Sep 07

Scribd.com Continues to Impress

Scribd.com is growing in size, function–AND POPULARITY. They boast: “Tens of millions of readers. Millions of documents. 35 billion words.”

Sign in to purchase eBooks from some of the world’s leading authors and independents  for direct download to your eBook Reader or other handheld device. They offer an excellent pdf-based file format for online reading at your desk or on your laptop.

They’re also in the process of ‘democratizing’ Scribd with the addition of a social networking system, where you can upload and sell your own work or others’.

If you haven’t checked it out, you simply must. Scribd.com is a pioneer in the way we’re all going to read and sell books.

Sep 06

The Future of Libraries

CNN has an excellent report on some of the changes that are coming to that tried and true institution, the Public Library. Read the article here.

With the relentless forces of the digital age chipping away at every corner, one has to wonder what the library of the future will look like. The widespread adoption of eBooks and wireless eBook Readers begins to call into question the necessity of these physical archives.

Even the argument of their use as a public meeting place is being eroded by social networking, Twitter and an endless flow of texts.

How can the library remain relevant?

Sep 05

Amazon offers $30.00 gift card as apology.

We talked about it before here, and now PCWorld is updating the story. Back in July, Amazon brazenly entered Kindle owners’ collections and summarily deleted titles by George Orwell that they had mistakenly sold them…this without asking permission or offering explanation. Read some of the fallout here.

Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos ended up dishing out a sincere apology in an attempt at damage control.

On Friday Amazon announced it was offering a $30 Gift Card to  the offended Kindle owners who lost copies of  1984 from their Kindles but are uninterested in a replacement.

You can tell the competition is heating up in the eBook Revolution. After all, if Amazon wanted to play nice they wouldn`t have broken into the Kindles in the first place, yah?

Sep 04

Google Books Under Attack

Thanks again to our friend Jorgen who returned to direct us to a couple of stories about the ongoing debate over Google Books’ attempt to rule the eBook World…

First the Wall Street Journal offers this ‘hard to believe’ author and consumer defense mounted by Amazon. (Honestly, Amazon, don’t you want to rule the eBook World too?) I seem to remember a $9.99 boycott of eBooks over there not all that long ago…yes, readers had to force you to lower your prices. And there was that time you deleted books from Kindles without even saying why. Isn’t that an invasion of privacy?

Find more specifics on Amazon’s argument at zdnet.com.

The second story at the Chronicle Review  examines how Google Books’ method of archiving books could get in the way with how researchers use texts. The article warns that pricing, access, and privacy aside, we should think long and hard before putting control of all this information into the hands of a corporation that could one day be swallowed up by Wal-Mart. That chilling thought and more in this in-depth piece.

Sep 03

An example of ridiculous eBook pricing.

Here’s a story at Bookseller.com describing how Transworld, (…there’s a warm and cuddly name for you…) the publisher of Dan Brown’s new book The Lost Symbol,  will release hardback and eBook editions simultaneously on September 15th both priced at $29.95. That while Amazon offers a $9.99 Kindle edition.

Come on! $29.95 for an eBook, when most people think $9.99 is too much? On top of that other retailers will be free to discount their copies, which will further muddy the waters.

It would be easy to be snide, but it’s early in the eBook Revolution. There are bound to be confusing moments like this that consumer backlash is bound to straighten out. Let’s hope the high prices do not promote too much piracy and file sharing.

STOP PROMOTING PIRACY. SELL CONTENT PRICED AS CONTENT!

Sep 02

eBooks Open an Affordable Chapter in Education

Acting on another tip from Jorgen, I visited the Washington Times to read an article about how the cost of printing is forcing a move toward eBook use in schools.

The article makes an excellent point. Texts with a shelf-life are no longer suited to cash-strapped school systems. Having purchased a few over-priced (single-use) texts and reference books over the years, I can understand why there are groups forming to protest these rising costs. If providing a good education is job one, then something’s got to give.

The cost of running schools rises every year and tuition hikes are an annual event, so it seems that a reusable eBook Reader purchased or leased by the school or student might be the perfect fit. Linked to the eBook’s editability and flexible platform, texts could be upgraded whenever the circumstances demanded.

So, it would be interesting to see education drive us toward this new tech, when everyone was expecting entertainment to do it. Perfect for the eBook revolution, yah?

Sep 01

“Muscular Debate” over eBook Pricing

Thanks to Jorgen for pointing us to this article at the Financial Times about the debate over eBook Pricing. Seems publishers are still blaming the greedy authors.

More hilarious quotes as publishers continue to sell us this theory that they’ve never really made much money anyway, and this $9.99 per eBook at Amazon (STILL WAY TOO MUCH to the CONSUMER! ) is just chiseling them into the ground. They always somehow neglect mentioning the important cost saving aspect of producing eBooks, as in there is no printing, shipping or storage to cover. Outside of paying the author his/her royalty (if he/she’s lucky, 8-15% of cover price) there is only some minimal cover design and layout cost, some advertising, and well, they’ve yet to explain where the rest of the money goes.

The truth is publishers have to evolve to suit the new market. There is still plenty of profit to be made, they just can’t make the same profit per item. eBooks are just far cheaper to produce than hardcover or paperback. GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEADS!

Aug 31

For eBook Readers and Writers

This article at A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing leans toward eBook Writers and Publishers, but it’s got some excellent background for those of us with only a general knowledge of the new technologies and exploding eBook Marketplace.

There’s a focus on eBook format, too. Something that everyone who’s in the game as a reader or writer wants to settle out soon. The discussion is hurting Kindle (proprietary format), while it’s promoting interest in a more omnivorous machine. (Think Sony’s products or the rumored Apple Tablet.) We need format universality in eBook publishing so we can focus on getting the best out of the technology.

Aug 30

Google Books etc.

Sorry. Technical issues kept us out of the game for most of the day.

Here’s an interesting article at cnetnews to tide you over. Some in-depth specifics and background on the Google Books settlement.

I hope to be back in full swing tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

Aug 29

Asustek to Launch Eee-Book Reader

This article will remind us that there are more ways to read an eBook than Kindle, Sony or Apple’s.

Netbook maker Asustek plans to launch its own eBook Reader under its Eee label. Asustek has been a big player in the netbook market so might prove to be a dark horse in the race. Keeps it interesting, yah?