eBook: October 2011 Archives

Google has opened its ebook store in the UK having signed deals with major UK publishers. According to the company it has signed deals with Hachette, Random House, Penguin and other publishers, and claims the service will offer hundreds of thousands of titles for sale. The company said it would also offer more than two million free, public domain books. Google said readers could buy books from the Google eBookstore, purchase them from one of its bookseller partners or from the Android Market, with ebooks stored in an online library and accessible across devices from laptops and tablets to smartphones and ebook readers. Google Books apps are now available for the iPhone and iPad, as well as Android devices. However, Kindle owners will miss out on Google's offering, with the Amazon device not supported. http://books.google.com/

First Edition Design eBook Publishing has entered into an eBook aggregator agreement with Sony. First Edition Design Publishing, based in Sarasota, Florida USA, will amass eBooks and submit them to Sony for distribution to Sony’s end-users. First Edition Design eBook Publishing converts publisher’s and independent author’s files, formats them to the necessary type and size for various e-readers and submits them submits them to their national and international distribution associates. First Edition Design eBook Publishing is also a licensed and approved aggregator for Apple, Amazon, Google and Nielsen, a worldwide supplier of eBooks to libraries, schools, colleges, universities and booksellers. Additionally, as master distributors, First Edition Design eBook Publishing sends eBooks to Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Diesel and numerous other online retailers. http://www.firsteditiondesign.com/ http://ebookstore.sony.com/

The recently launched 3M Cloud Library now uses the 3M Cloud-ID, for its login process. The 3M Cloud-ID uses a patron's existing library barcode and PIN to authenticate the patron and allow checkout of eBooks from the 3M Cloud Library, as opposed to using a library ID/PIN for authentication and a separate third party ID/PIN as used by existing eLending providers. 3M Cloud-ID streamlines the user experience by leveraging the credentials a patron already has from the library, making it simple for library patrons to navigate the system, typically with minimal to no assistance from library staff. The 3M Cloud Library offers a growing catalog of material, with new publishing agreements signed with ABC-CLIO, Baker Publishing Group, John Wiley & Sons, Quayside Publishing Group (Fair Winds Press, Quarry Books, Zenith Press and other imprints), Skyhorse Publishing and Workman Publishing. To date, more than 40 publishers have joined the system including HarperCollins, IPG and Random House, bringing the total 3M Cloud Library offering to more than 100,000 titles. The 3M Cloud Library has also added four new beta sites in recent months, with library staff soon to begin training on the system. http://www.3m.com/