The fact that you don’t reveal your reading activity to the public doesn’t mean your sensitive data is 100% protected.

The rise of e-books has brought a new era of reading convenience, but it has also raised concerns about privacy.

Opposite to social media, what you read is supposed to stay private. And this single thing makes you extremely vulnerable. Among the books you’ve read, there may be some you would never discuss publicly.

The book you are reading in a privacy of your bedroom says more about you than the dozens of Caturday posts you share on Instagram or Mastodon.

However, major e-book publishers and tech giants like Amazon, Rakuten Kobo, Google, or Apple are collecting vast amounts of data on your reading habits, anyway. It includes what books you read, when you read them, how long you spend on each page, and which device you use.

The reason is they want to improve your reading experience and book discovery. But they also use it to target ads – and who knows what else.

At the same time, ebook publishers and sellers do nothing or little to offer users transparent privacy rules and settings. And there are a lot of things to do in this area. Here is a set of basic privacy settings users should have in ebooks and audiobooks.

The Fast Company reports that a congressional letter was issued from a coalition of groups that include civil rights, anti-surveillance, anti-book ban, racial justice, LGBTQ+, and immigrant.

The coalition calls on federal lawmakers to investigate the digital reader surveillance. Activists argue that the data collection is an invasion of privacy and that it could have negative consequences for freedom of expression and their ability to access information.

This investigation is an essential first step to revive the right to read without fear of having your interests used against you. Because, unfortunately, that right is on life support when it comes to digital books. 

The future of reading is at stake, and lawmakers must act to protect readers. We need strong privacy laws that apply to e-book readers, and we need to hold these companies accountable for their data collection practices.

Please keep it in mind: every time you sync your e-reader or app is the time you are sending your sensitive data to the company that may process it.

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Amazon has just launched Your Books, a personalized space with all your print, Kindle, and Audible books. However, the service doesn’t include your sideloaded ebooks.

Amazon seems to understand that many Kindle and Audible users keep buying print books.

The company has just launched a new service that will let you access all the books you have ever purchased on Amazon – and in any possible format.

Called Amazon Your Books, the service “is a personalized space to explore all of your print, Kindle, and Audible books”.

From now on, you don’t have to go separately to the Content Library (to find Kindle ebooks and Audible audiobooks) and the Orders history (to find print books).

The service is designed to help you find books easier, and the format doesn’t really matter. When you visit the home page of Your Books, you will see the filter bar at the top.

An interesting thing is that filters are adjusted to the content of your library. The “Suggested filters” bar lets you quickly find books based on your favorite format, but also genre or author. If you have many books from the “history” genre, you will have a “history” filter button. Or the “Stephen King” button, if you have bought a lot of King’s books.

When you filter your books to a specific genre, all the formats will be displayed: print, Kindle, and audiobook.

What’s interesting, the service lets you combine the filters. You can, for instance, find all the books from the “mystery & thrillers” genre that are in the Kindle format.

Amazon wants the new service to be “your personal book sanctuary”, and it means not only the books you’ve bought, but also about the ones you may buy. Yes, Your Books is Amazon’s another tool to get you into buying more stuff.

Just enable the “discovery mode” by clicking on the button in the top-right corner, and for every book in your library, you will see a list of similar items to consider.

A great thing about Your Books is that it also includes a quick link to your Notes and Highlights, an online preview of all the remarks you’ve made in your Kindle ebooks.

The biggest disadvantage of Your Books service is that it doesn’t include your personal files that you have added to your Kindle library. Amazon thinks they are not your books.

Don’t worry, all your sideloaded ebooks are still available from your Amazon profile section. They are stored in a Content Library section in a drop-down list that appears when you click on a menu item with your name.

One important thing to know is that Your Books is not a part of your profile list (and I hope it will change in the future).

So far, there are two ways to access the Amazon Your Books home page:

▸ Go directly to the dedicated url link at amazon.com/yourbooks.

▸ Type “your books” in Amazon’s search bar, and the section will appear right at the top of search results.

