It is no secret that I am a big eReader fan. I’ve talked about it here and here. And from the very beginning I have been a loyal customer of Amazon. With the introduction of the Kindle, I knew I wanted one but waited until 2009. The Kindle Two had just been introduced, giving me the security of a second generation device, plus the slight decrease in price from $399.00 to $359.00 helped.
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Archive for the ‘E-books’ Category
Big Changes in the EBook Market
Thursday, October 27th, 2011A Shameless Plug: AAR-Amazon Kindle Links
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011Mucho excitement is in the air today. Amazon has announced a new range of Kindles, including a basic Kindle for just $79 and a $199 Kindle Fire tablet.
If anybody is buying a Kindle today, we’d very much appreciate it if you’d use the links below to do so:
AAR will receive a small commission for each Kindle purchased through these links.
- Sandy AAR
How EBooks Save Me from My Own Decluttering
Monday, August 15th, 2011
I know that for the readers that just love holding the actual paper book in their hands, it is going to take a lot to convince them to change to eBooks. But this week, a recurring dilemma of mine brought home one reason I love them.
An AAR reader mentioned wanting to read an out of print book, but the least expensive copy available is selling for $40.00. As I read the message board post, I realized that I had read the book. (more…)
The Buzzword? Digital.
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
NYC Workout View
If there was one word we kept hearing last week at RWA, it was digital. We heard it from excited people, disillusioned people, scared people, and confused people. Digital options are opening up a Brave New World, but no one seems to be sure how that will change the current landscape, only that it will.
The most immediate change seems to be that most publishers are open to new ideas. If you follow either Lynn or me on twitter, you may have seen us live tweet from various publisher spotlights. We attended Spotlights for Avon, Carina, Harlequin Series, Pocket, Tor, and Berkley. There was only one (Pocket) that didn’t say they were looking for Westerns. Last year, I’m pretty sure no one was looking for Westerns, because I would have noticed. Last year, the message was, “Here’s what we already publish; if you want us to publish you, please submit more of the same.” This year was, “We’re open to all kind of new possibilities.” (I think my favorite may have been the editor at Tor, who said she really wanted someone to submit a book about a ghost ship. Can someone get on that one?)
Why is that tied to digital? I think a large part of the credit goes to Carina Press, who started publishing digital first books last June and is showing all of us that it can be successful. They’re taking chances on different settings and niche books, and by and large it’s working. Avon Impulse is - from what I understand – starting out with novellas, some of which are tied to other full-length print/ebooks that are coming out later. But they’re accepting full length books for digital first publishing, and that’s where they’ll take most of their chances on unusual settings.
And how will digital self-publishing change things? Many authors seemed to think it just might give them another option for their bag of tricks. I think a lot of people will be watching to see how Connie Brockway’s book does.
I met her at the Avon party, by the way. She’s very nice, though she told me as we all took yet another tiny but calorie laden dessert, that you pretty much have to plan on eating 10,000 calories a day at RWA. That is probably true, though in all fairness we chowed down at parties because they cut out dessert from both luncheons (and in one case, severely underfed the vegetarians). Nonetheless, I don’t think anyone was in danger of starving to death in New York. Which is why, like last year – I included a picture of my spectacular workout view. In this case, it’s from the 23rd floor of the conference hotel. Not too shabby.
Free and Bargain eBooks – Blessing or Curse?
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
I have caught a new addiction: I hunt the net for free and bargain eBooks. Thanks to the delightful folks at Mobileread and here at AAR Potpourri Forum, and thanks to special discounts offered by ebookstores like Fictionwise or Kobo, and by publisher sites like Harlequin, Avon or Carina, I pick up loads of books for comparatively little money. Let’s take the last two months: In April, I acquired 66 new eBooks, and altogether I paid $ 70. In May I acquired 171 new eBooks, and I paid $ 210. On average, that’s $ 1.18 per book, and considering I still paid full price for a number of them, you can see how many came completely free. Before I started to gather my numbers, I was going to write that I now bought more books than usual, but paid less for them than I had done with paper books. Faced with the exact numbers now, I must concede that while this is certainly true for April, in May I spent more on books than usual, ending up acquiring far higher numbers than in any other month before.
I made extensive use of Kobo’s delightful € 1 off discount for a lot of books, especially books from Smashwords and Harlequin that were cheap to start with, and with the discount came free, or virtually free. Similarly, in May there were very good discounts and bargain prices offered from Fictionwise and Carina Press. I want to point out that I acquired all of my new books legally, respecting geographical restrictions and never pretending I was from anywhere but Europe. And I want to add that were I a citizen of the United States, I would have had even more books available, and were I prepared to read books on my PC with a Kindle App, even more.
