Thursday, June 30, 2011

Readers Love Free Ebooks But Not Piracy

Bibliotastic co-founder Bernard Gerard noted, "As a survey of users on a free ebook website it is not surprising that most cited free ebook sites as their main source of ebooks in the future. More surprising though is that so few admitted to pirate ebook sites. Perhaps they did not want to admit to illegal behaviour, but it contrasts sharply with other surveys that have suggested a greater proclivity to ebook piracy."

An online poll published as "The Digital Entertainment Survey" in May received widespread media attention largely due to its finding that one in eight women (12.5%) over the age of 35 have admitted to downloading a digital book illegally. That they have downloaded one ebook illegally does not, of course, mean that pirate sites are, or will become, their main source of ebooks in the future.

"While ebook piracy is definitely a threat to the publishing industry," continued Gerard, "it shouldn't lead to a decline in literary output any more than music piracy has stopped people from writing new songs. In fact the digitisation of books is lowering the barriers to entry in publishing, allowing authors to easily self-publish. The selling prices are lower, which benefits the consumer, but the writer gets to keep a greater share of the revenue which can often mean more money per book than in traditional book publishing."

Bibliotastic survey: "Where will you get most of your books from in 5 years' time?"


  • Free ebook sites 54%
  • Online book/ebook retailer 26%
  • Bookstores 9%
  • Library 8%
  • Pirate ebook sites 2%


The survey was conducted between 11 May and 11 June 2011 and involved 125 participants. Details can be found here: http://www.bibliotastic.com/content/where-will-you-get-your-books

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Mobile Tablets, Like iPad, are Usurping e-Readers as Reading Device of Choice for Consumers

Digital publishing company YUDU Media (www.yudupro.com) has published a new report summarizing key research, facts and figures on the e-book market, which continues to grow at a blistering pace. The report, titled, "Rise of the e-book: e-book stats and trends," discusses some of the key components of the industry in its current form, aiming to provide analysis and insight into some of its most recent developments.

A sampling of the research included in this report:
  1. E-book sales now outpace print book sales, as sales of e-books nearly tripled in the US from 2009 to 2010.
  2. Tablets such as the iPad appear to be overtaking e-reader devices such as the Kindle as the platform of choice for reading e-books; Forrester predicts that by 2015, there will be twice as many owners of tablet PCs than there are of dedicated e-readers.
  3. Apple's iBookstore is gaining rapidly on Amazon.com as the highest volume sales platform for e-Books.
  4. E-books have helped fuel success for self-published authors, who are no longer beholden to large, traditional publishing houses to get their works into the hands of readers.

"The e-book market shake-up is likely to become more pronounced over the course of the year, with a growing number of publishers and consumers alike choosing a tablet as their hardware of choice," said Richard Stephenson, CEO of YUDU Media. "While 2010 may be remembered as the birth year of consumer e-books, 2011 may well be considered as the beginning of the end for the dedicated e-book reader."

The e-book market in 2011 will experience exponential growth which will impact the book publishing industry as a whole. YUDU's report offers a deeper analysis of the e-book industry with evidence that transitions in the market go beyond a simple upward sales trend. Ongoing technology innovations and shifts in consumer behavior are driving the continued growth of the e-book market, which publishers are embracing to meet consumer demand and factoring in as part of their overall growth strategy in order to compete in this rapidly changing environment.

Those interested in more detail can access the white paper online at www.yudupro.com/e-book_whitepaper or on the iPad/iPhone by downloading the YUDU Media App and selecting 'e-book Report.'

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Biblio.com Partners with Literary Tourist to Promote Independent Bookstores

Independent book marketplace Biblio.com announced today that it has partnered with Literary Tourist to help support and promote independent brick-and-mortar bookstores.

Literary Tourist was launched last week by owner Nigel Beale, who acquired Book Hunter Press in late 2009 and re-created it as a literary destination website and bookstore directory for book lovers. The new site features a refined database of over 8,000 used bookstores including reviews and information about each store. It also contains expanded listings for literary landmarks, rare book libraries, book fairs, writing festivals and other book-related events.

"Our goal with Literary Tourist is to help book lovers find the kind of bookstores, literary locales and pastimes that will add some oomph and excitement to their travels," says Beale. "We hope to make this site one of the best 'literary destinations' on the Web, and in so doing, in a small way, to help pump new blood and energy into literary culture throughout North America, and, if we're successful, around the globe."

Biblio augmented Literary Tourist's existing bookstore database, with its own extensive database of booksellers and bookstores.

The original database first went on-line in 2000. For almost a decade it was updated manually. Beale notes that bookselling and bookstores are changing so quickly that "it is a challenge to keep up with all the closings and start-ups." Both companies have partnered to create an easy solution to this challenge. Literary Tourist uses BiblioDirect, powered by Biblio, for booksellers to maintain and update their directory listings. BiblioDirect also serves as a portal for booksellers to maintain their accounts on Biblio.com, Biblio.co.uk, IOBAbooks.com, ABAA.org.

Through their partnership both companies seek to increase traffic in physical bookstores, keeping these vital cultural institutions and landmarks open while preserving the business of independent bookselling.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Amazon Launches New Publishing Imprint, Montlake Romance

Amazon.com has launched Montlake Romance, the fourth and latest imprint from Amazon Publishing. Connie Brockway, two-time winner of the Romance Writers Association's "RITA Award" for best historical romance, and bestselling author of seventeen novels, including "My Dearest Enemy" and "The Bridal Season," will be the debut author of Montlake Romance. Brockway's new romance, "The Other Guy's Bride," will be published in Fall 2011 and will be available to North American readers in Kindle, print and audio formats at www.amazon.com, as well as at national and independent booksellers.

"Romance is one of our biggest and fastest growing categories, particularly among Kindle customers, so we can't wait to make ‘The Other Guy's Bride' and other compelling titles available to romance fans around the world," said Jeff Belle, Vice President, Amazon Publishing. "We also know our customers enjoy genre fiction of all kinds, so we are busy building publishing businesses that will focus on additional genres as well."

Montlake Romance takes its name from the central Seattle neighborhood of Montlake, and will publish a broad range of front list titles in popular romance sub-genres, including romantic suspense and contemporary and historic romance novels, as well as fantasy and paranormal. The new imprint joins AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing and Powered by Amazon as part of the Amazon Publishing family. Montlake Romance books will be available to North American readers in Kindle, print and audio formats at www.amazon.com, as well as at national and independent booksellers.

For more information on Montlake Romance and upcoming titles, visit www.amazon.com/montlakeromance.