Digital Pubbing

Exploring the ins and outs of the publishing industry

Publishing

What Games and Books Have in Common

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Games and books have a lot in common. They can be tools for learning, as well as avenues for entertainment (See the game/app Zombies, Run! for an example of a game that also motivates people to stay active). They can be physical and digital. And sometimes the lines between them can even be blurred. Because of all these similarities, there are a lot of book and game issues … [Read more...] about What Games and Books Have in Common

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?

Displaying Ebooks in New Ways

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It's not just ebooks that are disrupting. Technology that displays ebooks is changing, which has led to some potentially creative new ways to read books, or at least to look at them. On Publishing Perspectives, Bob Pritchett wrote about what needs to change in publishing, including the fact that the length of the book should not be tied to the genre, books should be able to … [Read more...] about Displaying Ebooks in New Ways

Guest Post: Why Forgotten Books purchased 500,000 ISBNs

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By Elisabeth Forsythe - Head of Media and Public Relations, [Forgotten Books] International Standard Book Numbers, or ISBNs, are an important part of book publishing. They help with book discovery, and are used with each edition of a book. Elisabeth Forsythe explains why Forgotten Books, the world's largest online library, recently purchased 500,000 ISBNs, and what that means … [Read more...] about Guest Post: Why Forgotten Books purchased 500,000 ISBNs

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

I Know Dino: The Podcast

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After months of researching, interviewing, and polishing, we have finally launched our long-awaited I Know Dino podcast (part of a larger I Know Dino project, which involves blog posts, books, and more)! You can find our new, free podcast on iTunes at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-know-dino/id960976813?mt=2 Our first episode features Pete Larson, president of … [Read more...] about I Know Dino: The Podcast

Enriching Ebooks with Semantic Vocabulary

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Metadata is very important when it comes to categorizing and even marketing and finding readers for a book. Now that EPUB3 is around, authors/publishers can add really granular data to ebooks, which can help define target audiences, among other things. The concept of structuring data using markup is not new. Schema.org “ provides a collection of schemas that webmasters can … [Read more...] about Enriching Ebooks with Semantic Vocabulary

Startups in Publishing

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We live in exciting times. Ebooks are evolving, the way people consume content is changing, and the barriers to entry for digital publishing are low enough that many creative people are able to test out their ideas. In the spirit of supporting those brave enough to go out and follow their passions, I've compiled a list of some of the publishing startups out there, in no … [Read more...] about Startups in Publishing

Planning an Effective Video Strategy with MWP Digital Media

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Sometimes it can be difficult for indie authors to think about video, but having a YouTube channel with book trailers, author interviews, and more can help boost an author’s platform. In order to find out what kind of videos work best, My Web Presenters (MWP) Digital Media has a new video marketing comparison tool, which can help users with their video strategy. Simply copy … [Read more...] about Planning an Effective Video Strategy with MWP Digital Media

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

The Black Chronicles, a New Type of Horror Transmedia

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Transmedia--storytelling through multiple narratives and platforms--is a fairly new medium that continues to fascinate me (see my previous transmedia posts here). Horror author and filmmaker Oldrich Stibor recently founded the company Red Right Hand Publishing to create high-quality transmedia stories, starting with the project The Black Chronicles. The Black Chronicles has … [Read more...] about The Black Chronicles, a New Type of Horror Transmedia