eBook Rumors

GoodeReader reports that November 2020 eBook Sales rose 5.1%.

TechRadar talks about security vulnerabilities discovered in Amazon Kindle eReaders that could have led to account takeover by hackers.

GoodeReader updates us on the search for the best color E Ink eReader technologies with a focus on E INK Kaleido 2.

The Bookseller has more on the recent class-action lawsuit filed against Amazon and the big five publishers (Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins.)

Looks like a repeat of the 2011 Apple and the big-six price-fixing debacle.

So, if anyone is wondering why the eBook Revolution stalled: Unbridled capitalism = quest for monopoly = criminality.

More in PublishersWeekly article.

GoodeReader wonders whether Amazon will launch its Color Kindle eReader this year.

PublishersWeekly reports that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Amazon for eBook price fixing and names the big five publishers—HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin Random House as co-Conspirators.

The action is long overdue. Just one look at Amazon’s pricing of eBooks higher than their paper/hardcover equivalents is all the clue you need. Also, it’s the same big five publishers that colluded with Apple in 2011 for (you guessed it) price fixing. At that time, the publishers settled the claims for $188-million, and Apple lost at trial so had to reimburse its customers for $400-million.

Rationale:

The publishers over-price eBooks to force people to purchase paper/hard cover versions. (And support their out-dated business model.)

Price fixing is a win-win for Amazon. They get more money from their percentage of the inflated-eBook purchase price, and the high eBook prices nudge people toward Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited “all you can read” eBook subscription service.

TechRadar reports from CES 2021 on the TCL Color E Ink-like NXTPAPER Tablet.

An OverDrive press release reports an increase of 33% for downloads of Digital Books from libraries and schools.

GoodeReader reports 289-million eBooks being loaned out from libraries in 2020.

PublishersWeekly says OverDrive has reported a surge in digital library lending in 2020.