Coronavirus Updates: The typically arresting literature-debate show ‘Canada Reads’ now has new pandemic-era dates, and a strong lineup of five books.
‘Canada Reads’: CBC’s 2020 Lineup Includes Cory Doctorow’s ‘Radicalized’
The 2020 edition of the ‘Canada Reads’ literary debate show rolls out a roster of five titles, each turning on contemporary social and/or political issues.
European Parliament Votes in Favor of Controversial Copyright Directive
In a ballot count of 348 to 274, the European Parliament today (March 26) has voted in favor of the bitterly divisive copyright directive developed through years of effort as part of the Digital Single Union framework.
Is Worldreader.org’s Gift of E-readers to Africans the Right Precedent?
Is the dependence on expensive devices a Western solution to an African problem? By Edward Nawotka Today’s feature story considers the challenges of digital publishing in sub-Saharan Africa. Amongst the key obstacles preventing further proliferation of digital reading across the continent is a lack of cash, political will…and electricity. Innovative programs such as Worldreader.org, which has distributed some 500 Kindles …
Publishing Point’s Susan Danziger Intros LBF Panel “The Great Debate”
By Susan Danziger, CEO of DailyLit.com and Founder of The Publishing Point I realized several years ago that I lived in two worlds. As the founder of DailyLit, I met with cutting-edge entrepreneurs (such as the founders of Twitter and Foursquare) who were pursuing dreams that others thought crazy. And then there was the other world of established executives at …
Fun Video: Dancing Books in Stop-Motion Animation
By Hannah Johnson This video is making the rounds today, especially since Cory Doctorow posted it on his blog Boing Boing today. Enjoy! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFnuP9niRUg
What Kinds of Content Should Authors and Publishers Give Away for Free?
By Edward Nawotka Sometimes giving it away for free seems to work: Cory Doctorow gave away several of his early novels online for free and it has subsequently turned him into a successful, traditionally published author. Or so that’s the story he likes to tell. Of course, giving away an entire book has it’s risks. Notably, that the book will proliferate …
The 1% Windfall: Why Publishers Need to Implement “Dynamic Pricing”
• A 1% increase in book prices could lead to significant change in the operating profits of many companies, argues pricing expert Rafi Mohammed. But, contrary to this fact, the publishing industry is under pressure to lower prices rather than raise them. • The answer is to implement “dynamic pricing,” which will enable publishers to respond to the demands of …
Argon Fails to Raise Euros for Cory Doctorow Audiobook
By Siobhan O’Leary As we reported last month, German audiobook publisher Argon recently launched an experiment to see if it could raise 9,000 euros in three weeks to finance an unabridged audiobook of Cory Doctorow’s book Little Brother that would be available for free online under a Creative Commons license. Well, it didn’t go so well. The publisher was only …
Author Cory Doctorow on Amazon vs. Macmillan
By Erin L. Cox According to an article in The New York Times, Amazon has pulled all Macmillan books from their site (or removed the buy buttons) in response to Macmillan’s request to raise the cost of ebooks on Amazon from $10 to $15. Macmillan author Cory Doctorow wrote a piece on BoingBoing.net sees a bleak future in this fight: “[I]f one …