This is a really weird time to be a writer. Agents are becoming publishers; publishers have moved to “the agency model“; and some self-published authors are making millions—all because e-books are now outselling all other segments. Magazines and newspapers are dying, blogs and aggregators are thriving, and the line between them all is blurring. Last year Apple was their savior; now it’s damned as a destroyer.
So what’s a writer to do?
These days I’m mostly a developer, but I’ve had a clutch of novels (thrillers about globetrotting techies) published by traditional houses, and also experimented with just about every form of The New Publishing. My latest book (an epic urban fantasy about a squirrel) was Creative Commons-released and self-Kindle-published before I sold it to a publisher. I’ve scripted a Vertigo Comics graphic novel, and a free online comic for Engineering.com. Plus I write here, and for magazines. And the news I bring from all my literary peregrinations is this:
…in the immortal words of William Goldman, nobody knows anything.
And that is awesome. → Read More
Amazon has always been frustratingly close-lipped about its hardware business, opting not to divulge sales numbers or upcoming hardware changes for more or less the entire life of the Kindle. And incredibly, such information rarely leaks out (though we managed to catch the graphite Kindle 3 ahead of its debut). But today just two words are sending the tech blogs into confusion, as Jeff Bezos coyly tells an interviewer to “stay tuned” in relation to a new Amazon tablet. → Read More
When not destroying the heartland and ripping down the fabric of small town America, Wal-Mart likes to give back to the community. For example, the Arkansas Boys and Girls Club of America, got a $10,000 grant from the giant to buy books, magazines, and most notably, Kindles.
There will be 50 Junior High and High School children involved in Bright Spot. This reading center will contain not only books, but also other forms of literature. Magazines, Kindles, and music will be available for the children to enjoy and read. This program encourages teens to continue reading in their everyday life.
“The Walmart Foundation’s Bright Spot for Reading Initiative is essential in preparing youth for academic and life success,” continued Shelby Kriz, Director of Education, “We are grateful to The Walmart Foundation for the opportunity to create an environment that will encourage and allow our youth to enjoy and develop an affinity for reading.”
Quanta, a Chinese hardware manufacturer, is reporting that they have received an order from Amazon to build new Kindle tablets, potentially with fringe field switching display touchscreens that may or may not mimic the screens found in devices like the Nook Color. → Read More
One of the main features of the latest version of the Kindle was its new “Pearl” E Ink screen. It offered better contrast, faster response, and so on. And since we’ve gotten so used to new stuff being given to us every year, I guess we all just kind of expected there would be another new E Ink screen this year, along with a new wave of e-readers using it. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case. → Read More
Researchers at the University of Washington have found that, while useful, Kindles (specifically that larger Kindles DX) aren’t all that popular with students – yet. Their issues, arguably, are UI problems including the need for a “skimmable” abstract of content and better note-taking systems. However, to be fair, Amazon and B&N could fix those problems in a heartbeat.
“Most e-readers were designed for leisure reading – think romance novels on the beach,” said co-author Charlotte Lee, a UW assistant professor of Human Centered Design and Engineering. “We found that reading is just a small part of what students are doing. And when we realize how dynamic and complicated a process this is, it kind of redefines what it means to design an e-reader.”
Hello Muddah! Hello Faddah! Here I am at Amazonia. Buying Kindles.
For a limited time if you buy a Kindle 3G/WiFi for $189 (or a DX, but Mom doesn’t need one of those) you get a $25 gift card for Mom to use on Nicholas Sparks books. → Read More
One of the main complaints about Honeycomb is the lack of apps that are legitimately tailored to its ecosystem. Amazon’s Kindle app, available on a number of platforms, is only just now making the leap to Honeycomb with an improved layout and so on. Good news for people who already have a few books bought through Kindle, but want to read them on their new Honeycomb tablet. I doubt there are that many of you out there, but hey. → Read More
Gute Nachrichten! The Kindle is now available in Germany and includes 650,000 titles as well as thousands of free German classics including (as far as I know) “Wurst And Peace,” “Anne Of Oktoberfest,” and “A Tale Of Two Lagers.” → Read More
Who says Amazon is trying to kill the local library? The company’s latest venture brings the power of the Kindle to public and educational libraries through a partnership with OverDrive. That sounds like love, not hate.
Exact usage details weren’t released, but patrons will be able to check out ebooks from their local libraries on all Kindle models and platform apps. The Whispersync technology will then preserve digital notes and bookmarks in case the book is checked out again or purchased through Amazon. → Read More
A report from the Association of American Publishers reveals that e-books sales experienced “powerful continuing growth” as they colorfully put it, and paper books of all types dipped, compared to the same period (January-February) from last year. This isn’t surprising news, mainly because it isn’t news — and even if it were, it’s just history repeating itself; we’ve seen the same thing happen to music.
