U.S. judge dismisses antitrust lawsuits over college textbooks
15 June 2021 (Reuters)
Judge Cote said the independent bookstores and online textbook sellers (plaintiffs) lacked standing to sue because it was the adoption by hundreds of colleges and universities of digital textbooks, rather than the defendants’ conduct, that hurt their sales. “Any injury to the plaintiffs is due to the institutions selecting brick-and-mortar retailers other than the plaintiffs as their on-campus bookstores.”
Where Is Our Spotify for Books?
7-June-2021 (Slate)
Congress could fix the problem instantly by extending the first sale doctrine to allow school and public libraries to purchase e-books at regular retail prices and keep them in their collections permanently. At a stroke, this would triple to quadruple the number of e-books libraries could purchase with current budgets and, since the books would never expire, increase their e-book holdings by orders of magnitude over time.
Deadlock between PA and academics in e-book pricing row
7 June 2021 (The Bookseller)
A row over the pricing models of academic e-books has continued, with the Publishers Association (PA) and Higher Education organisations blaming each other for a lack of movement on the issue.
Maryland: Publishers Now Obliged to License Ebooks to Libraries
1 June 2021 (Publishers Weekly)
Bill number SB432 requires any publisher offering to license “an electronic literary product” to consumers in the state to also offer to license the content to public libraries, “on reasonable terms” that would enable library users to have access. The bill is scheduled to take effect in January, 2022.
Ebook sales are roaring
26 May 2021 (World Economic Forum)
UK readers turned to digital books in 2020, with sales soaring 24% to $591 million, but print sales were also up 4% to $2.4 billion.
D.C. attorney general files suit accusing Amazon of price fixing
25 May 2021 (Politico)
The move marks another battlefront for the e-commerce behemoth. “For years, Amazon has controlled online retail prices through its restrictive contract provisions and policies,” District of Columbia Attorney General said.
Kobo connects eBooks and notepad for a reader you can write on
21 May 2021 (Pickr)
An eReader like the Kindle or Kobo is meant for reading, but what if you could scribble notes using the same gadget? The latest Kobo has that in mind.
Amazon will distribute ebooks to public libraries
19 May 2021 (Good E-Reader)
Amazon has reached a much anticipated deal with the Digital Public Library of America to distribute 10,000 audiobooks and ebooks to libraries. The content will be provided by Amazons own imprints, such as Thomas and Mercer, Amazon Crossing and 47 North. This is the first time that libraries will receive digital books directly from Amazon
ProQuest Sold for $5.3 billion
17 May 2021 (Publishers Weekly)
Clarivate plc (formerly Thomson Reuters) has agreed to acquire ProQuest from Cambridge Information Group, a family-owned investment firm, and other partners including Atairos, for $5.3 billion, including refinancing of ProQuest debt. The consideration for the acquisition is approximately $4.0 billion in cash and $1.3 billion of equity.
Naver Completes $600 Million Wattpad Acquisition
10 May 2021 (BusinessWire)
Naver, South Korea’s internet conglomerate, and Wattpad, the global multi-platform entertainment company for original stories and a leading social storytelling platform, today announced that Naver has completed its acquisition of Wattpad in a cash and stock transaction valued at more than an estimated USD $600 million.
Korea’s Kakao Buys Storytelling Apps for $950 Million
10 May 2021 (Variety)
Serialized fiction app Radish is being acquired by Kakao Entertainment, the entertainment arm of Korean internet giant Kakao, in a transaction valued at $440 million. In addition, Kakao Entertainment said it is buying Tapas Media, which says it has more than 3 million readers of its short-form online mobile content, for $510 million. Word of the deals come as South Korea’s Naver on Monday announced the completion of its $600 million-plus takeover of Wattpad, a user-fiction story app.
Major Publishers are selling a ton of ebooks in 2021
7 May 2021 (Good E-Reader)
Harpercollins stated that digital sales increased by 38% in the quarter. Ebook sales were up 38%, and digital audiobook sales rose 42%. Their entire publishing division, which includes hardcovers and paperbacks, in addition to digital jumped 45% in profits and a 19% increase in revenue in the quarter ended March 31, 2021, sales rose to $490 million.
You can no longer advertise ebooks using Google Shopping Ads
4 May 2021 (Good E-Reader)
Google stated that “At present, Google cannot provide the best user and publisher experience to meet the high standards for digital books in Shopping ads. While we understand this negatively impacts those who advertise digital books on Shopping, we believe this is the right decision to protect users, publishers, and the Shopping ecosystem.”
Publishing Industry Sales Up 16% Through February
27 Apr-2021 (PW)
E-book sales rose 16.2% over the first two months of 2020, while digital audio sales increased 22.2%.
BibliU uses Gardners fulfilment service
14 Apr 2021 (FE News)
The new relationship means Gardners fulfilment services will allow BibliU to supply print-based learning resources to its clients as required.
The Kindle can now display book covers on the lockscreen
12 Apr 2021 (Good E-Reader)
Amazon is apparently slowing pushing the cover art update to international markets first, at the time of publication people in India, Mexico and other countries have verified it is working. It is only a matter of time before the feature is available in Canada, United States and United Kingdom.
Pavillion Ebook Sales Up 94 Per Cent
06 Apr 2021 (The Bookseller)
UK turnover fell 13% on the previous year, though the company saw an increase of 11% in the US. A sizeable proportion of the printed book business was previously based on heritage and gift stores, which were closed for the majority of the year.
Publishers may be compelled to license ebooks to public libraries in Maryland
02 Apr 2021 (Publishers Weekly)
A Maryland state bill that would ensure public libraries the right to license and lend e-books that are available to consumers is headed to Governor Larry Hogan’s desk.
Booksellers File Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon, Publishers
28 Mar 2021 (The Digital Reader)
The second shot in law firm Hagens Berman fight against Amazon has been fired. The firm put out a press release on Thursday announcing that they had found booksellers willing to sue Amazon over an alleged conspiracy with publishers.
More Ebook Industry News (back to Aug 2017)
![E-books, downloaded music and other digital products aren’t covered by Australian consumer law. [Shutterstock]](https://i2.wp.com/about.ebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/file-20180220-116365-1tkqbl91.jpg?resize=218%2C150&ssl=1 "Australia’s consumer laws still don’t cover ebooks")
![E-books, downloaded music and other digital products aren’t covered by Australian consumer law. [Shutterstock]](https://i2.wp.com/about.ebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/file-20180220-116365-1tkqbl91.jpg?resize=324%2C160&ssl=1 "Australia’s consumer laws still don’t cover ebooks")
