Ebook news digest: overhyped screen time concerns, Trivago rip-off, book piracy in Italy

finger of old woman pointing at tablet screen. photo by timothy muza

News on ebooks, writing and travel

Screen time: Conclusions about the apocalyptic effects of digital media are often incomplete, overstated

A voice of reason about concerns of regularly accessing media on a mobile device or PC: “a recent review of over 200 studies about social media concluded there was almost … Read >

Key trend: publishers are making readers pay for news in 2020s

reuters institute: primary revenue stream for news publisher
Most important revenue stream for my company going forward? (Source: Reuters Institute)

Reuters Institute has published a survey on news business that highlights the key trends for 2020. Overall, the results don’t feature any dramatic surprises, but rather reinforce the trends already happening. The most concrete, the most likely to … Read >

These cities are ready to welcome more tourists, whereas these struggle with crowds

St Girons, France, a massively popular event in July that lasts 3 weeks around France

Travelers who have visited a popular tourist destination during the high season surely have experienced never-ending crowds, time-consuming queues, and overpriced restaurants and shops. Overtourism is an emerging problem, particularly, in select cities in Europe. World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and JLL have published a study that rates cities … Read >

Phones, Instagram and selfie-sticks are transforming travel

selfie photograph takers at a viewing platform

Tourism is a key industry in Australia that is studied in universities. Professors of the University of Canberra have published a study The social media tourist gaze that focused on the effect of social media on travel. They discovered a relatively rapid transformation of travel interests and experiences caused by … Read >

These are the best destinations in Europe for a city break right now

A city break in Europe is always a fascinating experience, but choosing a new exciting destination that matches the earlier trips can be a challenge. British consumer association Which surveyed its members for the best cities in Europe to visit right now.

Which published the Read >

Ebook news digest: new life in Italian villages, tips for writers conferences, USB risk for travelers

an ancient european village at the foot of mountains

News on ebooks, travel, and writing

Italy Revives Abandoned Villages as Experiential Travel Destinations

Entrepreneurs are reviving ancient villages that have been almost completely abandoned in Italy. The concept is to rebuild existing worn out or ruined buildings as inns or guesthouses that provide high level hotel services for guests. … Read >

The shock effect of artificial intelligence technology on publishing industry

Frankfurt book fair, China booth

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a software technology that usually relies on large amounts of data that is fed to smart algorithms for making informed choices. It is not black magic that solves all the problems of the world, but AI has been successfully used for specific applications. Book publishers, newspapers … Read >

Amazon established a marketplace for teachers to sell their self-made course materials

girl student amazed about the content of a book

Teachers create plenty of course material for their students, especially for lessons that are under constant change and development. Workbooks and other resources are of course available for teachers, but focused, tailored packages for a specific topic can be difficult to find. Amazon Ignite aims at providing a marketplace for … Read >