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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.
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.
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.
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...
Mass Effect prequel novel announced
Mass Effect lead writer Drew Karpyshyn has been working overtime, penning two novels that will tie into the Xbox 360 action-RPG trilogy. The first, Mass Effect: Revelation, is described as a prequel novel following Alliance Commander David Anderson as he uncovers a "sinister conspiracy" that spans a galaxy of uncharted worlds. Ooh, nothing like a lil' cliché sci-fi lit to get you in the mood...The Mass Effect novels will be published by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House. Revelation is due in May, followed by the second book Mass Effect: Revolution (TBD).
