More News on E-Books

[Josephine Dervan <rderva@injersey.infi.net>]

Sorry for the cross-posting but I found this on another listserv-

        REGARDING A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE WITH LINK AND EXCERPT BELOW:

                Massive response to a philanthropic posting of a Stephen
King publication excerpt online has resulted in major interest by large
publishing firms in investment and corporate acquistions in the
electronic
book industry including a major agreement between Thompson Multimedia
and
Gemstar International Group with Thompson having the goal of producing
500,000 electronic books in the current year.


Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204-4584
jwne@astro.temple.edu

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source:  New York Times (NYT)
Author:  DOREEN CARVAJAL
Title:      Big Publishers Looking Into Digital Books
Source Date:  April 3, 2000
Resource Type:  News Article
Description/Keywords:  Electronic Books, Online Books, Industry Growth,
Publishing Industry, New Investors, Corporate Acquisitions and Mergers,
Major Publishers
URL:  Listed Below Article Summary
(Free Registration Required by the New York Times)

April 3, 2000
          Big Publishers Looking Into Digital Books
          By DOREEN CARVAJAL

    In the weeks since Stephen King's e-novella made its debut with the
unexpected fury of Carrie at the high school prom, traditional
publishers
are quickening their entrance into the emerging market of digital books
with a mix of anxiety about security issues and optimism about nurturing
new forms of literature.

    Random House, the nation's top trade publisher of popular books, is
quietly poised to buy a 49 percent stake in an Internet start-up,
Xlibris,
according to publishing executives with knowledge of the deal. This
digital vanity publisher offers any would-be author the chance to
self-publish electronic books or short print runs of paper copies for a
rock-bottom fee as low as $450. (Editing frills not included.)

Simon & Schuster, a unit of Viacom, the second-ranked trade publisher
which was overwhelmed with publicity about King's electronic version of
"Riding the Bullet," is also seriously considering posting more works by
its major authors online. And Fatbrain.com, the online bookseller that
has
nudged the market forward by commissioning electronic manuscripts,
reported that other top publishers are moving to post works through its
service, MightyWords, which in the last two weeks filled 50,000 orders
for
essays by prominent authors like Pete Hamill and Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Full Story May Be Read At:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/040300ebook.html

Registration is necessary but free.

Jo


--

********************************************************************
Josephine G. Dervan, Library Media Specialist
Strathmore Elementary School
Aberdeen, NJ 07747

Home- rderva@injersey.infi.net
School- jdervan@marsd.k12.nj.us
He who has a garden and a library, wants for nothing- Cicero

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