Book Publishing News

Readers will pay more for eBooks with music and multimedia in it

2011-09-22T07:02:00.000-07:00

Through a recent survey, Cathedral Rock Publishing has discovered that eBook readers support additional content, such as music, audio and video, and are willing to pay more for this additional interactive content.

The survey of 105 users, conducted over July and August 2011, asked several questions to understand why readers do - or don't - access eBook content. When asked if they had downloaded an eBook, 85% of eBook device owners said "yes." Of those who had yet to download an eBook, a third said that they "preferred the feel of a book" and two-thirds said that they had a smartphone or similar smaller device and the screen size was not suitable for reading eBooks.

The survey also asked participants content would appeal to them in an eBook. More than three quarters of respondents (77%) identified music as a plus, while 19% answered "other types of audio." 56% said they would like video and 58% favored color visuals in eBooks.

The survey also asked people how they want to use multimedia content embedded in the eBook. More than three quarters (76%) wanted to import music and video into iTunes.

Finally, the survey investigated pricing. How much are consumers willing to pay for a multimedia eBook? All respondents said that they would pay more for it, with 10% stating they would pay more than $10. 16% said they would pay $10. 25% people said they would pay $8, and 40% said they would pay $6.

John David Balla, co-founder of Cathedral Rock Publishing, explained the rationale behind the survey: "This is an ongoing study to uncover what is driving the evolution of eBooks. We all know that eBook buying has exploded, but what do readers want in terms of rich content - and how different will the reader's experience be in the coming years? Understanding all these elements is important for publishers and authors as they consider how to package and present information readers want. The opportunities for content in the world beyond paper, are limited only by imagination - and what readers are open to."

New Kindle Exclusive: Free Subscription to Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine

2011-08-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com is offering a free subscription to the digest edition of Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine is now exclusively available in the Kindle Store. Kindle customers who subscribe will get access to all of the magazine's editorial content -- editor's recommendations, "Curiosities" (odd books of enduring interest), film reviews, book reviews, cartoons and humor, and "Coming Attractions" (highlights of each issue) -- along with one short story, all at no cost. Customers can start reading the magazine today on their Kindle or free Kindle reading apps for Android, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

"Fantasy & Science Fiction is the definitive magazine of the genre," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content. "We know our Kindle customers are huge fans of this category, and we're excited to offer them a free and exclusive subscription to the magazine to read anywhere."

Stephen King, bestselling author and long-time fan of Fantasy & Science Fiction, said: "This is the best fiction magazine in America. Kindle readers are in luck."

Fantasy & Science Fiction, which publishes six times a year, was founded in 1949 and is the original publisher of classics by a wide variety of great writers, including Stephen King, Daniel Keyes and Kurt Vonnegut. Each bimonthly issue offers compelling short fiction and the science-fiction field's most respected and outspoken opinions on books, films, and science.

A subscription to the extended edition of the magazine, which is also a Kindle exclusive, is available for just $12 a year and includes everything in the digest edition plus several additional short stories and novelettes. Individual issues of the extended edition are available for $2.99.

Google Books hits 2.5 million eBooks downloaded by hungry fans

2011-08-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

The number of eBooks sold continues to grow after surpassing traditional book sales in early 2011. In addition to the online retail industry, dominated by Amazon, there is an exponentially growing appetite for free eBooks. While Google has been successful with "Google Books", it seems that they aren't the only player and certainly don't have the last word in digital publishing despite the media attention they command.

Google Books surpassed the 2.5 million mark for eBook downloads, according to The Huffington Post on June 1st, 2011. However, there are smaller players, like Free-eBooks.net competing strongly in this space. In fact, Free-eBooks.net, has experienced record amounts of downloads too, as eBook reader sales double and billions of smartphone users join in, to solidify the acceptance of the "eBook."

"It's an honor for us to be on par with a giant like Google," exclaims Nicolas Gremion, CEO of Paradise Publishers Inc., who own Free-eBooks.net. He draws a direct comparison because coincidentally, "As of June 1st, we've also served over 2.5 million eBooks to our loyal members. That's equal with Google."

Free-eBooks.net's subscriber base, now approaching the one million mark, is responsible for downloading an average of nearly 19,000 ebooks, every single day. Gremion believes that, "It goes to show that it's possible to compete and win with quality services, resourceful marketing and a positive reputation. These qualities are foundations to building value and equity anywhere, including the online world."

"Plus, we continue to innovate and leverage new market opportunities," says Gremion. "We're entering the mobile space with our popular Smartphone apps, expanding into the growing Spanish market and creating unique, technology solutions to empower more authors. This will both expand and accelerate the production and availability of ebooks, along with other creative digital content. The publishing industry is trying to redefine itself at the moment. We believe that innovation combined with social media opportunities, and not necessarily the deepest pockets or biggest company, are the keys to success."

Paradise Publishers Inc. is a U.S.-based, global, online publisher of both fiction and non-fiction books. It distributes digital eBooks at no cost via http://www.Free-eBooks.net and is about to launch a highly anticipated social publishing site http://www.Foboko.com aim to help anybody become an author and easily publish, promote and profit from their own eBooks.

Science Fiction/Fantasy Books Expected to Grow 3.4% in 2011

2011-08-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Representing just 6% of the total trade book market, the science fiction/fantasy segment will grow 3.4% in 2011, reaching $578.6 million, despite the overall market's expected 5.2% decline. According to a report published by media and publishing forecast firm Simba Information, the science fiction and fantasy categories experienced double-digit increases in title output, along with stronger ratings on the consolidated bestseller list in 2010.

According to the report, the science fiction/fantasy segment is gaining market share, adding half a percent in 2011 compared to 2010, as it more than triples its 1% growth rate from the past two years.

"The sci-fi/fantasy segment has been a stable growth segment for the past few years," notes Michael Norris, Simba Information's senior trade analyst. "Since the book market took a big hit in 2007, it has been inching closer to its previous high-point."

Title output for fantasy rose sharply to 6,389 titles, growing 14.6%, followed by science fiction with 3,714 titles, growing 10.1% in 2010. Simba's report, which uses a consolidated bestseller list comprised of ratings from USA Today, The New York Times and Publisher's Weekly, finds science fiction performed strongly on the list with 76 titles by 58 authors, while fantasy held 321 titles by 192 authors, although its success was led by the Twilight Saga.

"Even though a lot of titles are hit or miss with audiences, both as books and as media tie-ins, there will continue to be a thirst for this segment of fiction for the foreseeable future," added Norris.

Simba's report, Business of Consumer Book Publishing 2011, details the overall market for trade books, segmented by 18 major categories including health & fitness, romance, self-help, science fiction/fantasy and others. It includes demographic and psychographic information on the average book buyer, along with company profiles of the leading publishers including Penguin Group, Macmillan and Random House.

A Few Pros About Self Publishing

2011-07-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

By Kim G Lain

• Creative Control - Design your own cover or let us help you!
• Financial Control - Determine the number and type of books you want!
• Inventory Control - Order when you want to and when you need to!
• Competitive Pricing - (as in VERY affordable - compare for yourself!)
• Fast Turnaround - As quick as 7 days!

You can develop your manuscript on your time, at your leisure, at your own pace, right at your PC and then simply upload and wait for your professionally bound, bookstore quality books to arrive. You determine the amount you want to publish and you determine the amount of money you feel you can spend at any given time. Again, many authors publish a hundred or so books at first and then find themselves ordering hundreds more.

Creative Control -
You may have a favorite literature category, you like to read and there are scenarios you have never seen written in your genre, then you've most likely experienced frustration. Now you are left to ponder and to speculate. The reason your favorite sub-genre has been ignored is money matters in book publishing companies of today.

A great example is fantasy fiction literature. Until a few years ago, the number of fantasy books (i.e. Dragon books and Warlock books) that had been published could be counted on two hands. Without saying there's current development of ebooks. And ebook sales are only getting bigger. A large collection of fantasy fiction literature has entered the marketplace and is available or in some cases free of charge. Some offer their ebooks free of charge.

Why are all these bizarre and wonderful sub genre literary selections appearing? The new "e" platforms [electronic] platforms allow authors to self publish their creative works, as we know them in the literary field. These writers have about 100% freedom to write about virtually anything that comes to their creative mind. Do not feel left out. Start writing. Write until you've put down all your ideas, then edit. Your goal is to get self-published to an ebook format to share on the world-wide web. Then think about publishing in normal book form. Note, before ebook formats - self publishing became easy and affordable for almost anyone. However, the editors in publishing companies made the decisions on what choices we had to read. Now, readers and authors can make those decisions.

*** Self-Publish! ***

The Internet and companies like Amazon have made this all possible with their self publishing platforms. They allow writers to publish their ebooks on their websites and gain access to large numbers of potential readers. This particular business model has become very successful. Publishers are scrambling to try to figure out how they will survive in the age of digital books.

If you are an author who has an agreement with a traditional book publisher, I am sure you have had issues with their editors in making changes to your creative work. Moreover, I bet you have some wonderful manuscripts lying around that no one would purchase. With the self publishing options of today, you can publish your manuscript without a publisher or editor who changes your book in a fashion you are not satisfied.

Retaining creative control of your content is but one of the many advantages of self publishing your ebook. Remember you have control with self publishing.

Some of today's top selling authors are still with traditional publishers, but this will change soon. The superstar authors of tomorrow are likely to be self published authors.

USA TODAY Launches 'Books.usatoday.com, to Expand Coverage of Books

2011-07-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

USA TODAY has expanded its coverage of books with its new online destination books.usatoday.com. The new site allows consumers to discover, discuss, share, preview and purchase books online. It is available on computers, smart phones and tablets.

Books.usatoday.com provides readers with an interactive experience to browse books across a variety of genres, including fiction, non-fiction and children's books; read reviews; and, share personal recommendations in conversations that also allow for tweeting about books or responding to other readers' comments.

Unique to the books.usatoday.com site is the opportunity for consumers to now preview a book from the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list and purchase it from a vendor of their choice, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the iBookstore or IndieBound, an association of independent booksellers.

USA TODAY's respected Best-Selling Books list ranks the 150 top-selling titles each week, based on analysis of sales from such U.S. booksellers as bookstore chains, independent bookstores, mass merchandisers and online retailers. More than 10,000 books previously ranked on USA TODAY's Best Selling Books list are also now included on books.usatoday.com with a dedicated page.

Books.usatoday.com complements USA TODAY's print books coverage. Anchored by Thursday's USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list, USA TODAY in print continues with Book Buzz, which reports on new best-sellers and publishing news, and includes special code tags for smart phones for an extended, interactive version of the booklist.

8 Easy Steps to Self Publishing Books From Your Website Content

2011-07-06T16:48:00.000-07:00

By Shelley Hitz

Interested in self-publishing books? If you have a website, you can re-purpose your top articles into a book. Think about it. After you write heaps of quality articles and lots of traffic on your website, why not reuse it, all the same articles in a printed book, PDF eBook, audio books and Kindle book getting the most out of your time and work.

These are My 8 Painless Steps to Self Publishing Books:

Write down an layout for the book chapters with the top articles from your website.
Enter your book in a Microsoft Word template (or your preferred software) formatted for your preferred book size.
Save your book to PDF.
Select a book designer for your book cover or choos a DIY format.
Decide amongst all the publishers who you want to use to publish your book.
Sign up for an account with self-publishing and upload your documents, if relevant.
Now begin your book marketing by selling copies online at Amazon, via your own website and in person when you speak or at events.
Now it is the time to layout the book into a PDF ebook, audio book and Kindle book.

This is what I did with my website Teen-Beauty-Tips.Com. That was the autumn of 2008 when I stumbled upon the concept of self-publishing books. One of our associates, also a speaker, showed us his self-published book.

Quality was great and we found out that he was able to buy his self-published books on his cost of just $ 2-3 for every book. Not only would there be added revenue to promote books at speaking events, but it also gives immediate credibility of a "published author." "I thought," Wow... I can I do this."

The Nuts and Bolts of Publishing My First Book

And so, I put together an draft for my book based on the finest articles on my website. So, I came up with the title.

Next, I started to copy and paste my articles into a Word document template. I subsequently converted my Word document using the free of charge edition of PDF995 (click on properties, then advanced option and select the "Statement [5.5 5 X 8.5 5] "From the dropdown menu for the paper format.)

Despite working full time as a physiotherapist and speaking, as well as travelling from time to time, I had a 190-page book ready to print in a month.

I had a low budget (or should I say no budget) so I took the DIY method. I researched styles of my template and did a book cover in Photoshop. I researched self-publishing and decided to go with Createspace (a company with Amazon), since there are no upfront costs and they list you quickly on Amazon.Com.

As an example, my 190 page black and white soft cover book only cost me $3.13 + Shipping, with the help of the Pro Plan. The Pro Plan is a fee of $39 the first year and then an annual fee of $5, but is well worth the cost in an increase in royalties and decreased cost to buy books. I highly recommend the Pro Plan, by the way. There is actually no reason to go with the Pro Plan (that is, unless you don't sell any books at all!).

Same Book, Multiple Formats

When my book was released on Createspace and Amazon, I also had it offered in the PDF eBook format. I give away the PDF format away to my newsletter subscribers, which once more has helped me to build my list in a very small niche (Christian teen girls) to about 2700 and expanding.

I therefore decided to make my book as an audio book using Audacity and a $ 30 microphone to record it. I am now selling MP3 downloads through ClickBank and also sell a Disc of my audiobook on Kunaki.C Com. The Kunaki can I buy Disc's at cost for as little as $ 1 (+ shipping), as I also sell them at my events and online through my website.

Eventually, I took my Word document took out the pictures embedded in my file and saved it as an HTML document. I subsequently uploaded it to Amazon's digital text platform, and I now offer Kindle version from my website as well.

Making Money Selling Books

In such a small and specialized niche, I'm not getting rich by selling books from my website. But there is a regular paycheck from both online and offline sales, and as my traffic increases (now over 1000 visitors per day), so my sales.

Of course, if you want to "Hit it Big" in publishing, you will want to hire a professional to design your interior book template and your book cover design. I ultimately decided to have a designer update my book cover for me.

If you want to go the TRUE self publishing route and do all the leg work yourself, then you can form your own book publishing company and use Lightning Source. In this case, a book like Dan Poynter's Self Publishing Manual is a great resource to guide you step by step.

You Can Do It!

Given that you've already put so much time and energy into writing your website, it could be worth taking some extra time and re-purpose identical articles to a hard good, as a paperback book, CD and digital products as a PDF eBook, Kindle book and MP3 downloads for your visitors.

If you do not want to be a national bestseller, but simply want to provide extra resources to your website visitors and another paycheck, then download my free book templates, sign up for a free Createspace account and get started! Oh, and have fun...Soon you'll be a "Published author."

Download your free book templates at http://www.Self-Publishing-Coach.com and get more advice about self publishing books.

Shelley Hitz is an entrepreneur, speaker, author and consultant to organizations, individuals and businesses who want to multiply their impact through self publishing. She teaches from personal experience. Over a two year span, (More...)while working full-time, she self published five books, multiple audio CDs, authored two websites that attract thousands of visitors each month, and created multiple products that she sells through her website and at her speaking engagements.

How I Learned to Love My Kindle and Publish My Own Book

2011-07-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

By David Lambourne

I never intended to buy a Kindle; in fact I swore that I would never do so. I hated the idea of reading an entire book on a screen; I saw no justification for replacing an object I loved with something as bland and soulless as an 'e-reader'. The gadget looked like a close cousin to Alan Sugar's famously naff 'E-Mailer', last spotted in Alan Partridge's 'static home' on the outskirts of Norwich. Alan, I suspected, must have a Kindle by now.

All this was a bit naive. I was willfully blinding myself to a process which by now should be dreadfully familiar, whereby a piece of technology - a digital camera, a microwave oven, a mobile phone - goes from being a gimmick to something apparently essential to civilised life. Just before Christmas, browsing Amazon, I found myself in the Kindle section, and ended up reading the unanimously rave reviews for what the company said was its best-selling product. Some kind of powerful subliminal pressure was at work, and sure enough it worked. Before I knew it I had clicked on the 'Buy now' button and the machine was on its way.

No doubt you know what a Kindle looks like: a bit like an iPad, only smaller and lighter and very grey, even when it's switched on. Compared with the iPad, or any other tablet for that matter, it is very limited in what it can do. For some reason I was expecting a touch-screen, whereas the Kindle's main navigation tool is a little square button with ridges on all four sides, alongside a rather fiddly keyboard of tiny round keys that calls for a good set of fingernails if you are going to operate it with any degree of precision. Navigation across the screen is jerky and unreliable: it is far too easy to click on the wrong link. For reading you get a choice of two fonts, an ugly serif and a plain sans-serif, which you can view in different sizes. Every page is in black and white. You turn a page by squeezing the right or left edge; every time you do this a reverse image of the text flashes at you distractingly, interrupting the reading experience, which in my view should be as seamless as possible. The Kindle can access the internet, but it is slow and clunky, and prone to crash if you ask it to do anything in a hurry. The worst thing it does (the facility is wisely included under the label 'experimental') is to read to you in a mid-Atlantic robotic voice, with the sort of wooden phrasing that makes it abundantly clear that it doesn't understand a word it is saying.

Once you start using the Kindle, however, much of your resistance to it fades away. It has two great advantages over the book: it can stores as many titles as the average library in a space smaller than a sandwich; and it is serviced by an impressively efficient support system that enables you to download a vast number of titles more or less instantaneously wherever you have internet access. And some of what it provides is ridiculously good value. Virtually every important classic can be downloaded for less than two pounds, many of them (for example, the Collected Balzac) in bundles of up to a hundred and thirty books in a single file. Hundreds of individual volumes are absolutely free. If you have a use for these books, the Kindle will pay for itself within a week. The downside is that a lot of them -- the cheaper downloads in particular - are very poorly formatted. Poetry in particular is a disaster area, much of it coming out as a solid block of words without line-breaks. Paragraphing is often haphazard, as is the rendering of text in italics. The bigger and cheaper collections are particularly bad: often the original text appears to have been scanned into an OCR programme and uploaded to Kindle without anyone bothering to proof-read a single page. (The organisations responsible for many of these bundles of classic books tend for some reason to have deliberately sinister names -'Golgotha Press' for example.)

All of the above may sound like quibbling, but the fact is that many of these flaws crop up pretty frequently, even with the more expensive items. Everyone likes a bargain, but it is a pity to have to read a deathless classic (or a thriller, for that matter) in a form that is constantly interfering with the reading experience.

My grumbles (a Kindle fan called them 'whinges' when I published them as an Amazon review) rather faded into insignificance when, quite by accident, I discovered something that you can do with Kindle that very few people seem to know about, and yet which promises to open up an an enormous new field of opportunity for writers who haven't yet been able to break into print. For the Kindle can be used to publish your own books, very easily and for absolutely nothing. As if that wasn't enough, Amazon will pay you between 35% and 70% of every sale you make (ex VAT) on its Kindle site.

Browsing the Kindle store bestsellers I accidentally downloaded a novel called 'Switched'. (It's very easy to hit the wrong button with the Kindle, particularly if like me your hands are a little clumsy.) The book was about teenage trolls; its author was a young American called Amanda Hocking and it cost me all of 49 pence. Despite the rather glaring awkwardness of the writing, 'Switched' was ranked among the top fifty Kindle bestsellers. In fact Amanda Hocking has a total of nine books on Kindle, all of them in the top hundred, which is pretty good considering that the entire Kindle list now comprises some 639,000 titles. Clearly she has found herself a loyal audience, and is selling a lot of books. Partly this may be due to the fact that she writes in trilogies, and prices the first volume of each at below £1.00, but people don't go on buying books by a particular author simply because they're cheap. Her marketing strategy works because the people who read her books want more.

I Googled Amanda Hocking's name, and came up with more than a million results. According to Wikipedia she is 26, has written 17 novels in her spare time, and in less than a year has become 'an e-book millionaire'. She started publishing her novels as e-books in April 2010. By March 2011, she had sold about a million copies and earned in excess of two million dollars.

Most remarkably of all, all of these books were self-published. This is a fact that is well known to her Kindle reviewers; and presumably explains the clumsiness of much of the writing. Interestingly enough it doesn't seem to put her readers off. In fact many of them may well like the fact that the book has been published more or less as she wrote it, without any editor or proof-reader (i.e. authority figure) interfering by boringly tidying things up. That's the Internet for you: it's nothing if not libertarian.

Instructively Amanda was turned down by a large number of publishers before she resorted to self-publishing. What particularly interested me about her story is that like many people I have a number of unpublished manuscripts gathering dust in drawers and cupboards. Some of these are books which failed to find a publisher, but among them is one that was published and is now out of print: a novel for children called 'The Musclemen.'

'The Musclemen' was published by Oxford University Press in 1991. When writing it I had in mind a similar audience to that of the Roald Dahl books, which my own children had enjoyed immensely from quite a young age, and still continued to read into their teens. I meant it to be quite a challenging, even controversial story: an all-out attack on commercialism and particularly the commercialism of modern toys, which I had been observing with horrified fascination since my early days as a parent - my eldest son was born in 1973. In many ways the plot of 'The Musclemen' resembles that of the 'Toy Story' films, although it was actually written and published some four or five years earlier. (I'm not accusing Pixar of plagiarism; this is more a case of what Jung would have called 'synchronicity'.) 'The Musclemen' has a fairly simple plot - hateful toy robots wreak havoc in conventional middle-class household, only to be defeated by an alliance of more conventional play-room characters led by a teddy bear called Hodge. The final nemesis of the villainous Musclemen, as the robots are called, is brought about by their own meanness and capacity for violence. The book relates to Toy Story thematically as well as in terms of plot, in that it pits toys dependent upon technology (Buzz Lightyear/the Musclemen) against toys that encourage the child to use his or her imagination (Woody/Hodge). I have always thought that it would make a great film - particularly if made by Pixar.

