DIGITAL NEWS - E BOOKS

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Penguin E-Books to Hit Libraries Nationwide A pilot begun last month by Penguin to sell its e-books to the New York and Brooklyn public libraries is expected to roll out nationwide by year end, according to a statement from the library e-book vendor, 3M. In a statement late yesterday, 3M officially announced that Penguin would be using its Cloud Library product for the task. Penguin has not yet confirmed the development to Digital Book World. Penguin will join Random House and HarperCollins as publishers from among the largest in the country that sell their e-books to libraries. The Penguin program, like that of the other two, will likely not be without its restrictions. For the pilot, Penguin is only making its e-books available six months after they initially went on sale and then for a year license, at which point librarians will have the option to renew - for a fee, one supposes. So, no  No Easy Day at your public library until February or March. Librarians have bristled at such restrictions in the past, but we guess that they'd rather have the option to buy Penguin e-books, restrictions or no, versus the alternative - no options at all. Related: Librarians Out of Patience on Library E-Book Lending Issue, Library Association Says Barnes & Noble Doing What It Said It Wouldn't (PaidContent) Have you been to your local Barnes & Noble lately? Go and check to see if they are carrying Amazon Publishing titles. Reportedly, some are, despite the bricks-and-mortar retailer's insistence in February that it would do no such thing unless it got to sell the titles as e-books, too. No sign of them in the Nook store...yet. Why Publishers Don't Like Working With Start-ups (DBW) Whether it's that they're too busy, too small or afraid to look stupid, there are lots of reasons publishers say they don't want to work with start-ups. That said, many do and there are reasons why. Top five for both sides in this post. Apple iBooks Author used to create interactive "Frankenweenie" eBook With eBooks, digital publishers can create a unique reading experience that would be impossible with physical texts. Disney recently harnessed this potential. Read more. In Three Words (The Shatzkin Files) Mike Shatzkin sums up the future of book publishing in three words: standards, rights and data. Standards, rights and data issues can "restrain digital growth, or propel it," writes Shatzkin. The Latest Sourcebooks Innovation: The Shakesperience (DBW) The Shakesperience is the innovative publishing company's 21st century-take on tales nearly as old as publishing itself. The way we learn Shakespeare is hard, says Sourcebooks CEO Dominique Raccah. The Shakesperience aims to make it easy. Bookouture: The Latest Digital Publishing Start-up (DBW) This time it's an ex-Harlequin marketing exec behind a new digital publishing player. Perhaps more people are reading this and figuring it's a good move to build digital-only publishing houses from the ground up. The PIAs: The Very Best in Ebooks The Publishing Innovation Awards celebrate publishers, designers and authors who are improving the reading experience in the digital age. If your ebook, enhanced ebook or book app presents solid design that keeps readability front and center or introduces interactive or social elements that improve the reading experience, we want to see it. Entry Deadline November 15! Blurb's New Bells and Whistles (DBW) E-book production firm Blurb, which has tools that allow users to simultaneously create content for print, e-book and audio-book production, has now added tools that allow the simultaneous creation of enhanced e-books, too. K-12 Publishing Doomed, Unless... (DBW) A new survey of K-12 publishers says that three-quarters of them will go belly up unless they are true multi-channel publishers. Classrooms are demanding more digital content today but print is still a priority. IDPF's New E-Reader Test Suite (DBW) The IDPF will soon release a new tester for e-readers to see just out EPUB3-supportive they are. It's all part of the organization's campaign to make EPUB3 the standard format for e-books. Amazon Book Takedown (ABA Journal) While B&N is putting 'em up, Amazon is taking 'em down. Amazon removed Kate Gosselin: How She Fooled the World from e-shelves due to alleged copyright issues.