I was super stoked by the news Fictionwise was licensing it's eReader format to Stanza so that iPhone readers could FINALLY buy DRM'ed content from the iPhone directly. (and none of this individual app thing that Pan Macmillan is thinking about). The problem is that while the marriage of the Fictionwise Store and the Stanza browsing experience is great, the actual execution of purchase is not. I'll detail the buying steps below, but ultimately, there are integration issues that I think need to be addressed. I think that the Fictionwise accounts need to be integrated so that users do...

I want e-books to succeed, and I think that a successful e-book market needs to include competitors to Amazon. So I was glad that BooksOnBoard was partnering with Stanza to bring "for purchase content" to the iPhone. When I had a free moment, I took the opportunity to visit BooksOnBoard to experience the purchase process. The first time was a bit, well, off-putting. It took fourteen steps and over 10 minutes on the Edge connection. I e-mailed BooksOnBoard with my frustrations, and the company was very prompt and responsive. It asked me to try again; and on my...

For romance writers, the RITA is the equivalent of a writing Oscar. This year there were changes to the qualifications for the RITA awards, including one that effectively eliminates e-books from competing. The RITA contest will not be open to any book that is not "mass-produced by a non-Subsidy, non-Vanity Publisher in print book format." This definition excludes any publisher that does not have print runs such as e-publishers who do POD prints like Samhain or Wild Rose Press. I've also been told that the Lambda Awards which recognize excellence in the GLBT field explicitly excludes e-books but will accept self-published...

There is not a ton of information about the KDDI R&D Laboratories Inc. "Portable Viewer System" but what has been revealed is exciting. It's A4 and can wirelessly receive images from devices like a mobile phone. The screen can display up to 4,096 colors and refresh in 12 seconds. I'm not sure whether e-paper means it's a derivative of eink or some other screen technology. Strangely the device is nearly completely controlled by the handset. It doesn't seem a very practical interface, but it is a prototype. Via Gizmodo....

60 children in a school in Italy are participating in an experiment in which they are going paperless.  All textbooks are replaced with computers for one year.  Apparently this represents a huge cost savings for the school.  The textbooks cost $700 a year, but the computers less than $400.  (I guess that the e-textbooks are free then?)...

There were rumors this summer that a new Kindle would be released in October/November. Then Amazon doused that rumor. Now we have pictures of a slightly less fugly NEW Kindle. (Note to Amazon, hire a new designer, seriously). Photo via Gizmodo. More pictures available through BoyGenius. Sony unveiled it's newest device, the PRS 700, complete with a touchscreen and integrated front light (click link for picture). Read Paul's account of the new Sony. It's like a battle between form and function. Want wireless, got to go with Kindle. What style and an integrated front light, then...

I immediately thought of David when Sony's new promotion arrived in my inbox.  (David, get well soon. It's already been too long without you on the internet).  In conjunction with the book, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Sony is offering a free download of the movie script.  The ebook plus content has always been one way in which observers believe ebooks can leverage itself to be more attractive to readers.  Scripts are often traded online though piracy and fan sites, so giving it away is a method to attract the consumer I've read Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and enjoyed...

Moderator's note: BooksOnBoard fears that Amazon may be trying to drive it and other e-indies out of business via its Kindle Store. Later this week, while remaining neutral on the issue of possible anti-trust violations, we'll publish more details from BooksOnBoard's side. Amazon has declined comment on business and format issues. Meanwhile big thanks to DearAuthor's Jane for the Kindle-related item below. - DR Amazon's pricing for at least some mass market books has suddenly gone full retail, no discount since the release of the Kindle. When questioned in Newsweek about the low pricing, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said:...

Simon & Schuster---cofounders in photo--- is posting a great profit this year despite spending developmental dollars digitizing its entire backlist. Helped by the sales of self help book by Joel Osteen, Become a Better You, and Rhonda Byrne's powerhouse, The Secret, sales were up at Simon & Schuster in all divisions resulting in a 9% gain in total revenue ($214.2 million). Simon & Schuster expects that an estimated 13,000 titles will be converted to digital format by the end of 2007. Oh, Simon & Schuster, how do I love thee? Converting all of your titles and...

I think that when you say the word "e-book" that the assumption is the major consumer is a male, probably one who is a tech aficionado. The reality, though, is that the most successful e-publishing company is one that caters to women. The majority of bestselling e-books are romances. And this week, Harlequin is leading the charge toward an e-book-full future by announcing that it is the first major publisher to make its entire front list catalog available in e-book forumat. All Harlequin titles---120+ per month---to be in E Each month, Harlequin releases more than 120 titles per month, and starting in October, all...

I've traveled a bit in my time and I never go anywhere without a travel book, but sometimes I end up buying more than one because each travel book has its own strengths, and, of course, its own weaknesses. Lonely Planet, one of the better guidebook companies, is using digital technology to address those issues by allowing customers to create their own guidebooks. Starting with its Latin America guidebooks, users can download free chapters and access others for a fee between $2 - $5. The idea is that if you are going to visit Belize and Guatemala, then you...

HarperCollins is making iPhone compatible e-book content available. iPhone users can go here to view the first 10 pages of chapters one and two of 14 books released in August and September. There will be a link to pre-order/order the book from a list of retailers. Titles to be made available include: The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (HarperOne) Beyond the Body Farm by Bill Bass (William Morrow) The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman (William Morrow) The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel (Zondervan) Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda (HarperCollins) A Killer's Kiss by William Lashner (William Morrow) Life on the Refrigerator...