Jane Friedman, former CEO of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, will be interviewed at a free virtual conference called Digital Content Day @ Your Desk. Here's some info from the press release. We'll be talking about her new e-book venture, the industry's future and where the opportunities lie for publishers today. We'll also explore one of the biggest questions facing all publishing executives: How to bridge the gap between the present (print-centric) publishing business and what many predict will be the future (digital). The event is free to attend, and you can access all of...

For all our readers in the UK, you might want to respond to this JISC request. Here it is: This is your chance to share your views about the Google Book Settlement. Even though the settlement as it stood has been withdrawn, JISC is interested in gathering views from the UK Higher and Further education community in order to help inform JISC’s approach to these issues, both in relation to the future iterations of the Google Book Settlement itself and more broadly. We can assume, even though this has been withdrawn for the time being, that we will see subsequent...

I take this directly from Resource Shelf, with permission, because it's an important post for anyone in the scholarly world. The September issue of Reviews in History via the The Institute of Historical Research in London offers reviews of four scholarly e-book services. All four of the e-Book services were reviewed by Mark Herring, Winthrop University. They’re in-depth looks at each product (we’re providing only a snippet) and we strongly suggest reading the complete review. The reviews are of Gutenberg-e, Humanities E-Books, Oxford Scholarship Online, and Medieval Sources Online (which is the one that especially interests me). I haven't had time to...

In another blow to the publishers of high-priced textbooks, a new initiative is being started on Florida today. Here is the news from Tampabay.com: ... But through a new initiative state university system officials plan to announce today, Florida college students can get digital versions of some of those pricey textbooks for free. Students who really want a print version can order one custom-bound for between $30 and $50 — far cheaper than even many used textbooks. The project, dubbed Orange Grove Texts Plus, is a partnership involving the University Press of Florida, the state university system's nonprofit publishing arm; the...

The site has a first class article (which is nothing new) looking at how Sony is going to attack the Kindle and giving the author's analysis of its probability of success. Sony has suddenly woken up to the fact that the eReader market is going to be huge and is making a lot of moves. Look carefully and a pattern begins to emerge with 3 main threads – 1. Attack all of Amazon’s weaknesses – This means being open (for now), going retail, and striking up collaborations. 2. Matching as many of Amazon’s strengths as possible. The tie-up with...

That's the title of a PDF prepared by the American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries and the Association of College and Research Libraries. It's a good summary of who is involved in the actual settlement case (as opposed to just making media noise). Unless you are a party to the case any of your comments will not be considered by the Court, so this is the definitive playlist. You can find it here....

How can publishers thrive, not die, during the e-book revolution? Already Stanford University is shutting down its Publishing Course for Professionals, while it studies the possibility of a successor. Random House, alas, can’t just take a rest. To help avoid the guillotine, publishing people may want to attend Mediabistro’s eBook Summit on December 15-16---scene of a bunch of related talks. One of the more intriguing topics: “The Business of Free.” Presumably that could mean anything from ad-supported books to the giveaway of the first title in a series, to entice you to buy the others. Among the speakers will be DailyLit CEO...

When will the Kindle hit the U.K.? Nate at MR correctly notes how hard it’s been to predict. That’s in league with forecasting the debut date of the big Apple tablet. Still, ever-game, our friends at the Bookseller are saying Amazon will make an announcement next week if a source is right. Fodder for the Frankfurt Book Fair? Also see GalleyCat writeup. Photo is of a fair-related exhibition hall in Frankfurt---our little attempt to spare you another Kindle shot. Update, 11:18 a.m.: Just found out that Paul used a Frankfurt shot...

Here are some of the major ebook related items from the survey of 840 of the participants at the Frankfurt Book Fair: 50 % of industry experts see 2018 as the year when digital content will generate more income than traditional content. 41% think that sales will reach 10% in 2011. The price for an e-book should be more expensive than the printed book: 4 per cent as expensive as the printed book: 15 per cent 10 per cent cheaper than the printed book: 11 per cent 20 per cent cheaper: 17 per cent 30 per cent cheaper: 14 per cent more...

Don’t bail out newspapers---Let them die and get out of the way, Daniel Lyons’ essay in Newsweek. Thanks for the pointer from Felix Torres, who adds: “Substitute ‘major publishers’ for ‘newspapers’ and his arguments ring even more true.” A Washington Post account mentioning Newsweek’s own travails, by Frank Ahrens. Bay Area online news renaissance: 7 pointers forward, in Content Bridges. San Diego hyperlocal site launches ‘U.S. local news network, in Local Onliner. Related: War of the publishing models: Sarah Palin's pub...

While e-books get a good dissin’ at Apple’s site touting apps, here’s a day-brightener. The new Apple tablets will “expand the iPhone and iPod touch media concept to its next potential level: as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines, plus all of the media, gaming, app, and web functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch.” So says iLounge in Ten New Details on the Apple Tablet, inspiring a spate of follow-up reports.  Apple “is currently planning to announce” the tablet “on or before January 19, 2010, and to use an iPhone-like hype buildup period to start...

Apple’s new Apps for Everything site comes with categories ranging from Apps for Cooks to Apps for Working Out. But I don’t see an e-book category, not even a subcategory within Apps for Fun and Games. What the devil? Is this part of Steve Jobs’ master plan to con us into thinking that Apple won’t do e-books----which I’m convinced it will, indirectly, though a multiuse tablet? Come think of it, didn’t Apple promote an e-book app in a TV commercial? Wait. There is an e-book mention within Apps for Everything, but it’s hidden within Apps...