'The Musclemen' was initially well-received and was made an 'Independent on Sunday' Christmas Books for Children recommendation, but sales were disappointing, and it was soon remaindered. In hindsight this was predictable. I was at a point in my life where I was seized by an attack of shame and embarrassment whenever anything I had written found its way into the public arena - it felt rather like one of those dreams in which you find yourself at a dinner party without your trousers. As a result I did nothing to promote the book, and nor unfortunately did OUP. The jacket was nicely drawn but insipid, and the whole production looked cheap and dull, like an easy reader. I had wanted illustrations - Quentin Blake would have done very nicely - but my editor at Oxford warned against it: she thought that pictures of toys would associate the book in its readers' minds with Noddy and his friends. I probably should have pointed out that that might depend on the illustrator, but I was a first-time author, and only too glad to be getting published at all.

Once the rights reverted to me I could have published an edition myself, but to do it properly would have cost more money than I wanted to risk, and its publishing history with Oxford did not encourage me to think that I would get much in the way of a return on my investment. In any case, self-publishing carried for me the stigma of the vanity press. If a publisher wasn't going to put their money behind it, then perhaps it didn't deserve to be revived.

Kindle changed all that.

Reading about Amanda Hocking's success immediately brought 'The Muscleman' to mind. How easy would it be, I wondered, to give the book a new lease of life by publishing it myself on Kindle? The copyright had reverted to me, and I still had the text on file in a version of Word. I googled 'self-publishing on Kindle' and was immediately taken to a page on Amazon.com which showed me how to add a book to the Kindle list. The process is extremely simple and amazingly it is completely free. To begin with it all looks quite complicated - there are a number of websites that give you advice on formatting - but unless you insist on setting every page yourself it is really amazingly simple. First download Mobipocket Creator. Then compile your book into a continuous Word Document, save the string of chapters as a single HTML file (select Web Page Filtered), and build it into a Kindle document with Mobipocket Creator. After that all you have to do is open an account for Kindle at amazon.com (you can't do it at amazon.co.uk for some reason) and follow the instructions for self-publishing. You set the price, your book can be downloaded by anyone with a Kindle, and you get to keep 70% of the proceeds (if there are any). Brilliant.

The whole process took me about a fortnight. I could have done it quicker, but I wanted to revise the book and give it a new title - 'New Toys'. My son Henry designed me a very professional-looking (and rather scary) cover. I uploaded the cover and book to Kindle, and by the next morning it was already available on the amazon.co.uk website and on my Kindle.

The main job now is marketing. The book is on sale for £1.71 a copy ex VAT (you have to pay VAT on Kindle downloads, unlike books), and if you want to look at the first chapter there is a feature on the Kindle system that allows you to download a sample for nothing. Incidentally, you don't actually need a Kindle to access the Kindle store; if you go to amazon you can download a simple application for reading Kindle books on your pc or laptop.

If you want to see what your book looks like on Kindle, incidentally, there is a simple way of uploading it onto your e-reader without committing yourself to putting it in front of the public. Amazon give you a Kindle email address; all you have to do is format the book as above and send it to your Kindle email address as an attachment. And there is is, thirty seconds later. This is actually an excellent aid to proof-reading: the fact that the text comes up on your Kindle screen creates that little bit of distance that allows you to read, evaluate and edit it almost as if it was someone else's work. You can even annotate the file as you read.

I don't believe that 'New Toys' will make me an e-book millionaire like Amanda Hocking - I don't have her energy, or her connection with the 'Young Adult' market - but publishing it on Kindle does at the very least enable me to put the book back into the marketplace, in the hope that some at least will read and enjoy it. It doesn't end there. At present I have a new novel - 'The Boy Scully', part one of a trilogy called 'The Engineer's Children' - doing the rounds of the publishers. This book is aimed at adults, and is about a country something like England that for four centuries has been divided into closed communities along gender lines. The story is told by a seventeen-year-old boy called William Scully who has just been expelled from an exclusive public school and placed in state custody, where he is to be interrogated in connection with some unspecified crime his father is supposed to have committed. It is part novel of adolescence (with a twist) and part novel of ideas. What effect does social conditioning have on an individual's sexuality? And if you have no option of being straight, does that necessarily make you gay? Interesting questions, but not ones to which this or any book can provide a final answer.

As a teaser I have placed the first volume on Kindle at a low price: just to see if anyone buys it. (I've published it under a pseudonym, but you can crack that by searching the title). Three sales to date in a couple of days. Is this the start of something?

If it does take off, of course, I should still have the option, if my sales hold up, of taking the traditional route. Interestingly Amanda Hocking herself is about to leave self-publishing behind, having last month signed a 2 million dollar, 4-book deal with St. Martin's Press for a young-adult paranormal series to be called 'Watersong'. "I do not want to spend 40 hours a week handling e-mails, formatting covers, finding editors, etc.," is how she explains her decision.

Fair enough, and I wish her well. She and all the other self-publishing e-book successes have done me and all aspiring writers a great service by showing us a way by which anyone who can't find a publisher can get their works published for next to nothing. Funnily enough though, I can't see Amanda's books doing well in a paper and cash medium. Some things just don't translate.

David Lambourne is a bookseller living in Cambridge UK. He has four children. He has written a study of Novelists in the Nineteen-Thirties (Christopher Isherwood, Henry Green, Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh and Anthony Powell) and published a children's book called 'The Musclemen' (OUP, 1991) -- now available on Kindle under the title 'New Toys'. He is now thinking of retiring and devoting his time to becoming an e-book millionaire.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Lambourne

Readers Love Free Ebooks But Not Piracy

2011-06-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Bibliotastic co-founder Bernard Gerard noted, "As a survey of users on a free ebook website it is not surprising that most cited free ebook sites as their main source of ebooks in the future. More surprising though is that so few admitted to pirate ebook sites. Perhaps they did not want to admit to illegal behaviour, but it contrasts sharply with other surveys that have suggested a greater proclivity to ebook piracy."

An online poll published as "The Digital Entertainment Survey" in May received widespread media attention largely due to its finding that one in eight women (12.5%) over the age of 35 have admitted to downloading a digital book illegally. That they have downloaded one ebook illegally does not, of course, mean that pirate sites are, or will become, their main source of ebooks in the future.

"While ebook piracy is definitely a threat to the publishing industry," continued Gerard, "it shouldn't lead to a decline in literary output any more than music piracy has stopped people from writing new songs. In fact the digitisation of books is lowering the barriers to entry in publishing, allowing authors to easily self-publish. The selling prices are lower, which benefits the consumer, but the writer gets to keep a greater share of the revenue which can often mean more money per book than in traditional book publishing."

Bibliotastic survey: "Where will you get most of your books from in 5 years' time?"

Free ebook sites 54%
Online book/ebook retailer 26%
Bookstores 9%
Library 8%
Pirate ebook sites 2%

The survey was conducted between 11 May and 11 June 2011 and involved 125 participants. Details can be found here: http://www.bibliotastic.com/content/where-will-you-get-your-books

Mobile Tablets, Like iPad, are Usurping e-Readers as Reading Device of Choice for Consumers

2011-06-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

Digital publishing company YUDU Media (www.yudupro.com) has published a new report summarizing key research, facts and figures on the e-book market, which continues to grow at a blistering pace. The report, titled, "Rise of the e-book: e-book stats and trends," discusses some of the key components of the industry in its current form, aiming to provide analysis and insight into some of its most recent developments.

A sampling of the research included in this report:

E-book sales now outpace print book sales, as sales of e-books nearly tripled in the US from 2009 to 2010.
Tablets such as the iPad appear to be overtaking e-reader devices such as the Kindle as the platform of choice for reading e-books; Forrester predicts that by 2015, there will be twice as many owners of tablet PCs than there are of dedicated e-readers.
Apple's iBookstore is gaining rapidly on Amazon.com as the highest volume sales platform for e-Books.
E-books have helped fuel success for self-published authors, who are no longer beholden to large, traditional publishing houses to get their works into the hands of readers.

"The e-book market shake-up is likely to become more pronounced over the course of the year, with a growing number of publishers and consumers alike choosing a tablet as their hardware of choice," said Richard Stephenson, CEO of YUDU Media. "While 2010 may be remembered as the birth year of consumer e-books, 2011 may well be considered as the beginning of the end for the dedicated e-book reader."

The e-book market in 2011 will experience exponential growth which will impact the book publishing industry as a whole. YUDU's report offers a deeper analysis of the e-book industry with evidence that transitions in the market go beyond a simple upward sales trend. Ongoing technology innovations and shifts in consumer behavior are driving the continued growth of the e-book market, which publishers are embracing to meet consumer demand and factoring in as part of their overall growth strategy in order to compete in this rapidly changing environment.

Those interested in more detail can access the white paper online at www.yudupro.com/e-book_whitepaper or on the iPad/iPhone by downloading the YUDU Media App and selecting 'e-book Report.'

Biblio.com Partners with Literary Tourist to Promote Independent Bookstores

2011-06-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Independent book marketplace Biblio.com announced today that it has partnered with Literary Tourist to help support and promote independent brick-and-mortar bookstores.

Literary Tourist was launched last week by owner Nigel Beale, who acquired Book Hunter Press in late 2009 and re-created it as a literary destination website and bookstore directory for book lovers. The new site features a refined database of over 8,000 used bookstores including reviews and information about each store. It also contains expanded listings for literary landmarks, rare book libraries, book fairs, writing festivals and other book-related events.

"Our goal with Literary Tourist is to help book lovers find the kind of bookstores, literary locales and pastimes that will add some oomph and excitement to their travels," says Beale. "We hope to make this site one of the best 'literary destinations' on the Web, and in so doing, in a small way, to help pump new blood and energy into literary culture throughout North America, and, if we're successful, around the globe."

Biblio augmented Literary Tourist's existing bookstore database, with its own extensive database of booksellers and bookstores.

The original database first went on-line in 2000. For almost a decade it was updated manually. Beale notes that bookselling and bookstores are changing so quickly that "it is a challenge to keep up with all the closings and start-ups." Both companies have partnered to create an easy solution to this challenge. Literary Tourist uses BiblioDirect, powered by Biblio, for booksellers to maintain and update their directory listings. BiblioDirect also serves as a portal for booksellers to maintain their accounts on Biblio.com, Biblio.co.uk, IOBAbooks.com, ABAA.org.

Through their partnership both companies seek to increase traffic in physical bookstores, keeping these vital cultural institutions and landmarks open while preserving the business of independent bookselling.

Amazon Launches New Publishing Imprint, Montlake Romance

2011-06-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com has launched Montlake Romance, the fourth and latest imprint from Amazon Publishing. Connie Brockway, two-time winner of the Romance Writers Association's "RITA Award" for best historical romance, and bestselling author of seventeen novels, including "My Dearest Enemy" and "The Bridal Season," will be the debut author of Montlake Romance. Brockway's new romance, "The Other Guy's Bride," will be published in Fall 2011 and will be available to North American readers in Kindle, print and audio formats at www.amazon.com, as well as at national and independent booksellers.

"Romance is one of our biggest and fastest growing categories, particularly among Kindle customers, so we can't wait to make ‘The Other Guy's Bride' and other compelling titles available to romance fans around the world," said Jeff Belle, Vice President, Amazon Publishing. "We also know our customers enjoy genre fiction of all kinds, so we are busy building publishing businesses that will focus on additional genres as well."

Montlake Romance takes its name from the central Seattle neighborhood of Montlake, and will publish a broad range of front list titles in popular romance sub-genres, including romantic suspense and contemporary and historic romance novels, as well as fantasy and paranormal. The new imprint joins AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing and Powered by Amazon as part of the Amazon Publishing family. Montlake Romance books will be available to North American readers in Kindle, print and audio formats at www.amazon.com, as well as at national and independent booksellers.

For more information on Montlake Romance and upcoming titles, visit www.amazon.com/montlakeromance.

Lulu.com Launches New Open Publishing Platform

2011-05-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

Lulu.com (http://www.lulu.com/) is releasing the final pieces of its full publishing platform. Now, anyone can be a publisher without having to spend the years and invest the dollars formerly required to build book printing, ebook creation, book and ebook distribution, and book selling businesses.

The Lulu Open Publishing Platform is accessible via application programming interfaces (APIs) enabling publishers, website builders, and entrepreneurial content owners to easily publish the books they and their authors have created. "Lulu is making all the tools we have built over the last eight years available to anyone and everyone to better serve their markets," says Lulu CEO Bob Young. "Our remarkable global book printing network, ebook creation tools, and distribution services are now available to a new generation of publishers and entrepreneurs to serve their markets at lower cost, more profitably than ever before possible."

Lulu's Open Publication APIs enable publishers, businesses, and developers to create web applications, powered by Lulu, and marketed under their own brand names. Today, Lulu is announcing the final pieces of the platform - two new APIs to complete the publishing cycle.

The first, a new Document Conversion API, will convert any Word, RTF, and HTML document to a print-ready PDF. These document conversion tools rely in part on Aspose Corp's world-class solution for Word document conversion. Lulu makes that solution available to anybody who wants to publish a book.

The other is Lulu's new E-Commerce API. This will allow developers to place orders for their users programmatically. Developers will be able to sell their books from their own sites, keeping control of the user's information. After the sale is made, the developer can send the order information to Lulu and access an established global network to print and ship the book directly to customers. The developer is able to easily fulfill all their orders. According to Lulu's Director of Technology, Ryan Bloom, "This is our most requested API, and marks a big step forward for Lulu." Bloom added; "Due to the importance of all aspects of online commerce security, Lulu is looking forward to working closely with those partners who sign on to use our new E-Commerce API tools."

Amazon Books Launches Author Interview Series

2011-05-08T06:03:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com has premiered "Author Interviews@Amazon," the new author interview series that will be available in a new content destination called The Backstory (www.amazon.com/thebackstory). Author Interviews@Amazon launches with five video interviews, including celebrity chef and James Beard Award-winning Tom Douglas, New York Times bestselling debut author Joshua Foer, young adult authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, and Gossip Girl producer John Stephens.

New author interviews will be announced via the Amazon.com Books Facebook page and on Omnivoracious.com, the Amazon.com Books blog. Customers will be able to post questions for visiting authors that will be incorporated into each interview. All edited videos will be available on the book's detail page and accessible from archives in The Backstory.

"We're extremely lucky to have fascinating and talented authors gracing our hallways here at Amazon and taking time to chat with us," said Mari Malcolm, Managing Editor, books at Amazon.com. "We love these conversations so much that we wanted to share them with our customers. We hope that customers will take the opportunity to submit questions on our Amazon Books Facebook page or through our blog, Omnivoracious. They can also contact us at authorinterviews@amazon.com with questions for visiting authors."

The Backstory will feature Author Interviews@Amazon interviews and other exclusive author content such as guest reviews, interviews, authors' favorite playlists, recipes and more.

eReader Company Kobo Secures $50 Million to Compete with Kindle and Nook

2011-04-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Kobo has closed a $50 Million investment round led by a leading institutional investor. Existing investors also participated in the round; investing $13M.

"Kobo will use the new funding to continue its explosive growth internationally," said Greg Twinney, CFO of Kobo. "As the eReading space continues to heat up, Kobo is committed to providing an innovative experience that lets consumers read anytime, anyplace and share their love of reading with friends."

Kobo kicked off its European expansion last week, with the announcement of its plans to launch local content stores inGermany -- the largest book market outside of the US -- and Spain starting in May 2011. Local stores for France, Italy and the Netherlands will follow this summer -- an industry first. In providing local content and reading experiences for European readers, Kobo continues to build on the vision of giving people around the world the freedom to read on any device, and share their love of reading with friends.

Starting today, consumers can buy the highly anticipated BlackBerry PlayBook which comes pre-loaded with the Kobo eReading app -- in leading retailers across the US and Canada. RIM selected Kobo as its strategic eReading partner, given its ability to service customers around the globe.

The Kobo eReading app delivers a personalized reading experience and allows users to choose the perfect text size and style, select between day and night mode, both featuring uninterrupted reading with seamless page turns and chapter transitions. Plus, readers can switch between single or side-by-side page view simply in landscape orientation or simply rotate the Playbook to read in portrait orientation. Kobo is offering a free copy of Thomas Cleary's translation of The Art of War exclusively to BlackBerry PlayBook customers. Users can sign in or create their Kobo account from the BlackBerry PlayBook and the free eBook will be added directly to their library.

Since Kobo's launch in December 2009, Kobo has:

One of the largest stores worldwide: over 2.3 million eBooks, newspapers and magazines with titles ranging from the NYT bestseller list, the hottest new releases, thrillers, romance and over a million free books -- Kobo has built one of the largest stores in the world.
Over 3.2 million Users: with over 1 million users added in the last 90 days
An Open Platform: Kobo is dedicated to an open cloud-based platform, enabling users build their lifetime library, and access it from any device.
A leading eReader: Kobo has developed and launched two industry leading eReaders; the Kobo eReader and the Kobo Wireless eReader.
Top ranked eReading applications; for iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Palm WebOS, Windows, MacOS
Localised Stores: Kobo already offers locally merchandised English language stores in the US, Canada, UK, Australia,New Zealand and Hong Kong -- with Germany and Spain launching in May, and France, Italy and the Netherlandslaunching this summer.
Leading Tablet Partners; including Samsung, Research In Motion and HTC have chosen Kobo as their global eReading platform for their mobile devices.
Leading Retail Partners; including Indigo (Canada), Best Buy (US & Canada), Borders (US), Walmart (US & Canada) Angus & Robertsons (AU), Whitcoull's (NZ), WHSmith (UK), Swindon (Hong Kong)
The Most Comprehensive Social eReading Experience -- Kobo's Reading Life; an industry-first social experience that enables passionate readers to connect with friends to discuss their favourite books on Facebook, build their Reading Life, and earn awards -- just for reading.

Free Digital Publishing for the iPad

2011-04-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Apple iPad and new tools like iBuildApp.com, digital publishing is easier than ever. Silicon Valley based startup iBuildApp recently added an iPad publishing solution to their suite of iPhone templates designed for the non-coder.

iPad publishing has created new revenue streams for businesses who can publish materials without printing and shipping costs. Create your own iPad magazine, catalog, or book app. iBuildApp solution has templates, is automated, and totally free to create and update. See it here: http://ibuildapp.com/ipad_self_publishing/.

The solution also delivers a good experience for the reader. "We believe that a digital magazine or newspaper should feel like a media app, not like a magazine reader," said Rafael Soultanov. When someone swipes from page to page they can choose different stories to read. Images are vivid, video is optimized. If a reader wants to comment or share what they're reading, they just tap a button.

The fully functional publishing app takes just 2-3 hours to create and publish content. Just copy/paste content into our pre-made templates for the iPad, for free. The iBuildApp iPad solution will be integrated with other CMS platforms such as Wordpress, Drupal and Joomla. It simply requires snippets of code from iBuildApp to be inserted into the CMS code.

Services make it less complicated for authors to publish and manage their own publishing (magazines and books). By using a service, publishers can focus on their content and leave the formatting, publishing and distribution to iBuildapp. Unlike other services iBuildApp Self-Publishing Solution provides authors with a free online editor, free formatting and design templates and integrated publishing for iPad and Web.

Hannover House Sets New E-Book Royalty Standards and Initial Releases

2011-04-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

In the wake of continuing debate between publishers and authors regarding the establishment of fair and reasonable royalty rates for the emerging E-Book platforms, Hannover House (http://hannoverhouse.com/index.php ) has announced a new standard rate of thirty percent of E-Book net revenues for authors. This new rate for all Hannover House authors surpasses the current industry standard of twenty-five percent E-Book royalties being offered by most major publishers.

Initial E-Book releases from Hannover House will launch in June, and include two non-fiction titles from author Barr McClellan, and two fiction thrillers from author Vivian Schilling. McClellan's "Made in the USA" was published in hardcover format in March of 2010, and his New York Times Bestseller, "Blood, Money and Power: How LBJ Killed JFK," was originally published in September 2003. Schilling's acclaimed thriller "Quietus" was originally released in hardcover format in January 2002, and her debut thriller "Sacred Prey" was originally published in September 1994. Both "Blood, Money and Power" and "Quietus" have sold more than 100,000 units each in various print formats, and are expected to be significant sellers again once released on the various E-Book platforms.

"It was important for Hannover House to make a statement that we stand with our authors in support of fair and reasonable royalties for new media formats," said Eric Parkinson, C.E.O. of Hannover House. "E-Books provide publishers with greater efficiencies and lower costs of production, freight and storage, so it only makes sense that the author's share should increase, not decrease as other publishers have claimed. If we don't compensate the authors fairly for these emerging formats, the publishing industry will jeopardize the supply of quality material by removing the financial incentives for authors."

The launch of Hannover's initial E-Book titles will be promoted with ads in the New York Times Book Review, Publisher's Weekly and multiple internet sites targeted to reach avid readers.

"These royalty rates will not jeopardize the profitability of our publishing division," said Parkinson. "We believe that paying a fair royalty will build author loyalty as well as encourage other, established authors to consider Hannover House for their future publishing needs."

In other news, Hannover House announced the creation of the new position of "Publisher - Editor" to administer all acquisition and release activities for the company's book division. A search for qualified candidates has commenced, with the goal of having this key managerial post in place prior to the Book Expo America convention in late May. Hannover House book titles are available through most major book retailers, including Barnes and Noble, Borders Group, Hudson Group, Books-A-Million, Hastings and all major internet book selling sites.

E-books Empower Independent Publishers

2011-04-08T06:56:00.001-07:00

Though few experts predict the demise of the big publishing houses, their future role in providing the majority of content for today's reading public is now hotly debated by industry insiders. In the same way that cable TV has eaten into the monopoly once held by the big networks, smaller publishers aim to take a bigger piece of the publishing pie.

And the main reason why is the change in technology and the emergence and extraordinary rise of the digital-publishing phenomenon. "E-books sales have exploded more than 500 percent in only a few years," says Larry Leichman, founder of Arbor Books New Jersey, an independent book-services and ghostwriting company. "And as e-books continue to become more and more popular, the low cost of producing and distributing books gives independent writers a tremendous boost. Just look at the sales figures for Amanda Hocking, a self-published author who produces YA fantasy books. She's routinely at the top of Amazon's bestseller list."

In fact, Amazon.com is a major force in this independent-publishing revolution. Perhaps no other entity has done so much to level the publishing playing field. Amazon provides the marketplace and lets consumers decide what's popular. More and more people are turning to reader reviews instead of big-name critics at newspapers and magazines when it comes to helping them decide their next e-book purchase.