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Connie Brockway Is Launch Author in Amazon’s New Romance Imprint
Thursday, May 5th, 2011
We had quite a party around here when Connie Brockway announced her intentions to self-publish several books that readers have long been waiting for, including sequels to As You Desire and, my personal favorite, All Through the Night. While this discussion was punctuated with many booyahs, there were also quite a few complaints from those who don’t have an eReader and no plans to get one. Turns out more than just readers were listening.
Here’s Connie:
About a month ago I was here announcing my intention of “going rogue” by writing and publishing my own books. The announcement certainly garnered more attention than I’d expected, including from Amazon. Soon afterward, they contacted me with a fabulous proposition: Would I like to be the launch author Montlake, brand new digital and print and audio publishing imprint dedicated to romance.
It didn’t take long for me to say yes –even though it meant I had to down-grade my status from “rogue” to “roguish.” Because I’d been impressed with AmazonCrossings, and I knew they could do similar wonderful things for the romance genre. Now I don’t mean to sound disingenuous, but my first consideration really was the reader. One of my greatest regrets in “going e” was the thought of disappointing those of you without an eReader. (Oh, yes. I read every comment.) Montlake will make my books available to everyone, in every variety of formats, including print, though digitally the books will only be formatted for Kindle—but remember, you can download a free Kindle app that you can use on your phone or your computer.
Nook Update: It’s Great! Not.
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
This cartoon from Edward Lear’s Laughable Lyrics perfectly illustrates my feelings about the recent Nook Color (NC) software update: A man, sitting on a fence, with a bucket over his head.
When it comes to technology, sometimes I feel exactly like that: Blind, frustrated, and living out a giant crapshoot. Case in point: The Barnes and Noble Nook Color, version 1.2. Between Monday when I got the email notification to Friday, when I handed in this blog, my emotions sort of went like this:
- Monday: Excitement
- Tuesday: Ecstasy
- Wednesday: Disenchantment
- Thursday: Resentment
- Friday: Resignation
Readers Love eBooks. Too Bad Publishers Still Don’t Get It.
Friday, April 22nd, 2011
In case you missed it, in February sales of eBooks were up an astonishing 202% from the same month just a year before. To make the news even more impressive, for the first time eBooks exceeded sales of all other formats – specifically hardcovers and, the former staple of romance, mass market paperbacks.
Wow. Just wow. This change has happened far faster than I ever would have expected and it reflects a few things that I think are most significant for readers:
- The enormous ease of eReading. You want it, you got it without having to worry about whether or not a capricious bookseller will have the book you want in stock.
- The anonymity of eReading. While I wish it weren’t the case, women are often embarrassed or uncomfortable reading romance and with eReading, it’s your business and yours alone.
And, even more astoundingly, this growth occurred despite the lame-fisted, ham-handed, stupid, ridiculous, short-sighted, hide-bound, tradition-worshipping New York publishing industry.
Avon Royal Weddings Giveaway (Contest Closed)
Monday, April 4th, 2011
On Tuesday Royal Weddings, a new Avon Impulse digital anthology featuring Loretta Chase, Gaelen Foley, and Stephanie Laurens is released. The authors pull out their charm, wit, and passion to tell three stories set amidst grand historical royal weddings, including those of Princess Charlotte and Queen Victoria.
Of course, the timing of this digital anthology is perfect since anticipation is building for the royal wedding between William and Kate on the horizon. Avon wants to make the wait until April 29th a bit easier with a fun giveaway.
Grand Prize Valued at $225:
One electronic copy of Royal Weddings
One set of William and Catherine Wedding China: On the day of the wedding you can feel like you are right there withWilliam and Kate as they eat their first meal as a married couple. Partake of a light repast from replicas of the official set of wedding china William and Kate will use. Sip champagne from a William and Catherine tankard, nibble on cucumber sandwiches from a William and Catherine plate, and daintily dry your fingers with a beautifully embroidered William and Catherine tea towel. The set also includes a William and Catherine pill box and wedding decoration.
Three Runner-up Prizes
Barnes & Noble Nook Color: A Review
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
Unconditional love – that’s what I give my lovely Nook Color. I’ve now had it for three weeks, even though the device has been out since November, and I’ve got a fairly good idea of its capabilities. First, it must be said that the NC is a very specific device. It’s a color touch screen tablet that’s still, first and foremost, a device for reading books. When it comes to reading, the NC mostly succeeds. In other areas, not so much.
The Looooove
- Reading Library Books: This is the most important reason that I got an eBook reader, and I have no complaints. Adobe Digital Editions, that’s another matter.
- Size: I deliberately chose a larger size that more closely resembles (so it seems, anyway) the dimensions on a paper page, and I love the 8” x 5” dimensions with a 7” screen. I’m all in favor of fewer page turns.
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