by Allen Weiner | July 27, 2011 | Comments Off
The New York Times had an interesting feature on a subtle change in the book publishing industry with one shortsighted goal in mind: increase print profits in a hurry. Breaking tradition from the customary one-year waiting period between release of a hardback book and the paperback version, the feature pointed to three examples of a [...]
Comments Off
Category: Amazon Tags: books, e-books, New York Times, paperbacks, publishers, royalties
by Allen Weiner | May 5, 2011 | 2 Comments
Just when you thought it was safe to go into your big box retailers and buy an “e-reader” after parsing the maze of options, two new choices loom: a new tablet from Amazon and a new something from Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble’s new device is fact; Amazon’s is speculation built on the usual [...]
Category: Amazon Apple Tags: Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, books, e-books, e-readers, iPad, Microsoft, Mirasol, Qualcomm, Sony
by Allen Weiner | April 25, 2011 | 12 Comments
Barnes and Noble has made good on its promise of upgrading the firmware on its Nook Color, launched in October 2010, by announcing that Froyo, aka Android 2.2, will now be available to Nook Color owners. The upgrade for the $249 device can be done immediately through “sideloading” (download from web and install) or via [...]
Category: Uncategorized Tags: Amazon, Android, Apple, Barnes and Noble, e-books, e-readers, Froyo, iPad, Nook
by Allen Weiner | May 11, 2010 | Comments Off
Google has dropped a few hints about the upcoming release of Google Editions, its megasized e-book marketplace that aims to take on other e-book platform providers. What makes that scenario a bit complicated is that some e-book distribution platforms are operated by device companies (i.e. Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Sony, with whom Google wants [...]
Comments Off
Category: e-books magazines Microsoft Publishing Tags: Amazon, Apple, Chrome, E Ink, e-books, e-readers, Google, Google Editions, iPad, LCD, Sony
by Allen Weiner | February 26, 2010 | 1 Comment
In a previous blog post, I debated aloud the merits of value-added e-books, questioning a consumer’s interest in paying a few more dollars for an e-book that contained videos, puzzles or whatnot. Also, given the current scrum among platform and device providers, was there a clear path toward creating enhanced content? What never dawned on [...]
Category: Publishing Tags: e-books, Financial Times, FT, Pearson
by Allen Weiner | February 11, 2010 | 4 Comments
Let’s try and untangle the congested freeway of e-book news that had led to the enhanced content myth. No matter what business model evolves as the de fact online retail model (wholesale to retail or agency model), publishers are struck, for the most part, with existing market pricing for best-sellers. With $9.99 being the norm, [...]
Category: Publishing Tags: Adobe, Apple, e-books, e-readers, iPad, Kindle, Nook
by Allen Weiner | January 27, 2010 | 6 Comments
Rumors being what they are, much of what Steve Jobs announced at the Ipad launch event didn’t come as a surprise to the overload crowd at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. The iPad is a tweener that fits nicely between an iPhone/iTouch and netbook computer. With a 9.7-inch screen weighing in at 1.5 [...]
Category: Apple magazines Mobile Newspapers Tags: Alex, Apple, AT&T, Dell, e-books, entourage systems, iPad, iPod, Plastic Logic, Publishing, Sony, Spring Design, Sprint, Verizon
by Allen Weiner | October 20, 2009 | 19 Comments
Barnes and Noble ended weeks of speculation by announcing The Nook, its new ereader that should not only throw a scare into Amazon but also put somewhat of a damper on the ereading capabilities of planned tablets/devices from Apple and Microsoft. Barnes and Noble has addressed many shortcomings of existing devices with The Nook by [...]
Category: Amazon magazines Microsoft Newspapers Publishing Tags: Amazon, Apple, B&N, Barnes and Noble, Barnesandnoble.co, e-books, e-readers, Kindle, Microsoft, Nook, The Nook
by Allen Weiner | February 11, 2009 | Comments Off
In the research that led to our report, “Publishers Explore Digital Editions, Devices as New Channel Opportunities,” Mike McGuire and I debated/handicapped the merits of various e-reader devices and their chances of becoming the go-to gadgets for reading books, magazines and newspapers. Our conclusions were, well…inconclusive. With recent events, those inconclusive conclusions are even more…well… [...]
Comments Off
Category: blogging Mobile Newspapers Publishing Television Web 2.0 Tags: Amazon, Android, Apple, books, e-books, e-readers, Google, iTune, Kindle, Plastic Logic
