Business Model : Free ipad/kindle with x years of subscriptions

“Montreal, Canada-based newspaper La Presse unveiled a plan today to offer a free iPad to readers of the paper who sign up for subscription terms of at least three years, according to Projetj.ca”

This seems like an amazing business model. I wont be surprised if Apple/Amzaon/Barnes & Noble do the same. Lets wait and watch

Read full story here

Video Instructions on How to convert pdf file to iBooks format for free!

Another Publisher Goes With Apple’s Agency Model – What should Amazon do?

Perseus Book Group (one of the largest distributor of independent publishers) has decided to go with Apple’s Agency model (70-30 split).

Perseus Books Group, a large independent publisher that also distributes works from 330 other smaller presses including Grove Atlantic, Harvard Business School Press,Zagat and City Lights Books, signed a deal last week with Apple, following five of the six biggest publishers that have already signed agreements with Apple.

Complete Story here

Another Author bows to ebook trend – John Grisham

John Grisham, one of the best known thriller author across the globe has finally decided to open up all his backlist of 23 novels in ebook format. Which means that owners of Kindle, Nook, Sony ereader and soon iPad will be able to read all his backlists on their device.

Is this just a small change in the direction of authors working directly working with ebook retailers like (Amazon, Apple, Google , B&N) to launch their books 🙂 My bets are that this is bound to happen in few Genre (Thriller, Romance), where the form factor of ebook readers and laptop give the end users a fine reading experience.

I personally believe that the true inflection point for the ebook industry would come the day J K Rowling decides to make her books available as ebooks 🙂

I have decided to create a list of Authors that decide to go the ebook way.

Apple iBook – more details

1. Ibook app wont come as default. Users will have to download it from App store

2. Users will be able to import and read their free epub format books on IBook

3. Text to voice – similar to Amzon Kindle

Users can purchase ebooks through Apple’s iTunes-like iBookstore online. The iBooks application links directly to the store, and keeps track of your book purchases as well as where you left off in each title.

iPad eBooks Priced at $9.99

Interesting news from techcrunch

The NYT has a report on ebook pricing for the iPad, saying that Apple may charge $9.99 for popular titles, just like everyone else in the free world.

While most prices will be higher – it’s an iPad! Why go slumming? – popular books can hit the $9.99 if need be. Apple takes 30 percent of the sale while the publishers take 70 percent.

I’m all for more expensive ebooks. The 99 cent song has essentially turned the music business into a freak out fest and the publishing industry is even less prepare for the volcano that’s about to erupt right in the middle of their industry.

I’d say $12.99 is a good price for an ebook. At that price Apple gets $4 and the publisher gets about $8. This, in turn, gets the author 2 cents on a good day.