ePublishing Week in Brief – August 12th to 16th, 2013
ePublishing Week in Brief – August 12th to 16th, 2013
Amazon Publishing to issue bios of Jesus, Hitchcock, other ‘icons’
Amazon’s publishing arm will publish short bios of “icons” who exhibit varying degrees of goodness, such as Jesus, Josef Stalin, J.D. Salinger, and David Lynch — but no Jeff Bezos.
Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos started his online retail company selling books and continues to have a passion for bookselling as well as almost anything consumable that can be bought online. Amazon’s latest publishing venture moves into short — i.e., readable — biographies of “canonical figures” by “celebrated authors.”
The first subjects of what Amazon is calling the “Icon” series include Jesus, Josef Stalin, Lucian Freud, J.D. Salinger, Edgar Allan Poe, Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, David Lynch, Alfred Hitchcock, and Hannah Arendt.
The Icon series may not have anything to do with Bezos signaling that he is serious about journalism and educating the masses, and not just e-commerce, to those who are skeptical of his $250 million Washington Post buy.
Bezos isn’t known to be generous with information about himself. He wouldn’t be interviewed for a Washington Post profile of him following the announcement that he would acquire the newspaper.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57598777-93/amazon-publishing-to-issue-bios-of-jesus-hitchcock-other-icons/
Jeremy Hunt could pocket £15m on sale of publishing company
Educational group Hotcourses, co-founded by health secretary, appoints strategic adviser to look at options, including sale
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt could be in line for a £15m payday as Hotcourses, the educational publishing group he co-founded, investigates a sale.
Hotcourses is understood to have appointed Ingenious Corporate Finance to advise on strategic options, including a sale, with a price tag of £30m potentially mooted.
Hunt, who co-founded the firm in 1996, owns 49% which could seem him receive almost £15m if it is sold. Business partner Mike Elms owns 43%.
The firm is thought to be on track to make profits – earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation – of about £4m this year.
A number of potential buyers are thought to have been approached, however it is not clear how far talks with any potential suitor have progressed.
Hunt came up with the idea for Hotcourses while teaching English in Japan after graduating, with the idea to produce guides that help people who want to study, not just travel, abroad.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/aug/15/jeremy-hunt-sale-publishing-company
Storytelling and the Future of Children’s Digital Publishing Find Unity in New App From Wasabi Productions
Portion of the Proceeds From App Sales to Be Donated to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation
ATLANTA, GA–(Marketwired – August 15, 2013) – App developer Wasabi Productions today announces the launch of a new breed of storybook app powered by Unity3D, which is more commonly a game development ecosystem. It’s a high-tech approach for Gorilla Band, delivering an interactive storytelling experience in a completely three-dimensional world that continues to push the needle on the future of digital publishing.
Page turns are re-imagined into camera pans complete with sweeping changes in perspective as the reader is moved through the story set. A variety of randomized dialogue tracks in distinct voices help build empathy for the characters and keep repeat reading encounters fresh.
Gorilla Band places its 2-7 year old audience at the center of the story, unfolding through their interaction, complete with dozens of original animations, more than 50 originally scored instrumental music tracks, 2 songs with rendered video clips and an educational studio that teaches how to identify instruments by sound and name.
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/storytelling-future-childrens-digital-publishing-find-unity-new-app-from-wasabi-productions-1821436.htm
TechLife joins Future Publishing AustraliaFuture Publishing
Australia acquires the two leading tech titles.
Future Publishing has today announced the acquisition of technology titles APC and TechLife.
APC is Australia’s longest published and most influential computer magazine, while TechLife continues to provide a unique perspective on technology.
“The acquisition of APC and TechLife is the next stage in Future’s strategy of building a global technology content business around TechRadar, our top digital brand, and T3.com,” said Mark Wood, CEO of Future plc, of which Future Publishing Australia is a division.
http://www.techlife.net/lifestyle/news/2013/8/techlife-joins-future-publishing-australia/
Talli Roland: ‘As wonderful as self-publishing is, it does have its limits’
The comic romantic novelist explains that doing it herself has been empowering, but managing the business side can be distracting
Why did you decide to self-publish?
I had a very satisfactory experience working with a traditional publisher for my first two novels, but with hardly any distribution in print and 99% of my sales in ebooks, it made more sense for me to pay a one-off fee to an editor and cover designer, and keep the remainder of the profits for myself. Since striking out on my own, I have published three novels and two novellas, and hit the top 100 on Amazon UK three times. Leaving a traditional publisher was a risk, but it’s one I don’t regret at all.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/13/talli-roland-self-publishing
Greensburg resident turns failures into publishing success
At 23, Dominick Domasky decided he wanted to be a restaurateur. Many people said he couldn’t do it, but he did it anyway.
The restaurant failed.
Then there was the time in college that Domasky wanted to play Division III basketball but ended up sitting on the bench. He was so far away from the coach he was practically at the concession stand.
“As a kid, I failed and failed,” the Greensburg resident said.
Domasky has taken hard times and lessons in his life and has compiled them into a new book, “Don’t Double Bread the Fish,” released through Motivational Press.
The author said he hopes others may find inspiration from his failures.
http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourhempfield/yourhempfieldmore/4468865-74/domasky-book-goals#axzz2c7Y2RXwe