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Day: April 13, 2008

Penguin Unafraid of eBooks

Many publishers are taking a conservative approach to eBook publishing, mostly because of fear that digital books will adversely affect the sale of print editions. This is especially true in reference book publishing. Recently though, more book publishers are looking eBooks square in the eye. The fears are being allayed by a developing customer channel.

Penguin, the publishing house, will release new “ebooks” at the same time as it produces a print edition in order to feed a growing demand for digital books.

Pearson, the UK media group which owns Penguin, said that books from the publishing house, from its travel division and from the Dorling Kindersley brand, will be available to download from its website and from digital retailers from September.

The electronically-available books will come out at the same time as the print editions and will cost the same.

The simultaneous release of both eBook and print editions is significant. Most publishers who have jumped into the eBook market have released backlist titles so as not to divert attention from their frontlist. Penguin is signaling that they believe the digital market can coexist with the print market, not take away from it. For those publishers who are still timid, Penguin’s strategy will be something to watch closely.

Technorati Tags:
Digital, eBooks, Penguin, Publishing

LOC Going Digital

The Library of Congress will make use of technology to exhibit more than 6,000 volumes from Thomas Jefferson’s book collection.

“Artifacts like the Waldseemüller map (the first to include the name “America”), the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Gutenberg Bible and original volumes from Thomas Jefferson’s Library will be virtually at your fingertips. You’ll be able to flip through their pages, magnify sections of interest and access commentary from the Library’s top experts-all on the same touch screen,” the Library of Congress’ website informs the public.

Digital technology is not something new for libraries, but Librarian of Congress James Billington assured the public that the exhibit is “unlike anything the Library of Congress has undertaken in the past,” allowing visitors to see “stunning detail up close that we’ve only had a general idea of before.”

Eventually, this stuff will be available via the web, so you won’t have to travel to Washington, D.C. to access LOC materials.

Technorati Tags:
Digitization, Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson

Coup de Grâce

According to the Scotsman, a plan is in the works. Al Gore and Jimmy Carter are conspiring to deliver a message to Hillary Clinton. They will endorse Barack Obama and encourage Mrs. Clinton to quit her run for the presidency.

Falling poll numbers and a string of high-profile blunders have convinced party elders that she must now bow out of the primary race.

Former president Carter and former vice-president Gore have already held high-level discussions about delivering the message that she must stand down for the good of the Democrats.

“They’re in discussions,” a source close to Carter told Scotland on Sunday. “Carter has been talking to Gore. They will act, possibly together, or in sequence.”

Whether this is fact or fiction no one knows. I certainly wouldn’t expect anything to happen before the primaries end. That means June at the earliest. Clearly, the DNC doesn’t want a delegate fight at the convention in Denver, so it would make sense to have the two most influential Democrats, and chairman Dean, come out at the conclusion of the primaries on June 4th and let the world know who the nominee will be.

Technorati Tags:
Al Gore, Barack Obama, DNC, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Jimmy Carter