Waterstone's Starts Selling Hachette eBooks Again

theBookseller: "Waterstone's is now selling Hachette titles as e-books after removing them two months ago when the publisher switched to agency terms. The move means Waterstone's is on agency terms with both HarperCollins and Hachette, though has yet to the new terms with Penguin. However, the retailer has now stopped offering Card points on all of its e-books, paving the way for agency terms across its entire range of e-book titles."

Penguin Books Left Out in the Cold as James Bond Estate Moves Into e-Publishing On Its Own

The Drum: "The owners of the James Bond license have chosen to cut out publisher Penguin books and turned several of the spy’s stories into ebooks themselves. Ian Fleming Publications has chosen not to go through Penguin, which has the rights to 14 Bond novels, and has decided to create the digital versions of the novels themselves, which could also be sold for less than the recommended retail price of 7.99 pounds. Penguin is said to be unwilling to renew the license for the Bond books without the digital rights being involved in any future contract."

Amazon UK Makes Switch to Agency Terms with Three Publishers

Seems the big boys continue to insist on shooting themselves in the digital feet. theBookseller.com: "Amazon.co.uk has moved on to the agency model in the UK with publishers Hachette, HarperCollins and Penguin now setting their own e-book prices. Customers buying an e-book from the Kindle store from any of the three publishers are told: 'This price was set by the publisher.' A Penguin spokesperson said: 'I can confirm we are now on the agency model with Amazon as of today.' Penguin and HarperCollins have followed Hachette, which switched to agency pricing in September. Amazon is the first online e-bookseller to make the switch, with no Penguin or Hachette e-books yet available for sale on either Waterstones.com or W H Smith's website. ... "

Penguin in "Conversation" with Andrew Wylie Over Odyssey Titles

theBookseller.com: "Penguin has confirmed that it is negotiating with agent Andrew Wylie over books that have been included in the agent's digital offshoot Odyssey Editions over which Penguin has print rights. The news follows the truce declared between Random House and Wylie, with reports suggesting that a deal was struck after the adoption of a new royalty rate based on a sliding scale. ... Penguin refused to elaborate on its discussions with Wylie, but has two books—Saul Bellow's Adventures of Augie March and William Burroughs' Junky—for which it holds global rights in print, and one further title Brideshead Revisited, where it has UK and Commonwealth rights. A statement from the publisher read: 'Penguin Group has had conversations with Andrew Wylie regarding the books in the Odyssey Editions program and those conversations are ongoing.'"

More Re: Seth Godin's Abandonment of Old-Model Book Publishing

WSJ.com: "The author of about a dozen books including 'Purple Cow' said he now has so many direct customer relationships, largely via his blog, that he no longer needs a traditional publisher. Mr. Godin plans to release subsequent titles himself in electronic books, via print-on-demand or in such formats as audiobooks, apps, small digital files called PDFs and podcasts. ... It's unclear how many, if any, best-selling authors will follow Mr. Godin's lead. However, his departure from Portfolio, an imprint owned by Pearson PLC's Penguin Group (USA), comes at a critical juncture for the industry. With many new titles spending less time on best-seller lists and in bookstores, publishers are increasingly dependent on brand-name authors such as Mr. Godin to deliver significant book sales."

And of course the brand-name authors are the very ones who are best positioned to fly the coup.

Dorling Kindersley Goes Into eBooks

New Media Age: "'The key area initially will be [iPad] apps, and we have some aggressive targets,' said Dorling Kindersley’s digital publisher Justin Moodie. 'We’ve seen what’s happening in the market and believe there’s a gap for serious illustrated reference products. He said that Dorling Kindersley would focus on serving consumer needs across multiple platforms. 'It’s not a question of one or the other. The world is a big place and people use all formats. What I’d like us to do is meet all of those needs,' Moodie added."

Penguin's John Markinson on the Opportunity of eBooks

Penguin boss has no problem with ebooks | Business | The Guardian:

... Penguin chief executive John Makinson says he is a convert. The day after we meet he is on his way to India, as part of David Cameron's delegation, and had loaded titles on to his iPad, including a manuscript by John le Carré and some Portuguese classics (in English) ahead of Penguin launching a range in Brazil. He is also reading Lord Mandelson's diary. It simply makes sense, he says, instead of carting an armful of books in your carry-on luggage.

"It does redefine what we do as publishers and I feel, compared with most of my counterparts, more optimistic about what this means for us," he says. "Of course there are issues around copyright protection and there are worries around pricing and around piracy, royalty rates and so on, but there is also this huge opportunity to do more as publishers." Publishing, he says, must embrace innovation ...

"You have to give the consumer what the consumer wants – you can't tell the consumer to go away. So we didn't participate in this experiment where a number of publishers deferred publication of the ebook until a certain number of months after the hardcover publication. I thought that was a very bad idea. If the consumer wants to buy a book in an electronic format now, you should let the consumer have it."

Penguin Group Interim 2010 Financial Results - eBooks $ Grow Threefold Over Last Year

Penguin Group And Pearson See Spike In First Half Sales And Profit | Finance & Investment: "Digitally, eBook sales continued to support Penguin's growth. Penguin's eBook sales grew threefold on the previous year. Currently, 15,700 eBook titles are now available across multiple platforms. Additionally, Penguin continues to extend their reach to new audiences, most recently with the launch of Apple's iBookstore and iPad where, in the US, Penguin's Winnie-the-Pooh was the only book pre-loaded onto the device."

Penguin Chairman John Makinson Comments re: eBooks

The UK Guardian Media 100 profile of Penguin Chairman John Makinson (#86) focuses almost entirely on eBooks:

Penguin reinvented publishing in the 1930s with the invention of the quality paperback. Now its chairman and chief executive, John Makinson, wants to do the same with the ebook in the digital age. "The definition of the book itself is up for grabs," he has said.

The former Financial Times journalist – chairman of Penguin since 2001 and its chief executive since 2002 – is helping to define how we will consume books, and how the publishing industry tackles a digital transition that hobbled the music industry.

Makinson has promised a new definition of books providing "interactive learning experiences", with "book applications" for the Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle reader that include embedded audio, video and streaming content.

"The transition from physical to digital is a momentous moment for the industry," said Makinson, who compared the rise of the ebook to the 15th-century invention of the printing press. "The decisions that we take now on behalf of authors will determine the future of publishing." ...

Penguin # 1 on iPad Makes Pearson Happy, But ...

From Daily Finance: "On the one hand, Penguin (PSO) has many reasons to feel good right now. A preliminary first-quarter earnings report released by its parent company, Pearson, pointed to the Big Six book publisher's "good start to the year" in the U.S. and the U.K., and noted that "growth in demand for eBooks also remains very strong." Meanwhile, Penguin and Apple (AAPL) have begun what appears to be a beautiful friendship, and other online retailers appear to be ready to sell the company's e-books again after a protracted delay. But then there's that pesky other hand: Penguin still hasn't sorted out its dealings with Amazon (AMZN) -- and the online retail giant is making the publisher pay for it by discounting some of its hardcover editions at rock-bottom prices."