Best-selling hybrid author Sylvia Day has signed a seven-figure, two-book ebook deal with Harlequin to kick off its ebook partnership with Cosmopolitan magazine dubbed Red Hot Reads. Day is the best-selling author of over a dozen titles, including the Crossfire series, which has sold more than six million copies.
Struggles continue for the nation’s largest bricks-and-mortar bookseller. Barnes & Noble booked $2.2 billion in revenue in its third-quarter ending Jan. 26, 2013, a decrease of 8.8% compared to the same period a year ago. The company also swung to a loss of $6.1 million versus a profit $52 million last year.
The trend of more moderate growth for ebooks in the U.S. in 2012 abated slightly in Oct. as sales of adult trade ebooks were up 41% versus the same period last year — more than the 30.7% growth ebooks showed in Sept. It’s still much less than the triple-digit sales growth seen in ebooks in previous years. Growth in children’s ebooks continued to moderate to a 42.4% growth rate in the month, retreating from early-year triple-digit gains.
The average price of an ebook best-seller has dropped to a new all-time low as less expensive big-six titles crowded the list, joining self-published works in the lowest price bracket. The downward pricing shift could continue as retailers prepare for discounting Macmillan ebook titles following the publishers’ settlement with the U.S. government over the matter of alleged ebook price-fixing.
Following a slight decrease last week, the average price of a best-selling ebook edged up as several lower-priced titles were pushed off the list in favor of pricier ebooks. The average price of a best-selling ebook is now $8.60, up from $8.16 a week ago. A tragedy elevated one title in particular into the top five.
Despite the benefits of lower costs, lighter backpacks, added features and convenience, students just aren’t taking to e-textbooks, a new study shows. About 6% of students are using a “core digital textbook” as their main course material, according to a new study from the Book Industry Study Group, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of four-year and two-year college students during the fall 2012 academic semester. This number is unchanged from the same period a year ago.
