March 31, 2011
- GMO Pepabo, Inc.
March 31, 2011
Press Release
paperboy&co. Inc.
Paperboy&co. ebook Platform Publishes over 10,000 Titles
Tokyo – March 31, 2011 – GMO Internet Group company, paperboy&co. Inc. announces today that users of ebook self-publishing platform, Puboo have published over 10,000 ebooks in just 8 months since the service was released in June 2010.
At the same time, Puboo launches a fundraising initiative that will allow writers to donate proceeds from the sale of certain ebooks on Puboo to the northern Japan earthquake and tsunami relief effort.
Puboo is an ebook self publishing platform that allows users to create, publish and sell ebooks. Having achieved continuous steady growth ever since its launch, on March 14 the number of ebooks published on Puboo surpassed 10,000, while number of users had reached around 27,000. (Number of users includes readers and publishers).
Paid eBooks Comprise 30% of Publications: Novel most Popular Genre
Of the 10,000 ebooks published on Puboo, around 70% are free publications and the remaining 30% are paid publications. Users are free to set their own sales price and the majority sells their work for between 100-300 yen – cheaper than regular novels.
The most popular genre on Puboo is the novel followed by picture books/fairytales and manga.
Writer and Reader Events
In September 2009, the Puboo Writer Discovery Project was established to contribute to the growing ebook self publishing phenomenon and to discover new talent. Coming up we have more contests and events planned in the manga, novel, and photography genres for both writers and readers.
Corporate, Media and Celebrity Participation
Most of the work published on Puboo comes from independent users but increasingly professional writers, publishers and media are also using the service. The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ white paper on information communication, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s 2009 ecommerce report, and CNET journalist Toshinao Sasaki’s The Age of Creation (Chikumashobo Ltd.) were all published on Puboo.
Puboo is always being improved and right now we are working on adding the ability to input blogs and PDF files. Going forward we will continue to work to provide an optimal environment for creating ebooks. In the future we are looking at adding more features including the ability for multiple writers to simultaneously edit a piece of writing and the ability for writers to correct one another’s work.
Donate Sales Proceeds to the Northern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Effort
Media Inquiries
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Puboo has set up a fundraising system enabling both publishers and buyers to contribute to the Northern Japan relief effort.
Writers may elect to donate book sales to the Japanese Red Cross Society. The entire sale amount of each book will be donated.
Please visit Booklog to see participating titles. (http://p.booklog.jp/book/385/page/284132 Japanese only)
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Media Inquiries
paperboy&co. Inc.
Email: [email protected]
GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group is a leading force in the Internet industry offering one of the most comprehensive ranges of Internet services worldwide. The group is the top provider of domain registration, web hosting, ecommerce, and payment processing solutions in Japan and operates a host of other Internet services including global online security services, search engine marketing and online securities trading. At the center of the group is GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
paperboy&co. Inc.
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Company Name
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(JASDAQ: 3633)
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Location
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Cerulean Tower, 26-1 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
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CEO
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Kentaro Sato
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Business Description
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-Web hosting service
-Ecommerce support
-Community business
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Capital
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120.62 million yen (12/2010)
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GMO Internet Inc.
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Company Name
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GMO Internet Inc. http://www.gmo.jp/en
(TSE First Section Code: 9449) |
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Location
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Cerulean Tower, 26-1 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
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CEO
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Masatoshi Kumagai
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Business Description
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-Web Infrastructure & Ecommerce
-Internet Media
-Internet Securities
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Capital
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JPY 2 billion
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