Amazon reported yesterday that sales of Kindle e-books has outstripped hardback books for the first time. From the press release: Millions of people are already reading on Kindles and Kindle is the #1 bestselling item on Amazon.com for two years running. It’s also the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product…
AAP Report on May Hardback and e-Book Sales: Are These the Kingpins of the Publishing Future?
The Association of American Publishers has just released net sales figures for the month of May 2010. From their press release: New York, NY, July 14, 2010— Publishers’ book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month of May increased by 9.8% percent on the prior year to $715.3 million and…
Borders Group US Open e-Bookstore
This morning Borders Group USA opened the proverbial electronic doors on its new e-bookstore, entering a highly competitive market with rivals Barnes & Noble e-bookstore, the Amazon Kindle store and Apple’s iBookstore. The Borders e-bookstore is set to offer 1.5 million titles, including some free books, with Borders Inc. president, Mike Edwards, saying he hoped…
Amazon Start Taking Pre-orders on New Kindle DX
Amazon will begin shipping the newest generation of the Kindle DX on July 7th, but the device is available for pre-order from today. The latest Kindle DX will also be available at a new lower price of $379, down from $489, and with free 3G wireless. The new Kindle DX features a new graphite casing…
PublishAmerica Discontinues Trade Paperback Books (UPDATE)
PublishAmerica (PBA 139.58) authors have been informed by email that the company is discontinuing trade paperback editions and books will only be available in hardback editions. It is a bizzare and troubling turn of events for its listed authors. As things stand with PublishAmerica, paperback retail prices are already considered excessive, and this latest development, if it is…
When Booksellers Become Small Presses
What would happen if local bookstores decided to become small press publishers? Well, according to today’s Publishers Weekly article, New Indie Bookselling Model: Publish Own Handselling Favorites, it is already happening. The article looks at the moves by two bookstore owners in Albany New York and Massachusetts using both print on demand and offset to…
Barnes & Noble Launch Nook Wi-Fi For $149
Barnes & Noble booksellers this morning announced the launch of the Nook Wi-Fi ereader. The device will sell at a very competitive $149. Barnes and Noble has also announced that the Nook 3G will be reduced to $199. From the press release. New York, New York – June 21, 2010 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s…
Self-Published Author Boyd Morrison’s Huffington Post Article
In July last year we ran a short piece on self-published author Boyd Morrison and the fact that he had landed a book deal with Simon & Schuster. Boyd Morrison had been selling his books on his website and also through Amazon’s Kindle. What was very clear about Morrison over the past couple of years…
Amazon Ratchet it Up a Level For Distributors
The US publishing industry may have another spat on the horizon to accompany the current dispute between John Wiley and The Authors Guild. Amazon is yet again flexing its muscles, this time in the direction of distributors and their publisher clients. Amazon is introducing a new program called ‘Levels of Service’ (PDFdownload). While there is nothing unusuual about…
Amazon Reveal Paid and Free Kindle Bestsellers By the Hour
Amazon has introduced a new feature to the Kindle Store. Every hour, amazon will provide live updates and present separate ‘Top 100 Bestsellers’ for both paid and free Kindle e-book sales. As of now, Tues 3.28 EST, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is to of the paid pile, and Cynthia Ruchti’s…