Da Vinci Code Sequel Set for eBook Success?

Here’s an interesting (if a trifle inflated) article at the guardian.co.uk about Dan Brown’s Davinci Code sequel The Lost Symbol arriving in time to SAVE the publishing industry.

It more reasonably goes on to talk about the book’s positive impact on the burgeoning eBook marketplace.

That’s the meat of the story for me since it could be argued that the imperiled traditional publishers got themselves into trouble by putting all of their focus on publishing only bestsellers by authors like DAN BROWN, STEPHEN KING or J. K. ROWLING, etc.

They further narrowed their scope with attempts to capitalize on each bestseller’s success by releasing similar books by lesser authors. In the process, the publishers lost their ability to adapt and the traditional book market stagnated.

If they had focused on longevity instead of quarterly profits, these publishers would have been grooming new writers, thereby opening the market to varied tastes in author, genre, subject matter, etc.

Sony explains change of heart…

Here’s a story at BBC.COM about Sony’s adoption of the EPUB format. I’m mentioning it again because the move is revolutionary for eBooks and begins opening up the market to the practical and flexible features of the Internet and digital technology.

And because of this quote:

“Partial figures gathered by the International Digital Publishing Forum suggest ebook sales are doing well. Wholesale ebook sales in the US jumped from $25.8m (£15.6m) to $37.6m (£22.7m) during the second quarter of 2009. By contrast, sales at the end of the second quarter of 2008 stood at $11.6m (£7m).”

You can see why the competition is getting fierce. As soon as a universal, affordable and practical eBook Reader is established, there is a very lucrative market waiting to be served, yah?

p.s. Wholesale eBook sales? Is that the same as an author selling directly to his/her readers?

Weekend Read – Free Too!

Okay. A slow eBook news day is a good day to read an eBook. Check out these collections and free offers. The libraries and web sites in the list are constantly adding new titles and different editions so it’s always worth going back to download something to read, or to grab eBooks old or new to add to your own digital library. Enjoy!

Project Gutenberg – Their mission statement: to encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks. “Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks.” Read the full scoop at the above link. Tons of reading there, you could browse all day. Classics and public domain material for obvious reasons but here’s their explanation. They offer many formats but prefer “open” and “editable” varieties.

Jennifer L. Armstrong hosts Free Online Novels where she’s posted an impressive list of free online novels along with her own. Various formats. Huge Selection!

G. Wells Taylor is giving the first book in his Apocalypse Trilogy away. Get it here. It’s a horror mystery adventure called When Graveyards Yawn. Multiple formats now available.

Feedbooks.com allows you to select free eBooks in various formats for download: Mobi, Pdf, sized for iLiad, Sony etc. That means you’re getting public domain material, but there’s a growing list of Author Direct eBooks too. It also offers some cool free online publishing options for writers.

L. Lee Lowe’s free novel Mortal Ghost is available here in various formats for a range of devices and handhelds: iPod etc. It worth a read. It’s also available in podcasts here.

Author Susan Crealock has several hundred FREE eBooks available at her blog: Online Novels. We’re talking about some 500 titles in a wide selection of genres written by both traditionally published and Indie authors. Check it out.

Suggest a Link here.

Sony Goes EPUB

In the intensifying battle for eBook supremacy, Sony has announced that it will use the XML-based EPUB format in the Sony eBook Store, opening the door to consumers buying from the list without having to own a Sony Reader.

Seems like a logical move, but it’s a departure from Sony’s proprietary format beginnings. It’s a move that is also bound to pull the rug out from under Amazon’s wireless but tethered Kindle, and Kindle-only list of titles.

When linked to the release of 2 new competitively priced Readers and the rumored announcement of a wireless Sony Reader to go up against the Kindle, Sony is looking seriously interested in taking the lead in the eBook marketplace.

It’s about time one of the leaders woke up and smelled the coffee, yah? Read the full story here.

