US publishing giant pulls the plug on e-books

NEWS US publisher Random House has pulled the plug on its e-book operation AtRandom.com, throwing yet more strength behind claims that electronic publishing may never really take off. Random House said it made the decision to cease operations at AtRandom due to the e-book market failing to take off as hoped as consumers continue to favour traditional bound books bought in bookshops - whether online or offline. AtRandom was set up in summer 2000 and offered books in both traditional and e-book formats - though placing a stronger emphasis on the e-books. According to the Chicago Tribune, Random House is still committed to the e-book format and will continue to digitalise its catalogue of fiction and non-fiction at other imprints under the Random House banner.