And, according to Amazon.com, e-book sales have already surpassed hardcover sales and will surpass paperback sales in 2011. "Everything is going digital," says Joel Hochman, president of Arbor Books' ghostwriting division. "This trend is helping independent publishing earn the same respect as independent films and music."

Traditional publishers are surely feeling the heat from this growing revolution. Some houses, such as Simon & Schuster, are dumping their paperback divisions in favor of a push toward digital, but fierce competition with self-publishers could further erode their bottom lines.

With e-book sales growing exponentially, the barrier to entry into the market is now lower than ever. Small presses and individual authors no longer have to worry about the cost of manufacturing. This in turn leads to higher royalty payments to writers.

Today's improved, light-weight electronic readers are also making more choices available. Since many authors are now releasing their "older" out-of-print titles as e-books and offering them at huge discounts, it can cost just a few bucks to try out a new author. Ultimately, this means more people reading more titles by more authors than ever before. This is sweet music to the independent movement.

ClickBank Continues to See Significant Growth in Independent eBooks Space

2011-03-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

eBook sales nearly doubled in 2010 and industry predictions expect these percentages to continue to climb in 2011, tripling by 2015. ClickBank (http://www.clickbank.com), the premier, online marketplace for digital information products, is experiencing this explosive growth first-hand, due in part to significant new product launches in the eBook space. ClickBank currently provides the largest digital marketplace for independent informational eBooks, and sales of eBooks in the ClickBank Marketplace have seen significant growth.

Long time ClickBank clients and Internet marketers Rasheed Ali and Huey Lee have recently launched a new information product, "Autopilot Income Machines." This extensive, multi-media product contains a mixture of video and PDF training materials in eBook format, supported by software, and aims to be one of the most comprehensive products of its kind.

"We've been online for almost 10 years now and have been with ClickBank since 2003. We've built multi-million dollar businesses on the sale of eBooks and still cannot find a worthy replacement, even video, that can achieve what a simple, well written eBook can achieve for its reader," said Ali. "Our latest product is an eBook ‘blueprint,' supported by video training that will give the reader a richer, multi-modality, learning experience to help enhance their retention and functional use of the information."

"There has been a lot of buzz recently around the increase in consumer desire for eBooks and this creates strong opportunity for independent authors seeking to establish a following," said Brad Wiskirchen, CEO, ClickBank. "Historically, we have provided an established channel for innovative, independent vendors to bring their products to market. This is no different. We are leveraging our network to provide a unique opportunity for authors, sellers and publishers to reach a new market of readers."

ClickBank offers titles from independent authors in a wide range of categories that include Education, Fiction, Green Products, Self-Help and many more, with titles that range from Do-It-Yourself Solar Energy to Official Secret Restaurant Recipes. Companies such as Relationship Headquarters, a relationship counseling resource founded by Licensed Professional Counselor Bob Grant, have seen first-hand the success that's possible when selling eBooks through ClickBank. Relationship Headquarters' success over the last 7 years includes over $3 million in sales and over 80,000 products sold to date through ClickBank.

"As with anything you do, success depends largely on partnering with the right companies," said Jill Menghini, Manager of RelationshipHeadquarters.com. "ClickBank provides all of the resources that you need in one place. We have received rave reviews on their customer service and that has translated into return customers and increased success for us."

Publishing Upheaval Leads Author to New Career as Indy Screenwriter/Producer

2011-03-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, author Gini Graham Scott was a successful writer specializing in books on work relationships, professional development, and business success, with books published by major publishers, including AMACOM and Random House. She had also sold a service connecting writers to publishers and agents, the film industry, and the media, which she still works with as a consultant. But then the economy tanked, publishers cut back, and the e-book revolution happened, making it harder than ever to make a living writing one's own books.

But after two desperate years of living on the edge while commuting between L.A. and Oakland, Gini Graham Scott has found a new career as an indy screenwriter and producer, as well as helping would-be writers, speakers, and businesspeople write, publish, and promote their own books through her new company: Changemakers Publishing and Writing (www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com). As an indy filmmaker, she has written and produced over three dozen short films and trailers for features, which are now featured on YouTube at changemakersprod. Her most recent films are trailers for the feature, The Engagement at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU15IABpr_4, and for a documentary for geocaching, Hide and Seek at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szRNRoJB5Pk

Scott has additionally written a book on low-budget filmmaking: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO WRITING, PRODUCING AND DIRECTING A LOW-BUDGET SHORT FILM to be published by Hal Leonard in November. In the meantime, an e-book version is available through Smashwords and Kindle, and she is currently working on her next book for filmmakers: FINDING FUNDS FOR YOUR FILM, since she is doing exactly that for some of her feature films. She is also leading workshops on writing, producing, and promoting short films, as well as on how to write, publish, and promote one's own book and find a publisher or agent.

Self-Published Authors Can Tap Into 3,500 Christian (Book) Retail Stores

2011-03-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Swanson Christian Products (SCP) has created a new ministry called Grace and Fire Media, which provides a non-traditional alternative for self-published authors to gain access to more than 3,500 retail stores in the traditional Christian retail market.

As a result of its mission to "reach the world through ministry, missions and products that honor God" SCP, a leader in the Christian retail market for more than 75 years, is using its long-standing relationships with Christian bookstore owners and its infrastructure to enter into an exciting opportunity to help authors/pastors and their ministries distribute self-published materials. It is a hybrid distributor /publisher model that no one currently has within the Christian marketplace.

"Swanson has identified a need to bridge the gap between an author's self-publishing and vying for a slot in traditional publishing houses," said Shawn A. Kuhn, vice president of P&K Bookstores. "The company's commitment to quality says to me that these will be great books that will make an impact in the lives of people and cause a stir in the publishing industry."

Christian publishing is a $4.2 billion-a-year industry. Books and Bibles account for more than half the revenues of the average Christian retail store. However, current distribution systems are still based on more traditional models that are integrated with established publishers who only release 10-30 titles a year.

As a result, many self-published authors and pastors who would like to get their books or most-popular messages to the public are unlikely to be able to publish or distribute them though traditional Christian marketing channels.

"Last year, for the first time ever, there were more self-published titles released than traditional publisher titles," said Adam Swanson, president of SCP. "We have set up a system to enable the self-published author to get his message out to the consumer through the Christian retail market. It's a win/win for everybody."

SCP is a not-for-profit ministry of Victory Christian Center. It is an importer, manufacturer and distributor of more than 4,000 Christian products in categories such as apparel, home/office décor, Bible accessories, entertainment and custom products.

For more information about Grace and Fire Media go to swansoninc.com and for a CBA store near you, click on Find A Store Near You.

Visual Storytelling -- almost a movie

2011-03-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

Cinema is the most powerful medium for delivering information and entertainment, beyond any doubt, but standing in close proximity to the cinema is the visual story; and Chriscribe.com offers digital readers a unique style of visual storytelling. Best viewed on large screens of 15 inches and upwards, these visual ebooks are formatted to present a mosaic of integrated text and images, much the same as a magazine or newspaper spread. However, on the iPad the format differs in that continuous horizontal scrolling is achieved to provide a significant animated function that equates to a movie.

Currently, at Chriscribe.com there are three graphic novels: Made in England, Born of Fire: The Omen and Where Giants Fall: Lest We Forget; and and visually robust art and design analysis: The Visual Reviewal, all priced at $19.95 AUD and in PDF downloads that facilitates 'read-right-away'. Born of Fire: The Kingdom of Venga is due in April.

All the artwork is developed using a Wacom Cintiq with Photoshop, collated in InDesign and exported to Acrobat PDF.

As the applications for visual material become more available so will the products, and the ability to scroll along the pages uninterrupted is a volatile feature that cannot be overlooked for much longer. Once artists can deliver continuous imagery in a horizontal format, unfettered by the printing process protocols, to electronic readers and computers then this medium will explode, with the potential, not only to equal the power of cinematography in the delivery of visual material, but to overtake it.

It's great to see screenwriters like Aaron Sorkin and Chris Sparling getting the recognition they deserve

2011-02-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

It's been said "film is a director's medium," and the whole notion of a name above the title and possessory credit was a battle long ago given up by the Writers Guild of America. Yet a recent wave of Hollywood films seems to be shifting toward what was unthinkable years ago--acknowledging the screenwriter as auteur. It's a subject at the heart of Steven DeRosa's book Writing with Hitchcock, which, in a new expanded edition, closely examines the most important writing collaboration of cinema's most celebrated auteur.

In Writing with Hitchcock, Steven DeRosa invites the reader into what was sacred territory at Paramount Studios for much of the 1950s--Alfred Hitchcock's office, where he and a young screenwriter named John Michael Hayes hashed out, debated, and plotted the movie at hand, until it was time for the director to go home, or to one of his favorite restaurants, leaving the writer to sort through the ideas they discussed that day and weave them into a screenplay. The first of their collaborations, Rear Window, marked a turning point that began the Golden period of Alfred Hitchcock's career, a ten-year-run during which he made his greatest films in Hollywood.

In all, four of those films would be penned by John Michael Hayes, the only screenwriter in Hollywood whose collaboration with Hitchcock lasted beyond two consecutive movies. Yet in spite of Hayes's considerable contributions to films such as Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, and The Man Who Knew Too Much, the director barred Hayes from speaking to the press about his work. It's hard to imagine a director or studio being able to silence a writer in such a way today.

One of this year's top contenders to take home the Academy Award for Best Picture is The Social Network, the film about the battle between the creators of Facebook, which is being touted more as the product of screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's talent than that of director David Fincher. Even the official website for The Social Network contains a downloadable PDF of the screenplay. While Fincher himself has been dismissive of the film, Sorkin's script has been praised as an incisive look at a generation and for the irony in its subtext--the story of an idea that promised friendships, but ultimately caused destruction of the friendships between those who created it.

Another film released in 2010 which created a stir around its screenwriter was Buried, the movie which placed Ryan Reynolds in a wooden coffin beneath the Iraqi desert with a cell phone, a cigarette lighter, and little hope. For all the dazzling direction by Rodrigo Cortes, who faced the challenge of making a visually interesting movie in the smallest of spaces, the studio did not shy away from the fact that the concept was the brainchild of screenwriter Chris Sparling. Sparling would later be at the center of his own controversy when an email went out in his name to Academy members asking them to consider his achievement for an Oscar nod.

"It's great to see screenwriters like Aaron Sorkin and Chris Sparling getting notoriety and the recognition they deserve," says Steven DeRosa. "In Hitchcock's day and during the height of the studio system in Hollywood, that just wasn't done. Rear Window is as much John Michael Hayes's film as it is Hitchcock's. But for so long in Hollywood, unless you were a writer-director like Billy Wilder or Preston Sturges, or speaking of more contemporary hyphenates like Woody Allen, Sofia Coppola or Quentin Tarantino, the perception has been that it was solely the director's vision that reached the screen." DeRosa writes that Hayes drew upon situations in his own life when creating the central relationship between the characters played by James Stewart and Grace Kelly in the film. Like Kelly's character, Lisa Fremont, Hayes's wife Mel was a high-style fashion model.

DeRosa makes a compelling case for the significance of Hitchcock's collaboration with Hayes, as the director was in the midst of a career crisis following the failure of his own production company and a string of box-office failures when he called upon Hayes to help him reconnect with his audience. "Although they enjoyed a very fruitful association, it ultimately came down to a matter of contending with Hitchcock's ego. After Rear Window was released and was a huge hit, Hayes began to get recognition from the press and award nominations. After that, his days with Hitchcock were numbered. It's too bad," notes DeRosa, "because the films they made together were the pinnacle of sophistication and suspense at the movies."

Writing with Hitchcock is available now on Amazon.com in both print and e-book editions.

For more information visit writingwithhitchcock.com, you can join the Writing with Hitchcock Facebook community at facebook.com/writingwithhitch.

Barnes & Noble's New PubIt! Platform Grabs 11,000 Publishers and Authors

2011-02-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

Barnes and Noble, Inc. reported major growth for its news PubIt! (www.PubIt.com), an easy-to-use digital publishing platform for independent publishers and authors. Since launching four months ago, more than 11,000 independent publishers and authors have joined the PubIt! community of booksellers, adding more than 65,000 new works to the NOOK Bookstore. In fact, there are currently 35 PubIt! titles among the Top 200 NOOK Books based on sales, and Barnes and Noble customers have purchased PubIt! works in more than 50 categories to date.

Barnes and Noble will also expand promotion for PubIt! titles and authors into its retail channels. In addition to in-store events, the company offers PubIt! authors and publishers access to the unique marketing and merchandising opportunities through the NOOK Bookstore, a PubIt! bestseller list and additional exposure through the Read In Store program.

Authors have found great success with PubIt!. H.P. Mallory, author of Toil and Trouble, Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, and To Kill a Warlock, calls PubIt!, "an incredible experience… one of the best decisions I ever made." Mallory's paranormal romance books have become such a hit that she just signed a three-book deal with a major publishing house. Lori Brighton, author of A Night of Secrets, The Mind Readers and The Ghost Hunter, says, "PubIt! places publishing in the author's hands, which benefits not only the author, but also the reader."

Collection of Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Work Contains New Material

2011-02-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

A University of North Dakota authority on Victorian era poetry and literature is celebrating collaborative efforts that has resulted in a new five-volume edition of the works of famed English poet and thinker Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

The works contain previously unpublished material. It is the most comprehensive modern collection of Barrett Browning's works to date, and the first new compilation in nearly a century.

A cooperative project by scholars from three countries, the work began in the early 2000s.

Sandra Donaldson, University of North Dakota Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of English and Women Studies, was named to head up one of the more challenging recent scholarly projects in Victorian literature.

A career expert on famed English poet and thinker Elizabeth Barrett Browning (EBB), Donaldson was the earliest published among a group of fellow EBB scholars who determined that it was time to undertake a full scholarly edition. Those credentials led to her being named general editor of the new five-volume The Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (2010, Pickering & Chatto).

And now that the long-awaited edition is complete, Donaldson can reflect on the specialization and collaboration that made it all possible.

"I like taking care of details, organizing things, seeing patterns," Donaldson said, explaining the work of general editor.

Donaldson led a varied and talented team of junior and established EBB scholars in creating the edition. Nine people from three countries (the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom) are listed as part of the editorial team, including university professors and curators at the Armstrong Browning Library of Baylor University. One of the editors, Barbara Neri, is also a performance artist who specializes in spot-on, historical re-enactments of Barrett Browning.

A number of graduate students and other scholars also are credited with assisting the project.

"We all were writing, and in addition I had to make the voice consistent across all five volumes," Donaldson said of one of her duties as general editor.

The idea for the project stemmed from a 1995 conversation among Donaldson and two other principal editors, Marjorie Stone, professor of English and women's studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Beverly Taylor, professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The three lamented the lack of quality and accurate materials for teaching university students about EBB.

Available at the time were outdated works with no annotations, some errors and missing facts because they simply were not known yet. Donaldson and her colleagues knew that without a full scholarly edition, with all the right background and context, a good classroom edition of EBB's works could not be achieved.

In the early 2000s, work on a new scholarly edition began in earnest. A publisher, London-based Pickering & Chatto, was chosen and work was divided and assigned among the editors. Another important consideration was how "copy-texts" -- an author's original text -- might be treated and defended in the new edition.

"Some say only the first version should be used because that is what created the writer's first audience," Donaldson said. "I didn't really like that idea at all because so much was added (in EBB's later versions.)"

Donaldson's team had hoped to tackle the daunting task in three volumes, but the publisher suggested more, settling on the eventual five-volume set early in the process.

"I never imagined it would be that big," she said.

Donaldson was a hands-on manager, not only serving as general editor but also as volume editor of parts three, four and five, including EBB's verse novel, "Aurora Leigh." Stone and Taylor primarily handled parts one and two.

Donaldson said Volume Five, with its inclusion of works that had remained largely unknown -- some uncollected during her lifetime and others simply unrecognized as hers -- was especially exciting to research.

"I love (all the volumes), but that (Volume Five) was the most fun to do because we were truly discovering things," she said.

Donaldson said the collaborative nature of the project worked because there was an implicit sense of trust among the writers despite their geographical differences.

The collaborations were not exclusive to the established EBB scholars on the team. Junior scholars, who in some cases were working toward their master's and doctoral degrees, also benefited.

While at UND, master's degree candidate Jane Stewart Laux contributed to the edition by painstakingly recording variants to EBB's "An Island," inspecting it line-by-line and comparing it with various other versions of the same poem. After graduation, she was named editorial associate on the project.

"She had some wonderful material to work with and she got paid to do it," Donaldson said.

Then there was Clara Drummond, who, at the time the project was in development, was a doctoral student at Boston University. Drummond's master's thesis and Ph.D. dissertation on EBB's translations of Aeschylus' "Prometheus Bound," as well as Drummond's classical journal essay on the same topic, were used and cited extensively by Donaldson in a portion of the edition.

Donaldson also credits Simon Avery, a senior lecturer of humanities at the University of Hertfordshire in England, as another invaluable member of the team. During the course of the project, he became a professor at the University of Westminster in London.

"We learned a lot from Simon, in particular, and Clara did an incredible task — she had knowledge that we did not have," Donaldson said.

Donaldson said the entire process was an effective exercise in collaborative writing. The resulting edition now allows readers, literary historians, students and scholars to more easily study the life and works of EBB.

"Before, you'd have to go to the different libraries around the world where we went to read them," she said. "There were no other places to see these unpublished works, of course."

As part of a requirement to receive National Endowment for the Humanities funding that helped support the project, Donaldson and her team had to lay out a plan for digitizing their work; in other words, make the research accessible on the Web.

Donaldson currently is working with UND's Chester Fritz Library to create a Web presence that features full presentation of all versions of some of EBB's substantially revised poems.

Donaldson said she is happy with the way the long-overdue EBB scholarly edition turned out. It had been more than a century since anything equivalent had been published. She said also she is grateful for the support of the UND community and the great reception the edition has received.

Christian Writer Cecil B. Murphey Supports New Authors Again

2011-02-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

Christian writer and New York Times' bestselling author Cec Murphey will for the second year sponsor ten writers with full scholarships to the OC Christian Writers Conference. In addition he is sponsoring two writers with scholarships to the intensive pre-conference workshops. The conference will be held on April 29 & 30, 2011 in Irvine, California. Find out more at www.occwf.org.

Who is Cec?

Cecil B. Murphey is best known for writing 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper), which has sold more than five million copies and has been on the New York Times best seller list since October 2006, but has actually been in the top-selling 150 books for 15 years, according to USA Today. In fact, plans are in the works for a full-length feature film. For more on his books and work go to www.cecilmurphey.com.

But that's not all he wrote.

Cecil has authored or co-written more than one hundred books that have been translated into more than 40 languages and have sold millions of copies. No doubt he has encouraged and touched the lives of millions of readers with hope and inspiration. What has he done with all the fame and prosperity? Cecil says that he can't think of any better investment in the kingdom than to mentor and support other writers, especially Christian writers.

Cecil understands our unique branch of artistry for God. Prior to launching his career as a full-time writer and speaker, Cecil served as pastor of Riverdale Presbyterian Church in Metro Atlanta. He was also a volunteer hospital chaplain for ten years and a missionary in Kenya for six.

He holds bachelor's degrees in education and religious education, as well as master's degrees in education and theology. In addition to all of that, Cecil was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature from The Richmond Virginia Seminary for his contributions to the writing field. A pastor, a writer, an educator, a philanthropist and a mentor. Cecil B. Murphey is all of this and more. The OC Christian Writers Fellowship and our aspiring writers for God thank you, Mr. Murphey, for your encouragement and generous support.

The OC Christian Writers Conference held on April 29 & 30, 2011 in Irvine, California, is one of the longest running one-day conferences in California. This year's keynote speakers are Simon Tolkien, grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, and Vinita Hampton Wright. With 27 writing workshops, four writing contests, four acquisition editors, three literary agents, and authors and writers in almost every genre, this is a place to get instructed, get connected, and get published. Find more about the scholarships at www.occwf.org.

Latest forecast predicts U.S. e-book sales will reach nearly $2.7 billion in three years

2011-02-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

The catchphrase "There's an app for that" may soon be replaced by "There's an e-book for that." In a new report, "2011 E-Book Forecast: Get Set for the Next Best-Seller," Yankee Group predicts U.S. e-book downloads will grow at an 83% CAGR by 2013, while paid mobile app downloads will grow at a 72% CAGR during the same period. U.S. e-book sales will grow from $313 million in 2009 to $2.7 billion by 2013.

The report also finds:

E-book unit sales will skyrocket. By 2013, U.S. consumers will purchase 381 million e-books, roughly four times the amount they purchased in 2010.

Average selling prices of e-books will plummet. By 2013, the average e-book retail price will fall to $7, down from an average of more than $9 in 2009.

Age is a factor in e-book adoption. While a third of 18-19 year olds express high interest, key features like scalable fonts, text-to-speech conversion and lightweight e-readers have attracted more than 22 percent of the 65 and over crowd.

Students will have a big hand in stirring e-book sales. Textbooks are heavy, expensive and unwieldy. It's no surprise then that 1 in 4 students express strong interest in e-books.

"E-book prices are falling, unit sales are growing and revenue is skyrocketing--you may ask why this didn't happen 10 years ago," said Dmitriy Molchanov, analyst at Yankee Group and author of the report. "Aside from the growing adoption of e-readers like Amazon's Kindle, new content formats, better content discovery tools and new business models will all drive e-book sales in the next three years. The ecosystem is maturing fast--device makers and others who don't make their move now will miss out on a multi-billion-dollar market."

Nook Or Kindle? New Developments In 2011 Creating A Stir by Kathy Erickson

2011-02-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

The choice for many people searching for ebook readers in 2011 still comes down to the Nook or Kindle. There are other ereader choices on the market, but the most popular devices by far are still the Nook and Kindle. Let's take a look at an updated comparison of the two and uncover some controversial developments.

Nook and Kindle Physical Design-

Both the Nook and Kindle are similar with same size reading screens, but the 3rd generation Kindle (Kindle 3) has a slimmed down design compared to the Nook. The Kindle 3 is noticeably smaller and lighter than the Nook. Barnes and Noble's device has gone through little or no noticeable changes from the original physical design released in 2009.

The Nook has updated its software to version 1.5, allowing for sorting of titles into "shelves", giving the ability to password protect the device, and giving it the ability to sync between devices. Amazon's Kindle allows you to do all these things with their products as well.