Getfreeebooks.com

I mentioned this site before, and thought I’d bring it up again for all you early adopters building eBook libraries. It has to be their name: getfreeebooks.com (just about a perfect!). Anyway these guys are driving a ton of traffic and pushing a lot of E-ink.

Check out getfreeebooks.com. They’ve got a wide selection that cross may genres, available in Mobipocket/Kindle prc, pdf or other. I popped in for a visit and noticed their list is growing in leaps and bounds. It’s worth a look, yah?

There are public domain titles available, but they’re also offering a growing list of Indie authors from many genres.

They reject all that “Internet Marketing” free eBook junk, so you don’t have to worry about getting hooked into that racket. Enjoy!

Sony’s Going to Announce Something…

Are they just catching up to the leak with an official release of PRS-300 and PRS-600 or is Sony going to announce a rumored third wireless eBook Reader?

It’s all going to happen on August 25th, so stay tuned. More on the story here at Slashgear.

Is Amazon painting itself into a corner?

MarketWatch has an excellent article that highlights the dangerous game that Amazon’s playing. While the rest of the eBook world moves toward some kind of universality with the EPUB format, Amazon’s sticking to its guns and selling a version of its Mobipocket format for KINDLE’s only. (Or the Kindle Reader for iPod.)

That presents a bit of a gamble to Kindle adopters as the rest of the eBook Market seems poised to put the emphasis on selling untethered eBook Readers capable of reading eBooks from anywhere. Why hook yourself to a piece of technology that lacks adaptability (the Amazon-only-Kindle) and carries a sometimes uncomfortable relationship with its maker?

If Amazon is smart they’ll cut the umbilical, dump the proprietary format, bring the price of Kindle down and open it up for the user to control. Then start selling eBooks, yah?

Astak Pro Releases $199 eBook Reader

Another new, more affordable kid on the block, the Astak  EZ Reader 5 is available for pre-order here.

Coming in six colors and compact with a 5-inch ePaper 600×800, 8-level display, the EZ Reader Pocket Pro priced at $199 is an obvious challenger to Sony’s new PRS-300. Get a full list of specifications and ordering information on the Pocket Pro here.

EZ Reader Pocket Pro has a slightly larger companion, the 6″ EZ Reader that comes with similar abilities but with a 6-inch screen. It’s also showing signs of a reality check on eBook Reader pricing, coming in at $259. Still more than the average household is going to adopt in large quantities, but it’s proof that competition is starting to open up the marketplace to more than first adopters.

Free is Good but it’s not original…

Sorry folks. Here’s yesterday’s news that failed to post for some reason…

Here’s an Associated Press story about established authors doing what independents have been doing for years. Believe me, James Patterson’s not taking the same risk. I’m glad he’s taking the risk and adding his heft to the eBook Revolution, but his motivation is different from a new novelist on the road up.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining and there are some risks involved for Patterson. But free offerings from his backlist can be used in this way to promote his new material.

It’s an entirely different concept for the independent novelist who has yet to build a readership and gives away his or her work.

And the idea that Amazon is supporting the ‘free’ market and low pricing is laughable. Amazon is being forced to comply by the demands of that market. They started off with, and still maintain, high prices for content and their machine (the Kindle) that reads them. They’re doing what they have to do to survive.

Make no mistake. The established publishing world is complying and adapting to an eBook market and business model that was established on the backs of independent authors who have been giving their work away for years.

Plastic Logic and a Nameless Rollable eNewspaper

Ok, it doesn’t have a name yet, nothing cool like Papyrus or Kindle or what have you, but this week Plastic Logic unveiled a lightweight E-Ink newspaper reader roughly 8.5″x11″ that updates wirelessly.

Its touch-screen interactivity allows users to make notations and offers video, if you can imagine. Read the full story about it here.

It will be manufactured in Germany and Plastic Logic plans to have it available for sale early next year. The device has a large storage capacity,  is made of flexible plastic (.25 inches thick) and boasts an environmentally friendlier profile than eBook Reading contemporaries.

I’m sure I read about something like this in a science fiction novel, yah?