Month: August 2010

Go Read This | Copyright, Ebooks and the Unpredictable Future | Digital Book World

~ Eoin Purcell ~ 1 Comment

There is so much more to this article, but this point in particular stood out!

In this model, authors stop carving out rights.  They hand almost everything over to the publishers and give them maximum flexibility to experiment with format, pricing, sampling, enhancements, and territory – BUT, for a very limited time.  At the end of those 3-5 years, everyone reassesses.

If the publisher has done an outstanding job and turned the book into a bestseller,  they might now have to cough up more royalties.  If the publisher has failed to sell the book or exploit some of the rights they were ceded, the author may continue with the house on a more limited basis or may withdraw the book altogether and take it elsewhere.  The author gets far more flexibility and control over the book’s fate than was ever possible with a life-of-copyright contract, but has to accept a full partnership role: the publisher will no longer pay a significant advance or assume the lion’s share of the financial risk.

via Copyright, Ebooks and the Unpredictable Future | Digital Book World.

Quick Link | Profile: Garbhan Downey, editor at Guildhall Press | FutureBook

~ Eoin Purcell ~ Leave a comment

Change in the way we read books is just as inevitable. Consumers love the feel, smell and look of printed books – I know I do. But, spoiled by the advent of e-shopping, they also want unlimited choice, the ability to buy their book any hour of the day or night and to know they’re paying the best price.

Most of all, though, they don’t want to wait for their product. Whether it’s 48 hours for a book from Amazon – or three to four weeks from a US supplier. They can download their songs and films from iTunes immediately, so why should it be different with books?  They want their dolly and they want it now.

via Profile: Garbhan Downey, editor at Guildhall Press | FutureBook.

Go Read This | Let’s Talk About Books, Bay-bee | Bait ‘n’ Beer

~ Eoin Purcell ~ Leave a comment

Don Linn reminds us that it’s ALL ABOUT THE BOOKS:

Those of you who know me are aware that I seldom gush over anything, but allow me to gush over this fine literary novel. I hesitate to use that term since (a) for some, it implies the preciousness or elitism along the lines of the current Franzen-Stein masturbatory frenzy and (b) this book has all the adventure and excitement of a Jack London story, which I’d hardly characterize as exclusively literary. But the writing and the stories are masterful, the characters (and I include the Lake as a character) are as fully drawn as in the most literary of novels. It’s a stunning debut from a Minneapolis native.

via Let’s Talk About Books, Bay-bee | Bait ‘n’ Beer.

Things I Like | The cabbage plot rebels | Irish Examiner

~ Eoin Purcell ~ Leave a comment

What a week for books I’ve commissioned it is turning out to be! Laurence Fenton’s The Young Ireland Rebellion and Limerick was featured in the Irish Examiner at the weekend. I’m delighted, it’s a fine book on a fascinating topic:

LAURENCE FENTON has written a tantalising introduction to the events leading to the Young Ireland rebellion of 1848.

The author’s goal was to “explore the manner in which the men and women of Limerick reacted to the tumultuous year of revolutions”.

via The cabbage plot rebels | Irish Examiner.

Go Read This | Nook Drives 21% Increase in Revenue for Barnes & Noble

~ Eoin Purcell ~ 4 Comments

For some reason I’m amazed by the success of Barnes & Noble (and Kobo formerly of Indigo now independent) retailers when they move into the ebook space.

It makes me wonder what the difference is in Britain and Ireland and why ebooks haven’t had the same impact at the retail level. Perhaps it’s the power of OWNING your own reader as both B&N and Kobo do?

Whatever the reason, I’m sure there are retailers in Ireland’s who’d welcome this kind of growth in digital sales.

The company cited sales of its e-reading device, the Nook, as the driving force behind the increase in online revenue. Sales of the device itself accelerated even further after the company reduced its price from $259 to $199 and added a $149 Wi-Fi-only version to its shelves in June. The bookseller also released apps for Android and iPhone devices this summer.

Barnes & Noble claims that e-book sales continue to accelerate week-over-week, and that owners of the company’s e-reader, which was launched nine months ago, have increased their spending with the bookseller by approximately 20% Barnes & Noble Chairman Leonard Riggio fixed that number at 17% during a conference call with investors in June. Roughly a quarter of these device owners had never before purchased anything from the company’s website.

via Nook Drives 21% Increase in Revenue for Barnes & Noble.