In its continuing quest to lure folks to sign up for an Amazon Prime membership, Amazon is throwing another perk onto the pile: free ebooks, magazines, short stories, and comics. [More]
ebooks
Amazon Puts Mini E-Book Stores In Drugstores In Washington State
By 1.25.16
Back in November, Amazon did something unexpected: the company opened a real-life bookstore in its hometown of Seattle. The company also has a Kindle and Fire showroom at its new package pickup point at UC Berkeley. Amazon clearly wants to move into real-life retail, in some ways, and they have an intriguing new product spotted on drugstore shelves in Washington state. [More]
Authors, Booksellers Call For Investigation Into Amazon’s Alleged Anti-Competitive Business Practices
By 7.14.15
Last year, Amazon and book publisher Hachette engaged in a contentious feud that at times saw the online retailer use its considerable clout to make it difficult for consumers to purchase books by Hachette-published authors. Now, eight months after the two companies came to an undisclosed agreement, groups representing thousands of authors and booksellers are pointing to the online book retailer’s actions as reason for the Department of Justice to open an antitrust investigation into Amazon. [More]
Amazon, Penguin Random House Avoid Dispute, Reach Deal For Physical & Online Book Sales
By 6.18.15
Public feud avoided. Less than a month after reports began swirling that Amazon and the world’s largest book publisher Penguin Random House could potentially come to blows over a new contract for online book sales, the two entities have reached a long-term agreement. [More]
Could Amazon & Penguin Random House Be Headed For A Hachette-Level Feud?
By 5.26.15
Almost exactly a year after Amazon and book publisher Hachette entered a very public feud over an e-book pricing dispute, the mega online retailer is reportedly on the cusp of engaging in a new battle with the world’s largest book publisher, Penguin Random House. [More]
Adobe’s Newest Security Hole: Telling The World What You Do With Your Library Books
By 10.7.14
It’s pretty great that in the modern age, you can borrow digital books from libraries, to read at home on the computer or e-reader of your choice. It’s a lot less great that the piece of software most library books use is apparently spying and collecting data on every word you read. [More]
Will Focusing On Digital Products Save Or Doom Barnes & Noble?
By 1.10.14
This past summer, Barnes & Noble announced that they’d be finding a third-party manufacturer for their Nook line of e-readers and tablets. Then their CEO resigned, mostly due to the failure of Nook hardware and content to save the company. The head of the Nook division took charge of the company, and has now officially been named CEO. So what will happen with the Nook now? [More]
Amazon Offering Discount E-Books On Previously Purchased Books (But The Selection Is Wanting)
By 10.29.13
Back in September, Amazon gave a vague launch window for its new MatchBook program, which allows customers who bought printed books from the e-tailer over the years to now have the option of buying an e-book version of those titles at a discount. Today, MatchBook finally launched, though only with around 75,000 titles included. [More]
Amazon To Give Discounts On Kindle Versions Of Books You Already Own
By 9.3.13
Are there books sitting on your bookshelf that you purchased a while back but haven’t gotten around to reading because it’s so much more convenient to fire up your Kindle, iPad or other device and read an e-book? Then Amazon is set to launch a new program you might be interested in. [More]
Court Ruling Highlights Huge Roadblock To Reselling Digital Content
By 4.2.13
Even though huge online players like Amazon and Apple are working on ways to provide users a marketplace to resell “used” digital downloads like mp3s and e-books, neither plan really deals with the most salient problem with reselling digital products — getting rid of the original copy. [More]
We’re Pretty Sure That A ‘Book’ Should Have More Than One Page
By 12.11.12
The first definition of the word “book” in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary is “a set of written sheets of skin or paper or tablets of wood or ivory.” A set. Doesn’t that mean more than one? Maybe e-books are forcing us to redefine what we believe about a book is and how it ought to behave, but there are a few things that are non-negotiable. Doug thinks that the “more than one page” thing is kind of non-negotiable. His child picked out a book from Barnes & Noble’s Nook store that turned out to be more of a leaflet. [More]
Here’s Why Digital Rights Management Is Stupid And Anti-Consumer
By 11.26.12
Comparisons of downloadable books and music to their ancient, tangible predecessors are an old, old meme, but sometimes the comparison applies. For example: if reader Synimatik had bought a paperback book a few months ago and picked it up to read now, the book’s pages wouldn’t magically glue shut just because the credit card she normally uses at the bookstore has expired. That’s how it works when you want to read a book downloaded from Barnes & Noble, though. [More]
Department Of Justice Joins E-book Pricing Probe
By 12.8.11
The U.S Department of Justice has joined its counterparts in the European Union in looking into the pricing of e-books. A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that the agency’s probe was concerned with the possible “anticompetitive practices involving e-book sales.” [More]
Penguin Will March New Ebooks Out Of Library Lending Program
By 11.23.11
Readers used to loading up on free ebooks they download through their libraries will have fewer options available. Penguin announced it will keep its new ebooks off of the OverDrive lending program due to security concerns. [More]
Amazon Launches $199 Kindle Fire Tablet, $99 Kindle Touch
By 9.28.11
Amazon today announced its long-awaited tablet, the Kindle Fire. The 7-inch tablet will be available in November for $199. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also announced out two new Kindles: the $99 touchscreen Kindle Touch, and a $79 version of the traditional Kindle. Both will include “Special Offers.” Ad-free versions will be available at higher prices. [More]
Authors Guild Sues Universities For Amassing Digital Book Library
By 9.13.11
Authors who believe they are being ripped off by institutions of higher learning are taking four universities to court for scanning about 7 million copyright-protected books into a digital library, allowing students and faculty to download out-of-print work. [More]
Amazon Considering Netflix-Like Service For Ebooks
By 9.13.11
The future of reading may involve shelling out a subscription fee to access an infinitely long electronic bookshelf. Amazon is reportedly in talks to launch such an endeavor, attaching it to its premium, $79-a-year Amazon Prime program. [More]
Google Books Announces E-Reader Deal With Harry Potter Books
By 7.25.11
If there were ever two unstoppable money-making forces, it would be Google and the Harry Potter franchise. So it makes perfect sense that those two market dominators would team up for Google’s eBooks. [More]