Differences Between Nook and Kindle-

Their are some obvious and not-so-obvious differences between the two devices.

Navigation: The Nook has a color touch screen underneath the reading screen that allows for the user to scroll between and within the titles using the swipe and touch of a finger. The Kindle is pure push-button technology. This technology difference alone is a source of love or hate for each product depending on the customer.

Battery Life: Battery life on one charge differs greatly between the two devices. The Kindle is 30 days with the wireless off, whereas the Nook has a max time of around 10 days with wireless off.

Memory: The Nook has expandable memory, with a standard memory of approximately 1,500 titles. The Kindle has a standard (not expandable) memory of 3,500 titles.

Speed Of Device: Both devices are very comparable in page turn speed. It is apparent when watching both devices work side-by-side, however, that the push button technology for scrolling through the text itself is a little faster.

International Capabilities: Only the Kindle works in foreign countries with the 3G wireless. Otherwise, of course the Nook works anywhere in the world, one just has to think ahead and download titles on the internet.

New Developments Proving To Shake Up The Battle

EPUB Issue: Only the Nook allows for use of the "Epub" file. Why is this important? Public libraries across the country are slowly becoming capable of lending out digital content via "Adobe DRM" software. Not all libraries are there yet, but they are getting there soon.

This issue alone is causing many people to thumb their noses at Amazon and buy the Nook. How will Amazon respond in 2011? They can't ignore this issue forever, or they will get left in the dust, right? We'll have to wait and see.

Amazon's Faulty Covers: Many people this holiday season were getting Kindles that seemed to have a strange problem...They kept re-setting! Amazon worked with numerous people, sending them new Kindles, only to have the same problem happen over and over.

The culprit has now been found and officially acknowledged by Amazon. It was the "non-lighted Kindle covers" that were apparently causing the constant resetting of the devices.

Amazon is attempting to resolve the problem by sending a free "lighted cover" to customers having trouble.

There are some major differences one can see when choosing between the Nook or Kindle, and it will ultimately come down to preference. Both devices are leading the market in ebook reader sales because they are both considered solid products.

Check Out Both Devices In Action

You can get help deciding between the Nook or Kindle by watching a great video showing both in action and getting more info at http://www.thenookvskindle.com.

Professional Publishing Revenues Rebound with Help from E-books and Online Strategies

2011-02-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

Professional books, still a foundational reference source for most working professionals, grew 1.1% to $13.9 billion in 2010, an initial step toward a full recovery. Media and publishing forecast firm Simba Information's latest report, "Global Professional Publishing 2009-2010," details the resilience of professional books through the recession and the explosive adoption of electronic models.

After losing sales in 2009 due to contracted library budgets and decreased exports, professional book publishing, which includes the legal, medical, business, scientific and technical fields, has nearly regained its 2008 position. Although largely due to a recovering economy, new e-book strategies and products from large commercial publishers have helped libraries make the most of their budgets and shelf space.

"Although publishers have dealt with electronic journals for years, producing electronic books as a viable publishing product is slowly taking hold," said Dan Strempel, lead author of the report. "E-books are now gaining a prominent foothold within the professional and academic world at large."

Historically vilified by the scholarly publishing world, search giants, such as Google and Yahoo!, have proven to be a boon to the industry, as added exposure has increased book sales. The report finds publishers are especially excited about Google Books, which allows users to browse sample pages before purchasing the full text or designated sections.

"The number of publishers distributing through search engines is remarkably increasing, a trend which will continue over the next few years," noted Strempel.

Publishers have embraced a print-on-demand distribution model, which allows buyers to purchase a specific digest and have it shipped within 24 hours of placing the order. According to the report, partnerships with online distributors, such as Amazon, have helped make backlist, out-of-print and large print books readily available.

"In short, as the Internet age continues to evolve and offer new business models and distribution routes, professional publishers must continue to explore the many ways books and book content can be seen, explored and purchased," added Strempel. "The possibilities for reaching the right consumer are now limitless."

New York Times Bestselling Author Launches Website For Writers

2011-02-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

TheBookPatch.com uses state of the art technology to build a unique and free platform for writers to create, edit, publish and sell their books in one seamless process.

The new website offers members (membership is free) a complete set of tools letting writers log on to their book from any computer in the world with an internet connection and write. The built in word processor compliments writing alone, collaboration or co-authoring regardless of geographical boundaries. The program supports multiple story lines and exclusive applications for creating a cast of characters, storing author's notes and chapter outlines and more.

The website has a built in social network, forums and, professional assistance.

Once a book is ready for print, TheBookPatch.com provides a built in cover design wizard and printing at a push of a button directly from the site. There are no set up fees or royalty sharing. The author retains 100% copyright and can order as little as a single copy. TheBookPatch printing price is unparalleled and declines with every additional copy even if ordered one at a time. Authors can update and make changes to their books with no additional charges and retain the previous editions discounts. An average book price for a

200 page book with a full color cover will run between $5.50 and $16 on the average. TheBookPatch also offers an online book store where authors can sell their books and collect the profit while TheBookPatch retains only the printing cost.

"By making the website free to use I want to encourage educators to take advantage of this great tool for their students in this time of economic crunch." - Victor Ostrovsky CEO TheBookPatch.com

More information is available on http://www.thebookpatch.com

Book Publishing: Do You Want Your Writing to Stand Out or Blend In? by Cheryl Pickett

2011-02-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

One of these things is not like the other... I'm guessing at least some of you know what follows that line from the famous Sesame Street song. For those of you who aren't familiar, the gist of it is that one of four items is not like any of the others displayed together. It might be an orange vs. three apples or three blue items vs. a yellow one for example. The simple sing along lesson reinforces shapes, colors and the skill of comparative analysis.

Along with that, the exercise can give the impression that it's not good to be the one that's different-the one that doesn't belong. It's better to be in the group of what is the same. In truth, sometimes that concept can serve you well. There are times when we don't want to stand out in the crowd, or when we should go with the flow. However, there are also situations when that strategy is detrimental. It's likely you've experienced both being odd person out and blending in perfectly. In publishing, you'll find that, most of the time, you'll need to do some of both.

First, your book needs to be in the "like the others" category in that it falls into a recognizable heading or spot on a shelf, whether physical or virtual. If it's aimed at a particular audience like entrepreneurs or home cooks, it needs to fall within expected norms of what a reader would expect from that kind of book. Even if you publish independently, you still have to be able to speak to the attributes your potential reader will identify with. Go too far to one side or the other and you may only appeal to a fringe audience, which often means fewer sales.

That said, the crazy thing remains that at the same time the book needs to be clearly defined, it also needs to be the attention grabbing yellow one among the blue ones. It's good for it to stand out because it gives a reader who has hundreds of choices an incentive to at least consider it first over the others. If they like it, it makes a recommendation easier instead of comments along the lines of "it's like most of the other ones you've probably read".

The vast majority of holding this fine line will come in the writing. As you write the content of your book, you'll need to develop your unique voice, yet not get too far out of line with regard to common expectation. It's a very tricky balancing act for sure. Walking this line with the right amount of skill means you'll keep the readers happy and your wallet full as well.

If you would like to learn how to create quality content and write your B.E.S.T right now, I invite you to visit my website http://www.cherylpickett.com.

Cheryl Pickett has been writing articles, blogs and books for well over a decade. Her mission is to help message driven entrepreneurs, authors and other thought leaders create compelling content faster, easier and with less stress.

New imprint, Seventh Millennium, Offers Book Publishing for Indie Authors

2011-01-31T07:37:00.000-08:00

New imprint, Seventh Millennium, a division of Nordskog Publishing, Inc. is now in full production.

Authors know that the competition for the few available publishing spots is fierce; meaning that some particularly promising manuscripts will not see publication or will be delayed. Will it be yours?

We are pleased to answer this dilemma with Nordskog Publishing, Inc.'s new MakeMeMyBook division, under the Seventh Millennium imprint. NPI is now seeking authors and manuscripts. Once published, these books will share in the popularity of NPI's regular line-up of Nordskog books of Meaty, Tasty, and Easily Digestible Biblical Treasures; Noble Novels fiction series, and Young Heart Books for children."

With the author providing negotiated full or partial capital costs, and with resources and professionalism far beyond what one might expect from self-publishing, NPI's MakeMeMyBook Division offers priority access to excellent editing, production and marketing services, on an expedited fast-track.

The first book published under this new imprint, Confrontational Politics by California State Senator, Bill Richardson, is already enjoying great success. And a new, worthy, evangelistic book has been put into the African missionary field in less than a month, with regular publication soon to follow!

Nordskog Publishing, Inc. has been publishing Christian based books since 2007. And by February 2011, will have successfully published twenty outstanding books under their various imprints.

For publishing guidelines visit Nordskog Publishing, Inc. at www.NordskogPublishing.com/contact.shtml and click on 'prospective authors' at the bottom right.

Ever Dream of Writing a Best-Selling Book or Ebook?

2011-01-24T07:10:00.000-08:00

School bus driver tells her story of developing an online publishing empire so her friends now jokingly call her the "Internet Publishing Queen..." But it wasn't always this way. In a small mountain town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, with plenty of hard work to do, at the same time developing an internet business, Cary Ellis found herself working long hours and having to push on when she wanted to quit. Her dream of being a "writer" was almost buried in the routine of everyday life.

She managed to self-publish her first book in 2008, called "Super Immunity Secrets," available here in town at Moonlight Books and Joys Natural Foods, also sold in paperback on Amazon, for Kindle, and as an ebook. Additionally it took huge effort and education to then create her own websites, and discover methods online to do her own marketing.

Publishing Industry Changes

Through this self-publishing process she learned that the publishing industry is changing dramatically. Traditional publisher are not taking the same risks they used to; and they tend to publish books by people who already have a reputation offering them guaranteed sales.

e-Publishing is Green

You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to see the changes going on. She learned that though many people still read paper books, there is a huge movement towards e-books or electronic publishing. In fact Amazon's books for Kindle are overtaking their sales of paper books. Kindle isn't the only electronic reader either, Barnes & Noble has their own, Sony has one and the iPad offers electronic reading capability. When you think about it, this probably is better for the environment (cutting less trees for paper, less fuel for shipping), so e-Publishing is Green.

How about YOUR e-Book?

Have you always imagined yourself a writer, maybe with handwritten or computer notes partially or all finished - but haven't known where to go from there? Well wonder no more...

Ms. Ellis has been so kind as to summarize what she's learned about getting your book, ebook or info product created, and out onto the web - and is giving away a 60 page Free Ebook to help you get started! The book is entertaining, encouraging and full of good advice and pitfalls to avoid. Download your own FREE copy now.

Isn't it about time you make your dreams come true?

For those inspired and courageous enough to go the next step, she has also created a detailed training program to help you get your work out of the blocks and into the marketplace. She makes it clear that just imagining what you want to put out there may not be enough.

The wise writer who wants to really get to their audience must do some well-directed research first. Maybe Herman Melville didn't do this with Moby Dick, but we're in an information rich world, where our topics must be targeted to a specific audience. Cary tells us there is a fine art to doing this, in order to achieve success with our work - and potentially put out our own "best-seller."

Catch the video that tells Cary's story, and download your own copy.

Offering step-by-step training for internet marketers, how to create fast easy ebooks and info products for online business success.

BookBaby Makes Distribution to Kindle, iPad Easy for Independent Writers

2011-01-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

BookBaby throws open the doors to the electronic publishing and distribution world for independent authors, offering the highest pay-out rate for eBook distribution in the industry. Authors will receive 100% of their net sales revenue -- paid weekly -- generated through all BookBaby's retailer network, including all the major retailers including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Sony, and soon, Google.

To celebrate its debut in the eBook world, BookBaby is offering worldwide eBook distribution for an introductory price of $99, a $50 discount off the regular price of $149. More details can be found on BookBaby's website: www.bookbaby.com

Focusing on products and services for the independent author community, BookBaby is a new division of parent company CD Baby. Over the past decade, CD Baby has paid out over $120 million to indie musicians worldwide, and has helped level the playing field between DIY musicians and major labels by opening worldwide distribution channels to unsigned artists. Now, with their recently launched BookBaby division, they're doing it again for the publishing industry.

"In just six months since our soft launch, BookBaby has established itself as THE destination for authors looking for a simple, comprehensive solution to their digital distribution needs," says BookBaby president Brian Felsen. "We make it easy: our sign-up includes a free EPUB conversion to ensure your eBook is distributed to all of the largest retailers."

BookBaby's services are priced to be affordable to independent authors – both established and new – as well as small and medium-sized imprints that need an easy solution for eBook distribution to all major retail outlets. Since the company does not collect a royalty or commission on sales revenue from its authors, it's as if those authors went directly to the retailer to sell their eBooks, with the added convenience of consolidated sales reporting across all retailers, one simple title submission process for all retailers, and weekly payments to authors.

Book Baby will digitally distribute your work to the biggest eBook retailers in the world, making your eBook available to be read on all of current -- and future -- devices:

Apple iPad (through the iBookstore)
Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble Nook
Sony Reader

As part of its simplified eBook program for independent authors, BookBaby offers format conversion services, helping clients to convert .doc, .html or .txt files into ePub, which is rapidly on its way to becoming the new standard format for electronic publishing.

eBook Checkouts at Libraries Up 200 Percent in 2010

2011-01-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Libraries and schools worldwide were at the forefront of the eBook boom in 2010, as patrons and students downloaded millions of digital books for iPhone, Android, Sony Reader, NOOK, and personal computers. More than one million new users signed on to access free eBooks, audiobooks, and more from 'Virtual Branch' websites last year, resulting in a 200 percent increase in eBook checkouts and a 52 percent increase in audiobook checkouts over 2009.

Key statistics for library eBooks, audiobooks, and more from OverDrive-powered digital catalogs include:

718 million book and title catalog pages viewed
15 million digital titles checked out
6.6 billion minutes of spoken word audio downloaded
400,000 copyrighted eBook, audiobook, music, and video titles available to libraries

Library users are able to download eBooks over the air directly to their iPhone, iPod touch, and Android tablet or phone, in addition to downloads for PC, Mac, and popular eBook readers. The free OverDrive Media Console apps launched with EPUB eBook support in December 2010 and helped drive new records for library mobile checkouts. OverDrive will release an optimized iPad app with eBook support, as well as BlackBerry, with other platforms in development.

CoverCake Promises to Simplify Online Book Discovery

2011-01-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

CoverCake wants to solve the book discovery problem with its CoverCake online book discovery platform. CoverCake is like a TV guide for books, and makes discovering books featured in popular media a snap. Can't remember that book from your favorite show? CoverCake allows you to look up a show and see a list of the books that have been featured on it. Selecting any book in the list takes you to a page with a brief synopsis, author info, and a list of shows that particular title was featured on. Users are then given links to stores and local libraries that have that book. The platform can be currently experienced through the website www.CoverCake.com, or by downloading the application "CoverCake Books" from the Apple Store.

Kindle Author Puts Readers In Book, Then Kills Them

2011-01-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

Kindle has changed the way authors write their books. And the way authors interact with readers. In fact, one author has begun putting readers in his books as characters, and then killing them off.

"As a joke, I put my girlfriend in my book, then had Jack Klak kill her off. She thought the idea was hilarious, and wanted to come back in the sequel" said Paul J Coleman, author of Jack Klak: MAESTRO.

Because of the instant feedback of the Internet, authors and readers can stay connected more than ever before. Amazon book reviews give authors a look inside reader's minds, and many authors have blogs where fans can chat with them.

Mary Wilcox, Trends Analyst at ic7 Media said: "Paul started a thread on the Amazon Kindle forum asking for murder volunteers, the response was overwhelming. Authors can now speak directly to their readers right on their Kindles. It's fun interactions like these that make Kindle books so powerful"

Paul says that anyone who is "chosen for death" in his latest book, will get a free Kindle copy of the book. "It's my little way of saying thanks" added Coleman.

For readers who want to be included in his next thriller, you can visit his blog:

http://bookpumper.com/2010/12/kill-you-in-my-book/

Nook Vs Kindle 3 Review and Comparison By Elaine Currie

2011-01-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook are the two serious contenders for the title of best e-reader. There are other electronic reading devices on the market, but Kindle and Nook dominate the scene while the others are fading further into the background. So, this is going to be a straight review and comparison of Nook and Kindle as the two market leaders.

Since the launch of the first models of Nook and Kindle, the enhancements of each subsequent version have brought the two contenders closer. It is harder than ever to make a decision as to whether to buy the new Amazon Kindle or the latest Nook. The two models under scrutiny here are the Kindle 3G (+Wi-Fi) and the Nook (Wi-Fi +3G).

Any attempt to compare and contrast Amazon's Kindle 3 and B&N's Nook is bound to highlight their similarities rather than underline any differences. The two e-readers are the same size to within a fraction of an inch. They are the same weight to within a couple of ounces. The battery life of each of them is 10 days of reading.

The Manufacturers' refinements to these two devices have made it very difficult to place either brand in top place. People looking to buy an e-reader have been swayed first towards the Kindle, then towards the Nook and back again. The competition is closer than ever with the two models we are looking at today. It is simply not possible to say that one is obviously superior to the other. So how do you decide on a winner in the Nook vs Kindle battle?

The selection of an e-reader is very much a matter of personal choice. The best way to approach a review of Amazon's Kindle 3 and the Barnes & Noble Nook is to consider how you will use a reading device. How much do you read, what do you read, where do you read? With a clear idea of the way you want to use the reader, you can make a choice on the basis of the following features of each device.

1. International travel. Do you want to be able to download reading matter overseas? The Nook only works within the United States. The Kindle 3 enables you to download books in over 100 countries via GSM network. You can, however, use both of them anywhere in the world to read books you have already downloaded.

2. Weight. The Kindle 3 is lighter (and slightly smaller) than the Nook. The difference is only a couple of ounces, but this might be important to you if you travel a lot.

3. Navigation. The Kindle has push button navigation only. The Nook has touch-screen navigation. Which makes you more comfortable?

4. Memory size. The Kindle 3 can hold up to 3,500 books. The Nook can hold up to 1,500 books. (However, the Nook has an expansion slot to expand the memory if you want to.)

5. Color screen. One other notable difference between the Kindle and the Nook is that the latter offers a color screen. This might not seem of great benefit in a reader, but this feature might be something you would prefer.

Either of these devices will prove to be excellent value for money. The ongoing competition between the two manufacturers has ensured that the quality of the products keeps going up while the prices are kept down. The choice is yours, and you can't lose.

To find special low price deals on Kindle and Nook visit http://10topholidaygifts.com/ and be sure to get the best e-reader for you at a price you'll love.

Digital Media Marketing - Marketing Your Digital Products Offline

2011-01-04T13:10:00.001-08:00

By Carolyn Anderson

Digital products such as software and eBooks are hot items that you can buy online as downloadable items. However, if you are one of the eBook writers or software developers who want to market your products not only on the internet, you can actually find a lot of ways to market them offline as well.

For digital media marketing tips, you can actually store your eBook on CDs and DVDs and market them offline as well. Although downloading digital products is a convenient and easy way to sell information without having to print your eBooks for example, or publish it, but of course, many people would also want to have a tangible copy for their eBooks and software so they can bring it along with them.

If you are an eBook writer or someone who develops and sells software, you can also explore the option of putting your products into discs so that you can sell them offline to your friends, give them away as contest prizes or incentives, or sell them in flea markets. Putting it on CD or DVD also allows you to sell your products in online auction sites where you can sell them in sets or in bulk as well.

To help you sell your digital products offline, aside from your online efforts as well, here are a few tips that you might find useful.

- Use high quality discs if you want a long-lasting file. However, it is important to note that digital mediums may change over time, as floppy discs have become obsolete, the mediums existing today may also become obsolete in the near future, so make sure that you also remind yourself to upgrade your storage medium over time.

- Store your files or digital media in two or more backup mediums. Of course, you may never know what will happen to your one and only copy, so it is just commonsense and wise to have two or more copies of your eBook or your software.

- Keep your backup copies safe and secured. Of course, if you are marketing these products, you would surely want to make it available to many not just today but in the years to come, so make sure you can still provide copies in the future by making sure that you do have a backup file that can still be accessed in the future.

These are just a few of the things that you can do to help you market your digital media. Indeed, there are a lot of ways for your digital media marketing, but you have to keep in mind as well that even though you have a digital product, you can still market them offline to boost your sales and your profit.

Carolyn Anderson writes and markets her eBooks. To learn how you can copy your digital files on discs and sell them offline, check out digital media marketing. Also check out Easy Licensing Pro, where you can learn how to put up a successful online business without having to create your own products.

PR Newswire Launches PR Toolkit for Authors and Publishers

2011-01-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

PR Newswire has launched PR Toolkit for Authors and Publishers, an affordable service that helps authors and publishers promote and publicize their books.

The toolkit targets smaller, independent authors and publishers that currently lack the resources to raise awareness and generate buzz for their books. The toolkit also includes educational resources such as: tips to promote books to the media, advice on how to write effective press releases, promotion and marketing pointers and how to launch an economical public relations plan.

The toolkit allows users to leverage other PR Newswire products to reach consumers and the media including ProfNet Connect, an interactive platform that connect experts and journalists, in addition to multimedia and news release distribution and MEDIAtlas, one of the world's largest sources of editorial contacts for print, online and broadcast media.. Authors and publishers can also take advantage of special promotions and offers designed specifically for small business owners. Interested parties can access the toolkit by going to http://toolkit.prnewswire.com/publishers/index.shtml

Comprehensive View of K-12 Educators' E-book Usage, Attitudes and Intent to Purchase

2010-12-27T07:52:00.000-08:00

A comprehensive survey of K-12 educators shows that school librarians are leading the way in bringing E-books into our nation's schools - in large part because, unlike classroom teachers, they have funding available to them to support their E-book purchases.

The study, written by John Fredricks, Ph.D., former Director of Global Market Research at Reader's Digest, shows that 40% of K-12 teachers and 50% of school librarians have purchased E-books for either personal or professional use. Of the K-12 educators who bought E-books for professional purposes, however, 70% of teachers say they funded the purchases with their own money, while only 8% of school librarians reported paying for the E-books out of their own pockets.

