e-book

Barnes & Noble's Week: A Disappointment With a Sequel

It's been a rough few days for Barnes & Noble. First the rumors of a big announcement around Microsoft's partnership with the Nook were dashed Monday, and then we received at Tuesday morning's painful quarterly report.

Study Finds Tablet, E-Book Ownership Soared

Tablets and e-readers were a popular gift over the holidays, so much so that the number of people who own them nearly doubled between mid-December and January, a new study finds. A report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project set to be released Monday found that 29 percent of Americans owned at least one tablet or e-reader as of the beginning of this month. That's up from 18 percent who said the same in December.

B&N Buyout Bid Is a Bet Against Amazon, Apple

Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by John Malone, made a $1 billion bid Thursday to buy Barnes & Noble. The bricks-and-mortar bookstore business is declining everywhere, so for Malone's gamble is to pay off, the Nook will have to gain some ground against Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle.

How One Writer Is Riding the E-Book Revolution

A novelist realizes that a book she wrote 20 years ago -- now out of print -- can be revived today as an e-book. Here's the story of how she took that old print volume and turned it into an e-book, complete with new title, new cover -- and new royalties!

How E-Books Are Changing the Economics of Writing

As electronic media accounts for a larger and larger portion of the book business, consumers are benefiting from lower prices for books, and manufacturers are enjoying massive sales. But how is the e-book revolution affecting authors? It's opening new opportunities -- but no guarantees.

Apple iPad Steals Market Share from Amazon Kindle

As the market for electronic book readers has grown, Apple's iPad has been pulling e-reader market share away from Amazon.com's Kindle, according to a new report from ChangeWave Research. The Kindle's market share has slipped to 47% from 62% in three months.

E-Books' Success Is a Mixed Blessing for Publishers

E-book sales continue to climb. But the popularity of digital titles is forcing publishers to ask some thorny questions about pricing, negotiations with writers and the future of the publishing industry.

The (Paltry) Economics of Being a Novelist

Veteran novelist Catherine Ryan Hyde (Pay It Forward and 15 other books) describes the monetary underpinnings of the novelist's business. Did you know authors generally get just two royalty checks a year? That is, if there are any royalties at all.

Amazon Earnings Rise 16% on Electronics Sales

Amazon's third-quarter profits rose 16% thanks to surge in sales of electronic products such as its Kindle e-reader, the world's largest online retailer reported after the bell Thursday.

Is the Barnes & Noble Brawl Over Now? Probably Not

A bitter proxy fight climaxed at Tuesday's shareholder meeting. In the end, B&N Chairman Len Riggio's defeat of dissident shareholder Ron Burkle was more fait accompli than 11th-hour surprise. And it left lots of questions unanswered.

Sony Reader Redesign: Smaller, Lighter, but Not Cheaper

Sony unveiled a refreshed lineup of its e-book Readers on Wednesday that features a lighter and smaller model, and adds touchscreen displays to all three models. But while Sony's new designs take a page or two from the competition, its heftier price tags don't.

Random House, Hachette Cash In on Bestsellers

Two of the largest publishing houses have demonstrated again that when authors like Stephenie Meyer or Stieg Larsson become big phenomenons, big sales -- and big profits -- are the result.