Jun 16

Has Google Editions Won the eBook War?

Many thanks to our friend Jorgen who provided a link to an interesting discussion over at FUTUReBOOK.com about the future of eBooks on the web and the trouble with DRM. The post by Tom Williams ponders whether Google Editions has already won the eBook war with their cloud-based eBooks versus the proprietary formats offered by Amazon, Apple iPad and etc.

I think it’s still too early for a conclusion on this. The mainstream consumer still has to speak, and by the look of the poster after the article, some people just want to read on an eBook reader and are happy without the distracting net-experience that come with multifunction devices.

Jun 15

Paper Books to Go Extinct?

The Huffington Post offers a thoughtful piece by Steve Leveen about the past and future of reading entitled: “Will Paper Books Go the Way of the Silent Film? Change in the Air at BookExpo America” inspired by remarks from an industry insider speaking at the recent BookExpo in New York. It’s a well-written piece worth the click.

Jun 14

Consumer Report on eBook Readers

Bright Side of News has a summary of a Consumer Report review of eBook Readers. Not a lot of surprises, but it’s nice to see that eBook Readers are mainstream enough to rate some ink from the non-profit, independent, subscription supported, rating organization.

Jun 13

Low-Priced books Lead in iBookstore sales.

Okay. I know what you’re thinking. “Well, that ain’t news…”

Check out the Bookseller.com story: “Discounted books rule on iBookstore.” They can spin this around the word “discount” all they want but the real story is that lower-priced eBooks outsell higher priced. It’s not rocket science. Publishers have to stop “discounting” titles and just start pricing them fairly, yah?

Jun 11

Dark Valentine Magazine – Volume 1, Issue 1 – NOW AVAILABLE!

summer_2010_cover

Volume 1, Issue 1 of Dark Valentine Magazine, a new on-line quarterly devoted to dark fiction, is now available for free download at DarkValentine.net

The joint venture of Katherine Tomlinson (publisher), Joy Sillesen (Editor/Design Director); and Joanne Renaud (art director), the collaboration was born when the three women met while working on John Donald Carlucci’s online and print pulp magazine, Astonishing Adventures.

“There are a lot of online magazines and sites devoted to pulp crime fiction,” publisher Katherine Tomlinson said, “but with Dark Valentine we wanted to branch into other genres as well.

“I am thrilled with the support we’ve received from the online writing community and delighted with the quality and variety of stories in this first issue,” she added. “There are many talented writers whose fiction fits our vision and we hope to hear from them all.”

Contributors to the first issue include Agatha nominee mystery novelist Elizabeth Zelvin, romance novelists Stephanie Dray and Christine Pope, and UK horror novelist Peter Mark May. There is flash fiction from Sandra Seamans, Carol Kilgore, Cormac Brown and Blue Jackson among the 19 stories, which range from paranormal noir to pulp fiction to sci fi.

The first issue’s cover is by DV’s art director Joanne Renaud, who took her inspiration from Stephanie Dray’s story of love gone wrong, “The Threshing Floor.” Renaud assembled her staff of artists from all over the globe—Greece (Eleni Trigatzi), Thailand (Rina Ez), the UK (Jennifer Caro), and Poland (Pamela Jaworska)—as well as different states in the U.S. (Kat Laurange, Molly Brewer, Michael Lauritano, Larry Nadolsky, Laura Neubert, Jane Burson, and Sarah Winifred Searle.

“It was exciting working with all the great artists who contributed to the first issue of Dark Valentine,” Renaud said, “and seeing the various artistic interpretations of all the wonderful dark stories that were submitted.”

Submissions are now open for Dark Valentine Magazine’s Autumn issue. For information, see the website (designed by the talented Sarah Vaughn) at: http://darkvalentine.net/index.php/submission-guidelines/

The magazine is a paying market—“We’re all freelancers ourselves,” says publisher Tomlinson, “so it was important that we pay our contributors, even if only a token amount”—and plans are in the works for a print anthology built around an as-yet-unannounced theme.

The summer premiere issue of Dark Valentine is available now at the Dark Valentine website and will be archived.

Contact:

publisher@darkvalentine.net

Jun 10

The BeBook Neo eBook Reader

BeBook NeoPocket-lint.com reviews the BeBook Neo eBook Reader at the jump.

At $329 Neo is no Kobo eReader, but it might represent some of the choice that is slowly forming in the eBook Marketplace.

In my estimation, I think Borders is right on the money with their planned Good, Better, Best selection of eBook Readers.

People who read eBooks and their paper equivalents come in many shapes and sizes too. I believe serious readers will have their ‘favorite’ eBook reader with all the bells and whistles they desire (maybe a personalized cover too) for reading in their favorite places, while they keep a lower-priced, almost disposable machine for travel, to send with the kids to camp or to stuff into a briefcase for the commute.

Jun 09

A Couple Recommendations for Amazon’s Kindle

Thanks Jorgen for this link to a post at Seth’s Blog entitled: Paperback Kindle. The article includes some excellent recommendations for Amazon to consider if it wants to be top dog in the eBook Reader marketplace, especially as the flashy iPad eats up ground the internet book giant has held since the start of the eBook Revolution. I really like the “buy 8 bestsellers get a free Kindle idea.” Check the post out, it’s not as crazy as it sounds.

Jun 08

iBookstore’s Questionable Sales Numbers and the threat to Kindle

Jorgen dropped off a link to this great article in The New York Times Technology section that takes issue with the sales figures quoted by Steve Jobs at the recent iPhone 4 release. Since the iBookstore does not offer titles from the majority of existing small publishers including the world’s largest Random House, Jobs’ announcement that iPad accounts for 20 percent of all eBook sales is little more than smoke and mirrors.

There are some interesting points in the article, however. To me the most promising is the assertion that Amazon has to make a decision and either compete in the full-color multi-function world of iPad or drop Kindle’s price to make an affordable dedicated eBook reading device. Maybe they’ll follow Border’s plan to offer a selection of eBook reading devices to suit the consumer’s tastes: Good. Better. Best.

Jun 07

Kno Digital Textbook Dual Screen Tablet

Kno Dual Screen Digital TabletHere’s an interesting piece of hardware coming from Kno, Inc. that employs two touch-screen tablets designed to combine textbooks, course information, note-taking and web access into one experience. Perfect for university and college students, this device should be welcomed by publishers with scholastic-based title lists that are currently prepping to embrace the eBook Revolution. Take the link to Ecoustics.com for the full story, video and specifications.

Jun 06

More on the future of eBook Readers

The Big Money has some interesting facts and figures about the eBook Revolution that while debatable still bode very well for the already exploding market. While polls can be undependable, they’re still good at giving a rough sketch of public opinion. I’ll reserve my final judgment until the mainstream audience has their hands on these devices en masse, and develop trends of their own.