These findings are but a small part of the detailed data generated from a survey conducted among 700 K-12 teachers and 600 school librarians, the results of which appear in the newly published report, eBooks: K-12 Educators' Usage and Attitudes. The survey was fielded by educational consulting firm Egremont Associates, with support from co-sponsors edWeb.net, MCH Strategic Data and TecKnoQuest Inc.

"Before we conducted this study," said Neal Goff, President of Egremont Associates, "the most basic information about K-12 educators' usage of E-books in schools and attitudes towards them didn't seem to be available anywhere. We believe this survey provides more information about how K-12 educators use E-books, what they think of them, and what their future purchase plans are than any other study yet conducted."

In addition to providing data about K-12 educators' E-book purchases and usage patterns, and non-buyers' future purchase plans, the study includes extensive quotes from educators describing what they do with E-books in their classrooms and what their students think of them.

"I was really struck by the fact that the teachers who have bought E-books expressed such positive attitudes about them," said Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community. "Not all educators have gotten on board the E-book train, but those who have seemed very happy with the experience."

Download a free executive summary of the report at http://www.dedicatedteacher.com/ebooksurvey.

Six Reasons the Anti-Self-Publishing Movement Is Dead

2010-12-22T07:36:00.001-08:00

Is the new world order in publishing leaving the old guard behind? Many industry experts seem to think so, though there are those on the periphery who persist in trying to stop one of publishing's greatest movements: the hundreds of thousands of independent, self-published authors.

First some background. There is no doubt about it: publishing is going through a massive change, both rapid and permanent. E-books are the new reality and traditional bookstores are closing en masse. Bookstore operators are bereft of ways to bring in buyers as Kindle and iPad owners simply bypass them for an easy and instant purchase experience.

The same is happening on a nationwide scale with one of the publishing industry's largest traditional customers: school systems. Digital books may, within a decade, replace all textbooks in America because they are cheap and don't require massive storage space or shipping costs.

The dislocation is unsettling but inevitable as the publishing industry undergoes nothing less than an evolutionary change. One era has ended and a new one is dawning.

One group that may benefit greatly from this change is independent authors, until now kept in check by the dominance of the "big six" publishers. Trying to destroy this independent movement has been the sole focus of a tiny but vociferous cadre of defenders of the publishing status quo. They are the anti-self-publishing pack-or, to quote William Safire, the "hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history."

Under the pretense of consumer advocacy, for years and with little or no evidence, these demagogues were quick to accuse people who worked in independent publishing as scam operators or worse. "Heretics beware" seemed to be their motto as they labeled selected targets in the independent publishing movement as frauds. They hounded their targets with enthusiasm and malevolence, usually in forums and blogs.

But despite this tiny group's best efforts, the independent publishing movement, while never nurtured by the mainstream publishers, was often embraced by them. It wasn't unusual for them to cherry-pick self-published titles for their own lists. And it was always good for a headline.

The independent movement, spurred first by vanity publishers and then by POD, was always welcomed by Bowker, Baker & Taylor, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders.

It seems that the objection to self-publishing by the cadre of modern-day inquisitors had less to do with truth and more to do with ideology-how to control how book buyers chose to spend their dollars and how to keep authors from going independent and wrecking the status quo.

But now the independents are here, and they may be the vanguard of a revolution thanks to the Internet. More than any other factors, the growth in e-books and the sales and marketing potential of the Internet are shaping the future of publishing. That is the indisputable reality. Consider the facts:

* Literary agents are now seriously contemplating charging fees for their services-once a mortal sin in their eyes and still a bugaboo for the four literary agent associations.

* Ten times as many independent authors were published last year as those published by mainstream publishers, according to Bowker.

* Amazon is offering a whopping seventy-percent royalty to e-book authors, compared to the five and ten percent offered to the mainstream publishers.

* The Internet is now a vital resource for promoting books; there are even Internet virtual book tours, and bloggers have the power to drive the sales of hundreds of thousands of copies.

* Many mainstream authors are already deciding to go straight to e-books.

* Many established authors are also buying up their old rights so that they can promote their books online, without the help of publishers.

Amazon Provides Free Weekly Nielsen BookScan Data for Print Book Sales

2010-12-21T06:45:00.000-08:00

Authors who use Amazon's Author Central service can now view Nielsen BookScan's weekly geographic sales data for their print books for free.

Author Central is a free service provided by Amazon that helps authors promote their books and reach more readers, the Company noted. Also announced, Author Central has added a feature that shows authors past history on the Amazon bestsellers rank for their books.

"Authors are an important community for us," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Amazon. "We're really happy to make it easy and free for them to see geographical BookScan data updated weekly, as well as historical Amazon bestsellers rank, for their books. We hope this creates an improved feedback loop for authors and enables them to develop more effective methods for reaching the widest possible audience."

Authors can access timely geographic sales trends aggregated across retailers by Nielsen BookScan, a source for industry print book sales. The new "Sales by Geography" feature displays a map of the continental United States, highlighting the areas where copies of authors' books have been sold. The new "Sales by Week" feature displays a bar chart of an author's sales recorded over the trailing four weeks. Authors can also see how many copies of each title were sold by print-edition type, e.g. hardcover or paperback. Digital book sales are not included in BookScan data. Nielsen BookScan estimates that it tracks 75 percent of print trade books sold in the United States, collected at more than 10,000 online and offline locations.

In addition to these new features, authors who use Author Central have the opportunity to share the most up-to-date information about themselves and their work with readers, according to the Company. Authors can view and edit their bibliography, add a photo and biography to a personal profile, upload missing book cover images, add video, information about speaking events, and use a blog to connect with readers. Authors only need a book listed in Amazon's catalog to be eligible to join Author Central. The Author Central service is also available in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.

List of Ten Trends in Children's Books from 2010

2010-12-20T08:52:00.000-08:00

Scholastic, the largest publisher and distributor of children's books, today released a list of 10 Trends in Children's Books from 2010. The list was compiled by editors from Scholastic, including children's literature experts from Scholastic Book Clubs and Scholastic Book Fairs.

"We've seen some exciting innovation in children's publishing in 2010, including new formats and platforms for storytelling that are helping more and more kids become book lovers," said Judy Newman, President of Scholastic Book Clubs. "At the same time, we're seeing a rejuvenation of some classic genres, which I think is evidence of the timeless power that stories and characters have on the lives of children."

The expanding Young Adult (YA) audience: More and more adults are reading YA books, as the audience for these stories expands.
The year of dystopian fiction: With best-selling series like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, readers can't seem to get enough of fiction that suggests the future may be worse than the present.
Mythology-based fantasy: Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series set the trend – and now series like The Kane Chronicles,Lost Heroes of Olympus and Goddess Girls are capitalizing.
Multimedia series: The 39 Clues, Skeleton Creek and The Search for WondLa are hooking readers with stories that go beyond the printed page and meet kids where they are online or via video.
A focus on popular characters – from all media: Kids love to read books about characters they know and recognize from books, movies and television shows. Titles centered around those popular characters (like Fancy Nancy, David Shannon's "David," or Toy Story characters) are top sellers.
The shift in picture books: Publishers are publishing about 25 to 30 percent fewer picture book titles than they used to as some parents want their kids to read more challenging books at younger ages. The new trend is leading to popular picture book characters such as Pinkalicious, Splat Cat and Brown Bear, Brown Bear showing up in Beginning Reader books.
The return to humor: Given the effects of the recession on families, it is nice to see a rise in the humor category, fueled by the success of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Dav Pilkey's The Adventures of Ook & Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future, and popular media characters like SpongeBob, and Phineas & Ferb.
The rise of the diary and journal format: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is the most well-know example of this trend, but the success of Wimpy Kid is leading to popular titles such as Dear Dumb Diary, Dork Diaries, The Popularity Papers, and Big Nate.
Special-needs protagonists: There is a growing body of literary fiction with main characters who have special needs, particularly Aspergers Syndrome and Autism. Examples: My Brother Charlie, Marcelo in the Real World, Mockingbird, andRules.
Paranormal romance beyond vampires: The success of titles like Shiver and Linger, Beautiful Creatures, Immortal, andProphesy of the Sisters shows this genre is still uber-popular and continues to expand.

Ready to Finally Write Your Book? The Skills Every Author Doesn't Know

2010-12-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

A new and enlightening interview is now out with national book writing coach and published author, Lisa Tener, who serves on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School continuing education course on writing and publishing books, while she speaks and teaches throughout the United States.

In the interview Lisa shares important tips, most authors do not know about. Two of the many edifying suggestions are:

1) Writing for Everyone: "We all start out thinking our book is for everybody. I sure did. Doesn’t everyone need help with {my subject}? What I learned, though, is that it’s hard to sell a book to “everybody.” People want to look at a book that says, “me” all over it. When you get clear on a niche (or more than one), you can tailor your book to the needs of these groups and make it much more appealing to them.

2.) Putting the Cart Before the Horse: "If you plan to pitch your book to a traditional publisher, write the book proposal first (overview, market analysis, competitive analysis, author bio, marketing plan, table of contents, chapters summaries and sample chapter(s)). Once you get a publisher, it’s time to write the book."

A Growing Trend of Teenagers, Young Women Read eBooks for Social, Digital Entertainment

2010-12-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

Wattpad, a social eBook community, released the Q1 2010 edition of its Global eBook Metrics Report. This comprehensive report covers both desktop and mobile eBook usage of users from over 160 countries.

"The number of users on Wattpad has increased over fifty percent in the last quarter, making this our most thorough examination of eBook consumption habits to date" explains Allen Lau, CEO and co-founder of Wattpad.

Key findings this quarter show:

An uptake in mobile users in the United States and the growing popularity of the iPhone/iPad/iPod family and BlackBerry devices.
The United States now accounts for over 50% of BlackBerry and iOS users, followed by the UK.
iOS users were the more active and social users, spending a quarter of 1B minutes on Wattpad during Q3, while BlackBerry accounted for just 40 Million minutes last quarter.
Wattpad saw 90% of traffic come from young women under the age of 25.

To view the complete report, please visit: http://www.wattpad.com/metricsreport

Is 2011 The Year Of Your Book?

2010-12-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

You KNOW it has always been in the back of your mind: Some day, you KNEW you would write "that book"! Now you can become a published author more easily than at any other time in history! 2011 might just be the year for you to do it! At the end of this article, you will find a link to a writer's checklist that can be your roadmap to writing, and publishing, that book!

Even if you believe you have no writing talent and no grasp of the English language, you can STILL write that book. All you need are the services of a great "ghost writer" who will take your raw material and put it into manuscript form! No more excuses! Everything is possible today!

Why Write That Book?

First, you've always had plenty to say. You know it's true! Your message is the single most important reason to write that book.

Second, it's a great thrill to enter the world of the published author. It's a great ego trip to see your own book in print!

Third, a published book is a GREAT PR tool for promoting other causes or enterprises you have. Everybody likes a complimentary book autographed by the author!

Fourth, the creative process is a very right-brained activity. Americans are trained to be left-brain thinkers. When you exercise both sides of your brain, both sides of you brain wear smiles!

How Will You Write That Book?

You no doubt have access to a computer. All you need is a good document program, like Word, and you can write on!

Who Will Publish Your Book?

Today, it is very easy to find a publisher! That will come as a surprise to many of you, but it's the truth! You can even "take it to Kinkos" and have it professionally produced. CreateSpace.com, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, is a stellar choice of publisher. They do beautiful work.

How will your book get distributed and sold?

Unless you are a Stephen King, promotion and marketing will be done mainly by YOU. There are so many ways to market and promote for next to nothing in cost. Start with free business cards from VistaPrint.com. Next, make extensive use of online networking organizations like Facebook, MerchantCircle, FastPitch, LinkedIn, Twitter - there are hundreds of these. You will have free access to blogs, newsletters, coupons, even press releases on many of these sites. Use them regularly.

Am I good enough?

The answer to that is yes! You may need a little brush-up and some practice to sharpen your writing skills. One way to begin writing that book is to become a contributor to such organizations as AssociatedContent.com or EzineArticles.com. These are great organizations who foster good writing. Check them out! You can even build a book by writing many great articles and then compiling them into one with a common theme!

When shall I WRITE THAT BOOK:

It's a perfect time of year to set the intention to WRITE THAT BOOK. You can make 2011 your "year of the book"! Here's the link to the publishing checklist to get you started: www.sheilareadspalms.com/Write_That_Book_.php

Decide to do it, and then do it! DO IT NOW!

About the author: Sheila Van Houten, DD, PhD, is a published author with two books in progress. Her most recent book, "True Ghosts" is a beautifully illustrated compilation of 22 true ghost stories from her own life. Each of the 30 full-color nature photos by master photographer Louis Wendling contains hidden spirit faces. You can read excerpts at www.sheilaknows.com.

A New Kind of Literary Magazine Launches

2010-12-06T07:25:00.000-08:00

The Writers Federation launched the inaugural publication of the most democratic literary magazine in the world, The Green Dragon Courant.

The magazine is named for the tavern where the Sons of Liberty met prior to hauling up their buckskin slacks and doing their bit to get the American Revolution rolling. Every once in a great while, a gesture sets the world on its' ear and so it is with The Green Dragon Courant's debut today.

"We feel the same way about our writer's website, The Writers Federation. It's the right thing to do. And it's way overdue," said Xavier Sparrow, the site's co-founder. "Many, many people write and have no reasonable outlet for their efforts. And many of these writers are quite good. It's our sincerest hope that by making these writings public, the artist's journey can come full circle. Our writers have submitted their very best work to be judged by us, and only the best of these have been chosen by the readers to be published in The Green Dragon Courant," he added.

The first edition of the magazine features the non-fiction of Twitter star Kelly Oxford as she relives a painful family memory, and Aiofe Dunphy's pensive fiction about an older painter struggling through feelings of loss and the possibility of hopefulness. Uncle Dynamite, another Twitter dynamo, offers a tale about a strange series of phenomena from his boyhood, and a half-dozen more writers present some of their best work.

Links:

The Green Dragon Courant:

http://www.writersfederation.com/greendragoncourant/issues

1/3 of iPad Owners Don't Use Device for Reading Books

2010-11-29T06:56:00.000-08:00

Media and publishing market forecast firm Simba Information, publisher of the "Book Publishing Report" newsletter, has estimated about 35% of iPad owners haven't used the devices to read e-books. The estimate is based on the preliminary findings from a nationwide survey of over 1,800 respondents, who were selected on a nationally representative basis.

"The fact that over a million iPad buyers haven't used the gadget for e-books shows that not all new gadgets equate to a new e-reader," says Michael Norris, senior trade book analyst at Simba Information. "Research has already shown us that with multi-use devices, reading falls down on the list of things to do."

Ongoing proprietary surveys which feed into the "Book Publishing Report" have been amended over the years to include Barnes & Noble's Nook, Apple's iPad and other devices as they've been added to the landscape. With historical data available on some of the older devices like Amazon's Kindle and the PC, Simba has been able to track the changing popularity of e-readers.

"It isn't likely the U.S. market can support scores of dedicated e-book reading devices since so many consumers only buy a small number of books in a given year and the book buying public isn't turning toward e-books as rapidly as most think," said Norris. "However, the current crop of devices available (including the iPad and the iPhone) provides different types of value and trade-offs to diverse consumers; ongoing surveys show that the idea of there ultimately being 'one device to rule them all' is false."

"If you think of a consumer's path to content as a highway, you wouldn't expect everyone to drive the exact same kind of car," added Norris. "The iPad is only one of many vehicles on that road."

Continuous updates on e-books, and the trade publishing landscape as a whole, are available in Simba Information's "Book Publishing Report," an online newsletter which also offers fully searchable and indexed archives. It is available at: http://bit.ly/i4gulv.

EBook Licensing Deals Now Available For Publishers, Self-Publishers, and Authors

2010-11-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

Ebook licensing deals are now available for publishers, self-publishers and authors via Amber Communications Group, Inc. (ACGI). The company, found online at www.AmberBooks.com, has been in the book publishing business for twelve years, and has sold and licensed over one million books worldwide.

As the first African American book publisher to have an imprint/co-publishing contract with John Wiley & Sons, Inc, they are also the first to do television commercials, the first to have a literary television show ("Literary Living" on the Black Family Channel), and the first to use television commercials to promote ebooks for downloading.

Authors and publishers who have entertainment books (biographies about major music & film celebrities) that they wish to license as ebook downloads can contact Amber Communications and their book(s) can be made available for purchase and promoted on television internationally. All titles will be distributed with over 100 major international download stores and advances are available.

In other ACGI news, Carol Mackey, best selling author of Sistergirl Devotions - Keeping Jesus in the Mix & on the Job and Editor-In-Chief of Black Expressions Book Club, has recently acquired and licensed book club rights for the following Amber Books titles: Tom Joyner Presents How To Prepare For College and The African American Family's Guide to Tracing Our Roots - Healing, Understanding & Restoring Our Families.

Amazon Announces 70-Percent Revenue Share Terms

2010-11-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

Amazon.com, Inc. announced that magazine and newspaper publishers will soon be eligible to earn a larger share of revenue from each title they sell in the Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore). For each magazine or newspaper sold, publishers will be able to earn 70 percent of the retail price, net of delivery costs. These new 70-percent royalty terms will become available on December 1, 2010.

"We are constantly working at improving the Kindle magazine and newspaper experience for both customers and publishers," said Peter Larsen, Director of Kindle Periodicals. "Building on the recent introduction of Wi-Fi-enabled Kindles and the upcoming availability of newspapers and magazines on Kindle Apps, we're pleased to add an increased revenue share and a great new tool for making Kindle better and easier than ever for publishers."

For orders delivered to Kindles using Amazon's Whispernet service, delivery costs are shared between Amazon and the publishers (see www.amazon.com/kppinfo for more information).

To qualify for the 70-percent royalty terms, newspapers and magazines must satisfy several customer experience requirements, including:

Customers can read the title on all Kindle devices and applications. Customers can read the title in all geographies for which the publisher has rights.

These new terms do not apply to blog publishers because existing terms are generally more advantageous for them.

Amazon also announced the Beta release of the Kindle Publishing for Periodicals tool, which allows publishers to more easily add their newspaper or magazine to the Kindle Store. Publishers can quickly create their account, add content and preview Kindle formatting prior to making their titles available for the fast-growing base of Kindle customers.

To learn more about the new royalty terms for publishers and Kindle Publishing for Periodicals, visit www.amazon.com/kppinfo.

The New York Times to Launch eBook Best-Seller Lists

2010-11-17T05:46:00.000-08:00

The New York Times will publish eBook fiction and nonfiction Best-Seller Lists beginning early 2011.

Since 1935, The New York Times Best-Seller Lists have been the definitive metric that book publishers and authors have used to judge success. The Times's eBook Best-Seller Lists are a natural extension of this important franchise as the proliferation of portable devices grows.

"The vibrant growth of digital publishing has created a need for an impartial, reliable source for tracking and reporting the top-selling eBooks across the country," said Janet Elder, editor of News Surveys for The New York Times. "The Times is a trusted brand within the book publishing industry and with consumers. As with all The Times's rankings, these additional lists will benefit from corroborative sourcing and we will watch for trends in the industry."

"The best-seller list is an essential part of the Book Review, and we're excited we'll be able to give readers newer and more complete information," said Sam Tanenhaus, editor of The New York Times Book Review.

The rankings will reflect sales aggregated from a growing number of online service providers who sell eBooks to consumers. To further secure the integrity of the rankings, The Times is aggressively developing a means of processing and displaying the information necessary, and of verifying the data provided.

The Times has entered into a relationship with an independent third party, RoyaltyShare, Inc., whose unique, Web-based software platform will be used by the staff of The New York Times Best Seller Lists to help validate eBooks sales data received from various sources.

As new devices continue to captivate readers, the eBook category has seen tremendous growth. The Association of American Publishers recently reported that eBook sales for the first eight months of the year were up more than 190 percent, generating nine percent of total consumer book sales.

The lists will appear in The New York Times Book Review both in print and online editions. Rankings will reflect sales for the week at many venues where a wide range of general interest eBooks are sold nationwide. These include independent book retailers; national, regional and local chains; and online and multimedia entertainment retailers.

"Fiction Novel of the Day" Gadget

2010-11-14T06:05:00.000-08:00

Google released a technology a few years ago that is just now starting to catch on worldwide. It's called the iGoogle Gadget, and it's recently become extremely effective at reaching mass levels that websites could only have dreamed of before.

One literary example is a website called DailyLiteraryQuote.com, which three years ago considered itself lucky to reach one-hundred daily unique visitors through its traditional homepage. Now thanks to the Google Gadget showing a new quote every day on individuals' personalized homepages—as well as on the websites of companies and individuals who have chosen to embed the Gadget as free content— Daily Literary Quote claims that they now reach over 235,000 daily visitors.

This month, Literary Monthly Magazine ( http://www.literaturemonthly.com/ ), a traditional literary review that has just recently gone web, has decided to experiment with the new Google Gadget revolution. They have made a deal with top-gadget building team igGadgets ( http://www.iggadgets.com ) to have a private-labeled version of their "Fiction Novel of the Day" Gadget created, to help spread awareness of modern literature.

The new Gadget will be offered as free content to webmasters. Starting in November. Literature Monthly Magazine forecasts to have their new "Fiction Novel of the Day" Gadget on over 5,000 web pages by the end of the year. The project has philanthropic goals, as the idea originated during a Literature Monthly meeting focused on how to spread an awareness of world literature through popular media. Market research, however, shows that Gadgets designed and hosted by igGadgets have a quick and profitable return-on-investment. Literature Monthly expects to make a profit essentially right-away through Amazon affiliate links embedded in their book listings.

Literature Monthly is selecting a host of award-winning modern authors, literary fiction novelists whose works are cosmopolitan and multinational in subject and style, to be featured in the Gadget that will otherwise feature classic novelists from history. One of the modern authors chosen was Roman Payne ( http://www.romanpayne.com ), an American English-language novelist based in Paris, France. He was selected because his books "have the European-American multicultural feel we are looking for. Also, while his novels are modern, they are also very literary, timeless and poetic, which speaks the message we want to help spread in this world where the majority of novels promoted via popular sites suggest political or social agendas," said the Literature Monthly spokesperson, "Our agenda is purely artistic, literary...not political."

Publishers of literary authors are invited to submit works for review in the Gadget to Literature Monthly: http://www.literaturemonthly.com/contact-us.