Are you planning to try Amazon Your Books? Are you missing your personal ebooks in here? What would you improve in the section?

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Spotify’s announcement of the introduction of audiobooks in the U.S. comes with an infographic about audiobook listening habits.

A month after bringing audiobooks to users in the U.K. and Australia, Spotify has extended the offer to the United States.

If you are a Spotify Premium member, you can get instant access to a large selection of audiobooks, with no extra cost.

You can go directly to this link on the web to browse the catalog of Spotify audiobooks. Currently, there are over 200,000 audiobooks included, compared to 150,000 at the beginning of October 2023.

However, you have to keep in mind that you can listen to Spotify audiobooks for only 15 hours per month. An average audiobook takes around 10 hours, so your Premium subscription will let you finish one audiobook.

The blog post announcing Spotify audiobooks coming to the U.S. includes a few interesting facts about audiobook listeners. The data was gathered in a consumer survey of over 1,000 Americans.

The key outcome is that Gen Z and millennials lead in audiobook listening. 72% of 18-to-34-year-olds report that they listen to audiobooks. Relaxation (63%) and comfort (51%) are the top reasons for audiobook listening.

Here are other interesting facts:

▸ 37% of audiobook listeners have listened to an entire audiobook a second time or more.

▸ 66% of 18-34-year-old audiobook listeners in relationships say they’ve listened to audiobooks with their partner to “spice things up”.

▸ Almost half of audiobook listeners consume audiobooks while traveling or on vacation.

▸ 70% of audiobook listeners are more likely to listen to additional audio content after listening to audiobooks.

Are you a Spotify Premium subscriber? If yes, are you going to try the audiobooks?

Source: 200,000+ Audiobooks Are Now Available to Spotify Premium Listeners in the U.S. – Spotify Blog

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The audiobook market is poised for continued growth. With the rise of smart speakers and the growing popularity of podcasts, audiobooks are well-positioned to become an even more integral part of our lives.

Market Us has just released a report that shows that the global audiobook market will reach an estimated USD 39.1 billion by 2032 from USD 4.2 billion in 2022.

North America was the market leader in 2022, driven by the widespread availability of digital devices and the popularity of subscription-based services, such as Audible, Apple Books, or Scribd.

However, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region, “with increasing smartphone adoption and a growing interest in English-language content.”

The non-fiction segment accounted for the largest revenue share in audiobooks market in 2022.

Self-help and personal development audiobooks continue to be popular, along with business and finance audiobooks for professionals.

Adults constitute the major target audience, utilizing audiobooks for entertainment during commutes or multitasking activities.

This incredible growth of the audiobook market is driven by the increasing popularity of digital media, the convenience of smartphones, and the growing trend of consuming content on the go.

Source: Global Audiobooks Market Report – Market.Us

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AI chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and can now hold conversations about even the most complex topics.

It’s no surprise that every industry, including publishing, investigates how to benefit from AI, while keeping an eye on possible threats, naming only the case of training large language models (LLMs) on pirated books.

Imagine that you host a private book club meeting, where you can discuss the book you are currently reading – any time, anywhere. And the other book club member is a chatbot trained to talk about nothing else than this particular book.

It may happen sooner than you think.

YouAI is a startup that offers tools for building custom AI-powered apps. They have just added a new app to their growing collection of ready to use tools.

Called Book AI, this template “will let you turn any book into an AI”. All you need to do is upload your book’s content as a data source.

Will Knight, a senior writer for WIRED, uploaded Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Book AI app to test it.

The Franken-bot did a decent job summarizing the book and its themes.

The chatbot also noticed some interesting similarities between the classic story of scientific hubris and the current concerns about artificial intelligence.

Once the chatbot content is ready (and every publisher or author can already do it, using tools like Book AI), the remaining task would be to include the chat seamlessly into the book.

Some companies, naming only Solution Tree, already plan to offer AI conversational companions to go with their new titles.

It would require the redesign of book reading apps to include the option to start the chatbot in one or two taps. And, ideally, this chatbot should be able to speak and recognize the voice.

