Product Launches
March 12, 2014
This reportpresents the results of an England-wide survey of the reading habits of 1500 adults. It examines the relationship between reading habits, attitudes to reading and demographic factors. The findings highlight the needtopursue initiatives to encourage reading (a) from an early age and (b) in disadvantaged areas.
March 10, 2014
Library Journal released the results of a survey last week, and it revealed that ebooks don't have nearly as large of a share of libraries' budgets as the one might assume from the press coverage.
The Materials Survey 2014 looks at what each library spends to acquire new content, and it's based on voluntary participation from US public libraries. The survey group includes a diverse bunch of libraries with budgets ranging
March 6, 2014
I don't know how much weight friends of the court carry in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. But the pro-Apple (AAPL) amici curiae brief filed Wednesday by two economists lays out clearly -- more clearly perhaps than Apple's own trial lawyers -- the economic and legal issues the company tried and failed to get across to Judge Denise Cote last June. (See The view from the hard benches.)
February 25, 2014
The new Common Core standards, which are essentially descriptions of things kids should have learned and know by various ages and grades, are now being adopted and adjusted to by elementary and secondary schools across the country. Common Core, besides providing the standards, encourages the practice of educating kids using content not created expressly for an educational purpose. In other words, teach kids with regular books, newspapers, magazines, videos; not just with books and educational materials prepared by textbook publishers.
February 20, 2014
The finalists for the 34th annual L.A. Times Book Prizes were announced Wednesday morning: 50 books in 10 categories are in the running to win the L.A. Times Book Prizes, to be awarded in April. Two authors will receive special recognition: John Green with the Innovators Award and Susan Straight with the Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement.
February 20, 2014
codeMantra announced today that it has been acquired by a Boston-based investment group with plans to support the company's growth and expansion. The staff, client services and operating foundation of codeMantra will remain in place. With this change of ownership comes additional management and capital resources to grow and expand the company's services and technology.
February 17, 2014
JK Rowling is reviving private detective Cormoran Strike and his plucky young assistant, Robin Ellacott for another mystery adventure, "The Silkworm."
As with her previous Strike novel, the follow-up will be published under the "Harry Potter" writer's pseudonym, Robert Galbraith. It centers on a novelist who is brutally murdered after writing a manuscript featuring poison pen depictions of almost everyone he knows.
February 10, 2014
Open Road Integrated Media, the largest independent ebook publisher, announced today that it has acquired E-Reads, the oldest independent ebook publisher in the field.
February 7, 2014
HarperCollins worldwide saw its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rise by 33% to $68m (£42m) in its second quarter.
The publisher attributed the increase to a "higher contribution to profits" from e-book sales and "ongoing operational efficiencies coupled with higher revenues" in its second quarter to 31st December 2012. Revenue, by comparison, increased 4% to $391m. E-book sales continued to rise for the publisher in the last quarter before Christmas, increasing by 39% and accounting for 17% of total sales.
January 27, 2014
Amazon Publishing on Thursday announced that its book empire was expanding to include Waterfall Press, a Christian imprint to "provide spiritual refreshment and inspiration," according to a statement announcing the new imprint. The Waterfall titles, fiction and nonfiction in several genres, will be put out by Brilliance Publishing, part of the Amazon.com group of companies.
"Brilliance has over 12 years of experience serving the Christian market as audiobook publisher of some of the most successful Christian authors writing today," Mark Pereira, the president and publisher of Brilliance Publishing said in the statement.
