Tag Archives: PenguinBooks

EU regulator accepts Penguin offer to end dodgy e-book deals with Apple

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EU regulator accepts Penguin offer to end dodgy ebook deals with Apple

After the European Commission accepted offers from Apple and four publishers to free up e-book pricing restrictions in December 2012, it's now accepted Penguin's commitment to do the same. Much like Penguin's vow to the US DOJ, it will end its agency agreements with Apple and other retailers, and "most-favored nation" clauses will be absent from any new deals struck over the next five years. Most importantly, e-book retailers will now be able to control prices and discounts of Penguin's catalog for two years. This legally binding pledge essentially brings an end to EC's "competitive concerns," as all involved in the original price-fixing investigation have now settled up.

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Via: Reuters

Source: European Commission

Editorial: Bring on the digital overthrow of publishing

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Editorial Bring on the digital overthrow of publishing

Last week's release of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite offered an opportunity to look back on the rapid growth of e-reading, and look forward to what the digitization of publishing will mean to four major market forces: publishers, bookstores, authors and readers. As during any technological disruption, winners and losers trade fates until the upheaval settles and a new cycle of status quo begins.

Amazon is not the only bookstore represented in the scramble for new-era survival, but its major role has multiple dimensions: seller, publisher, enabler, inventor and primary instigator of disruption. Amazon is banking on being a winner, and was recently handed an advantage by the U.S. government in its uneasy relationship with publishers.

While industrial forces work their way through the dislocation of new paradigms, individuals -- both book consumers and book authors -- stand to be the biggest winners, and that is a good thing.

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Editorial: Bring on the digital overthrow of publishing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judge approves settlement for Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins in e-book lawsuit

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Judge approves settlement for Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins in ebook lawsuit

It's a big day in the world of e-books, and not just for the crew at Amazon. Today, Judge Denise Cote approved settlement terms for three of the publishers accused by the Justice Department of price fixing. Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins each agreed to settle with the government, rather than face trial -- as Apple, Macmillian and Penguin Group will do in June of 2013. As part of the settlement agreement, each of the publishers will be required to terminate their contracts with Apple within one week. Similarly, they will be required to end contracts with other e-book retailers where clauses exist that would hinder the seller's ability to set pricing. Further, the settling companies won't be able to form contracts for the next two years with e-book retailers that would hinder the seller's discretion to set pricing.

During the settlement approval period, individuals and companies alike were given 60 days to weigh in on the matter, which included objections from the American Booksellers Association, the Authors Guild and Barnes & Noble. Ultimately, Judge Cote determined that arguments against the settlement were "insufficient" to block the approval.

Judge approves settlement for Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins in e-book lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Penguin slinks back into e-book lending for New York City libraries, with a possible catch

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Penguin slinks back into ebook lending for New York City libraries, with a possible catchYou might say Penguin has had a rocky relationship with libraries. That looks to be on the tentative mend, as the publisher and 3M have together cut deals with the Brooklyn Public Library and New York Public Library to bring Penguin's e-book catalog back as part of a test program. Under the terms of the one-year project, the libraries will pay retail-level prices once a year to keep any given e-book available, no matter how many times it's virtually borrowed by residents in the boroughs. The book publisher is taking a page from its delay-happy movie industry friends when it comes to new releases, though: fresh titles won't show up at the library until they're six months out from first sale. You won't be reading the latest Clive Cussler novel right away, then, and 3M's lack of relevant formatting means no Kindle borrowing just yet. Even so, it's good to know that we'll soon have no trouble borrowing Penguin's edition of The Mayor of Casterbridge without having to hop on the subway first.

Penguin slinks back into e-book lending for New York City libraries, with a possible catch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 04:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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