Digital Pubbing

Exploring the ins and outs of the publishing industry

EBooks

Music and Sound Effects in Books

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  Audiobooks are gaining popularity, but sounds are making their way into ebooks as well. Back in 2013, Google submitted a patent to trigger sounds in ebooks. According to GoodeReader, "The sounds would be triggered by events within the book, such as lapping waves, an ominous crescendo, or maybe an outdoor market. The new application would have the sounds stored on a … [Read more...] about Music and Sound Effects in Books

Looking for Innovative Stories? Here’s a List of Ebooks, Apps, Websites, Games, and More

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Ebooks, or maybe I should say stories, come in all shapes and sizes: EPUB, apps, virtual reality, games, and more. If you want to see some exciting, innovative new forms of storytelling, check out this list (sure devices have some limitations and enhanced ebooks haven't exactly taken off yet, but there are ways to make ebooks great): Ebooks "A Digital Mozart Book That … [Read more...] about Looking for Innovative Stories? Here’s a List of Ebooks, Apps, Websites, Games, and More

Build An Interactive Holiday Ebook with CircularFLO

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Happy holidays! To those who celebrate Christmas, CircularFLO, which allows you to build interactive ebooks without coding, is giving away personalized, free interactive ebooks. You can get your copy at https://www.circularflo.com/download/xmas. Inside you'll find a drag and drop jigsaw puzzle, a hangman game, a matching game, and more. Plus CircularFLO is holding a contest … [Read more...] about Build An Interactive Holiday Ebook with CircularFLO

Reading Ebooks on Your Smartphone

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Smartphones have exploded in popularity in the last few years, and because so many people own smartphones, publishers are now thinking about how to best deliver digital content to the small screen. As a side anecdote, four years ago (2011) I was sitting in a marketing class at NYU, and the lecturer was telling us about how she read all five A Song of Ice and Fire books (you … [Read more...] about Reading Ebooks on Your Smartphone

What Rights Do Ebook Owners Have?

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Over the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion around the ownership of ebooks. The LA Times reported in 2012 about how ebook owners had few rights when it came to their ebooks. Instead of owning ebooks they purchased, they were merely licensing them: Unlike the owners of a physical tome, they won't have the unlimited right to lend an e-book, give it away, … [Read more...] about What Rights Do Ebook Owners Have?

New Ebook Fonts Make Ereading More Like Print

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The average reader probably doesn't think a lot about fonts, but they are important contributors to the reading experience. A few weeks ago, Google announced a new typeface for Google Books, called Literata. The Next Web goes into more detail, but the gist is Google ebooks now have a font that distinguishes it from ebooks read on a Nook or Kindle, and it was created to give … [Read more...] about New Ebook Fonts Make Ereading More Like Print

Publishing Children’s Ebooks

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The children's book market is expanding. According to IBISWorld, "e-readers and other popular devices, like tablets and smartphones, make books easier to buy, read and store. Animation and other extra features made possible by these and other devices are making e-books particularly attractive to children." Jane Friedman also reported that "Children are starting to read … [Read more...] about Publishing Children’s Ebooks

A Look at Interactive Ebooks

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Interactive, multimedia ebooks are starting to gain some traction. In addition to embedding audio and video, some ebook creators are experimenting with game elements, using GPS, and adding activities. A year ago, Digital Book World discussed why enhanced ebooks were not taking off yet. According to Peter Costanzo, "The main problem is that the market as it currently exists … [Read more...] about A Look at Interactive Ebooks

RedShelf: Affordable E-Textbooks

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RedShelf is a platform that allows students to access e-textbooks. The company started in June 2010, when the co-founders Tim and Greg were asked by a professor to create a digital course packet. They developed the e-reading technology while still in college, and started forming partnerships with campus bookstores. Now RedShelf has more than 160,000 titles and 160+ bookstore … [Read more...] about RedShelf: Affordable E-Textbooks

Taking a Closer Look at Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited

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There has been a lot of buzz lately around Kindle Unlimited, the latest service to enter the ebook subscription game. But what out of all the subscription services  I'd say that this one is the biggest game changer, and that's because it's an Amazon service. After recently finishing Brad Stone's The Everything Store, I have a feeling that right now, Kindle Unlimited is more … [Read more...] about Taking a Closer Look at Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited

New Subscription Ebook Service: Forgotten Books

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Ebook subscription services are slowly proving themselves. The three current major ones, Oyster, Scribd, and Entitle, are all growing, in both number of subscribers and number of books offered. And they are not the only services out there, as I outlined in my post, "A Brief Overview of Subscription Services" (The Digital Reader also wrote about Blloon, a new subscription … [Read more...] about New Subscription Ebook Service: Forgotten Books

Finding Ebook Bestsellers

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With so many new books being published each year, the options for finding new reads are practically endless. More lists catering to different audiences have been springing up over the past couple years to help book buyers. But this post is for both readers and writers. For readers, there are many lists out there that cater to ebooks, and in some cases, to indie ebooks. If … [Read more...] about Finding Ebook Bestsellers

The Art of Flipping (Books?)

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I'm in the process of looking to buy my first house (exciting and terrifying, I know!). One thing I've noticed is listings for houses on sale tend to use the same key phrases: spacious rooms, great light, charming, near x, y, z freeway, close to shopping, etc. However, even though on paper a house may sound perfect, in person they can be completely different. In the past few … [Read more...] about The Art of Flipping (Books?)

E-Reading Reviews: A Roundup of the Latest E-Book Readers

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By Tom Erik Dale – Sainsbury's eBooks With the holidays come new and improved e-readers, with better screens and more features to make reading more pleasurable. Tom Erik Dale, from Sainsbury's eBooks, has written a helpful guide detailing the pros and cons of the three most popular new e-readers. Read on. E-books are great. Not so much for swatting those off-putting flies, … [Read more...] about E-Reading Reviews: A Roundup of the Latest E-Book Readers

Books in Browsers 2013

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I went to my second Books in Browsers last week (see last year's recap day 1 and recap day 2), and was not disappointed! For those who many not know, Books in Browsers is "a small summit for the new generation of internet publishing companies, focusing on developers and designers who are building and launching tools for online storytelling, expression, and art." It takes place … [Read more...] about Books in Browsers 2013