Star Tribune: From Minnesota Will Go Forth the E-Books

Two Star Tribune article about ebooks place Minnesota in the center of the ebook universe.

1. The University of Minnesota is lamenting the legal setback for the Google books plans.

Google court case stalls U digital book plan
A blocked settlement with the book industry is a setback for the University of Minnesota's plans to make its books more available.
By STEVE ALEXANDER

For the University of Minnesota, the dream of a universal electronic library has been derailed -- or at least delayed -- by a federal judge's rejection of a settlement between Internet search leader Google and the book industry.

For a year, the U's library has been shipping its books to Google to be digitized and become part of a huge database of computerized library books that would be widely available.

The U planned to ship 1 million books, with the understanding that most of the digital copies would remain largely out of the public view until the Google settlement was approved. more...

2. A young Minnesota author is the top ebook seller in the US.

Minnesotan gets the best of 2 book worlds
E-book author Amanda Hocking signs with a traditional publisher. Tales of trolls and vampires are making Minnesota publishing phenomenon Amanda Hocking, 26, a millionaire. By KIM ODE

Now the 26-year-old author in Austin, Minn., considered the biggest e-book seller in the world, has signed with an ink-and-paper publisher for a book contract reportedly worth more than $2 million. more...