Author: Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis

About Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis is a leading New York literary agent (www.curtisagency.com) who foresaw the Digital Book Revolution and launched an e-book publishing company early in 2000. E-Reads (www.ereads.com) is one of the foremost independent e-book publishers in the industry, specializing in reprints of genre fiction by leading authors in their fields. Curtis is also a well-known authors advocate, author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction including several books about the publishing industry, and prolific blogger – see his hundreds of other blog posts here.

More Kids Read E-Books But What Do They Retain?

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Good news: kids are reading more digital books. Bad news: they may not be benefiting from what they read. A report released by Scholastic early in 2013 carries an ostensibly encouraging report that children between 6 and 17 are turning …

Virtual E-Book Kiosks One Giant Step Closer

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For years we’ve been forecasting e-book kiosks, brick and mortar showrooms for e-books. You walk into a store, browse descriptions and sample texts from some two or three million books, point your smart phone at the ones you want, buy …

Books Coming Back to Bricks?

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We’d suspected it all along, but the New York Times confirmed it: retail stores are not just fighting back, they’re coming back. “A Manhattan retail real estate broker reports an increase in inquiries from online-only retailers about opening shops, particularly …

How Publishers Seized E-Rights High Ground

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In 1989 Ben Bova published a science fiction novel entitled Cyberbooks describing an electronic reading device almost identical to the Kindle: “…A gray oblong box about five inches by nine and less than an inch thick. Its front was almost …

US Plays TeleTreaty Partners for Suckers

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“It is clear that the world community is a crossroads in its view of the Internet and its relationship to society in the coming century,” said Terry Kramer, leader of the American delegation to a global treaty conference on telecommunications …

Why Do We Have to Choose Between Print and Digital?

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Michael Clarke, an executive at Silverchair Information Systems and a passionate music lover, is torn between vinyl and digital – squarely split down the middle. Vinyl to him means warm sound, beautiful packaging, tactility and the special rituals of opening …

Who Owns Your Right to Turn Pages?

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I’m really confused. On November 16, New York Times blogger Nick Bilton reported that the US Patent Office had approved Apple’s patent on the feature that enables you to virtually turn pages on your e-reader. But over two years ago, …

If Murdoch Can’t Have Penguin, How About S&S?

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Wall Street Journal reports that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, owner of HarperCollins, is exploring acquisition with Simon & Schuster. Reporters Christopher S. Stewart and John Jannarone describe the talks as “preliminary” and issued the usual cautions about shouting Fire when …

Every Domain But .kitchensink Coming in 2013

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Hey, webmasters, how are those loins? Hope they’re properly girded for the explosion of domain names set to fulminate in 2013. If you run a restaurant you can buy .eat; If you own a store you can bid for .shop; …

Fictionwise is Over

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Fictionwise, the first successful e-book retailer and the dominant one until its eclipse by Amazon, has announced it will “wind down its operation” on December 4th. Spokesman Dan Jorissen, who has been operating the company since the departure of its …

Last Chance for Publishers to Level the Playing Field

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The returnability of books is a cancer that has been consuming the publishing industry for decades. Publisher after publisher has succumbed to its relentless arithmetic. Yet, book people cling to the belief that they are not vulnerable to the forces …

Fifty Percent, Four Percent, What’s the Difference?

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In March 2011 we blogged about a significant legal ruling supporting a claim brought by the producers of rapper recording artist Eminem. The claim was that what Eminem’s record company called “sales” – which paid a low royalty – should …

Harlequin Hires Antipiracy Enforcer

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Harlequin has announced new reporting procedures for unauthorized postings of its authors’ content and engaged a dedicated antipiracy enforcer with whom authors who believe their material has been pirated can file claims.  Here’s the complete release: ***************************************************** Effective July 2012, …

E-Tail Wags P-Dog

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At the dawn of the e-book revolution I made a prediction that publishers found so horrifying that one editor told me it made him sick to his stomach. The prediction was that one day an important author would make a …

Uncle Sam Pushes E-Textbooks, But Students Push Back

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In 2009 California’s then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched an initiative to replace printed textbooks with digital versions. He solicited feedback, and the man known as The Terminator got it in spades. Students flunked the format and wanted their paper books back.(See …

The Slippery Slope of E-Originals, Part 2

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In the first part of this article I described a fundamental shift under way in the book industry from original paperbacks to original e-books – “e-originals” in Publisher Speak – and its depressing effect on author compensation. These deals point …

The Slippery Slope of E-Originals, Part 1

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In the last year a number of major publishers have begun offering authors contracts for “e-originals” – books released originally – and exclusively – in e-book format. Though this is a logical step in the evolution of traditional publishing houses …

Are Publishers Making a Killing on E-Books? Part 2

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This is the second and concluding installment of an article about how publishers arrive at the prices of ebooks. It’s written in response to consumer criticisms that “Publishers are making a killing on e-books because they cost nothing to produce, …

Are Publishers Making a Killing on E-Books? Part 1

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In a post last spring DBW’s Jeremy Greenfield wrote,”Publishers are making a killing on e-books because they cost nothing to produce, distribute and sell and are almost 100% pure profit. At least, that’s what many consumers think.” I’ve been brooding …

Amazon Friending Rivals?

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Of the many companies that have reinvented themselves in the violent upheavals of 21st century publishing, Ingram Content Group (as it is now called) stands out as one of the most resourceful. It has transformed itself from what Publishers Weekly …

Autocorrect Shows Us Who’s Boss

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I can remember the exact moment I became aware that AutoCorrect was shoving my vintage automobile into a ditch. I was reporting on the introduction of electronic “catalogues”. With a nasty squiggly red underline, spellcheck rejected my spelling of the …

Grafton Apologizes to Indies. Will They Accept?

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Bestselling novelist Sue Grafton recently triggered a near-nuclear conflagration when she described self-published authors as “too lazy to do the hard work” She subsequently apologized to the community of independent authors who swamped her with righteous indignation, and admitted she …

DOJ Settlement Will Rescue US Postal Service

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Publishers Lunch‘s Michael Cader reports that the three Big Six publishers settling the Department of Justice price-fixing lawsuit will be refunding to customers some $69 million in overcharges resulting from the “agency” business model. Just how the proper recipients will …

Has Anybody Seen an Honest Reviewer?

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Five years ago we asked Do Amazon Reviews Count? Our answer was yes, they absolutely do, and we were surprised that few publishers quoted them to support the books they published. Since then a surge of self-serving reviews, many of …

What Should Apple Do with All That Cash?

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It’s fun to fantasize about what you would do with a million dollars. Fantasizing about what you’d do with $117 billion is likely to induce paralysis. Luckily it’s not your problem. That honor belongs to Tim Cook, the man who …