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ODER IM
COMFORTLIGHT
LESEN SIE BEI
SONNENLICHT
BERZEUGEN SIE SICH SELBST IN HALLE 8, STAND G919
EIN eREADER FR JEDERMANN www.kobo.de
Kobo Glo rckt eReading in ein vllig neues Licht. Unser innovatives, einstellbares ComfortLight ist die perfekte
Ergnzung zu unserem hochaufsenden E-Ink-Display. Die Aufsung ist um 28% hher als bei unserem Kobo
Touch, so werden Wrter und Bilder so gestochen scharf angezeigt, als seien sie auf Papier gedruckt.
24
www.publishersweekly.com
OCTOBER 2012
The DIGITAL SPOTLIGHT
Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, 10.1
Price: Tab 2 7.0-in. ($250, 8GB);
Tab 2 10.1-in. ($400, 16GB)
Screen: High res 7-in. and 10.1-in.
Operating system: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream
Sandwich)
Processor: 1 GHz dual core
Camera: front and rear
facing
Titles/apps: Millions of
free/for-pay titles, apps,
music via Google Play
Battery life: 7.0 (12 hours);
10.1 (11 hours)
Storage: 7.0 (8GB expand-
able); 10.1 (16GB expand-
able)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Hype: Hailed as the rst
serious challenger to the
iPad when the 7-in. Tab
was released in 2011,
Galaxy Tab devices (now in
two screen sizes) have been
overtaken by just about
everyone on price, perfor-
mance, content, and sales.
Kobo Arc
Price: $200 (8GB)
Screen: High res 7-in.
Operating system:
customized Android
4.0 (Ice Cream Sand-
wich)
Processor: 1.5 GHz
dual core
Camera: front facing
Titles/apps: 2 million
for-pay e-books, 1
million free e-books/600,000 apps via Google Play
Battery life: 10 hours reading
Storage: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Hype: Major upgrade from the clunky Kobo Vox, adding
faster processor, front-facing stereo speakers, and Tapestries,
an innovative content display/discovery interface.
Microsoft Surface, Surface Pro
Price: to be determined
Screen: High res 10.6-in. HD
Operating system: Surface (Windows
RT), Surface Pro (Windows 8)
Processor: Surface (ARM); Surface
Pro (Intel chip) specs unreleased
Camera: front and rear facing
Titles/apps: Millions of for-pay
and free e-books via e-book
retailer apps/maybe
about 2,000 apps via
the Windows store.
Battery life: estimates range from 6 hours
(Surface) to 7.5 (Surface Pro).
Storage: Surface (32GB, 65GB); Surface Pro (64GB, 128 GB)
expandable
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Hype: Microsoft enters the hardware business with two
cleverly designed tablets (running two different OS),
to the chagrin of their hardware partners; the Surface is
expected to be available when Windows 8 is released on
October 26; Surface Pro is expected around January.
Nook HD, Nook HD+
Price: 7-in. Nook HD ($199, 8GB) and 9-in. Nook HD+
($269, 16GB)
Screen: High res 7-in., 9-in.
Operating system: customized Android 4.0 (Ice Cream
Sandwich)
Processor: Nook HD (1.3 GHz dual core);
Nook HD+ (1.5 GHz dual core)
Camera: No cameras
Titles/apps: 3 million for-pay and free e-books/10,000
apps
Battery life: 10 hours for reading
Storage: 8 GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB with
expandable storage
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Hype: B&Ns revamped Nook tablets now offer
improved screens, faster processors, new prole and
recommendation interfaces, and more content via the
newly launched Nook Video service.
Tale
of the
Tablets
Nook HD
Nook HD
Plus
Samsung
Galaxy
Tab2 10.1
Samsung
Galaxy
Tab2 7.0
26
www.publishersweekly.com
A
lthough some publishers and distributors were in the digital
space long before Amazon introduced the Kindle in Novem-
ber 2007, the then-$399 device, offering seamless down-
loads of relatively inexpensive digital books, was denitely
the game changer. In the intervening ve years, not only have
devices and formats morphed and multipliedand with them chal-
lenges, not least of which is how many ISBNs a single e-book needs
but new retail players have continued to emerge. Zola Books, which is
still in beta, will begin selling later this year; Kobo is about to relaunch
in the U.S. with independent booksellers; and even Ingram is working
on an e-book solution (no date has been set yet).
