I'm not convinced Amazon has a long-term commitment to the Kindle hardware business. In fact, I'll go so out on a limb and predict that Amazon will completely exit the Kindle hardware space within the next 3 years. Here are a few reasons why: Zero evolution in 2 years. Compare today's Kindle 2 and DX models to the original Kindle. The current versions have pretty much the same functionality as the original. And don't tell me native PDF support was a big change...that should have been there from the start! I had totally different expectations when I opened...

Here are videos of ex-HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman’s New York University appearance (via PublishersLunch). She’s now with Open Road, which, I’m pleased to say, will devote major resources to the publishing of backlist titles, not just new ones. Related: Ex-HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman may back off from DRM: Way to increase profits on her Open Road e-books? Technorati Tags: Jane Friedman,Open Road...

News release follows. – D.R. Smashwords, a global publisher and distributor of independently published ebooks, today announced it will supply ebooks to the Amazon.com Kindle Store. Kindle is Amazon's wireless reading device that allows customers to downloads books, blogs, magazines and newspapers to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper. Smashwords' decision to distribute ebooks to the Kindle Store follows recent Smashwords agreements with Barnes & Noble, Sony and Shortcovers. The relationships further democratize access to distribution for the world's independent authors and publishers. "Smashwords...

The late Molly Ivins raised a Texas-sized amount of hell in her time over political and social issues even though she grew up among members of the Lone Star elite and knew the Bush family. Now she is the topic of a new biography, Molly Ivins, A Rebel Life, by Bill Minutaglio and W. Michael Smith. Later today, thanks to the wisdom of the publisher, I’ll be able to go on a walk with Molly, so to speak. PublicAffairs did not disable the book’s text to speech potential. So I’ll be able to play it on...

This is old news to e-bookers aware of the rise of the e-book-capable iPhone, the Kindle and the forthcoming avalanche of new models such as the Nook. But it’s new news in the sense that Gartner Research is so influential in executive suites. Gartner predicts “an e-reader mania” in the 2010 holiday season. Smartly, the company’s Allen Weiner plays up the potential of multi-purpose readers. Meanwhile the good news continues this year. September e-book sales stats from the IDPF showed a 171 percent increase, and quarterly numbers look great, too. So far, $23 million...

Pirates find easy new pickings in open waters of e-book publishing is the headline of a Times piece in the U.K. As reported there: --American publishers have lost “more than $600 million” to piracy, by one estimate. --Readers downloaded illegal copies of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol “more than 100,000 times” within days. --In excess of 4,000 piracy cases have been reported to The Publishers Association in the U.K. These numbers are still small compare to total p-book sales, but will increase as E catches on in popularity. The best way to fight piracy? Get e-book shoppers accustomed to buying from legitimate sources before...

Not all public domain books in the Amazon Kindle store are free or even available, period. You can broaden your choices by downloading books from other sites directly to your Kindle, and in this post from Saturday, we show how---and tell where you can look. Even old Kindle hands may not be aware of FreeKindleBooks.org....

The FEP, which represents publishers from 26 European countries, is very concerned about the Settlement, even after the revisions. They feel that there is a lack of information about European works which may still be included in the deal because the works are registered with the US Copyright Office. Additionally, Amazon has filed an objection to the revised Settlement and asked the court to rescind its approval, saying that the ruling was made without the benefit of opposing views from class members. Further, Google said the revised settlement is "doomed" because it allows Google to be released from...

As long-time readers of this blog are probably aware, the Associated Press has caused a bit of controversy lately involving people ostensibly violating its copyright by copying and pasting too much text out of its stories. It has also been involved in the separate kerfuffle over Google and other news aggregators “stealing” news services’ stories. Well, here comes a bit of delicious irony. A story popped up over the weekend that apparently the Associated Press scanned all of Sarah Palin’s book Going Rogue, sans permission, so that multiple AP staffers could read relevant sections of the single copy...

Ugh, it’s time to broach the topic again. Why the devil doesn’t the International Digital Publishing Forum have an ePub logo so its format standard can compete better against the Kindle’s proprietary approach? The IDPF said it would unveil a contest for the best logo design, but I haven't seen a follow-up. I’ve emailed Director Michael Smith for an explanation. How about it, Mike? You’re a nice guy, and I know you’re busy, but this has been going on for months and months. I could move on to Board President Steve Potash of OverDrive, but I’m still counting...