Hasta La Gadget!

For many, there’s nothing quite so comforting as cracking open a good book. The texture of the pages combine with the smell of ink and paper, as the writer pours their imagination and soul into a world that’s apart from your own. While e-books have won over a number of people, the latest stats from The Publishers Association suggest that the majority of Brits still prefer the printed form, which accounted for 88 percent of all book sales during 2012. The winds of change are working in the background, however, as digital sales — consisting of e-books, audio downloads and digital subscriptions — now account for 12 percent of the pie; an increase from 8 percent just one year ago.

As a whole, the UK publishing industry shows modest signs of growth, with combined physical and digital sales rising by 4 percent to reach £3.3 billion ($5.1b). Meanwhile, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but e-books continue to gain popularity and show tremendous promise. Here, consumer e-book sales have risen 134 percent in 2012, which now account for a £216 million ($336m) share of the UK publishing industry. Regardless of whether you prefer print or digital formats, we reckon that all readers deserve a hearty slap on the back. Here’s to keeping the story-telling alive.

Filed under: Alt

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Via: The Telegraph

Source: The Publishers Association

What do you get when you ask 10,000 rabid bookworms to help build a better Kobo? The Cadillac of e-readers, naturally: a bigger, beefier and generally higher-end device than we’re used to. The Aura HD is a rare thing in this space, built specifically with power users in mind. And for those very reasons, this 6.8-inch, $169 slate isn’t long for this world. Announced roughly half a year after the company’s flagship Glo (and, it turns out, just in time for Mother’s Day), the Aura HD isn’t slated to make it beyond the end of the year. “This is something that is designed for this most passionate, voracious reader,” the company’s CEO Mike Serbinis told us in an interview conducted around the announcement, “and as much as I wish everyone was like that — it would make us a lot bigger business right away — that is not the case.”

It’s a strange move for a relatively small company that’s currently offering up two 6-inch readers, a 5-inch model and 7-inch tablet. That, and company is convinced such a product isn’t destined to ever become anything but a niche device, particularly in a race dominated by two main players. But is there a chance devoted fans might pay the premium? Let’s find out.

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Late last year, Kobo went small. The introduction of the 5-inch Mini was no doubt, at least in part, an attempt to offer up a bit of variety in a space whose parameters are largely defined by two Goliaths: Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The device offered a compelling alternative, but ultimately not one enticing enough to recommend it. Announced at roughly the same time, the company’s first take at front-lighting technology, the Glo, suffered a similar fate, coming on the heels of the Kindle Paperwhite and Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.

Less than half a year later, the company has announced a new reader that once again rethinks the standard 6-inch screen. With the Aura HD, Kobo is going big, extending things to 6.8 inches, putting it closer to tablet size. With that upgrade comes an impressive resolution: 1,440 x 1,080 (compared to the 1,024 x 768 on the Paperwhite and 1,024 by 758 on the Glo). It’s a product focused on hardcore readers. “We got 10,000 customers together across dozens of countries to ask them what we can do for them,” Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis explained. As such, it’s a limited edition offering, one not destined to replace the flagship Glo. “This is something that is designed for this most passionate, voracious reader,” he said, “and as much as I wish everyone was like that — it would make us a lot bigger business right away — that is not the case.” The reader’s priced at $169, and is available for pre-order now, with shipping expected to begin on the 25th. In the meantime, we’ve got more details and some hands-on photos after the break.

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It’s well off the triple year-over-year growth that e-books saw a few years ago, but the latest report from the Association of American Publishers shows that e-books did inch up even further in 2012 to account for a sizeable chunk of overall book sales. According to its figures, e-books now represent 22.55 percent of US publishers’ total revenue — up from just under 17 percent in 2011 — an increase that helped push net revenue from all book sales up 6.2 percent to $7.1 billion for the year. As the AAP notes, this report also happens to mark the tenth anniversary of its annual tracking of e-book sales; back at the beginning in 2002, their share of publishers’ net revenue clocked in at a mere 0.05 percent. The group does caution that the year-to-year comparison back that far is somewhat anecdotal, however, given changing methodologies and definitions of e-books.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: AAP

Barnes & Noble’s PubIt! self-publishing conduit has been active for well over two years, but you’d be forgiven for overlooking it with that somewhat forgettable (if very emphatic) name. The company might just know what you’re thinking, as it’s giving the service a considerably more memorable title, Nook Press, while upgrading features at the same time. Although the royalty structure remains the same, Nook Press now incorporates a web-based authoring tool: would-be Hemingways can write and preview their work through one online hub, sharing their drafts with others in a secure space. Those who commit should also get more exposure through an upcoming Nook Press channel on Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets. There’s no guarantee that the rebranding will lure potential bestselling authors away from Amazon, but they may have a better sense of their options.

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Via: PaidContent

Source: Barnes & Noble