Despite the recession and churning in the marketplace, publishers
and distributors continue to see huge opportunities for e growth
both in the U.S. and overseas. Rick Joyce, chief marketing ofcer for
the Perseus Books Group, which offers a suite of digital distribution
services through its Constellation division, anticipates e-book sales
doubling in the U.S. this year and increasing two-, three-, or even
fourfold in the rest of the world, which is two years behind the U.S. in
e-retailing and devices. The biggest e channel continues to be
online retailers, according to Sabrina McCarthy, president of Perseus
Distribution Client Services, Argo Navis, and Perseus Distribution,
who is seeing sales of some titles be as much as 30% to 40% digital,
while others, like serious nonction, average 10% to 15%.
Weve had a great 2012 in both print and e, although our e-book
business is growing at a faster pace than print, with e-book sales hav-
ing grown each and every month vs. the prior month, says Larry
Bennett, president of distribution at BookMasters . Overall, we are
aiming at generating close to 20% of our sales through e-books.
Because of an international push earlier this year, BookMasters has
seen a 10% increase in sales across the board and has had good
pickup, particularly for its Christian and romance titles.
At National Book Network, which offers
e-books and conversion through NBN Fusion,
e-book sales have more than doubled in each of
the past three years. As a percentage of overall
sales, e-books should exceed 10% in 2012,
says Ron Powers, v-p of digital publishing.
During the Frankfurt Book Fair, NBN is doing
a full push to all 90 publishers represented in
the U.K. and EMEA by its sister company,
NBN International, so that they have access to
the full suite of NBN Fusion services, including international e-book
distribution.
Where once publishers dipped their toes into digital with one dis-
tributor and print with another, increasingly presses are seeing the
value of looking at a title as a titleand having the same house repre-
sent both. The same person who is selling Amazon is selling Kindle
opportunities. The marketing is very, very similar. Then its up to the
consumer what format they want to read, says Publishers Group
West president Susan Reich, who just signed Entrepreneur Press for
physical distribution after working with them for a year and a half on
digital. Theres still plenty of room for digital-only specialists in a
dynamic market. INscribe Digital represents a number of print pub-
lishers along with individual authors. It sold Bared to You in digital,
until author Sylvia Day signed with Penguin, and recently added
Jackie Collinss backlist and some digital-only titles to its roster.
New markets continue to open up. Its no secret that the big U.S.-
based retail and consumer media companies are selling a lot of digital
books, says Shawn Morin, COO of Ingram Content Group. How-
ever, we continue to see an emerging trend in categories and verticals
that may be best served by subject. We have also just started to see
some retailerssuch as Flipkart in India, Bilbary in the U.K., and Fish-
pond in New Zealand [and Australia]start to service a more interna-
tional customer base. We will continue to look for customers that have
the capability to help us connect publishers with consumers.
At BookMasters too, the lions share of the sales goes through the
top four retail outletsAmazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.
But what is most interesting, says Bennett, are the numerous
smaller e-book outlets that cater to specic niches, be they public
library lending programs or genre-specic e-book stores. Our Chris-
tian titles very much benet from the smaller Christian-specic out-
lets in the U.S. and around the world.
At Independent Publishers Group, in addition to the U.S., Canada
is doing nicely, says president Mark Suchomel. Were not just con-
tinuing to keep up with the market. Were exploring where we can sell
directly to libraries and consumers. In the past few months, IPG
began experimenting with putting its shopping cart on its publishers
Getting a Handle on Digital Distribution
Distributors see global growth opportunities
OCTOBER 2012
The DIGITAL SPOTLIGHT
BY JUDITH ROSEN
Were not just continuing
to keep up with the market.
Were exploring where we
can sell directly to libraries
and consumers.
Mark Suchomel,
president, Independent Publishers Group
Ron Power
Working with
NBN Fusion is a
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