Hasta La Gadget!

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.

Comments

Via: The Next Web

Source: AAP

As a kid when I wanted to search for information, my best bet would be to either ask my parents, go through thick and heavy encyclopedias (some of you guys might remember them), or head to the library and go through books one by one. Now with technology, tapping a few keys on the keyboard, a couple of clicks and I would have found what I want, thus reducing the need for me or a lot of people to actually visit the library. In a bid to make sure that libraries remain relevant and up to date with the latest technology, such as providing ebooks and the likes, the UK government is considering paying writers royalty every time their ebooks or audio books are “checked out” from the library. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Austin Will Be Connected To Google Fiber By 2014, Microsoft Launching First Innovation Center In China,

While many Android users have enjoyed the robust library of content available on Google Play, which includes Movies, Music, and Magazines, there are still many users who only have access to some of the content. That reality has diminished in Mexico starting today, with users in the nation now having access to Google Play Books.

Users in Mexico now have access to both apps and ebooks, with the latter being offered in local currency and local titles. Publishing houses offering content for users in Mexico include Random House Mondadori and Planeta, according to a statement made on the Google Mexico G+ profile. In addition to local titles, international titles are also available, providing access to bestselling novels from overseas.

The service is simple to use: users browse through the ebooks available in the Play Store using either a mobile device or a computer. After purchasing a book, it becomes available on whichever device the user decides to use, such as a smartphone or tablet. For example, you can buy an ebook using your smartphone, but then access and read it on your tablet with a larger display.

In case you missed it, we reported on March 16 that it looks like Google is gearing up to launch a Play News feature, offering newspaper editions and subscriptions in a way similar to how it offers magazines. This information surfaced in a JavaScript and CSS file that was found on the Web version of the Play Store containing placeholders and text related to such a feature. Google Play News has not been officially announced, however, and there’s no word which locations will get it when/if it does come to fruition.

[via Google+ Mexico]

Google Play Books rolls out in Mexico is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple CEO Tim Cook will be required to testify for 4 hours on the eBook price-fixing scandal the company was accused of. Apple is the last company, out of 6, to be testifying in this case. The other companies, which include Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and Macmillan have all reached a settlement with the Department of Justice. The companies had to terminate their agreements with Apple and other retailers, and follow a list of guidelines administered by the DoJ to ensure this issue would never happen again.

U.S. District Judge Denise Cote granted the DoJ its request today. The Justice Department believes that Tim Cook has relevant information to the case, as he is a high level executive. It believes that Tim Cook’s position and his close relations with the late Steve Jobs entitled him to private conversations and information about the eBook situation. Lawrence Buterman, the DoJ’s lawyer, stated Tim Cook “is the only potential source of information.”

Apple had tried to fight Judge Cote’s request, saying that Cook’s testimony would just be a reiteration of all of the other testimonies provided by 11 other Apple executives. Orin Snyder, a lawyer from Apple’s law firm, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, stated that “This effort to depose Mr. Cook, Apple’s CEO, reflect the fact the government cannot meet its burden of proof in this case.” She has called this request a “fishing expedition.”

The trial will be taking place in June. The government made it clear that it will not be seeking damages from Apple. It wants to find out if Apple had violated antitrust laws, and if it had fixed prices on eBooks, the government would bar Apple from being able to engage in any similar kind of conduct in the future. Things most certainly do not look good for Apple, especially since most of the companies immediately settled after being hit with the lawsuit. We’ll keep you posted on this case.

[via Reuters]

Government orders Tim Cook to testify in price-fixing lawsuit is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Barnes & Noble hasn’t been looking good lately, and the company’s Q3 2013 earnings that were announced today prove that something is going to have to change. Barnes & Noble reported a $6.1 million loss last quarter, which is a far cry from the $52 million the company netted during the same time last year.

As for revenue, Barnes & Noble made $2.2 billion during the quarter, which is down 8.8% year-over-year. As for NOOK sales, that division probably got hit the hardest, where revenue was down 26% compared to the same time last year, but as for digital content sales, the company saw a slight jump by 6.8%.

Of course, Barnes & Noble was expecting to take a big hit, so they’re about as surprised as we were (read: not surprised at all). NOOK made $316 million this past quarter, while the same time last year, it made $426.6 million. Overall, the company saw losses across the board, including their retail business, which saw a 10.3% decrease from last year.

However, it seems that the company may actually be changing things up a bit. Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio is pondering the idea of buying the company back from shareholders, and shaking things up with the NOOK business — mostly throwing out the entire playbook and starting from scratch, but we’ll have to see what direction the company takes this year. It could be an interesting ride for B&N execs.

Barnes & Noble reports $6.1m loss in Q3 2013 earnings is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.