Kindle 3 is not just a bowl of Cherries…
A special thanks to Jorgen for this link to a post at FutureBook.com where writer Sam Missingham gives us a smart look at the Kindle 3 with the usual hardware asides but with a shift in focus to the Kindle’s more interactive and less virtual qualities.
…and always it comes down to price, yah?
Borders Drops Price of Kobo eReader!
PCMag says Borders is dropping the price of its Kobo eReader from $150 to $129 in response to the ongoing price war in the eBook Revolution.
They’ve also re-priced the smaller $119 Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro to $99. Borders said the changes make having a second eReader in the home an affordable option.
Then it’s all about selling the books, right?
New Kindles Selling like Reasonably Priced Hotcakes!
Ok. I know I used to have an axe to grind with Kindle, but that was because it debuted with a $379 price tag. That was just a wicked cash grab that did more to hurt the eBook Revolution than help it.
Now that Amazon has released its third Kindle version I’m happy to promote the machine, its $139 to $189 price tag, and the vast interactive library it calls home: Amazon.com.
Having said that, the prices still need to come down, and will, once the rest of the market reacts to Amazon’s push for first place. I know Sony’s got two new eBook Readers coming soon, and we still haven’t heard anything more from upstart Kobo and the $150 eReader that started a price war.
Read GoodeReader’s story about Kindle’s smashing sales record.
eBook Revolution Shifting into High Gear
PCWorld has a must-read story updating the explosive trends in the expanding eBook Revolution. While I think they fail to acknowledge the important role that Amazon’s E Ink competitors played in Kindle’s drastic price cut, the article is chock full of tech savvy observations.
Like: According to the article 40% of people polled say they read more on their Kindles and iPads than they did with traditional paper books.
And: They say that Forrester Research predicts 11 million US homes will have at least one eBook reading device by the end of September. (Imagine what Christmas is going to bring!)
Pop over to read the full story here.
A Worrisome Piece of eBook News…
Okay, I think this is something that will be more of a problem for iPad and Android tablet users (anything multi-function and full-color like smart phones, now that I think of it) but this article at MediaBuyerPlanner talks about the looming threat of advertisements in eBooks.
I’m more worried about the end user getting soaked for an ad-subsidized eBook. (Much the way they do buying cable subscriptions to advertisement-based television networks.) In terms of its impact on the reading experience, I can envision ad-free eBooks, software to remove ads and “plain text” Apps around the corner.
I guess the powers that be will look for methods of strip-mining the marketplace. Honestly, once an eBook is written and arrives in eBook stores for $9.99 what purpose would ad revenue serve other than maximizing profit? They’ll try it but it’s up to the consumers if we’ll buy it.
Is eBook Piracy the key to a Bestseller?
Many thanks to Jorgen for a link to a FUTUReBOOK story that highlights the continuing debate over online piracy. It seems that the laws aren’t working, and the powers that be are trying to ramp up the legal response to digital piracy and file sharing.
That eventuality can only slow the Internet and curb the freedoms of its honest users, despite the fact that there are many examples where piracy and file sharing are not just good for business, but are encouraged as a business model.
Read the article here.
Online Services for College and University Students
Many thanks to Emma Taylor at Onlinecollegesanduniversities.com for a post entitled: 50 Strangest How-Too Books Sold on Amazon.com. Kind of an interesting side to publishing that’s worth a chuckle or two (read the asides) and as the post points out, it could be a nice distraction for students seeking budget-sensitive textbooks.
Some examples: How To Carve Wood, How to Understand Women Through Their Cats, How to Book of Swedish Weaving, and many, many more…
Barnes and Noble taking the fight to Amazon.
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Kindle, Kobo eReader, eBook Readers, eBook Software, eBook Stores, eBooks, eReaders, iPad, nook 
Here’s rather an interesting post at MercuryNews.com that goes into a little more detail on what we’ve alluded to many times. Barnes and Noble’s 720 retail stores were the envy and nemesis of every book retailer out there, and have allowed it a dominant position in the North American marketplace.
Then along came the eBook Revolution with its obvious emphasis on the digital platform and suddenly all those bricks and mortar storefronts begin to resemble dinosaur bones.
Or do they? After a shaky start, B&N has charged into the digital age releasing its own eBook reader nook to combat Amazon’s Kindle, while releasing one digital adaptation after another–and all of it tied into its real-world properties. It’s clear that B&N doesn’t just want to survive the eBook Revolution. B&N wants to come out on top.
New Readers coming from Sony
Drop over to the Sony Insider to read about the rumored release of two new eBook readers. With so much competition in the explosive eBook marketplace, we knew it was just a matter of time until we heard from Sony.
The Sony PRS-650 is said to have a six-inch screen while the PRS-350’s screen will be five inch. The new devices boast attractive pricing, faster page turns and improved screen contrast among other things.
Check out the rest of the specifics at the jump.
Great times ahead for Authors… Not so great for publishers.
eBook Rumors has been saying for some time that in the face of the eBook Revolution the biggest challenge for the traditional publishers will be remaining relevant. At the Guardian.co.uk author Ray Connolly writes an engaging update on the state of the publishing nation entitled: “Who needs publishers?”
Connolly’s premise could not be more true now that writers can publish their own works and make them available to a large and rather eager audience through various online and hand-held platforms.
Add in the fact that we’re talking about a large disenfranchised population of writers (shut out of the old paradigm) now able to reach a massive audience that has been slowly starved of variety, accessibility and talent, and one can see that the traditional publishing cadre might have a difficult time staying inside the loop.
Historically, reading has been an intimate communication between the writer and reader facilitated and later controlled by publishers. Publishers now have to convince the new normal that ‘three’ is not a crowd.
