Aug 26

Industry Leaders Kindle and Nook Battle it Out!

It’s not surprising that mammoth online bookseller Amazon and offline (bricks and mortar) book giant Barnes and Noble would battle for top spot in the eBook Revolution.

MarketWatch reports here that Amazon’s new generation (WiFi $139 or 3G $189) sleeker Kindle is outselling all its previous versions.

And FastCompany reports on Barnes and Noble’s foray into digital publishing being a qualified success in the face of much industry doubt, as indicators suggest the storefront goliath is holding its own with innovative answers to digital challenges.

This in a market that many predicted would start to shift toward the more expensive iPad full-color, multi-function territory. The battle between Kindle and Nook tells us that there is a huge market for single-purpose eBook Readers. And that is market direction dictated by consumers.

Aug 25

Is an App by any other name still a book?

Many thanks to Jorgen for dropping off this link to a thought-provoking story over at futureofthebook.org entitled: “the future of the app.”

It’s easy at first pass to see this discussion as mere semantics until you really open yourself to the developments that are piling up around and in front of us. We’re entering strange territory indeed as the eBook Revolution introduces a future where familiar things like books become unrecognizable.

Excellent piece of writing by Bob Stein and well worth the visit. Take the leap here.

Aug 24

A Worrisome Piece of eBook News…

Okay, I think this is something that will be more of a problem for iPad and Android tablet users (anything multi-function and full-color like smart phones, now that I think of it) but this article at MediaBuyerPlanner talks about the looming threat of advertisements in eBooks.

I’m more worried about the end user getting soaked for an ad-subsidized eBook. (Much the way they do buying cable subscriptions to advertisement-based television networks.) In terms of its impact on the reading experience, I can envision ad-free eBooks, software to remove ads and “plain text” Apps around the corner.

I guess the powers that be will look for methods of strip-mining the marketplace. Honestly, once an eBook is written and arrives in eBook stores for $9.99 what purpose would ad revenue serve other than maximizing profit? They’ll try it but it’s up to the consumers if we’ll buy it.

Aug 23

Is eBook Piracy the key to a Bestseller?

Many thanks to Jorgen for a link to a FUTUReBOOK story that highlights the continuing debate over online piracy. It seems that the laws aren’t working, and the powers that be are trying to ramp up the legal response to digital piracy and file sharing.

That eventuality can only slow the Internet and curb the freedoms of its honest users, despite the fact that there are many examples where piracy and file sharing are not just good for business, but are encouraged as a business model.

Read the article here.

Aug 22

Sylvania getting into the eBook act.

Engadget.com has a post about Sylvania prepping a $100 netbook and a $180 eReader for a pre-Christmas release through the CVS drugstore chain. The Look Book eBook Reader is rumored to have a 7-inch full-color screen, wireless connectivity and access to the Kobobook eBook sales platform.

Read the post and view the marketing materials at the link.

Aug 21

The Wink: India’s First eBook Reader

EC Media of Bangalore has launched the WINK, India’s first ebook reader and answer to Amazon’s Kindle.

Check out the ZDNET story and pictures here.

Aug 20

Online Services for College and University Students

Many thanks to Emma Taylor at Onlinecollegesanduniversities.com for a post entitled: 50 Strangest How-Too Books Sold on Amazon.com. Kind of an interesting side to publishing that’s worth a chuckle or two (read the asides) and as the post points out, it could be a nice distraction for students seeking budget-sensitive textbooks.

Some examples: How To Carve Wood, How to Understand Women Through Their Cats, How to Book of Swedish Weaving, and many, many more…

Aug 19

Barnes and Noble taking the fight to Amazon.

Here’s rather an interesting post at MercuryNews.com that goes into a little more detail on what we’ve alluded to many times. Barnes and Noble’s 720 retail stores were the envy and nemesis of every book retailer out there, and have allowed it a dominant position in the North American marketplace.

Then along came the eBook Revolution with its obvious emphasis on the digital platform and suddenly all those bricks and mortar storefronts begin to resemble dinosaur bones.

Or do they? After a shaky start, B&N has charged into the digital age releasing its own eBook reader nook to combat Amazon’s Kindle, while releasing one digital adaptation after another–and all of it tied into its real-world properties. It’s clear that B&N doesn’t just want to survive the eBook Revolution. B&N wants to come out on top.

Aug 18

Nook arrives on iPhone and iPad

Okay, I know that Barnes and Noble already had an App available for iPhone and iPad, but  here’s a story at Intomobile about their new App rebranded under the “nook” name.

It’s noteworthy because it says two things: B&N will continue developing their own nook eReader and they’re committed to an ‘industry-rumored’ move from their numerous (but expensive) bricks and mortar outlets toward an all digital eBook store.

B&N knows that the future is digital.

Aug 17

Que ProReader lies bleeding, iPad is the main suspect.

We talked about the death of Plastic Logic’s Que ProReader here. Now here’s a story at ALL247NEWS.COM that offers a look at the crime scene.

There must be more to the story. It’s starting to be a very crowded eBook Revolution.

But it certainly looks like the iPad’s full-color touch-screen and multi-function capability could be the culprit.