BEA Video Interviews: Michael Tamblyn, Kobo

In Tech Digest by Hannah Johnson

Michael Tamblyn (Vice President, Content, Sales and Merchandising at Kobo) talks with Ed Nawotka about the launch of the new Kobo eReader Touch Edition. The new e-reader was announced on Monday. It features an e-ink touch screen and can hold 1,000 e-books. The device also includes a social reading application called REading life, which tracks and shares your reading stats. …

Why Multichannel Bookselling is the Future

In Europe by Amanda DeMarco

Bricks-and-mortar stores give booksellers a “human face,” but in the future most books will be sold online. Making the two sales channels complimentary is key. By Amanda DeMarco BERLIN: Anyone who’s been following German book industry publications over the past nine months or so has witnessed the rising popularity of the term “multichannel book selling.” It’s not a new concept, …

6.5 Million E-Reader Owners in the UK

In What's the Buzz by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson A study by Book Marketing Limited (BML) presented by Jo Henry shows that the number of adults in the UK with e-readers doubled over the holiday period — from 7% to 13%, according to the Bookseller. The study was conducted from December 25, 2010 (Christmas Day) through January 31, 2011. The Kindle is the most popular reading …

Which E-readers Might Have the “Second Mover Advantage”?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead story looks at the success German retailers had selling e-books this past holiday season. At Thalia, Germany’s largest bookstore chain, their Oyo e-reader proved one of their most popular items of the season. First is good, but second has it’s advantages, as proven by the increasing popularity of the NookColor. Likewise, in the United States, …

End of Year Sales Bode Well for German E-book Market

In Europe by Siobhan O'Leary

By Siobhan O’Leary German book chain Thalia reported its highest sales to date for its Oyo Reader in December, according to buchreport. The device — which reached stores in November — was one of Thalia’s top 5 bestselling products and, perhaps surprisingly, most of them were sold in-store rather than online. Thalia witnessed a corresponding increase in e-book sales, with figures …

Have You Borrowed or Lent E-books? What Was Your Experience?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka The demand for e-books is unquestionably on the rise and e-readers and iPads were hot holiday items this past holiday season. Many libraries offer e-book lending services and have for some time, but the increasing ubiquity of devices means that these services will be even more in demand in the coming year and libraries will be put …

Staying on Top of the Emerging Tablet Device Market

In Tech Digest by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson The tablet market just grew recently. Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the HP Slate will go on sale this year to compete with the iPad and the upcoming RIM Blackberry Playbook (coming out sometime next year). Of all the tablet PCs, the HP Slate is the most computer-like. It runs Windows 7 and ships with 64GB …

France’s Fnac Introduces FnacBook, E-Reader War Heats Up

In What's the Buzz by Olivia Snaije

By Olivia Snaije On Thursday, Christophe Cuvilier, Chairman and CEO of Fnac, France and Europe’s largest cultural and electronic retail chain, introduced the company’s new ereader called FnacBook. Eager to stress that books and ebooks can develop harmoniously side by side (books represent almost 20% of Fnac sales), Cuvilier presented the slim — 1 cm thick — elegant ereader, which …