We do a lot of reading on our phones and personal computers via websites and apps. It introduced a new feature called Lumin, which makes reading on mobile devices easier. And perhaps it feels that this would best be achieved with a new start.
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Flickr / Ryan G. SmitheBooks are way more efficient than physical books, and they’re much more portable. Others that remain in the e-book subscription business include Amazon.com inc.
When it debuted almost two years ago, Oyster was poised to bring monthly subscriber streaming – a la Netflix – to the literary set. They give no reason for why Oyster is closing, saying only that their vision for ebooks will be “best seized by taking on new opportunities”.
A Google spokesperson confirmed that a portion of Oyster team has joined Play Books, the company’s online store for books.
– Amazon announced that, for the self-published titles in its Kindle Unlimited subscription program, it’s going to pay authors by the number of pages read, rather than by the borrow.
“But why?” you might wonder. “What’s wrong with just buying ebooks?”
Some familiar with Oyster’s situation, who were not authorized to speak about the deal on the record, suggested that Google’s acquisition signals this is becoming a market for the bigger players rather than the startups.
“It’s wonderful to say you have a million books so long as people didn’t actually read a million books”, she says. Whatever Google is paying for you can be sure they will put to good use. The entity has made headway in the industry and is often referred to as the Netflix of e-books. “HarperCollins looks forward to growing its relationship with Oyster as it expands the choices it offers consumers”. Google certainly has that size. The existing Oyster service will be sunset in early 2016.
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“We know that readers want to see all of their options and access every book – subscription and retail – in one place”.
