to pass up. Amazon promised two-day Prime delivery but they got overwhelmed by all the orders and, like many others, they botched mine and said I might receive it by end of…