e-books

A wall of shelves filled with colorful books in a library.

Books
Arts

Public libraries reveal their most borrowed books of 2023

5:55pm December 29, 2023

by Neda Ulaby

Not all libraries track checkouts, and there isn't one definitive national list. But this year lots of people checked out Lessons in Chemistry, Prince Harry's memoir Spare, and Colleen Hoover's books.

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A kindle e-book reader is pictured at the Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2015.

Books

Authors are protesting Amazon's e-book policy that allows users to read and return

5:00am June 27, 2022

by Deanna Schwartz

Authors say readers are exploiting Amazon's seven-day return policy by using Amazon like a library and returning books after reading them.

E-readers are lined up at the 2019 Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.

Books

Publisher Macmillan Backs Off Policy Restricting E-Book Sales To Libraries

9:10pm March 18, 2020

by Rose Friedman

At a time when libraries are closed because of the coronavirus, Macmillan has reversed a policy it adopted last fall limiting the e-books it would sell to each library just after publication.

A reader handles an Amazon Kindle at a book fair in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2015.

EU Drops Its Antitrust Probe Over Amazon E-Book Contracts

3:45pm May 04, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The European Union's executive arm closed the investigation after accepting Amazon's promise to strip its publisher contracts of clauses that the commission feared were "harmful to consumers."

Customers shop at Barnes and Noble in Rockefeller Center May 1, 2003 in New York City in an era before eBooks rose in popularity.

Books
Arts

Barnes & Noble Founder Retires, Leaving His Imprint On Bookstore's History

9:51pm May 07, 2016

As Founder and Chairman of Barnes & Noble, Leonard Riggio steered it through the proliferation of free information in the Internet age. As he retires, he tells NPR's Lynn Neary about his long career.

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When Apple launched its first iPad back in 2010, the company also unveiled an e-books marketplace. Federal courts say the company broke antitrust laws by setting prices with book publishers to target Amazon and its Kindle reader.

Supreme Court Denies Apple's Appeal On E-Books, Triggering Millions In Payments

2:43pm March 07, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Apple must now pay $400 million to e-book purchasers. The case's roots date back at least six years, when Apple sold its first iPad models and sought to compete with books giant Amazon.

In its attempt to obtain a foothold in a market long dominated by Amazon, Apple ran afoul of antitrust law.

Books
Arts

Book News: Apple Enters A New Round In E-Book Price-Fixing Fight

7:30am June 19, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Apple goes before an appeals court in a battle expected to help clarify the legal line between business agreements and outright collusion. Also: Hilary Mantel denounces her critics' "froth and bile."

Kindle e-readers were piled high at an Amazon Fulfillment Center. The central focus of the nascent European probe will be Amazon's e-book agreements with publishers.

EU Launches Antitrust Probe Of Amazon's E-Book Business

5:08pm June 11, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

The European Union's executive arm announced Thursday that it will investigate the e-tailing giant's contracts with publishers. At issue are a few key clauses that might give Amazon an unfair edge.

With the launch of its e-bookstore on Wednesday, Oyster is, well, turning the page on its business model. And so far, the big publishers are open to the change.

Books
Arts

The 'Netflix Of Books' Hopes To Open Up The E-Book Market

5:49pm April 08, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Oyster, the subscription e-book service, says it is opening up a retail component and has the Big Five publishers on board. The move sets up Oyster to challenge Amazon.

Writers lowered the boom on the broom — metaphorically, of course.

Books

App That Aims To Make Books 'Squeaky Clean' Draws Ire From Edited Writers

5:45pm March 27, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Clean Reader — an app designed to find, block and replace profanity in books — has drawn considerable criticism from authors. This week, makers of the app announced they would no longer sell e-books.