The parallels are clear, though the situations and reactions of the RIAA and AAP are somewhat different. Mostly in that the AAP and other booksellers aren’t being dragged kicking, screaming, and suing into the future, but are embracing it despite its implications. → Read More
I love my Kindle DX. After my dog Ferrari, it’s probably my favorite thing in the world and wouldn’t think of trading the big screen for increased portability found in the normal model. Today only you can score the latest generation with the really nice e-ink screen for only $299. That’s $80 off the standard price. It’s a good deal for sure and Amazon rarely puts their best selling product line on sale so you might want to jump on it. [Amazon via GoodeReader] → Read More
Amazon’s Kindle is about to become even more affordable.
Today, the company announced that it’s releasing a new version of its popular eReader with a new feature that everyone will like: a price-tag that’s $25 cheaper than the Kindle Wi-Fi’s normal $139. But it comes with one minor catch: Amazon will be placing ‘Special Offers’ — also known as ads — into specific parts of the Kindle UI.
But fear not, skeptical bibliophiles: Amazon says that the ads will only show up on the Kindle’s home screen and screensavers, and they won’t show up when you’re actually reading. For those of you who haven’t used a Kindle before, the home screen is, as you’d expect, the menu where you select what content you’d like to read (you don’t see it often unless you frequently jump between books). And the screen savers show up whenever you put your device to sleep (on current models these include portraits of famous authors and art). In other words, the ads should be pretty unintrusive. → Read More
When I first read the new that Amazon would begin selling an ad-supported Kindle, my heart sank. This is the beginning of the end, I thought. But that was only because the Businessweek article about the change left out one key detail: the ads will not be shown during the reading experience. Jason dug up those details.
Amazon will only be showing the ads on the Kindle home screen and on the screensavers, which is great. In exchange, people will be able to buy a Kindle for $25 cheaper — $114. An attractive price, no doubt. But it’s also ones that begs the question: why on Earth not go to the killer $99 price point?!
Imagine a Kindle for $99. There would be a frenzy. Amazon would sell so many of them. → Read More
Calling all first adopters and/or risk takers. Woot has a fun deal for you crazy folk this morning. For only $50 you can score a color ereader with WiFi! That’s less than John Biggs spends filling up his lovely purple Honda Fit. So what are the downsides? Well, honestly, if you’re asking that question than please don’t buy this. I’m 100% serious. If you don’t know — and that’s fine — then just take my word and skip this deal. Save a bit more and snag a Kindle for $139. This Sharper Image tablet is just more Alibaba junk. However, that said, it’s sure to provide $50 worth of fun to the right person — just as long as that person understands they’re not buying a Kindle. → Read More
You can now download more than 50,000 Audible.com audiobooks on your Kindle via your Wi-Fi connection. You’ve always been able to download Audible audiobooks from the site itself, then transfer them to your Kindle via a USB, but now you can do so wirelessly. → Read More
Remember when everyone was freaking out over the Apple in-app subscription changes? You should. It was just a month ago. And while some of the fears that arose do appear to be very real, the two things most people focused on were Amazon’s Kindle app and the Netflix app. Well guess what? Both received updates today, and neither includes the supposedly mandatory changes.
When Apple first announced the in-app subscription option, the wording seemed to indicate that any app that offered a subscription outside of the app would now have to offer it inside the app as well — which Apple would take a 30 percent cut of. The same was said to be true for in-app purchases. If you sold content outside of the app (on the web) to be used in that app, you were supposed to offer it in the app as well (and with a best-price match guarantee). But again, a month later, Netflix and Amazon keep getting app updates and neither includes these changes. → Read More
Amazon still refuses to share how many Kindle devices it has sold to date, short from saying it’s the best-selling product in its history, but you can be sure it will become a whole lot more really soon.
AT&T this morning announced it will begin selling the Kindle 3G in company-owned retail stores across the United States, beginning March 6. → Read More
Amazon still refuses to share how many Kindle devices it has sold to date, short from saying it’s the best-selling product in its history, but you can be sure it will become a whole lot more really soon.
AT&T this morning announced it will begin selling the Kindle 3G digital publication reader in company-owned retail stores across the United States, beginning March 6. → Read More
Amazon has just released yet another new commercial for the Kindle, which again takes aim at its major competitor, the iPad. The commercial includes the fact that Amazon now has over 800,000 titles in the Kindle book store, and like past commercials, highlights the difficulty many iPad users face when reading on the tablet in direct sunlight. The Kindle, on the other hand, is perfectly visible in direct sunlight. The commercial even includes a tagline, “easy to read in bright sunlight” and throws in a mention of its long battery life.
One thing that is noticeable in the commercial is that all of the actors appear to be in their twenties and thirties, which shows that Amazon is clearly trying to target a younger demographic in the spot. And the tagline “The Book Lives On,” appears to be a new one. → Read More
