Industry News - In Store Printing, Smartphones and Publishers, Self-publishing - and Friday Inspirational Photos

Some interesting news in the publishing industry-

Several companies have joined together for in-store book printing:

From Book Business:

“Eastman Kodak, On Demand Books, and ReaderLink announced they have partnered to revolutionize the way all types of printed books will be marketed, sold and produced at point of sale. The venture brings On Demand Books’ Espresso Book Machine to national retailers integrated with Kodak Picture Kiosks, giving consumers a full-service, digital-to-print media center for all their custom print needs—from photo books, custom/local self-published titles, to educational supplements, and more.”


Now that half of the US owns smartphones, is it opening the way for publishers?

From Digital Book World:

“According to a new study, 45% of all U.S. adults now own a smartphone, about double the proportion that own dedicated e-readers or tablet computers, currently making smartphones the most common mobile e-reading devices.”

“With fewer e-book buyers gravitating toward dedicated e-readers as their reading device of choice, tablets, smartphones and other e-reading venues will become more important for publishers to pay attention to.”


Penguin Group recently purchased Author Solutions Inc., whose revenue last year was $100 million. While self-publishing is on the rise, those authors still face great challenges.

From The Atlantic:

“By adding Author Solutions, with revenues last year said to be about $100 million, to such pedigreed Penguin names as Viking, Penguin Classics, Putnam, and Dutton, the concept of self-publishing has moved away from what was always known as "vanity publishing." While these authors are still mainly paying to see their works turned into finished print or e-books, they are no longer consigned just to the margins of the marketplace.”

“A thorough assessment of self-publishing by Alan Finder in the New York Times recently observed these benefits: "Digital publishing and print on demand have significantly reduced the cost of producing a book. ... Writers who self-publish are more likely to be able to control the rights to their books, set their books' sale price and keep a larger proportion of the sales." But he added this unassailable qualification: "Most self-published books sell fewer than 100 or 150 copies, many authors and self-publishing company executives say."’

What do you think of today’s news?

And your Friday inspirational photos:

Boing!

One Drop...