Researchers in Scotland Discover New Works By Jules Verne

2010-11-10T05:27:00.000-08:00

Researchers in Scotland have uncovered dozens of previously unknown works by the pioneering science fiction writer Jules Verne.

Although Verne died in 1905 his novels such as "Around the World in 80 Days," "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea" have remained hugely popular, making Verne the second most translated author of all time.

This is not the first time that new works by Verne have been discovered - in 1989 his great grandson uncovered the unpublished manuscript for "Paris in the 20th Century" in a locked safe. The new finds are however particularly remarkable as they are examples of a literary form with which Verne is not usually associated - poetry.

The poems take the form of Haiku - a style of poetry originating in Japan and consisting of just seventeen syllables. This makes the find all the more unexpected as the poems were written between 1869 and 1905, long before the form was popularized in the west.

The collection has been made available to the public for free at http://www.hiddenhaiku.com/author/verne_jules.

Book Marketing: 5 Things Authors Can Do to Help Publicists

2010-11-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

Authors hire publicists to promote their books, and often pay them well. So why should an author help a book publicist do his job? The simple answer is: Because book marketing and book publicity is a very personal business; one in which emotions matter and meaningful communication can make the difference between a successful book promotion campaign and a mediocre or poor one. The expertise of a book publicist is best utilized when augmented with a balance of patience and input by the author, and much more.

Here are 5 ways an author can increase the likelihood of a successful book marketing and book publicity campaign, one which produces a wide array of media coverage and sets the stage for book sales:

1) Patience -- Book publicity is more marathon than sprint, and authors who are naturally eager to see quick results need to educate themselves on the tradecraft of book marketing to understand this. An impatient author begets a rushed publicist, which in turn typically results in rushed pitching rather than carefully planned and implemented media outreach. In short, impatience can cause mistakes and shoddy publicity work. As difficult as it may be, authors should give a campaign time. Regular, thorough weekly updates from a publicist should demonstrate the book marketing plan is being rolled out in a strategic, carefully designed manner, with a sense of natural urgency every good publicist has.

2) Don't micro-manage -- One of the most destructive things an author can do to a publicist is micro-manage. A publicist who feels an author is looking over her shoulder 24/7 will not be a good publicist. An author hires a publicist for the expertise and media savvy which comes experience. Micro-management will take a publicist off-task. A client who controls the professional they've hired will end up getting unprofessional results.

3) Be available -- Many publicity opportunities come quickly, with short notice. An author should be as available and flexible as possible, making their campaign as much of a priority in their life as possible. A book is only launched once, and missing opportunities can kill a book publicity campaign.

4) Let a publicist push the limits -- In most book marketing campaigns, a publicist isn't doing his job if he doesn't come up with at least a few pitching ideas that make the author uncomfortable. It's a publicist's job to be creative, to push the envelope and think of unique ways to break through the competition. It's ok to say "no" to an idea, but authors shouldn't be offended if what's presented makes them uncomfortable. In many cases, it's a publicist's job to push an author outside their comfort zone. Book publicists -- at least good ones -- expect some of their ideas to be shot down.

5) Reasonable expectations -- Perhaps the hardest part of a publicist's job is to manage the expectations of an author. Having reasonable expectations in a business in which it's impossible to know what will happen is crucial. Book publicity and book marketing is a tough, tough business. The competition is fierce, and success in terms of huge book sales numbers is often elusive. A balanced, reasoned understanding of the challenges and opportunities of a book promotion campaign will inevitably improve the odds of an author being satisfied with the work of a publicist.

Contributed by:

Smith Publicity is one of the premier book publicity and book marketing firms in the industry. The firm has implemented over 900 book promotion campaigns and secured placements with virtually every major media outlet. Smith Publicity has serviced authors from over 25 countries and has offices in New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles, and London. Website: http://www.smithpublicity.com/

200 Bloggers, 200 Books, 56 Publishers And One Hour

2010-11-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

On Wed., Nov. 10, at 1 p.m., 200 bloggers will simultaneously publish reviews of 200 books printed on environmentally-friendly paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using greener methods, Eco-Libris aims to raise consumer awareness about considering the environment when making book purchases. This year's participation of both bloggers and books has doubled from the event's inception last year.

The 200 books to be reviewed are in a variety of subjects including cooking, poetry, travel, green living, and history, and come from 56 publishers from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. that are participating in the Green Books Campaign. This diversified group of publishers includes both small and large presses who all print books on recycled and/or FSC-certified paper.

Participating publishers include among others Penguin Group, Scholastic, Barefoot Books, McClelland & Stewart, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Sterling Publishing, DK Publishing, Harvard Business Press, Island Press, North Atlantic Books, McGraw-Hill, ABRAMS and Picador.

"Although there's so much hype around e-books, books printed on paper still dominate the book market, and we want them to be as environmentally sound as possible," explains Raz Godelnik, co-founder and CEO of Eco-Libris. "Their share is still relatively small, but you can find a growing number of books printed responsibly and we hope this initiative will bring more exposure to such books. Through this campaign we want to encourage publishers to increase their green printing options and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books."

Doug Pepper, president and publisher of 100-year-old publishing house
McClelland & Stewart, says he is delighted to participate in a program that ties in with the company's mission. "The Eco-Libris Green Books Campaign's positive "take action" message perfectly reflects our consistent use of recycled papers and our commitment to sustainable publishing as a whole," Pepper says.

Among the bloggers who will review the books there are many who participate in the campaign for the second time. One of them is Kim Allen-Niesen of the blog 'Bookstore People.' "Participating in the Green Books Campaign was such an education in green reading. I didn't have any idea how many publishers and writers are committed to creating books with as small an impact on the environment as possible. I discovered unique books because they were printed on recycled paper and I learned that books I've read for years are printed in a low impact manner. I'm looking forward to more surprises during this year's campaign, "Allen-Niesen says.

phati'tude Literary Magazine seeks African American writers

2010-11-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

phati'tude Literary Magazine (PLM), a multicultural literary publication, is seeking submissions for their upcoming African American Winter 2010-11 Issue, "Celebrating Black History Through Literature: From the Harlem Renaissance Movement to Today." The African American Issue will celebrate the literary achievements of the Contemporary Poetry and Literature; Harlem Renaissance; Black Arts Movement; Children's Literature; Urban Fiction; Hip Hop; Scholarship & Writing (Writing in the Academy); and African American LGBT Literature.

Our call for submissions invites African American writers to submit poetry, short stories, Interviews, essays, position papers and book reviews to the magazine. Writers should visit the phati'tude.org website and review submission guidelines at http://tinyurl.com/submit-to-phatitude. Additional inquiries can be made to editor@phatitude.org. The deadline is December 15, 2010.

Gabrielle David, Managing Editor and Jennifer Bacon, Associate Editor, will be selecting and compiling the issue. Says David, "These are exciting times for African American literature; never before have there been so many titles available, in so many different genres. Our challenge will be to explore the very definition of African American Literature and to create an issue that has crossover appeal to various segments of the black reading public within an historical context."

Bacon, who recently completed her Ph.D. at University of Maryland College Park, and has been associated with phati'tude Literary Magazine since its inception, is coordinating the African American Issue's premiere at the Langston Hughes Community Library & Cultural Center in Queens, New York on February 26, 2011 during Black History Month. A day-long event filled with workshops, a panel discussion, poetry readings, musical performances, films and book signings, the premiere will feature guest speakers Haki R. Madhubiti and Tara Betts.

phati'tude Literary Magazine, established in 1997, is a internationally-acclaimed magazine is published by The Intercultural Alliance of Artists & Scholars, Inc. (IAAS), a NY-based nonprofit organization. A themed, quarterly publication, phati'tude Literary Magazine is an 8" x 10" perfect-bound book that ranges from 130-160 pages. It is a collection of the best poetry, prose, short stories, articles and interviews along with literary criticism, book reviews and biographical profiles by established and emerging poets, writers and artists with a focus on writers of Native American, African, Hispanic/Latino and Asian descent, whose works exhibit social, political and cultural awareness.

New Monthly Magazine of Audio Short Fiction Stories

2010-11-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

Dark Fiction Magazine (http://www.darkfictionmagazine.co.uk/) has launched a new service for fans of genre fiction. Beginning Oct 31st, Dark Fiction Magazine will be launching a monthly magazine of audio short stories. This is a free service designed to promote genre short fiction to an audience of podcast and radio listeners. A cross between an audio book, an anthology and a podcast, Dark Fiction Magazine is designed to take the enjoyment of short genre fiction in a new and exciting direction.

Dark Fiction Magazine publishes at least four short stories a month: a mix of award-winning shorts and brand new stories from both established genre authors and emerging writers. Each episode will have a monthly theme and feature complementary tales from the three main genres science fiction, fantasy and horror.

With a team of dedicated and passionate narrators, a central recording facility and a,love of genre, Dark Fantasy Magazine delivers a truly outstanding aural experience.

Dark Fiction Magazine will also be producing special editions with seasonal stories and topical issues, competitions, flash fiction episodes and novel excerpts. Each episode aims to shock and delight, to horrify and confound as Dark Fiction Magazine takes its listeners on an aural tour through the world of genre fiction.

Dark Fiction Magazine is a collaborative project, created and developed by Del Lakin-Smith and Sharon Ring.

Book Marketing and Book Publicity: Why a Book's Subtitle is So Important

2010-11-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

Authors often agonize when creating the main title for their book. Some high-profile authors pay thousands and thousands of dollars to experts just to come up with a catchy main title. But when it comes to book marketing of nonfiction books, the subtitle is the most important element.

A book's main title is designed to make an impact, catch attention, and pique interest. The subtitle does the rest of the work. It explains, or should explain, in a very specific way exactly what a book is about. In book publicity, the subtitle is crucial for this very reason. If a producer or editor receives a book with no subtitle or an inferior one, he or she is not going to take the time to look at the book. It's that simple. Time is precious to media. Many outlets receive hundreds of books a week in the mail. A title has to hit them hard, fast, and clearly.

"In press releases, nonfiction books with bad subtitles often hamper book marketing efforts," says Dan Smith, CEO of Smith Publicity. "Just as when media receive a book in the mail, when reviewing a press release, a producer or editor will give up on it if the essential information is not given within the first 10 to 15 seconds."

If not augmented by precise subtitles, even some of the best main titles would lack effectiveness. Consider the super bestseller Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. The main title is terrific; it's clever, hip, and unusual. But would you know intuitively what the book was about if it didn't have the subtitle of A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything? Before the book exploded in popularity, an editor seeing the title in a press release or receiving the book might not have taken the time to read this wonderful book. The main title, combined with the subtitle, says it all. The clever cover art of a sliced apple revealing an orange inside certainly helps, but it plays directly off the subtitle.

What would The Tipping Point mean to you, if that's all you read or heard? A publicist would have to make up for the lack of a subtitle by taking crucial time and space in a press release to describe it. But, add in the subtitle to Malcolm Gladwell's gem, How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, and you have a powerful, balanced title. Gladwell's title still allows for some mystery as to the book's exact content, but it certainly provokes interest.

Another example: What would the title Built to Sell convey to you or a reporter or producer? Building what? Selling what? Add in the subtitle for this book by John Warrilow and you get everything you need to know: Turn Your Business into One You Can Sell.

When creating a subtitle for your nonfiction book, consider these points, each of which will help in a book marketing and publicity campaign:

* Above all else, make sure your book has a subtitle!

* Be creative, but don't go overboard. Save most of the creativity for the main title

* Provide specific information in the subtitle, explaining in a few words exactly what your book is about

* Keep it short. Create your subtitle as if you were writing a press release headline for the book.

* Keep Search Engine Optimization in mind. Try to use appropriate keywords and phrases that will help your book organically come up in searches.

"The bottom line is that when it comes to book publicity and getting people to take interest in a book, make it as easy as possible," adds Smith. "Don't assume the reader will know what your book is about from the main title. Your publicist will be thankful."

Dan Smith is CEO and founder of Smith Publicity, one of the premier book publicity and book marketing firms in the industry. Smith Publicity has implemented over 900 book promotion campaigns and secured placements with virtually every major media outlet. The firm has serviced authors from over 25 countries and has offices in New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles, and London. Website: http://www.smithpublicity.com/

Writers Gear Up for the Write Nonfiction In November Challenge

2010-10-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

In just under two weeks, nonfiction writers will take to their keyboards to begin 30 days of work on a new project. Not only will they start that project, they will finish it. Why? Because that's the challenge posed by Write Nonfiction in November (WNFIN).

WNFIN, which is both a challenge and a full-month of guest blog posts about many aspects of nonfiction writing and publishing was one writer's response to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a contest that asks fiction writers to compose 50,000 words in 30 days during November. Nonfiction editor, writing coach and author advisor Nina Amir, tried NaNoWriMo one year. She says, "The next year I thought it appropriate that nonfiction writers should have something to do during November. However, I didn't want to start a contest, and I wanted to offer information to help other writers get published. After all, that was my goal, too—to publish my work." The WNFIN blog, which now features 25 or more expert guest bloggers each year, supports writers as they work, and the comment area gives them a forum to chat about the posts and their work.

For those nonfiction writers wanting to take the WNFIN challenge, Amir offers the following advice: "To begin a WNFIN project—or any new writing project for that matter—you need to prepare. Get started before the challenge, not necessarily with the writing but with the stuff you need to do to be able to write quickly and easily."

Here are some things you can do to prepare:

1. Write down the 3-5 top projects you would like to tackle that you have not had time to start or finish; figure out which one might be doable in 30 days time.

2. Create an outline to follow.

3. Mind map your project.

4. Get your research together in a physical folder.

5. Do research on line and put the links or copied pages in folders on your computer.

6. Conduct any interviews necessary for writing your book or article.

7. Finish any outstanding work that might get in the way of your writing project.

8. Examine your schedule and block of a time each day to work on your project.

9. Find a WNFIN writing partner or create a WNFIN writing group as support system.

10. Consider anything that might stop you from sitting down to write or in the process of writing, and rid yourself of those obstacles before November 1.

"If you take these 10 steps, you will be ready to take the WNFIN challenge--or to start any writing project at any time of the year," Amir concludes.

Writers also can peruse previous year's November archives at Write Nonfiction in November.

Source: Nina Amir

Digital Media Marketing - Marketing Your Digital Products Offline by Carolyn Anderson

2010-10-20T07:44:00.001-07:00

Digital products such as software and eBooks are hot items that you can buy online as downloadable items. However, if you are one of the eBook writers or software developers who want to market your products not only on the internet, you can actually find a lot of ways to market them offline as well.

For digital media marketing tips, you can actually store your eBook on CDs and DVDs and market them offline as well. Although downloading digital products is a convenient and easy way to sell information without having to print your eBooks for example, or publish it, but of course, many people would also want to have a tangible copy for their eBooks and software so they can bring it along with them.

If you are an eBook writer or someone who develops and sells software, you can also explore the option of putting your products into discs so that you can sell them offline to your friends, give them away as contest prizes or incentives, or sell them in flea markets. Putting it on CD or DVD also allows you to sell your products in online auction sites where you can sell them in sets or in bulk as well.

To help you sell your digital products offline, aside from your online efforts as well, here are a few tips that you might find useful.

- Use high quality discs if you want a long-lasting file. However, it is important to note that digital mediums may change over time, as floppy discs have become obsolete, the mediums existing today may also become obsolete in the near future, so make sure that you also remind yourself to upgrade your storage medium over time.

- Store your files or digital media in two or more backup mediums. Of course, you may never know what will happen to your one and only copy, so it is just commonsense and wise to have two or more copies of your eBook or your software.

- Keep your backup copies safe and secured. Of course, if you are marketing these products, you would surely want to make it available to many not just today but in the years to come, so make sure you can still provide copies in the future by making sure that you do have a backup file that can still be accessed in the future.

These are just a few of the things that you can do to help you market your digital media. Indeed, there are a lot of ways for your digital media marketing, but you have to keep in mind as well that even though you have a digital product, you can still market them offline to boost your sales and your profit.

Carolyn Anderson writes and markets her eBooks. To learn how you can copy your digital files on discs and sell them offline, check out digital media marketing. Also check out Easy Licensing Pro, where you can learn how to put up a successful online business without having to create your own products.

FastPencil Gains Momentum with Best-Selling Authors on FastPencil Premiere

2010-10-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

FastPencil has added world-class authors who are signing to FastPencil Premiere, a new and exclusive publishing imprint where top-tier and best-selling authors can create and publish books with all the advantages of FastPencil's next-generation digital and social media publishing services. FastPencil gives them the opportunity to publish their books in print and digital formats in a timely manner while collecting higher margins and maintaining complete control every step of the way.

The exclusive publishing imprint has added:

Jim Dratfield - Author of almost a dozen popular animal oriented fine art photographic coffee table books and creative director behind Petography® traveling the country offering photo commissions of people's pets

Steve Greenberg - The Innovation Insider and author of "GADGET NATION: A Journey Through The Eccentric World of Invention"

Mark Victor Hansen - Co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, Inc. and co-author of the upcoming book "U R The Solution"

Angela Sage Larsen - Author of the seven-book series for children, "Good Things Come on Tiny Wings: The Adventures of Petalwink the Fairy"

Steven Pressfield - Author of the international bestsellers, "The Legend of Bagger Vance," "Gates of Fire," "Tides of War," "Last of the Amazons," "The Virtues of War," "The Afghan Campaign" and "Killing Rommel." "The War of Art," an autobiographical treatise on the life of the artist, is his only work of nonfiction

Mark Victor Hansen is co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, Inc., the popular brand that has almost 200 titles in print and has sold more than 150 million "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books worldwide. His other best-selling books include "The One Minute Millionaire," "Cracking the Millionaire Code," "How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life," "The Aladdin Factor," "Dare to Win" and "The Power of Focus." Hansen's newest book, "U R the Solution," co-authored with writer-director-producer Bill Froehlich ("MacGyver," "Hart to Hart," "Outer Limits") will be available through FastPencil Premiere in October.

Angela Sage Larsen's seven-book series for children, "Good Things Come on Tiny Wings: The Adventures of Petalwink the Fairy," is available in ebook formats through FastPencil Premiere. Larsen's "Fifties Chix," a young adult series that will be based on her blog telling the stories of five girls in 1955 who wake up to find they are fifty-five years into the future, will soon be available on FastPencil Premiere as well, in print and ebook formats.

This terrific group of authors is joining Guy Gilchrist, whose "The Best of Today's Dogg" is already available through FastPencil Premiere, Premiere.Fastpencil.com, in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats. Together they all represent the first group of landmark best selling, established and highly popular authors and illustrators joining the Premiere imprint, making FastPencil Premiere a formidable publishing presence.

Free Download on WOWIO Reminiscent of Classic Stephen King Style

2010-10-18T05:55:00.000-07:00

WOWIO, Inc., an established market leader with an online destination (http://www.wowio.com/) that provides access to rich digital media content and eBooks, is offering free PDF downloads of The Painted Darkness, by Brian James Freeman, for the month of October. The book has received praise from New York Times bestselling authors such as Stewart O'Nan, author of The Night Country and A Prayer for the Dying, who said, "The tone and building dread reminds me of classic Stephen King. Great velocity and impact, and super creepy." David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of The Shimmer and creator of Rambo, said, "Freeman's evocative tale about the dark corners of an artist's imagination is elegant and haunting."

Each month WOWIO chooses one title to be the "Book of the Month." This program enables publishers and authors to get their titles into the hands of thousands of readers who might not have come across their books otherwise. With approximately 300,000 new titles published annually in the US alone, obscurity is the biggest challenge authors and publishers face. "Our goal at WOWIO is to help publishers stand out by selling their titles on our site. From time to time we are also able to offer them for free to our readers via our sponsorship program where publishers get paid for every free download. What sets us apart is that we work hard promoting them virally through various channels such as social media sites and our own web channel, Pop Galaxy," Kristin Ellison, Editorial Director of WOWIO explains.

"With The Painted Darkness in the horror genre, we knew it would be a fantastic fit for our October Book of the Month. When there's an opportunity to play on a theme, in this case Halloween, it makes the promotion that much more fun for our readers and for fans of this genre," Ellison said.

"This really is a wonderful program because it allows WOWIO to provide a platform for a small press, such as Cemetery Dance, to further their reach to new audiences while our customers get exposure to one of our new publishing partners," said Brian Altounian, CEO and President of WOWIO. "The Book of the Month is a great way to build a relationship between publishers and readers, and we love being able to provide the tools to do so."

Altounian continued, "The publishing market's rapid transformation into the digital realm has opened up countless opportunities both to promote and merge various types of media relating to a particular title. At WOWIO, we see authors as brands and want to deliver to our readers who follow them all manner of related content including audio, video, other titles, links to their blogs etc. thus creating a richer experience. In this WOWIO-exclusive edition of The Painted Darkness, we've embedded an audio file of Mark Justice of Horrorworld.org reading the first chapter. This is just the beginning of these types of initiatives and in the coming months, readers can expect to see our content library and eBooks deepen across the board."

WOWIO is continually looking to work with new publishers producing titles across all categories. To learn more, please contact editorial director Kristin Ellison at editorial@wowio.com.

Why Do I Have to Market My Book? I Just Want to Write a Book

2010-10-10T14:05:00.001-07:00

Today's authors need to be expert marketers.

At one time, authors were coddled and cosseted (a very, very long time ago). Today's authors need to consider how they're going to get that book sold, often long before the book is written.

Anyone who goes the route of self-publishing knows that they are responsible for getting the word out about their book, but many authors don't realize that even the larger publishing houses have cut their marketing divisions down to such an extent that unless you're a regular name on the New York Times Bestseller List, you're not going to qualify for a marketing slush fund.

What does this mean for you?

If you have any intention of writing a book that will reach the audience you want to reach, you are going to have to do all the marketing for your book.

Even before you write the first word, you need to consider the following points:

Who your audience is
What they want to know
Why they need your book
How your book is going to help them better than anyone else's book out there

I admire anyone who has the desire to write a book, especially a nonfiction book that is designed to share information that the author has and I don't. When I talk to authors, however, many of them don't look much beyond their desire to write a book. They fail to take into consideration their future audience, their future readers. They want to roam and ramble through their topic, much like taking a wandering stroll through the woods without a map or a compass. What is likely to happen is that hiker is going to get lost.

