Digital Pubbing

Exploring the ins and outs of the publishing industry

Publishing

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

Authorly, Turn Your Book Into An App

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Recently I learned about a new tool called Authorly, which can turn books into apps to sell in all the major app stores, including Google Play, iTunes, and the Amazon app store (see my post, "Turning Your Ebook Into An App"). Authorly allows authors to easily create apps for their books, and make them interactive. And although I like the service, I do want to point out that … [Read more...] about Authorly, Turn Your Book Into An App

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

Indie Authors: Book Rights

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This month I've started working seriously on my passion project, I Know Dino. One of my goals is to get a few dinosaur ebooks out, starting with a picture book I've been working on for a while about how Brontosaurus is not a real dinosaur (even though it used to be my favorite). Last weekend, I found an amazing illustrator on Fiverr and have started work on actually … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Book Rights

New(ish) trends: Book data analytics and metadata

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Last week an article in the New York Times caught my eye. It highlights the company Next Big Sound, which was founded in 2009 and analyzes music data. The company has launched a new division called Next Big Book, which will work with Macmillan to “draw sales, publicity, events, social media, web traffic, and web trends data together on a daily basis.” The idea is not new. In … [Read more...] about New(ish) trends: Book data analytics and metadata

Turning Your Ebook Into an App

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Sometimes it makes sense for a book to be transformed into an app. Forbes wrote a piece back in 2012 about whether the future of books will be as apps. Two years later, and it doesn't seem to be true, but in some cases it could work. New tools have made it easier for authors to create their own apps. Karen Robertson, creator of the book app Treasure Kai, said in a Good … [Read more...] about Turning Your Ebook Into an App