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Random House gets interactive with StoryNexus tech and 'Black Crown'
Book publisher Random House is putting Failbetter Games' StoryNexus platform to good use with a free-to-play browser-based narrative project dubbed Black Crown. So far Black Crown has a website, which features a gas mask icon and describes the endeavor as "an infectious new kind of narrative experience." A phrase in latin on the top of the page translates roughly to "now comes truth, God, truth comes now."Whatever it is, Black Crown is scheduled to go live in May, and Random House plans to run it for a full year, first hoping to generate "thousands rather than hundreds" of registered users before launch. The author behind the project remains a mystery until May, and this whole thing might result in a physical book and ebook down the line, Digital Publisher Dan Franklin tells The Bookseller.Failbetter Games is behind such narrative games as Fallen London, and its StoryNexus platform is available in public beta for anyone who wants to create browser-based, interactive stories, right here.
Official Game of Thrones companion guide brings Westeros to iOS
If you can't get enough of George R. R. Martin's epic Game of Thrones fantasy saga, there's a new way to get detailed information on its world and characters on your phone and tablet. Random House has introduced A World of Ice and Fire, an interactive guide to the series, for free on the App Store. The app features more than 500 character profiles, details on nearly 400 locations and interactive maps, accompanied by officially sanctioned artwork. One of the most novel features of the app is the ability to prevent spoilers by selecting the latest book you've read in the series. By doing so, you remove any references to characters and locations you haven't encountered yet from entries. Initially, the app contains eight character profiles and two maps, but can be expanded by purchasing packs for each of the novels priced at US$1.99 for A Game of Thrones and 99 cents for the subsequent four books. An in-app purchase of all five book packs is available for $4.99.
Penguin and Random House merge, promise a brave new e-book future
The pressure of digital transitions can lead traditional media companies to circle the wagons -- for better or for worse -- and book publishers certainly aren't immune as e-books take hold. Bertelsmann and Pearson are worried enough to be merging their respective Random House and Penguin publishing wings into a joint venture, not-so-creatively titled Penguin Random House, that they hope will better survive "long-term trends" like the shift away from paper-centric business models. While the two are engaged in the usual corporatespeak of creating "synergies" (read: resource cuts), we're more interested in talk of the union being a springboard for digital efforts: Penguin Random House wants to be "more adventurous" with e-book models like self-publishing. Whether the merger leads to a renaissance for established publishers or just reduced competition when the deal closes in the back half of 2013, we're bracing ourselves for the possibility of a Fifty Shades of Jamie Oliver crossover.
Random House drastically raises the price of e-books for libraries
Oddly, Random House deciding to triple the price of its e-books for libraries is being considered a compromise. While others, like Penguin, are pulling their electronic tomes from the virtual shelves of our lending institutions, Random House is at least willing to still play ball -- even if it's making its wares prohibitively expensive. Now titles from the company start at $25, with many popular books going for more than $100, though, releases are available on day one and wont have an expiration date. Obviously, the fact that e-books can be pirated and never need to be replaced as their pages tear or bindings wear down is of concern to publishers that are losing out on a continuous stream of revenue. However, many of our libraries are underfunded and will likely balk at the new sky high prices. But, we suppose, a higher one-time cost is easier to swallow than an annual licensing fee.
3M announces Cloud Library e-book lending service for '21st century' libraries
Both Amazon and Sony have already hopped aboard the e-book library lending train and now, it looks like they'll have to make room for 3M, as well. Yesterday, the company announced a new Cloud Library e-book lending service that will allow users to browse and borrow digital books directly from their iPads, Nooks and Android-based tablets. Under the program, 3M will outfit local libraries with its own software, hardware and e-book collection, which bibliophiles will be able to access via special apps, or 3M's new eReaders, which will be synced with available digital content. The company is also planning to install so-called Discovery Terminal download stations in libraries, allowing visitors to leaf through the collection from a touch-based interface. Thus far, both Random House and IPG have signed on to the initiative, though licensing details remain murky. There's also no word on when or where the service will launch, but 3M's Discovery Terminal and iPad app will be on display next month in New Orleans, at the American Library Association's Annual Conference. Full presser after the break.
THQ and Random House team up for new transmedia IPs
Hot on the heels of the Homefront prequel novel, Homefront: The Voice of Freedom, comes THQ's announcement of a partnership with Random House Publishing. The agreement between the two publishers will see the creation of "original intellectual properties for publication across multiple mediums." The first such property is said to embrace the publishers' strong suits -- games and books -- with other mediums to be explored in future IP. THQ also has big plans to build out story franchise bibles with Random House Worlds, the book publisher's "IP creation and development group." Bungie's Halo franchise is a prime example of a game's universe being expanded and curated through novels, and it's a "transmedia" success story that other publishers are likely to covet. If THQ wants to hasten its success in both games and novels, maybe it should get cracking on that romantic, teen-cyborg-vampire saga set during World War II.
