News: digital

Amazon US launches subscription service for children's books

Amazon US has launched its first subscription service for physical books - a service called Prime Book Box specialised in children's books.... Read more

Amazon’s £20k Kindle Storyteller Award returns

Amazon’s Kindle Storyteller Award will return for a second year. Read more

Amazon and Brexit fuel territoriality fears

The increased visibility of international editions on Amazon’s Global Store is fuelling fears that the retailer’s approach is incompatible with local rights-based publishing.... Read more

'Booming' audiobook sales double in five years

Audiobook sales have doubled in the last five years, according to data from the Nielsen UK Books & Consumers survey. Read more

Here’s to the innovators: welcome to the first FutureBook 40 list

The first ever FutureBook 40 list of UK book industry innovators, sponsored by Kortext, is here. Read more

W F Howes expands to meet 'rapid growth in audiobook demand'

Audiobook and large print publisher W F Howes Ltd has made a raft of senior appointments as it prepares to install new audiobook facilities at its... Read more

BookBeat 'pauses' investment in UK audiobook market

The Bonnier Books-owned BookBeat is "pausing" broader investments in the UK market until more publishers allow their titles to be streamed Read more

Bookshops staffed with robots to open in Beijing

Twenty automated bookstores staffed by robots are reportedly expected to open in Beijing later this year, offering a 24-hour-a-day service. Read more

Publishers' digital service exports 29% higher than previously thought

The Creative Industries Federation has published a report claiming the true value of the UK's creative digital exports, including from the publishing sector, is much higher than originally... Read more

Delivery drones could launch next year

Drones may soon be able to fly beyond their operators' line of sight, opening up possibilities for retailers such as Amazon to use them for... Read more

Verso releases free #MeToo e-book

Radical publisher Verso Books has released a free e-book in response to the #MeToo movement. Read more

Canongate partners with audiobook streaming distributor

Canongate has partnered with streaming service Zebralution to distribute its audiobooks on streaming services such as Spotify. Read more

Streaming boom means entertainment sales outstrip print

Print sales have been overtaken by sales of home entertainment products for the first time ever, according to a report from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).... Read more

Serial Box secures $1.65m in initial funding

Serialised reading platform Serial Box, hailed as the "HBO of reading", has secured $1.65m (£1.18m) in initial funding. Read more

Nourry: 'the e-book is a stupid product'

Hachette Group c.e.o. Arnaud Nourry has expressed frustration with the e-book format, calling it a "stupid product" and forecasting its sales would continue to plateau because... Read more