New York-based tech company Booktrack released its first e-book set to synchronized music and sound effects based on reading speed.
Week in Review: Trio of “Big Six” US Pubs Launch Bookish.com; French Sue Google Over Scanned Books
By Edward Nawotka A brief round-up of some of the top global industry trade news… Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and Penguin Group have teamed up to launch Bookish.com, a new consumer-oriented Web site that will market and promote books. The model is something of a hybrid online bookstore and a community-oriented book promotion site. Industry reaction has been …
DIY Audio Publishing–Audible.com Launches ACX
By Erin L. Cox In this new era of book publishing, it has become easier than ever for authors to write and publish themselves, bringing their work directly to their readers without the help of publishers through their own website or various e-publishing or self-publishing sites. But, for the most part, those works have only been written…until today. Yesterday, I …
Orbit Publisher Talks About UK/UK Pub of PERFECT SHADOW
By Erin L. Cox Two weeks ago, SF and Fantasy imprint Orbit announced that they would be publishing writer Brent Weeks’ novella simultaneously in the US and UK in both e-book and audio formats. As publishers examine digital/global publishing and test out what works for their books and readers, Publishing Perspectives sat down with Orbit Publisher Tim Holman to ask about …
Is Audio Piracy More Insidious Than E-book Piracy?
What’s at stake is not just the financial cost, but the very authorship of audiobooks. By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead story looks at the growing market for audiobooks in Germany. As the story notes, as long as people continue to pay for what they listen to this is a positive development. But digital audiobooks are just as vulnerable to piracy …
Germany’s Audiobook Renaissance
Digitization and professionalization have significantly raised the profile — and sales — of audiobooks in Germany. By Amanda DeMarco If you want to send a German into a nostalgic childhood revery, just bring up The Three Investigators audio dramas (Die Drei???, Die Drei Fragezeichen). Audiobooks and dramas have long been popular for children in Germany, but in the last five to …
Translations Center’s New Audio Archive Features 20+ Translators and Authors
By Edward Nawotka The Center for the Art of Translation has redesigned their audio archive so it’s easier to use. You can now listen to more than 20 translators and writers talking about their craft, from Edith Grossman to Natasha Wimmer. Don’t know who they are? It’s okay, this is a great place to start learning more. The Center’s latest post …
German Flip-Flopping on Translator Compensation Angers Everyone
By Siobhan O’Leary A recent ruling by Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has both German translators and publishers up in arms regarding translator compensation. The Bundesgerichtshof has ruled that German translators are now entitled to claim 20% of the net income earned by the author of the original language edition for any ancillary rights sold, including German paperback and audiobook …
Which E-book Enhancements Do You Prefer?
By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead article reveals that just 7% of the 600 publishers surveyed by Aptara are enhancing e-books. Enhancements can take a variety of forms. Some involve the use of multimedia, such as audio narration and film clips embedded in the text. Others are more simple, such as the inclusion of authors interviews, reading club questions and sample …
The Digital Innovators: Henry Volans of Faber Digital
The third in our series of video interviews with digital innovators from the UK features a discussion with Henry Volans, head of digital development at Faber.