Actually, the Kindle ecosystem offers two features that make it easy to imagine the chat companion coming to the Kindle even in the upcoming months.

One is Whispersync for Voice. It lets you seamlessly switch between reading your Kindle ebook and listening to its audiobook companion. Text and sound go hand in hand, and this has been doable since 2012. Already, over 60,000 Kindle books come with audiobook companions.

The other feature that makes ebooks one step closer to book chat companions is Kindle X-Ray. It provides readers with further details about the characters, places, and themes in the book they are reading.

And the best part is that Amazon doesn’t need to produce chatbot companions themselves. All they can do is provide a reliable tool for KDP self publishers, just like they do it with X-Ray. 

Having in mind how easy the process is with YouAI’s chatbot generator, it shouldn’t be the hard task to accomplish.

If you were given an opportunity to buy an ebook with a chatbot companion for an extra $3, would you test it?

Source: Why Read Books When You Can Use Chatbots to Talk to Them Instead? – Wired / Cover image: Midjourney

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This move is part of Spotify’s broader strategy to become a one-stop shop for all things audio, offering users a wide range of content to choose from, including music, podcasts, and now audiobooks.

By offering instant access to a large selection of 150,000+ audiobooks, Spotify is making it easier for Premium subscribers, as well as managers for Family and Duo accounts, to discover and listen to audiobooks.

The company has partnered with respected audiobook publishers, including Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and RB Media, to bring its users a wide range of titles, including bestsellers, new releases, and classics.

We believe that offering personalized music, podcasts, and audiobooks on a single platform gives you a superior way to connect with your favorite artists, podcasters, creators, and authors—all in one spot.

Spotify is also making it easy for Premium subscribers to find and manage their audiobooks. The company has created a dedicated audiobook hub on its website and app, where subscribers can browse and search for audiobooks by title, author, genre, and more.

If you are a Spotify Premium member, and live in the U.K. or Australia – where the new feature is already available, you can go directly to this link on the web to browse the catalog of Spotify audiobooks.

Spotify Premium audiobooks will be available for the U.S. users in the following months. The company does not reveal plans for the rest of the world.

What the company is not boasting about is the monthly usage. You will be able to listen to Spotify audiobooks for only 15 hours per month.

15 hours? Really? An average audiobook takes around 10 hours, so within your “unlimited” Premium access to Spotify audiobooks, you will be able to finish one audiobook.

Hopefully, it may change, as the company claims it’s working on more ways to unlock access to Premium audiobooks.

Are you planning to try Spotify audiobooks when they finally arrive in your country?

Source: Spotify Premium Will Include Instant Access to 150,000+ Audiobooks – Spotify Blog

A refurbished Kindle is the one that has been returned by a customer and tested by Amazon for functionality and defects.

The software is updated by Amazon to the latest available version, and the device comes with the same limited warranty as a new device.

If you accept the refurbished status of the device, you can save a significant amount of money – as soon as you know such a device is available.

The best destination to shop for refurbished Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets is the home page of Amazon Device Deals, where are currently discounted new and refurbished models appear.

Currently, Amazon is offering a deal on refurbished Kindle Scribe models. A deal on refurbished devices? Don’t refurbished devices are a deal already?

Yes, they are always cheaper than the new ones, but even they are subject to price cuts – what’s happening right now.

For instance, the Kindle Scribe with the most affordable configuration (16 GB plus Basic Pen), in the “like-new” condition, costs today only $235. On the product page, you will read that its list price is $285 – but it’s the list price of the refurbished model. The new one costs $340.

In other words, you don’t save $50 but $105, if you compare the like-new model to the new one.

There is also the refurbished Kindle Scribe with 64 GB and Premium Pen, which costs $280 instead of $420, which means you save $140.

Is it better to buy the refurbished Kindle Scribe now or wait for the autumn edition of Prime Day 2023?

Having in mind that Kindle Scribe (16 GB with the Basic Pen) was $255 during Prime Day Summer Edition 2023, you can’t expect the much lower price this year for a new device.

