The Author Earnings website recently posted a breakdown of total ebook sales by country for the top 5 English-language markets. That includes the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Unsurprisingly Amazon dominates most ebook markets. Overall Amazon accounts for over 80% of English-language ebook purchases. Apple ranks second with 10%, and Nook accounts for […]
eBooks
Kobo Launches Kobo Plus eBook Subscription Service
Yesterday Kobo announced the launch of a new ebook subscription service called Kobo Plus. Currently it’s only available in The Netherlands and Belgium, so it’s no competition for Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited, but it could be the start of something bigger. Kobo Plus is a collaborative service between Kobo, Dutch publishers, and online retailer bol.com. Here’s […]
Does Anyone Ever Use Kindle Matchbook?
Back in 2013 Amazon introduced Kindle Matchbook, a promotional deal where you can get discounted Kindle ebooks when purchasing certain printed books. Sometimes the Kindle edition is even free when purchasing the paper book version, but qualifying titles are usually priced at $2.99 or less. Kindle Matchbook rarely gets mentioned to the point that it’s […]
Microsoft Launching New eBook Store and Edge Gets ePub Support
Microsoft is getting back into the ebook market once again. They were once known for their LIT ebook format some years ago, and then they invested in Barnes and Noble’s Nook Media business in 2012 and lost a boatload of money. Now Microsoft is opening their very own ebook store for PC and Mobile on […]
Removing DRM from Kindle eBooks in Jeopardy Moving Forward?
In February Amazon is expected to release an update for their Kindle for PC program that could make removing DRM from Kindle ebooks problematic. When Amazon came out with their new enhanced typesetting engine in 2015, they started to change the Kindle ebook format from AZW to KFX to accommodate the added features. Since then […]
Free 3-Month Subscription to Scribd for eBooks and Audiobooks
There’s a deal over at Groupon right now where you can get a 3-month subscription to Scribd completely free of charge. Scribd is an ebook subscription service similar to Kindle Unlimited, except they offer a selection of titles from big publishers, and they have different types of content like sheet music available. Scribd also offers […]
Kindle Unlimited Launches in Australia and New Zealand
Amazon has added some more places to their list of countries that can subscribe to Kindle Unlimited on the Amazon Australia website (Amazon.com.au). Customers that live in Australia, New Zealand, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Cook Islands, Tokelau, Niue and Norfolk Island can now subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. Kindle Unlimited […]
Amazon Launches New “Rapids” Reading App for Kids
A few days ago Amazon introduced a new app called Amazon Rapids that brings a new style of reading to kids. The app includes illustrated short stories that are told through the point of view of characters chatting with each other. Amazon gives an example of an alien texting about invading Earth and two chickens […]