eBooks

Publishers have struggled mightily with where ebooks fall in their lineups. There’s no clear progression like hardcover to paperback to the mass market. eBooks sort of sneak in and gum up the works, causing some publishers to think the answer is to hold back on ebook releases to give the hardcover a chance to thrive. The result has been nasty letters from customers, one-star reviews on Amazon for books that aren’t in eBook form on release day, and general bitterness from consumers. Not the environment to foster bestsellers. Of course, more publishers should be looking to emulate Random House. They’ve…

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about ebook pricing insanity, citing the high prices of new release books using the newly released Gauntlgrym: Neverwinter Book I by R. A. Salvatore. At the same time I noted how the move to price ebooks at greater than $10 has slowed down my buying: I have definitely balked at buying books I would have bought without thought at $9.99. For example, Bob Woodward’s ‘Obamas Wars’ looked interesting, but the ebook cost $14.99 – basically the same as the $15.00 hardcover. Similarly Company Town, looking at industries that have become wrapped around a…

It was only a matter of time before school yearbooks went digital. Well, that time is now. Jostens, a leading provider of world-renowned yearbook products, programs and services is introducing what they are calling Personal Yearbook Pages™. Through a new application students can now create a more inclusive yearbook by “giving every student the ability to create personalized pages that will appear exclusively in the student’s copy of the yearbook. Personal Yearbook Pages’ online user experience lets students design four unique pages with their own photos, artwork and text. What’s more, student’s can invite friends to collaborate on the design…

In about 5 seconds you’re all going to hate me for the terrible pun in the title. Borders (or, as it was known back in my day, “Borders Books, Music, Movies and Cafe”), has hit upon the solution to their customer and sales woes. Is it to improve their book side? Shape up ebooks into a fighting machine? Nope…they’ve thought waaaaaaaaay outside the box on this one. Borders has made the logical leap that people come to bookstores for books, sometimes a movie or a CD, a good cup of coffee…and a Build-a-Bear??? Yes, they are giving valuable floor space…