On Publishing Perspectives, independent publisher and e-book consultant Erik Christopher has an article looking at whether to assign separate ISBNs to individual e-book formats, and whether DRMed vs. non-DRMed e-books constitute separate formats. Much of the debate about ISBNs and e-books stems from the use of the word “format.” The question being, when is an e-book in one format, say ePUB, no longer an ePUB? We know, for example, that a Kindle version is a new format, because it is no longer an ePUB file, but a unique version that will only work with...

The Bookseller.com reports on a study presented at the Book Marketing Limited conference that suggests price is a key driver for e-book sales in the United States. Kelly Gallagher, Bowkers’s VP for publishing services, noted that free content was also an important factor. A survey of 750 consumers indicated that 44% were reading e-books on a computer, as opposed to 36% using the Kindle. However, they expected the iPad to bring about a shift in these demographics. Another point that was raised is one I’ve suspected to be true all along: Simultaneous print...

Publishing Perspectives has an article looking at the current problematic nature of the ISBN system when it comes to e-books. The article is a good summary of the situation as it now stands, summing up the ongoing debate between whether to give each format of an e-book its own separate ISBN, or assign one ISBN to the entire book. Publishers tend to favor the single ISBN approach, while booksellers and wholesalers want one for each format. Perhaps not surprisingly—publishers are the ones who would have to pay for the ISBNs, after all, whereas retailers would get the...