BTW News Briefs

Ingram’s VitalSource Adds Android Application

Ingram’s VitalSource has expanded its mobile footprint with the addition of an e-textbook app for Android.  The new app for Android can be used both online and offline, anytime and anywhere, providing access to content that syncs highlights and notes regardless of which app is used — online, mobile or desktop.

The VitalSource Bookshelf® e-textbook platform is available in online and offline environments with download apps for a full range of devices including tablets, smart phones, laptops, and desktops. The platform supports Macintosh and Windows operating systems and Apple’s iPad™, iPhone®, iPod Touch® and now Android smart phones and tablets. 

The VitalSource Bookshelf Android app is available for free from Google Play, formerly known as the Android Market.

Consortium Launches Bookslinger

Consortium launched Bookslinger, an app for consumers on Apple that is devoted to independent publishers. The launch featured five preloaded stories, including one from Holly Black and one from Ry Cooder. Each week, Bookslinger will make a new story available to readers for free to foster the discovery of new voices in contemporary short fiction from independent presses.

Users can browse by interest category, title, or author, and share what they’re reading with friends via Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail. The app is currently available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, and plans are in the works to make Bookslinger available to Android devices later this year.

Ghost Hero Wins Dily

The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association has honored Ghost Hero by S.J. Rozan (Minotaur) with its 2012 Dily Award, recognizing the mystery title of the year that members of the group most enjoyed selling.

The award is named for Dilys Winn, founder of the first mystery bookstore in the U.S. Rozan was presented the prize at last weekend’s Left Coast Crime 2012 Conference in Sacramento, California.

Pew Research Study Documents E-Reading on the Rise

On April 4, the Pew Research Center released the findings of a study on the rise of e-reading conducted in February.

Among the study’s key findings were:

• One-fifth of American adults (21 percent) reported that they read an e-book in the past year, a number that increased following a gift-giving season. In mid-December 2011, 17 percent of American adults had reported they read an e-book in the previous year; by February, 2012, that number increased to 21 percent.
• Twenty-eight percent of Americans age 18 and older own at least one specialized device for e-book reading – either a tablet or an e-book reader.
• The average reader of e-books said she has read 24 books (the mean number) in the past 12 months, compared with an average of 15 books by a non-e-book consumer. Some 78 percent of those ages 16 and older say they read a book in the past 12 months, with an average (or mean number) read being 17 books in the past year and 8 books as a median (midpoint) number.
• Those who read e-books reported they have read more books in all formats — an average of 24 books in the previous 12 months and a median of 13 books. Those who do not read e-books said they averaged 15 books in the previous year and the median was six books.
• The prevalence of e-book reading is markedly growing, but printed books still dominate the world of book readers. In Pew Research’s December 2011 survey, 72 percent of American adults had read a printed book and 11 percent listened to an audiobook in the previous year, compared with the 17 percent of adults who had read an e-book.
• In a head-to-head competition, people prefer e-books to printed books when they want speedy access and portability, but print wins out when people are reading to children and sharing books with others.

The study is available in full on the Pew Research Center website.