News: digital

Relaunched AudioUK to support booming audiobook industry

UK audio production sector trade association The Radio Independents Group is relaunching as AudioUK, and with a broader remit, in the wake of the audiobook and podcasting... Read more

Pearson hires head of artificial intelligence

Pearson is concentrating efforts in the area of artificial intelligence (AI) and has hired a former Intel executive, Milena Marinova, to be its senior vice... Read more

Amazon launches Arabic books on Kindle

Amazon has launched a selection of more than 12,000 Arabic language books on its Kindle store. Read more

Profile and Little, Brown partner on new audio imprint

Profile Books has partnered with Little, Brown to create its own dedicated audiobook publishing programme. Read more

Audiobook downloads rose 22% last year, PA stats show

Audiobook downloads rose 22% to a record £31m sales last year, according to new figures released by the Publishers Association to mark the start of... Read more

Investigation reveals illegal workers making Kindles in China

An investigation has reported that thousands of agency workers who make Amazon’s Echo smart speakers and Kindles in China have been hired and paid illegally.... Read more

PA: Brexit could help UK sidestep e-book VAT deadlock

The Publishers Association (PA) has expressed its disappointment in Brussels' inability to resolve a dispute with the Czech Republic preventing VAT on e-books from being reduced in the European Union.... Read more

Kobo hires Coveney as content lead

Nick Coveney, former digital innovation director at HarperCollins, is set to join Kobo as publisher relations and content lead for the UK, Australia and New... Read more

Kobo to launch 'smallest, lightest e-reader yet'

Digital reading company Rakuten Kobo is to release a new e-reader called Kobo Clara HD. Read more

Banker launches publishing start-up offering novelists £24k salary

A new company has launched offering aspiring novelists an alternative to the "traditional" routes to publication: a salary from £2,000 per month to write their... Read more

Publishers urge government on e-book VAT ahead of crunch EU meeting

Publishers are urging the UK government to support measures that would allow VAT to be removed on e-books, audiobooks and online newspaper and magazine subscriptions in the UK.... Read more

Bookchoice partners with HarperCollins

Bookchoice, a digital reading platform and membership service for book lovers, is partnering with HarperCollins Publishers Ltd to introduce a selection of the publishing house’s titles to its app and website’s... Read more

Bloomsbury partners with Spotify

Bloomsbury has agreed an "important" content partnership with Spotify, which will see the music streaming service exclusively offer titles from the publisher's 33 1/3 series to listeners.... Read more

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