A book is a book: VAT rules must reflect that

The European Court of Justice ruling that e-books don’t qualify for lower rates of value-added tax (VAT) will have severe consequences for the book trade. We spoke to Vincent Montagne, President of Syndicat national de l’édition (the French publishers association) about the issue.

The digital economy: what happens next?

With smartphone penetration rates soaring, what can publishers do to kickstart mobile commerce for books? It’s one of the questions we asked digital expert Marcello Vena, who also assessed the retail landscape, the prospects for e-readers and the Long Tail theory’s application to books.

Russia’s publishing market: threats and opportunities

Irina Gusinskaya from Alpina Publisher explains how the economic crisis is impacting Russia’s publishing market. She tells us which titles and formats are selling best, and assesses the prospects for Russia’s nascent ebook sector.