So will your reader.

This is a big mistake. You don't want your reader getting lost or confused when they pick up your book.

In order for a book to be any sort of a success, it must absolutely take the reader into account. It must answer the four points above in great detail. Before your reader even reads the first page of your book, they want to know that you understand their problem and are going to solve it for them.

What does this have to do with marketing?

Simple. My identifying your reader's major problem and showing how it can be solved with your book, you've taken the first step toward marketing your own book. You've identified a need and with your book, you have a solution.

That's not only going to make your book a better book. It's good business sense to write a book that people will pay money to read.

About the Author:

Kathleen Birmingham is a ghostwriter of hundreds of articles, lesson plans, newsletters, and books. Currently she is partnering with Russ Stevenson creating a book coaching writing system to help numerous people get their ideas out of their heads and down on paper. For more insight into her philosophies on the business of writing, visit her at:

http://americasauthormaker.blogspot.com/

http://kdbwriting.blogspot.com/

New eMagStudio Software Eases Publishing on iPhone and iPad

2010-10-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Apple's recent announcement that they have removed restrictions on development tools to create iOS apps has opened the door for Digital Publishing Providers to start developing their own apps for publishing digital editions on the iPhone and iPad devices.

Software vendor eMagCreator has chosen to focus on iPhone/iPad publishing and have already released a new mobile version of their online publishing platform eMagStudio, which is one of the first desktop software's which publishes directly to Apples iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, using the newly developed HTML 5 based reader. The new release is the first of many initiatives towards publishing on Apples mobile devices.

The eMagStudio publishing platform allows Web and Marketing Professionals to place content online without having to depend on an agency or graphic designer, hereby reducing production time and costs. The software is an effective marketing tool that every marketing department should use, to easily place all of the company's publications online. It can be used for creating online magazines, brochures, catalogs, ebooks, newsletters campaigns, sales material and much more.

eMagStudio is incredibly easy to use, and publishing on Apples mobile devices simply requires checking a check box in the actual publishing process. The latest version of the software uses the highest standards within the industry and is based on Adobe technology insuring the best available reading experience. To test the new publishing software simply download a free full featured version of the software from the website http://www.emagcreator.com/

First-Ever Publication of Original Working Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous

2010-10-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

The original 1939 working manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous, the revolutionary "Book That Started It All" that has sold more than 27 million copies in the US and Canada alone, will be made available to the public for the first time on October 1 by Hazelden.

As the "bible" for the worldwide fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the Big Book is arguably the most influential and important 20th century book on recovery from alcoholism and other drug addiction. It has been translated into more than 50 languages. The sale of this original working manuscript, which secured $1.56 million during its 2004 auction at Sotheby's, was ranked by Fine Books & Collections as among the top 10 of the year, along with the auction of the Magna Carta. The manuscript's current owner made available to the world-renowned addiction treatment center and publisher, Hazelden, high resolution scans of this historic document that in 1939 became the book, Alcoholics Anonymous -- which Hazelden will publish in a four-color cloth edition and bring to the world as a piece of cultural, medical and publishing history.

First written by AA's co-founder Bill Wilson, with contributions from many of the original 100 AA members, the 161-page working manuscript unveils five layers of handwritten comments and revisions in black, green and red pencil. The edits reveal the intense debates that transpired during six weeks in 1939, when several newly-recovering alcoholics discussed how to best share their message of hope with other alcoholics and their families.

"Hazelden's decision to publish this important manuscript is rooted in our belief that principles within the Twelve Steps are core to helping those that suffer from addiction to experience lifelong recovery," said Nick Motu, publisher and vice president of Marketing and Communications at Hazelden. Readers will see the "rejected" suggestions, inserts, cross-outs and last minute proof sheet changes - all of which now provide insights into the thinking behind AA's founding members as they described their program of recovery in print for the first time. Of special interest will be the debates in these pages over the role of religion and spirituality in AA - co-author Bill Wilson's decision to give this book a spiritual rather than explicitly religious character was a turning point that enabled AA to benefit people of all faiths and persuasions.

Readers can now explore the unedited version of the Twelve Steps (including a First Step that lacks the famous "We" of the opening); along with essays by AA and Big Book historians that explain how the personal experiences of the first AA members shaped the text. (The writers and contributors of materials in this new book are all currently members of AA and so have chosen to remain anonymous). One essay on the publishing history of the Big Book, recounts the internal debate over what to title the text: The Empty Glass, The Dry Life, The Way Out, and even One Hundred Men? Finally, the title Alcoholics Anonymous won out.

The original AA manuscript was copied and distributed to AA members, doctors, psychiatrists and ministers for suggestions, with all changes entered on one single multilith copy - the one reproduced in this book. For almost 40 years, the manuscript was stored within Bill and Lois Wilson's home in Bedford Hills, New York. In 1978, Lois gifted her prized possession to a friend, author Barry Leach of Montreal, and the document stayed hidden from public view for another 30 years.

"Imagine being able to explore a rare and valuable manuscript that takes you behind-the-scenes during the creation of one of the most influential books of all time - dramatically capturing the controversy and creativity that went into introducing AA's program of recovery to the world" marvels Twelve Step educator, Fred Holmquist, who is director of The Lodge Program at Hazelden. "For anyone who wants to understand the foundation of their own sobriety or that of their family, friends, co-workers and loved ones, this book will be a revelation. Most importantly, this 1939 manuscript highlights the collaborative process which changed forever the way the world treats alcoholics and drug addiction."

In a 1954 speech that is reproduced in the book, AA co-founder Bill Wilson says of the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous: "Not a syllable of this program, so far as I know, was in writing. How could we unify this thing [AA]? Could we out of our experiences get certain principles, describe certain methods that had done the trick for us? Yes, obviously, if this movement was to propagate, it had to have a literature so its methods could not be garbled either by the drunks or by the general public."

This four-color cloth edition will be available for $65.00 (sugg. retail) from bookstores nationwide. In addition, a numbered, leather-bound limited edition, available only direct from Hazelden, will be available in October for $125.00.

For more information, visit http://www.hazelden.org/

US Futurist says E-Books Will Replace Textbooks Within Three Years

2010-10-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Electronic books are expected to replace traditional textbooks in universities in two to three years' time, according to the New Media Consortium's authoritative Horizon Report, a comprehensive annual study of developments in e-learning.

At the largest global e-learning conference for the corporate, education and public service sectors, Online Educa Berlin (December 1st - 3rd), Laurence F. Johnson, CEO of the New Media Consortium, will discuss the very latest findings of the Horizon Report 2011, before the official release in January. The annual report is based on the views of hundreds of technology experts in education, museums, business and creative industries.

E-Books are claimed to be lighter and more versatile than traditional books and incorporate visual learning aids like videos, colour imagery and animations.

"The prospect of holding all the materials you will need in a single device weighing less than a kilo is a powerful driver from the student side, and we are seeing a number of universities that are pushing publishers to move in this direction," says Larry Johnson.

The report suggests that simple augmented reality, using computer-generated imagery, will be common on university campuses within two or three years and gesture-based computing may only be four or five years away.

Larry Johnson's New Media Consortium (NMC) is an international not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the exploration of new media and technologies with hundreds of prominent members in the world's leading universities, museums, research centres and industrial companies (www.nmc.org).

The Horizon Report is available online at http://www.nmc.org/publications/2010-horizon-report.

Boston Publisher Celebrates Publication of 100th Title, All Written by Children

2010-10-03T08:18:00.001-07:00

KidPub Press, publisher of books written by children, has released its 100th title. Established in 2008, KidPub Press helps kids ages 8 to 18 understand the publishing process by giving them a chance to publish their own book. The young authors work with an editor to get their manuscript into shape, then with a designer who helps them create a cover. The completed books are sold on Amazon.com, at the KidPub Press bookstore, and through affiliated online bookstores. The kids receive quarterly royalty payments for sales of their books.

"This is the same process that an adult author would go through," remarked Publisher Perry Donham, "and we keep the kids involved in every step, to help them get a good feel for how the book business works. Many of us go into a bookstore and see thousands of titles on the shelves but have no idea how they got there; our authors understand the incredible amount of work it takes to get a book published."

While there's no expectation that an 8-year-old's book will reach the New York Times Bestseller List, many KidPub Press authors sell hundreds of copies and hold successful book signing events at their school, local bookstores, churches, and other venues. "More importantly," said Donham, "the kids are like rock stars when they walk into school with copies of their book. The confidence and pride that this gives these kids is something that sets them up to be successful college students and young adults."

KidPub Press books are typically 100 to 150 pages long, though some have topped the 300-page mark. It is an international endeavor with authors from Canada, the Middle East, Australia, and Europe having participated. The company also has a school program that produces compilation books written by middle-school classrooms.

"There's always a moment of confusion when we describe the business," explained Donham. "Everyone is familiar with children's books, but books -by- children? That's a different story. The expectation is that kids can't possibly write 'real' books, but having read every one of the hundred we've published, I can tell you that these kids really do have a talent for writing. I'm proud that my company can give these young authors an outlet and market for their creativity."

With 100 titles behind them, Donham and the KidPub Press team are looking forward to hitting the 500-title mark, and to expanding the market for this genre of book, both in print and electronically. "The first hundred are always the hardest," quipped Donham, "and we're well on our way to that next big milestone."

KidPub Press is headquartered in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Visit KidPub Press for more information. Books are also available at Amazon.com.

Guest Experts Sponsorships and Free "Guest Request" Interview Alerts

2010-10-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

RadioGuestList.com helps authors and experts get radio interviews to promote new books, businesses, or products. Experts seeking more publicity can now advertise as Featured Guest Expert sponsors on http://www.radioguestlist.com/. Subscribers to RadioGuestList.com's free radio publicity email list receive free, daily "live" PR interview opportunities from real radio show hosts or producers. The daily emails detail exactly what type of guest interviews that radio show, TV producer or Internet radio podcast host is looking for – simply reply by email to those that are seeking guest experts or authors to interview on their shows!

RadioGuestList.com helps get radio interviews for authors and experts to promote new books, businesses, or products.

This free radio and TV and podcast interview publicity booking service has now expanded its services so that experts seeking more publicity can now advertise as Featured Guest Expert sponsors on http://www.radioguestlist.com/.

How to Be a Radio Guest - Free

Each day RadioGuestList.com's free radio interview and TV public relations service subscribers receive an e-mail with radio guest expert interview opportunities from real radio, TV, and podcast show producers who are looking for expert guests and authors to interview "on the air".

These http://www.RadioGuestList.com "Guest Requests" are "live" booking opportunities submitted to RadioGuestList.com by a real show host or producer. The daily emails detail exactly the guests that each radio show, TV producer or Internet radio podcast host is looking to interview - all subscribers need to do is reply by email to those that are seeking guest experts or authors for their shows!

Digital Media Marketing - Marketing Your Digital Products Offline by Carolyn Anderson

2010-09-26T14:50:00.001-07:00

Digital products such as software and eBooks are hot items that you can buy online as downloadable items. However, if you are one of the eBook writers or software developers who want to market your products not only on the internet, you can actually find a lot of ways to market them offline as well.

For digital media marketing tips, you can actually store your eBook on CDs and DVDs and market them offline as well. Although downloading digital products is a convenient and easy way to sell information without having to print your eBooks for example, or publish it, but of course, many people would also want to have a tangible copy for their eBooks and software so they can bring it along with them.

If you are an eBook writer or someone who develops and sells software, you can also explore the option of putting your products into discs so that you can sell them offline to your friends, give them away as contest prizes or incentives, or sell them in flea markets. Putting it on CD or DVD also allows you to sell your products in online auction sites where you can sell them in sets or in bulk as well.

To help you sell your digital products offline, aside from your online efforts as well, here are a few tips that you might find useful.

- Use high quality discs if you want a long-lasting file. However, it is important to note that digital mediums may change over time, as floppy discs have become obsolete, the mediums existing today may also become obsolete in the near future, so make sure that you also remind yourself to upgrade your storage medium over time.

- Store your files or digital media in two or more backup mediums. Of course, you may never know what will happen to your one and only copy, so it is just commonsense and wise to have two or more copies of your eBook or your software.

- Keep your backup copies safe and secured. Of course, if you are marketing these products, you would surely want to make it available to many not just today but in the years to come, so make sure you can still provide copies in the future by making sure that you do have a backup file that can still be accessed in the future.

These are just a few of the things that you can do to help you market your digital media. Indeed, there are a lot of ways for your digital media marketing, but you have to keep in mind as well that even though you have a digital product, you can still market them offline to boost your sales and your profit.

Carolyn Anderson writes and markets her eBooks. To learn how you can copy your digital files on discs and sell them offline, check out digital media marketing. Also check out Easy Licensing Pro, where you can learn how to put up a successful online business without having to create your own products.

Former Scribd Authors Invited to Join Wattpad's Social Writing Community

2010-09-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Writers of fiction and poetry who are dissatisfied with recent changes to Scribd policies are invited to experience Wattpad, the world's most popular eBook community. Last month, Scribd introduced a program where older files are automatically placed behind a pay wall that readers must pay Scribd in order to access – a move many authors likened to profiting on content without the writer's consent and contrary to the principle of open access. Authors of fiction and poetry who would like to provide free access to their work are encouraged to visit Wattpad's social reading platform.

Wattpad is a viral space for authors to interact with the millions of readers from around the world that visit Wattpad every month. Stories posted to Wattpad are automatically made available on over 1,000 eReaders and mobile devices, including iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android phones. Content shared on Wattpad remains the sole property of the author.

"Respecting writers' copyright and giving them 100% control of their own content has always been one of Wattpad's core values," says Allen Lau, CEO and Co-founder of Wattpad. "Writers who post their work on Wattpad benefit from complete transparency as well as the opportunity to connect with readers in a more interactive and meaningful way"

Also known as "YouTube for eBooks + Facebook/Twitter for Writers", Wattpad is a friendly writing and reading community that allows professional authors, self-published writers and writing hobbyists to market their work and engage with readers on a variety of device platforms. Authors interested in moving their work to Wattpad and who require any assistance can contact Wattpad at contact@wattpad.com

'Cut The Crap and WRITE THAT DAMN SCREENPLAY!'

2010-09-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

New writers need a kick-in-the-pants method to get them writing.

Books on writing are driving writers away from the craft of writing and turning them into authors of "stereo instructions" or causing them not to write at all. The state of writing instruction in the modern era focuses too highly on generating a massive amount of supporting material (little of which will ever be used in the final draft) and sucks all of the excitement for writing out of the would-be scribe. The passion for writing has been lost in a sea of technical outlining that pervades every aspect of writing from fiction to marketing. What is worse is that most wannabe writers get so frustrated with the entire mandated minutia surrounding the art that they abandon their efforts altogether.

Author Nicholas Iandolo has written a book that addresses this very concern. "I have found through my teaching efforts that writers start out with great passion and fire but invariably let their fears and self-consciousness over the writing process thwart their grand endeavors." This is where his book 'Cut The Crap and WRITE THAT DAMN SCREENPLAY!' comes in. It is the concise no baloney-salami book on screenwriting, written to get the new writer past those inhibitions to stop making excuses and get the writing done.

'Cut The Crap and WRITE THAT DAMN SCREENPLAY!' not only motivates the writer by screaming directly into their creative soul, it also provides simple yet effective tools that help them quickly and efficiently get those stories together. Furthermore, writers can apply the principles in this book to any form of written discourse from novels, business proposals, magazine articles, to ad campaigns-this book goes well beyond its gritty title.

"Cut the Crap is amazing; easily the best script advice I've ever seen… It is the Full Metal Jacket drill sergeant of screenwriting books… this is a book for writers, and if you aren't one when you start reading, you'll be one when you're done," says Daniel Thron, Filmmaker, Los Angeles CA.

Writers do not your waste time pouring over writing books that you are never going to finish reading let alone carry out all of their inane writing exercises. 'Cut The Crap and WRITE THAT DAMN SCREENPLAY!' is a quick read and even quicker at getting you writing!

'Cut The Crap and WRITE THAT DAMN SCREENPLAY!' is on sale now at Amazon.com and available in eBook format for Apple's iPad & iPhone. Find Nicholas Iandolo on Facebook at: cutthecrapandwrite, and follow him on Twitter @cutcrapwrite. Visit http://www.tenthsphere.com/ to learn more about the author and his work.

Open Book Alliance Applauds Congressional Hearing into Online Competition

2010-09-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, September 16, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy will explore growing concerns about anti-competitive and monopolistic practices taking place online. The Open Book Alliance applauds the action and urges the subcommittee to use the hearing to continue their examination of the threat to online competition presented by the proposed Google Book Settlement and its role in usurping the rights of authors, academic researchers, libraries, independent publishers, and others.

The hearing, titled "Competition in the Evolving Digital Marketplace," is an opportunity for members to make inquiries on the anti-trust implications of the proposed settlement. This is not the first time the committee has explored the Google Book Settlement or heard concerns from regulators and consumer advocates about anti-competitive practices from Google.

"The committee is right to consider these issues," said Peter Brantley, cofounder of the Open Book Alliance. "Chairman Johnson brought a healthy dose of skepticism to the Google Book Settlement hearing last fall. He focused on the class, copyright, anti-trust and monopolization concerns that have been voiced by myriad stakeholders, including the U.S. Government, through the Department of Justice. Our hope is that the subcommittee will continue to look at the effects and dangerous precedent that could be set by the proposed Google Book Settlement."

During a prior House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Google Book Settlement in September 2009, the U.S. Register of Copyrights, Mary Beth Peters, testified that the Google Book Settlement, "inappropriately creates something similar to a compulsory license for works, unfairly alters the property interests of millions of rights-holders of out-of-print works without any Congressional oversight and has the capacity to create diplomatic stress for the United States."

The U.S. Justice Department believes the Google Book Settlement would enable broad dangers for online competition. In a February 2010 court filing, the Antitrust Division concluded that:

"…Google's exclusive access to millions and millions of books may well benefit Google's existing online search business. Google already holds a relatively dominant market share in that market. That dominance may be further entrenched by its exclusive access to content through the [proposed settlement]. Content that can be discovered by only one search engine offers that search engine at least some protection from competition. This outcome has not been achieved by a technological advance in search or by operation of normal market forces; rather, it is the direct product of scanning millions of books without the copyright holders' consent and then using Rule 23 to achieve results not otherwise obtainable in the market."

The Open Book Alliance agrees with the Department of Justice that the proposed Google Book Settlement could have sweeping, negative repercussions for online competition. Thursday's hearing will hopefully give careful scrutiny to the important copyright and competition policy issues the proposed settlement raises and consider legislative or regulatory measures that could address the fundamental unfairness of making public policy and re-crafting copyright law through litigation.

Blog Tours for Books Gaining in Popularity

2010-09-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Authors with new book releases are gaining exposure by turning to blog tours more and more, says online publicist Diane Saarinen. Instead of physically traveling from bookstore to bookstore, authors are scheduling virtual online tours where their new novels or memoirs are featured in popular book blogs.

"An author might be scheduled to appear in anywhere from eight to eighteen blogs. Their book will be in the spotlight with a review, and often there is participation from the author with a guest post or interview. It really helps start an online conversation about the book," says Saarinen, who has arranged tours for best-selling and prize-winning novels.

A study by Jupiter Research and Buzzlogic indicated that blogs influence consumers more than social networks. Findings from Rubicon also revealed that online word-of-mouth (WOM) was second only to in-person recommendation, a factor that should be taken into consideration when an author is planning publicity. And an LA Times article recently focused on the growing influence of book bloggers, stating this "vibrant online community is attractive to imprints that want to get attention for releases, some of which might not be written about elsewhere."

Saarinen suggests the most important step in planning a blog tour is to coordinate early – often months before the book hits the shelves. "A really popular blogger's dance card will be full. You need to approach them well in advance." Saarinen's web site is http://bookblogtourguide.com/.

Author & Pastor Max Lucado Reaches 100 Million Products in Print

2010-09-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

Author and Pastor Max Lucado has 100 million products in print since his first book was published 25 years ago. Lucado's writings have been published in a wide variety of formats including trade books, gift books, children's books, study Bibles, devotionals, commentaries, animated children's videos, calendars, greeting cards, teaching curriculum and licensed gift products.

Of the 100 million products in print, 80 million are books. Lucado's first book, On the Anvil, was released in 1985. His latest book, Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference, releases tomorrow from Thomas Nelson. Currently his books have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Lucado's books have appeared on every major best-seller list including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, The New York Times, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the Christian Booksellers Association. Lucado has been featured on many national media programs through the years, including "Fox & Friends," "The Today Show" and "Good Morning America" in the last year alone.

Thomas Nelson has been Lucado's long-term publisher and executives salute this significant achievement. Says David Moberg, senior vice president and group publisher for Non-Fiction at Thomas Nelson: "It is both stunning and humbling to consider 100 million products in print for Max. His writing has shaped millions—almost a generation--in their beliefs on grace, forgiveness and God's love."

Adds Lucado: "God has blessed me with such a great team. Editors, management, creative thinkers…they are the best. I'm especially thankful for the management skills of Steve Green who has overseen my publishing for over two decades. He has built a team that exceeds expectations."

Max Lucado and his wife Denalyn live in San Antonio, Texas, where he is the Minister of Preaching at Oak Hills Church. More on Max Lucado, can be found at http://www.maxlucado.com/.

Writing a Book - 4 Easy Tips to Help You to Write Your Book by Angela Booth

2010-09-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Writing a book always takes longer than you think it will. However it shouldn't take forever. In this article we'll look at four easy tips which will help you to get your book written, and probably more quickly than you think possible.

I've written many books, both for print and for digital publication. I love developing books because I love the feeling of getting into a process and having lots to write. However, whether you love to create books or not, these tips will help you.

Here they are.

1. Remember That Creation Is a Process

The temptation when you're writing is to go back and constantly tinker with what you've written. You generate six words, decide that they're the wrong words, so you delete them and type several other words. Then you'll decide that those words are totally stupid, and you can do better... so you delete them again.

That's the fast road to madness.

Start, and keep writing. You can always fix it later, during the editing process. Keep a forward momentum when you keep going.

