Stephen Cole

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https://www.sjcole.com

Stephen is the founder and CEO of eBooks.com. He has been a bookseller for most of his professional life.

Featured

Read instantly with eBooks.com’s new online ebook reader

Stephen -

15 May 2026

Inside eBooks.com

e-Textbook Sales Growing at eBooks.com

Stephen -

3 December 2017

Gartner's Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2017

Ebook News

Gartner’s Hype Cycle 2017: A Familiar Curve for Ebooks

Stephen -

31 August 2017

Books & Reading

Our approach to tax obligations

Stephen -

4 January 2017

Ebook Market Set for 11.2% Annual Growth
24 August 2026 (TechNavio)
In pinch-of-salt news: The ebook market is undergoing a significant transformation, moving beyond simple digitisation toward creating immersive and intelligent reading ecosystems. A key driver is the proliferation of subscription-based models, which offer consumers vast libraries for a flat fee, altering traditional revenue streams. Concurrently, a major trend is the convergence of literature with interactive digital media, incorporating features from gaming to enhance engagement.

Google Play Books launches AI "Insights"
24 August 2026 (Good E-Reader)
Book Insights is an AI-powered reading companion built with Gemini inside Google Play Books. It helps you summarize chapters, clarify confusing text, track characters, and ask specific, spoiler-free questions about select English ebooks without leaving your page. This feature has just launched internationally in the Google Books and Audiobooks app for Android.

DRM Outrage: Kindle Tightens Security
22 August 2026 (Android Authority)
When a corporation can change how your e-reader works after you buy it, how much of the experience do you truly own? Amazon can delete, update, or even remove access to a book at will.

Spiracle to relaunch with more than 70k audiobooks and focus on 'discovery and curation'
20 August 2026 (The Bookseller)
Spiracle Audiobooks will launch Spiracle 2.0 in September 2026, an audiobook platform and new app, which the founders say will include a “fully extended” catalogue featuring an increased offering of books from major publishers as well as indies.

HarperCollins Opens First Big Five Manga Imprint as AI Cuts Translation Time 90%
17 August 2026 (Tech Times)
Kazé debut marks structural shift as $80 million Seven Seas sale signals consolidation wave. Kazé is a dedicated manga imprint for the United States market, with an initial slate of seven titles to be announced later this year. The imprint will publish titles for readers of all ages, from children through adults, marking the first time a Big Five trade publisher has launched a standalone, dedicated manga imprint in North America in the modern era of the medium's dominance.

Ingram launches its new DRC platform, "Covered"
17 August 2026 (Publishers Weekly)
Publishers will pay to list frontlist titles on Covered, and the the majority of resulting orders are expected to run direct to publishers, rather than through Ingram.

Xteink e-readers now get Libby ebooks
16 August 2026 (Good E-Reader)
CrossPoint Reader is custom, open-source firmware designed for Xteink pocket e-readers, such as the X3 and X4 series. The beta introduces a modular plug-in system moving beyond strictly DRM-free formats.

Rakuten Kobo Returns to U.S. Retail as Sales Double
14 August 2026 (Publishers Weekly)
As of this month, Best Buy stores in the U.S. have begun selling a selection of Rakuten Kobo e-readers and accessories, marking a return to U.S. retail for the Japanese-owned Canadian bookseller. The company previously sold e-readers through Walmart starting in 2018, but that relationship never gained much traction and ended in 2024. Since then, devices were available to order through Kobo's U.S. website and third-party retailers.

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Stephen

Read instantly with eBooks.com’s new online ebook reader

Sales Are Up at eBooks.com

e-Textbook Sales Growing at eBooks.com

Gartner’s Hype Cycle 2017: A Familiar Curve for Ebooks

The end of print is nigh

Our approach to tax obligations

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