The deal on the refurbished Kindle Scribe will let you save $20 more right now.

The only disadvantage is the unboxing moment that won’t raise your adrenaline level. Refurbished Amazon devices are being shipped in generic Amazon-branded boxes.

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Amazon is right now sending out emails to Kindle users informing about two major improvements made to the Send to Kindle feature.

These changes apply to documents that are being added to your Kindle library through the Kindle e-reader or the app for iOS, Android, and Mac.

Improvements to pdf files

First of all, from now on, if you import a pdf file with the “Keep original layout” option enabled, the imported document will support text selection, search, and hyperlinks.

You will be able to highlight the text, as well as make text notes. Smart Lookup feature will also work in this document.

Improvements to epub, html, txt, and rtf files

Do you want to add to your Kindle library a file in epub, htm, html, txt or rft file format, or a doc, docx or pdf with “Make layout adjustable” enabled?

The new feature will let you benefit from Page Flip on your Kindle or in a Kindle app. Page turn animation is now also supported, as well as some Enhanced Typesetting features.

Page Flip is an advanced Kindle book navigation feature that makes it easy to explore books without loosing your latest read position.

Send to Kindle is Amazon’s free tool that allows you to send documents to your Kindle library on your Kindle e-reader, Fire tablet, or Kindle app. 

You can upload documents through the web, an authorized email address, the Kindle app for iOS and Android devices, or a Send to Kindle application (if available). 

It’s worth highlighting that all documents sent through Send to Kindle are protected with end-to-end encryption.

Note: Just a reminder that since the beginning of 2023 you can’t add mobi files to your Kindle. Epub is now the file format that’s accepted by Amazon.

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The company has just announced a series of leather covers that are designed exclusively for the new iPhone 15 models.

Two models have been introduced: The Pocket Book and The Traveler Wallet Case.

The Pocket Book cover from Pad & Quill is crafted with American full-grain leather and is designed to bundle the essentials for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

The Pocket Book for iPhone Pro costs $100, but the introductory price is lowered to $85.

The Traveler case is inspired by the classic coin wallet. The company calls is the “world’s first all leather case for iPhone 15”. It comes with a built-in stand and wallet for stand-by mode. Its introductory price is $85 instead of the regular $100.

How does iPhone 15 stack up against earlier models? It sports the Dynamic Island feature, A16 Bionic chip, 2x zoom, and USB-C post.

It’s worth mentioning that iPhone 15 comes with the brightest display (1,000 nits of typical brightness, compared to 800 in iPhone 13 and 14).

If you are looking for bookish cases for your iPhone, make sure to check out our dedicated list.

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Starting today, you can share your content with other Amazon Household members, using your Kindle app on the iOS, Android, and Fire device.

The content that’s eligible for Amazon Household sharing is purchased ebooks and audiobooks (including manga and comics), as well as content downloaded via active digital subscriptions, such as Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Prime Reading, and comiXology unlimited.

If you use your Kindle or Kindle app to get library ebooks via Public Library Lending, you can share these titles as well.

What are the benefits of sharing Kindle content via Amazon Household? The biggest benefit is that two or more users can read the same ebook, and there will be no problem with the last-synced editions. Also, every user can organize the content in their own way, so you won’t have a problem with finding the right boo.

Amazon Household allows you to share Amazon benefits with another adult, teens, and children. You can add two adult accounts and four kids. Members of the family can choose to share selected books from their Library or the entire Library itself.

Here are more details about Amazon Household, and here you can start adding family members.

It’s not clear whether you have to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to start your Amazon Household. You can share your Prime benefits if you have Prime membership, but you can also share your purchased Kindle books – and in this case, you don’t need Prime.

Regarding Amazon Fire tablets, you can now get Fire Max 11 for only $189.99 (15% off), and the 10-inch Fire HD for $119 (20% off).

Source: Families can now share Kindle content on iOS, Android, and Fire Tablets with Amazon Household – About Amazon

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