Heather

Califa, California’s largest library network, is about to strike an ebook deal with self-publishing site Smashwords, Library Journal reports. The partnership would bring about 10,000 self-published ebooks into Califa’s 220 libraries. Califa would “purchase about 10,000 of the company’s top titles for about $3 a title.” Some of the titles could cost less, though: Smashwords CEO Mark Coker recently told me that the company will soon allow its authors to set their own ebook prices, and said “a lot of them are going to want to offer libraries lower pricing…or will want to offer their books for free to libraries.”

It seems as if a certain Phoenix is rising from gold rather than ashes. On Aug. 10, Scholastic released "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" in paperback, after the hardback edition had already earned the title of the fastest-selling book in publishing history. To support the paperback release, Scholastic launched a $1 million marketing campaign that tackled all ends of the advertising spectrum. By partnering with Internet search engine giant Google, Scholastic reached millions of Google-goers throughout the summer. Radio promotions and billboard advertisements along the routes to popular summer destinations also helped to announce the news, and the campaign didn't