eBooks

Are You Paying the iTunes Tax?

Nearly half of U.S. states charge sales tax on digital goods: If you live in one of them, you may be paying more for everything from downloaded music to streaming video.

Barnes & Noble to Close Up to One-Third of Its Stores

Barnes & Noble CEO Mitchell Klipper told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that his company will have 450 to 500 retail locations in 10 years -- down from nearly 700 now. Still, he insisted "it's a good business model," despite competition from e-books and online retailers.

Surprise! Technology Has Made Us More Bookish

The boom in e-readers and tablets -- such as the iPad, Nook and Kindle -- has resulted in Americans starting to read more books, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.

Are We Reading the Final Chapter for Pure E-Readers?

Purists may cringe at the loss of easy-to-read E Ink screens, but it may be time to turn the page on the e-book reader. A key analyst has slashed his sales forecast for Kindles, seeing the rise of Kindle Fires, Nook Tablets, and of course, iPads as inevitable.

Is an Amazon Store in the Real World a Good Idea?

Soon, you might be able to buy a new Kindle at an actual, brick-and-mortar Amazon Store. The e-commerce giant is reportedly opening its first pilot store in Seattle. It's an intriguing idea, but the real question is: Why would Amazon want to?

Amazon's World Takeover -- By the Numbers

Amazon plays by its own rules -- and the online retail giant usually wins. Check out this infographic by blogger FrugalDad that gives you a peek at who you're paying when you opt for the Free SuperSaver Shipping.

Take Either of 2 Tablets and Call Me Christmas Morning

At $499 and up, Apple's iPad may not fit in your holiday budget. But how about $199 or $249 for a slightly smaller, full-featured gadget? Barnes & Noble has its Nook Tablet; Amazon has the $199 Kindle Fire. Decisions, decisions ...

Is Amazon Kicking Off Another E-Reader Price War?

The tech giant kicked off an e-reader price war last summer and another may be in store. Why? The company announced Monday that it would cut its price on a new Kindle that will display ads. Will competitors follow its lead?

Borders' Bid for B&N Will Go Nowhere Fast

When Barnes & Noble announced it was looking for a buyer, we entertained the fanciful notion that struggling rival Borders might put in a bid. As absurd as the idea was, that buyout offer has been made. Here's why it has virtually no chance of succeeding.

Google to Launch E-Book Store

Google is joining the fray, finally entering the crowded world of e-books alongside Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple. It is a little late to the party, but the world's largest search company has an inherent advantage over its competition.

Still Plagued by Lawsuits, B&N Readies New Color Nook

This week, Barnes & Noble is expected to unveil a new, color edition of the Nook e-reader. As the company moves forward with new digital products, however, it faces lawsuits that won't go away -- and which have the potential to complicate chairman Leonard Riggio's plans to stay with B&N if the company is sold to the highest bidder.

Library of Congress Liberates iPhones, E-Books

iPhone and e-Book users may be feeling a bit more liberated, following an announcement Monday that loosens the Digital Millennium Copyright Act provisions. Basically, the ruling means folks can legally disable the restrictive software controls on devices like Apple's iPhone or Amazon's Kindle.

Sony Launches E-Book Joint Venture in Japan

Sony sells plenty of Readers worldwide, but it years ago gave up trying to market them in Japan. Now, just as Apple is about to launch its iPad there, Sony is defending its home turf with a new joint venture designed to solve the problem that stymied its previous e-book attempts: lack of content.

How to Profit From the Changing Book Business

During a culinary barbecue escapade, Tom Ryder, now on the board of Amazon, gives his view on the coming shake-out in e-publishing and where the opportunities are for investors.

Amazon Is Still Strong, but the Challenges Mount

The online retail giant reported stellar earnings for the first quarter, but its outlook disappointed analysts. While Amazon will remain profitable for the remainder of 2010, it faces some pretty big challenges, from a saturated e-reader market to a growing state sales tax problem.

Why Apple's iPad E-Books Numbers Are Confusing and a Little Misleading

Apple announced that it sold approximately 300,000 iPads and that newly-minted iPad owners downloaded one million apps from its App Store and 250,000 e-books from its iBookstore on opening day. While these numbers sound suitably impressive, a closer look at the figures raises more questions than answers.

Amazon Temporarily Stops Selling Hachette E-Books as iPad Looms

In a rush to woo publishers ahead of the launch of the iPad, Amazon is signing new agreements allowing them to charge higher prices for some books downloaded to Kindle e-readers. But not yet: Amazon has halted e-book sales from Hachette while it adjusts its system.

A Few E-Book Sales Can Make a Kindle 'Bestseller'

Amazon is once again trumpeting its 'big' Kindle and e-book sales, but it never releases the real data. And from the few clues available, it looks like those e-book sales numbers are nothing that Amazon should be bragging about.