100 million books downloaded from iBooks, Random House titles added
Apple's kicking off the iPad 2 event with some iBooks announcements. The first thing you need to know is that 100 million books have been downloaded to date from the company's bookstore. That's a lot of digital tomes, and there are more coming. Yep, that brings us to the second big piece of news -- Random House is bringing its entire US catalog, which includes 17,000 titles, to the store. We had an idea that was going to happen since the publisher just changed up its e-book pricing model, but the store now officially includes bestsellers by John Grisham, Dan Brown, and others. According to PCMag, some of those titles started to pop up in Apple's store yesterday, so get going and start reading.
The iBookstore gets Random House books
We posted that Random House had made a deal to finally get their books in the iBookstore. Well, it's in the process of happening. This morning the Random House published-Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larsson is available for purchase and the first two books are even at decent prices. Now we'll have to wait and see if Random House's other imprints, and there are around twenty-five of them, make it there as well. My guess is that they will. Maybe there's hope for the iBookstore after all. By the way, along with the Apple store, the Random House site is down as well. I have a feeling this will come up at today's event.
Random House switches e-book pricing models, clears way for entrance into iBookstore
Well, it looks like the last major holdout from Apple's iBookstore could soon be joining its rivals on iOS devices -- Random House announced today that it's abandoning its current pricing model for e-books in favor of the so-called "agency pricing" that Apple insists on. That model requires publishers to set the retail prices of their books with the bookseller getting a 30 percent cut of each sale -- as opposed to the traditional wholesale model that lets retailers set the price of books and even sell them at a loss (as Amazon has done in the past). As the Wall Street Journal notes, the agency model has been criticized by some (including Random House previously) for effectively eliminating discounting and guaranteeing retailers a profit on each book they sell. Of course, Random House hasn't yet officially announced that it will be joining the iBookstore ranks, but this news does certainly line up nicely with a little event tomorrow.
Random House may join Apple's iBookstore
Random House said in a brief statement Monday that it has agreed to the "agency model for e-book sales," according to AppleInsider. That agency model had been the chief stumbling block keeping Random House books from joining the iBookstore. In the traditional publishing model, retailers bought books from publishers at a discount price. Then those retailers sold the books to customers at a markup, with that margin being the retailers' profit. In the agency model, e-books are sold to the customer, and the revenue is split between the retailer and the publisher. Because the agency selling the books (in this case, Apple) set the price, Random House had been concerned the model could significantly decrease profits. Random House's willingness to accept the agency model means we could soon see e-books like Game of Thrones and Public Secrets in the iBookstore.
Hands-on with SWTOR's next book: Deceived
The Star Wars universe probably has the richest and most collaborative lore of any fictional world. Literally, thousands of artists and authors have taken George Lucas' creation and turned it into the books, movies, paintings, comic books, and video games we know today. Paul S. Kemp, an author and corporate lawyer from Michigan, added his name to that list with his first Star Wars book, Crosscurrent. On March 22nd, 2011, Kemp's second Star Wars book will hit the shelves. Deceived will also be the second book to deal directly with the lore leading up to LucasArts' and BioWare's MMORPG (maybe you've heard of it): Star Wars: The Old Republic. The wildly popular Deceived trailer for SWTOR shows us how a Sith named Darth Malgus led the assault on the Jedi Temple during the Sacking of Coruscant. Darth Malgus and his Twi'lek companion rather quietly walk through the front doors of the temple to be surrounded immediately by Jedi who are rather uncertain about what to make of the situation until a stolen transport full of Sith warriors comes crashing through the main hall. A battle of light and dark ensues, which culminates with Maglus facing off with and killing Jedi Master Ven Zallow. As with everything Star Wars, we only get a piece of the actual story with the trailer. This four minute trailer is the spark which eventually turns into the forest fire. Deceived tells the immediate and personal effects of this battle on Darth Malgus, his Twi'lek companion, a Smuggler, and a Jedi Knight. The novel hardback will retail for $27 U.S. ($31 Canadian) when it releases, but Massively received an advanced copy of Deceived. Continue reading to scoop up our impressions of the latest in what looks to be a series of SWTOR-related novels. (Oh, there maybe a couple of spoilers to tease you in there, too.)
Amazon loses exclusive deal with Andrew Wiley
Amazon's exclusive digital distribution deal with star literary agent Andrew Wiley looks like it wasn't all it was cracked up to be; in fact, it seems to have fallen through before the ink dried on the contracts. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Andrew Wiley is "largely abandoning" the agreement it struck with Amazon after 13 of the 20 titles supposedly included in the deal -- published by Random House -- came up for debate. The books, which included works by John Updike, VS Naipaul and Dave Eggers, among others, will now be digitally distributed by Random House itself to Amazon. While neither Wiley nor Amazon commented on the failed deal, we have a feeling that the Kindle maker will still sleep just fine this evening.
Kobo e-reader sashays into ten Fairmont hotel properties, adds to your poolside experience
Oh sure, you've been able to get your hands on iPads, iPhones and Kindles when checking in before, but a Kobo? Nah. Well, until now. Announced today, the a-okay e-reader company has landed a deal with Fairmont that'll put e-book readers into the hands of select guests at select properties. Specifically, Fairmont Gold-level guests that are members of the (free to join) President's Club will be able to trial a Kobo during their stay free of charge, and they'll find each one brimming with a variety of fiction, non-fiction and high drama titles. Upon returning the device (as if there's another alternative, right?), patrons will be gifted with a $2 off coupon for Random House titles, and if you're curious as to which ten properties will be involved in the offer, head on past the break and have a look.
Random House leery of iPad over pricing concerns
We've heard that Apple is still trying to hammer down multimedia content, but print may not be in the bag just yet. Random House is apparently applying some last minute pressure to Apple, since the company says that it's not quite sure about how pricing will work on the iPad. Apple's offer is that it will take its 30% of profit in that 70/30 "agency" split, but Random House is waffling and claiming that they need to think about it before anything gets signed. If you ask me, it sounds like they're just pushing for a little more control while they still can. iBookstore pricing all seems pretty solid, and most of Random House's competitors have already signed on. This means that, if Random House does pass on Apple's deal, not only will they not be selling books, they'll also be left in the lurch when the iPad does take off. Right now, before the iPad's actual earnings become anything but hypothetical, Random House can pose all it wants. However, I'm pretty sure that after April 3rd, Apple will have most of the cards in terms of making content deals on the iPad.
Random House publishing 'Elemental: Destiny's Embers,' assisting game publishers with IP dev
Software publisher Stardock and book publisher Random House announced today that Elemental: War of Magic will have a companion novel. Elemental: Destiny's Embers is expected to release in August 2010 and is written by Stardock CEO Brad Wardell, who is also the game's creator and executive producer -- he's also apparently not using a ghost writer. Elemental, the game, currently has a Q3 release. The book publishing deal is apparently part of Random House's new division to establish transmedia intellectual property. The group will handle collaboration and development across several mediums, offering "editorial services to media companies that will enhance the world-building and storylines of their already existing IP." So, it seems that Random House is offering to assist publishers in building words. "We create worlds." That's a good tagline -- wait, that may have been used.
Dante's Inferno special edition printing provides 'unique insight' into game's creation
These are dire times for ye olde book industry. Dire indeed. A special printing of Dante's Inferno -- like, the book -- hopes to capitalize on "the hottest game around." Due January 19 in book stores, this new edition from Del Rey (of the Random House empire) features an introduction by executive producer Jonathan Knight and 16 pages of colorful artwork from "the action adventure blockbuster that's rocking the video-game world." There's a 14th-century epic poem squeezed in there, too. Perhaps best used as a bargaining chip for kids desperate to convince their parents that they should be allowed to play a game based on a literary classic, however "mature" it might be, this damned tie-in is unlikely to ascend to the heavenly gates of the bestsellers list. Still, if Visceral Games' clone adaptation inspires even a single player to check out the original poem, then that would be a beautiful thing. Hell, it would be divine! %Gallery-82898%
Random House teases first few pages of Elder Scrolls novel
Are you in the mood for some reading that's a bit heavier than the video game news post you're currently digesting? We suggest you check out this Random House page to read an excerpt from the first chapter of the Elder Scrolls-based novel, The Infernal City. The few pages of text introduce us to what will likely be the book's plucky protagonists, Annaïg and Mere-Glim. It's a pretty intriguing kick-off for the novel's plot -- however, the excerpt doesn't exactly sound like our usual experience in the Elder Scrolls world. See, in our version, the heroes would systematically rob everyone on the planet blind, and then, once bored with that, would just start killin'. It may not win any Pulitzers, but at least it's authentic.
Sony takes Reader openness one step further, will offer EPUB titles only
Slowly but surely, the mega-corp who has historically clung tight to its own formats while the world opts for others is finally seeing the light. Just over a year after Sony pushed out an update that enabled its Reader to use purchased books in the open EPUB format, the outfit is now promising to sell digital books only in that format by the year's end. Moreover, Sony is aiming to nix its "proprietary anti-copying software in favor of technology from the software maker Adobe that restricts how often e-books can be shared or copied." Once the switchover takes place, books purchased in Sony's online store will be readable on any device that supports EPUB, one of which will be Plastic Logic's forthcoming e-reader. And to think -- if only this change of heart would've happened prior to the introduction of ATRAC...
Creator of Discworld meets virtual world
Terry Pratchett is coming to visit Second Life. Go back and read that again. Yes, it's true. While Pratchett's Discworld series alone has sold 55 million globally in 35 countries, you'll probably not find a single, larger concentration of fans of his work than in Linden Lab's Second Life. Indeed, the virtual environment already has cadres of role-players, recreations of various Discworld settings, and Discworld-themed merchandise. Sometime on Thursday 11 September (UK time) an island called "The Nation" (not yet visible within Second Life -- though heaven knows, we looked for it) is supposed to open for one month, until Friday 10 October. Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.