2. Avoid Obsessive Re-Reading

A book which takes several hours to read has taken several months, and sometimes several years, to write. Considering that you've only got a certain number of hours each day to spend on your book, avoid re-reading what you've written as much as possible. Re-reading wastes time you should be spending developing your book.

Reread the last page, but no more. Then start writing.

3. Outline: Just Do It

If you don't outline, get into the habit. Your outline can be a simple list of what you intend to cover in the book. If you don't outline, chances are you won't finish the book because you'll lose momentum.

I know many novelists who maintain that if they don't know happens in the book, the reader won't know either. Unfortunately, if you don't know what happens you're operating without a safety net. You'll paint yourself into a corner, or you'll wander off on weird tangents.

4. You Don't Need to Start at the Beginning

If you remember this one simple rule, you'll write many more books. Once you've completed your tentative outline, feel free to work on whatever chapter or scene strikes your mood on a particular day.

If you're writing a novel, and want to write a scene which takes place in the middle of the book, feel free. Alternatively if you're writing nonfiction, there's nothing stopping you from writing Chapter Eight before you write Chapter One. It's completely up to you.

Try these four tips. They'll not only help you to complete your book, but will also help you to build good writing habits.

Want to write a book? You can, with Angela Booth's comprehensive Write a Book Collection. Discover the secrets and develop the skills you need to write ANY book, from how-to guides to novels and memoirs. Angela's been writing since the 1970s, and she shares her secrets with you. Her Just Write A Book Blog helps you to write a book and get it published.

Jumpstart Writing a Book - Tip 2 - Write a Short Book First by Earma Brown

2010-09-12T14:33:00.001-07:00

Are you writing your first book yet? No worries, you might have the same problem a friend of mine had with getting started. She told me I could save my procrastination speech. She was not procrastinating. She agreed with the principle that now is better than later. She was more than ready to write it this year.

But she lacked the know how and simple steps to get from (a) getting started to (z) completed book. Years later, I found out she took my advice. Her book is now finished, published and selling well in the marketplace. She explained the single tip that helped her the most was this: Write a short book first.

When she first mentioned it to me, I thought I must share this principle. I know there are others that can relate. For example, when I was writing my first book. I kept writing and writing, until my book was becoming a huge monster.

Of course, I thought at first I would struggle with coming up with enough information. That was not the case. It was getting so huge that my mentor said to me, "Why don't you divide your monster book into two separate books. It will be simpler for you to write and easier for your reader to read.

It was like a light bulb went off for me! When I decided to write a shorter book. I felt relieved. I felt more energized, more pumped to get it done. Maybe it will be the same for you.

Remember if you feel stalled in your writing or just need a jumpstart consider this, "Write a short book first." There are three main reasons I encourage you to write a short book first.

1. You reach your goals faster. When you reach your goals faster, you gain momentum. You might be surprised at the charge you receive from one small success. The momentum you gain through writing and completing a short book first will propel you into success in other areas.

2. You make it easier on your reader. In the 21st century, your readers are busy. They want to be able to fit bite-sized reads into their bite-sized time slots. Shorten your book and you may find your audience will engage faster in reading it. Shorten your sentences, shorten your stories and illustrations. Wait; even though you give your book the big slash still make it compelling.

3. You take your book to market faster and profit sooner. Let's face it; if you never finish your book you have no chance of profiting from it. Finish it; bring it to market and profit sooner.

If you don't use this tip to jumpstart your book writing, you may be this time next year still wondering if it will work. Write a short book first, finish fast and profit sooner!

Are you ready to get started writing your very own book? Go get my free 7 lesson mini-course Jumpstart Writing Your Book! You can get instant access to this ecourse and other How to Write a Book tips at the http://www.writetowin.org/ web site From Earma Brown, 14 year author and book writing coach

Barnes & Noble Predicts Big Books for Fall

2010-09-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Barnes and Noble expects an outstanding title selection for fall 2010 in both fiction and non-fiction with strong titles ranging from thrillers, paranormal romance and mystery, to political memoirs, historical biographies and a strong line up in teen and young adult titles.

"There is a wide variety of titles hitting shelves this fall season and Barnes & Noble is thrilled to offer customers such a fantastic selection as we head into the holiday season," said Patricia Bostelman, vice president of marketing at Barnes & Noble. "We know our customers are looking forward to new titles from bestselling authors who haven't published in a while such as Jonathan Franzen, Laura Hillenbrand and Tom Clancy. We are also excited about the large selection of memoirs coming out of the political, celebrity and music worlds. This is going to be a strong fall season with choices for everyone."

Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen is garnering exemplary reviews and is off to a strong start and expected to continue through the holidays.

Thrillers dominate with The Confession, the first fall legal thriller from John Grisham; Dead or Alive, the first book from Tom Clancy since 2003; Cross Fire and Don't Blink from James Patterson; and Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell. In horror look for Stephen King's Full Dark, No Stars and What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz.

A strong line-up of historical biographies by prominent authors will hit shelves including Decision Points by former President George W. Bush, Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow; and Extraordinary, Ordinary People by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Also expected to do well is America By Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith & Flag by Governor Sarah Palin, the follow-up to her bestselling memoir Going Rogue.

For readers of history and current affairs we are looking forward to Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, her first work since Seabiscuit, The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and Obama's War by Bob Woodward.

Celebrity biographies and memoirs will range from nostalgic to current. Music will be a popular subject with memoirs from mega-recording artists including Life by Keith Richards; Late, Late at Night by Rick Springfield; Roses & Thorns by Bret Michaels; Me by Ricky Martin; Decoded by Jay-Z; and The Woman I Was Born to Be: My Story by Susan Boyle. Other popular titles will include Kardashian Konfidential by the Kardashian sisters; My Booky Wook 2 by Russell Brand; Love, Lust & Faking It by Jenny McCarthy; and Is It Just Me? Or Is It Nuts Out There? by Whoopi Goldberg.

Cookbooks are always top sellers during the holiday season and this year brings a selection of favorite chefs including Rachel Ray, Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Jessica Seinfeld, Nigella Lawson, Alton Brown, Jaime Oliver and Mark Bittmann.

Humor has new titles from bestselling authors including Jon Stewart, Nora Ephron, Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris. Bestselling mystery author Janet Evanovich is launching Wicked Appetite the first book in a new series based around the character Diesel from her "Stephanie Plum" series and Richard Castle will have Naked Heat, a second mystery in his series that's the basis for last year's successful television show. Graphic novels will see two new titles from bestselling authors Diana Gabaldon with Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel and Paulo Coelho with Alchemist: A Graphic Novel.

Romance will see growth in the paranormal arena with major titles from Christine Feehan with Dark Peril and Sherilyn Kenyon with No Mercy. Debbie Macomber will have a special holiday title, Call Me Mrs. Miracle.

Books about nature are lead by Great Migrations, the tie-in to this fall's new National Geographic TV series. Stephen Hawking's The Grand Design will appeal to science readers.

In religion we have new titles from Joel Osteen, Mike Huckabee, Richard Paul Ecans and Max Lucado.

For Teens, paranormal romance and fantasy and adventure continue to dominate the trends. Long-awaited sequels will hit shelves along with brand new books. In paranormal romance, look for Torment by Lauren Kate; Nightshade by Andrea Cremer; and Elixir by Hilary Duff. In fantasy and adventure some of the big titles include Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins; Witch and Wizard: Battle for Shadowland by James Patterson and Dara Naraghi; and Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card. Action and adventure and diary-format fiction dominate the young readers subjects, along with the autobiography of one of the world's most popular teen stars. Hot titles for young readers include Into the Gauntlet (The 39 Clues Series #10) by Margaret Peterson Haddix; The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan; Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story by Justin Bieber; and The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #5) by Jeff Kinney.

eBooks to save education? Yes, according to digital publishing specialist

2010-09-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

Digital publishing specialist, The Digital Publisher, has today stated that unless text books are converted to eBooks, the projected 25% cut in education funding could wreck Britain's reputation as a world leader in teaching and learning.

With October's forthcoming spending review likely to place unprecedented pressure on education, teachers' unions are warning that "this level of funding reduction will inevitably include fairly savage staffing cuts".

However, The Digital Publisher in its education whitepaper argues that transforming text books into digital eBooks could save the UK £hundreds of millions and the jobs of thousands of teachers.

The idea is not new. In 2009 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared that all California's text books should be put online in a bid to substantially reduce the $350 million dollars it currently spends on the books.

Ian Jackson, Head of Digital at The Digital Publisher, says: "Our latest whitepaper, Advancing Education through Digital Editions, not only shows how much education establishments can save, it also demonstrates how eBooks can be far superior to text books because of embedded rich media in the form of video and audio as well as a host of other features."

Jackson continues, "Don't forget that text books are updated every couple of years but with eBooks these changes can be made in minutes for little cost."

The Digital Publisher's new whitepaper shows clearly how education professionals can use eBook technology to its fullest potential. Alongside embedded video and other rich media content, the eBook demonstrates features designed to assist students including digital bookmarking, contextual search tools, online page highlighter and page tabs.

Jackson adds, "eBooks are useful in many areas of education, not just text books - brochures, theses and prospectuses can all be transformed into digital editions easily and at a fraction of the cost of printing."

Advancing Education through Digital Editions whitepaper
Website: www.thedigitalpublisher.co.uk/whitepaper-education

A Quick Look At Writing Your First Book by Amy Leigh Parker

2010-09-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

Writing is a very popular past time and hobby for so many reasons, it is something creative to do and achieve and its results are very rewarding.

Starting off is possibly the most difficult thing to do when witting a book, the first day will properly be spent writing things and then deleting them over and over. Think what you want your book to be on. An autobiography, a thriller, fiction, real life, love story.

What is the outcome, do you have a rough idea of the story line or do you want to think each day as it comes. Is this a long term project or something small that you wish to do other a short period of time.

The recommended way to write the words is on a PC or laptop as that way it can be backed up in a number of places. It is also saves time when it comes to re-writing the final version and losing a page or mixing the order up. It is also much clearer to read and things can be changed round in sections. Lines that you are unsure of can be highlighted and pin pointed for later on, and things can be added in a slight notice.

Use your real life situations to use as extra add INS read books and watch films for inspiration, try to come up with new and exciting stories that are unique. You never know they may even get properly published.

Once your book/novel is finished why not take it to be bound and done professionally so that others can read and enjoy it. Some places can design and help you create a real professional looking cover and design. This may be more expensive but think of the entire time spent making and writing each individual paragraph it is nice to see your work completely finished to a high quality and standard.

Amy Parker has recently created a site on Black Chest Drawers. The site is always updated and has articles such as 6 Drawer Dressers to read.

Children's Book Database Now Available Online

2010-09-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

The College of Education and UA Libraries are collaborating to launch a searchable Internet database of the World of Words, one of the nation's largest collections of international children's books.

Anyone in the world with an Internet connection will now be able to access a database of the world's largest collection of international children’s books.

The World of Words: International Collection of Children's and Adolescent Literature library database now is available online though a new agreement at the University of Arizona. Website: http://wowlit.org/

The agreement will allow people - students, researchers, teachers and others – to search the library's collection, which consists of more than 30,000 books.

The College of Education will regularly provide the UA Libraries with information on new titles added to the collection, and the UA Libraries will maintain records of the library's offerings.

Source: http://uanews.org/node/33640

PDF vs. EPUB Comparison Explanation

2010-09-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

Ebooks are proving to be a time and money efficient way to provide information and entertainment around the globe knowledge of eBook format is important for improving reading experiences. Among several of eBook formats, Portable Document Format (PDF) and Electronic Publication (EPUB) are two of the most popular eBook formats. Here comes a comparison between PDF and EPUB.

Ebooks can be produced in a wide variety of formats, and each has its own special features. The special features make it suitable for certain publications and styles, which makes sure that the necessary information is conveyed in the must suitable and economical way possible. Ebooks are proving to be a time and money efficient way to provide information and entertainment around the globe. The following is an explanation of the types and uses of two of the most popular formats-- PDF and EPUB. then make comparison between them.

The first common format is the Portable Document Format, saved as a .pdf file and read by Adobe. The PDF ebook can be read on and printed from various platforms on the internet and so this is a commonly used format as the audience is wide reaching and no extra equipment is needed. The PDF is mainly associated with text, tables, indexes, hyperlinks and simple drawings so the ebooks most commonly found using PDF include short literary pieces, papers, reports and journals.

The ePub format is a free and open standard format created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), and it's designed for reflowable content that can be optimized to whatever device is being used to read a book file. The IDPF has championed EPUB as a single format that can be used by publishers and conversion houses, as well as for distribution and sale of electronic books. Since it's an open standard, anyone can make a program to read or create ePub books, and anyone can make an ePub ebook.

1.Readability

Regardless of the application used to create them, PDF files creates a static image — a picture — of each page. From the author’s point of view this is a godsend, because content will always display the same way for every user. For users, however, there is a downside. Precisely because .pdf text is not reflowable, it will not resize to fit each device or user setting. This means some users on some devices will need to zoom in and out to read the entire text.
While EPUB is designed for reflowable text — meaning text that adjusts itself depending on the size of the display, the font being used (if the user is able to change fonts), the size of the text, and various other variables. EPUB can optimize for the particular display device, the readability for mobile devices is better than PDF.

2. Multiplatform
For both PDF and EPUB are open standard, only if you have the right viewer, you can read PDF and EPUB on any Operation System and any devices. For example, if you have Adobe Reader installed on your PC or Mac OS, reading PDF is not a problem. There are also many free reader for EPUB like Stanza, FB Reader, Adobe Digital Editions

3. Interactivity

PDF users can easily create a PDF bookmark or add links to it, so that you can easier to navigate to particular pages or get access to Internet through PDF. Meanwhile, PDF users can also create interactive PDF forms. All we need is Adobe Reader, and then we can easily fill out the PDF form, print or effortlessly return to others by email. the PDF format can also include extra fonts and images, plus sound and video clips. Therefore, for the competent user this is an excellent choice for e-zines and flyers advertising ebooks, EPUB does not support interactivity, it is read-only.

Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages. Readers and publishers need a connection between PDF and EPUB. For example, the handy built-in application iBooks on Apple iPad (iPhone, iPod Touch) supports only EPUB. If one wants to read PDF with iBooks, PDF to EPUB conversionis necessary. EPUB is widely supported by almost all the mobile reader (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Sony Reader or other eBook Readers.) because of the reflowable feature, however, PDF is still the most popular eBook format all over the world, if you want to enjoy reading PDF on mobile devices, you should definitely read this: How to convert PDF to EPUB.

Amazon Marketplace Strategies - Special Challenges in Book Descriptions and Writing Comments by Elisabeth Kuhn

2010-08-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

Book description seems straightforward enough. However, there are challenges, and then there are the descriptions themselves. Read on to find out how to handle the challenging areas and the actual descriptions.

A) Some exceptions from the usual standards

If the book is out of print and very hard to find, you can sell it even if it has a splotch here and there and writing all over it. But make sure you carefully describe its exact condition. And no, broken spines won't do no matter how rare the book may be.

Read Amazon's criteria very carefully and follow them to a T. And as I said, err on the side of caution. I won't retype the descriptions here because they may change, and if you follow the information on their website, you'll be okay.

Under NO circumstances should you try to sell a book that's falling apart or that's quite soiled or moldy. Even if you describe it as such, the recipient will probably think it can't be that bad if it's sold on Amazon and will feel disappointed once they see it.

Just give it away. There's no point in risking your good rating over a few bucks, which you may have to refund anyway.

Writing accurate comments about the book's condition

Always add comments about the condition.

If the book is new, say so: "Shiny new book, straight from bookstore"

Be descriptive and clear. If the book has ANY blemishes whatsoever, list them. Watch for rubbing, which is what makes a shiny cover look a bit, uhm, worn. It happens from books being filed very close to each other and then rubbing against each other when they're moved. Sometimes, they acquire rub marks during shipping. Basically, it means that the finish has rubbed off, a bit, or a whole lot.

Check for remainder marks. Those are the big (or small) black splotches on books you get from the bargain bin. Usually, they're on the bottom of the book. Always mention them if there are any, and even describe them if they deviate from a normal smallish remainder mark.

If it's a big remainder mark, say, "big ugly splotch" or whatever, and if it's particularly small and unobtrusive, you can say it's just a "small dot."

Check for any writing in the book and if there is any, mention it. Also mention if the writing is in pencil or pen. Ditto for dog ears, stains, and anything else that makes the book deviate from the shiny new appearance the shopper is hoping for.

If a book is so crisp and new that it clearly has hardly been opened if at all, mention that too. In fact, mention anything that is in the book's favor.

And if you'd rather get a better return on your books and media items, you're invited to download Elisabeth Kuhn's FREE Guide to selling them online: eBay vs Amazon and discover what's better for which types of items.

Also consider Elisabeth's insider guide for Newcomers to Amazon.com Marketplace Selling and cut down on your learning curve dramatically as you turn your no longer needed books, CDs, DVDs and other things into money for your vacation -- or an entire new business.

Tips on Writing a Book-Promotion - 5 Steps For Creating a Compelling Blurb by Alan H. Jordan

2010-08-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, one of the hardest things you can do is to create a compelling blurb for your book, or marketing copy for a manuscript that you're writing and proposing.

It's true that I know the value of my book, but it is also true that I know much more, so much more that it can be hard for me to distill a simple explanation. I can try for hours, even days to write a blurb, and it's likely to be bland, or worse yet confusing. The problem is that if the blurb is bad, many people will never look at the book. I've developed a solution. It works for me; perhaps it will work well for you too. Here are the steps.

1. Determine your book's dominant genre. This is not always simple for me, particularly if I am in the planning stages. It's possible that my manuscript may morph. I started out writing a book as a middle-grade fiction book, but it morphed into into a book that is structured along the lines of best selling thriller.

2. Determine the premise of the book. Each book can have only one premise (what every page, every paragraph, needs to foster), but you can have a number of books in a series that all contribute to an overall premise. The premise for the first of three novels in my science fiction fantasy series is "Evil cannot be destroyed but can be contained." The collective premise of the series of three books is, "For humanity to succeed as a species we must learn to live in harmony with the universe."

3. Find a best seller that is in the gendre you have selected that is consistent with the premise of your book. The genre that I am emulating is a thriller.

4. Locate a blurb of the book that resonates for you. An easy way to do this is read the jacket flaps of any successful book in the gendre you are using, or visit a library web site, look up the book, and then read the blurb that they display to patrons. As an example, I selected a blurb written about a best seller, which appeared in Publisher's Weekly.

5. Adapt that blurb to your book. -I do not want to copy the blurb and fill in my book's name. I want to emulate the style of that blurb.

The reason this system works for me is simple: I am not emotionally involved in adapting a blurb written about someone else's book. I am emotionally involved with my own book. Feel free to leave comments about how this system works for you. If it's appropriate, I'll respond.

Alan H. Jordan is the author of hundreds of magazine articles, six business books, six children's audio books and The Monster on Top of the Bed, a picture book for children ages 2-7. His poetry has appeared in major poetry magazines such as Mobius, the Poetry Magazine. Visit his blog to get many tips on writing and the marketing of writing.

Visit http://harmony123.com/ to register for free downloads of The End of All Times, and read the blurb that Mr. Jordan's created by adapting the Publisher's Weekly review of Dan Brown's New York Times Best Seller, The Da Vinci Code.

Social Networking with Authors Engages Adult Readers

2010-08-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have potential to get adults excited about reading books. Many adult readers enjoy connecting on a personal level with the authors of the books they read.

September is National Literacy Month, and adult educators are always looking for ways to get their students excited about reading books. The answer may be online. In a report titled Emerging Technologies in Adult Literacy and Language Education, the National Institute for Literacy notes that social networking sites give students the opportunity to read and write in an authentic, real-world situation. The report fails to mention the added potential these sites have to excite students about reading books by allowing them to get to know authors.

Book authors have taken to the internet to connect with their readers on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. This personal connection has made reading books a more meaningful experience, many readers say.

"It's great to network with authors… it shows they care and makes us more loyal," says Wanda M. of New York.

"I also like seeing some of the daily minutiae that authors go through, whether it's picking up kids, groceries, whatever," says Colorado librarian Sarah W.

Many readers agree that social networks humanize their favorite authors. Through Facebook and Twitter, readers get to know writers in conversations about everyday matters.

"Conversation is key," says Susan Mallery, bestselling author of Finding Perfect (September 2010). "I don't look at Facebook and Twitter as a way to publicize the release dates of my books, though they do help get the word out. I look at them as a way to make meaningful connections with readers. The truth is, if a reader loves my books, chances are good that we could be real friends because we share a sense of humor and we're moved by the same stories. I am what I write."

Mallery's website for the Fool's Gold series of romance novels could be a case study in how to engage readers in the world of the book. She makes reading fun. The Fool's Gold cheerleading squad is comprised of caricatures of some of Mallery's Facebook fans. She has created wedding websites for the couples who find love in her books, so that readers can see wedding pictures and even sign the guestbook. The site has lots of videos, too, making it an interactive, multimedia experience.

"The connection goes both ways," Mallery adds. "I ask my readers online to help me brainstorm sometimes while I'm writing, so they're a part of the process. My Facebook fans created a character from scratch, a veterinarian who will show up in Fool's Gold next year. I'm thinking of writing a Christmas book for him as a way to thank my fans for their friendship."

This opportunity to participate in the process gives readers a thrill when the book they influenced hits the shelves.

"[Participating] in new characters…is exciting and makes me look forward to getting my hands on the author's future reads," says Shawn L. of Washington, DC.

Readers have also found that social networks are a great way to discover new writers.
"I've met authors I wouldn't have known about… through seeing relationships between authors, some of which are very funny," says Heather M. of Georgia.

Sharon S. of Massachusetts adds, "It's also a lot of fun to connect with other readers who enjoy the same author. "

Susan Mallery shares one final thought: "Social networking can be a powerful way to connect with readers, but only when it's backed up by a good book. In the end, it always comes back to writing books that readers will love."

Are eBooks Worth the Paper they are not Written on?

2010-08-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

The opportunity that seems to have been overlooked with eBooks is that technology can actually ADD VALUE to content. This is particularly true for books used in early education. By adding value to quality content, publishers can maintain pricing levels and customers are provided with educational features not available when using a hardcopy book. Everybody wins!

Australian based information technology company, ReadOn Pty Ltd, has looked beyond the basic eBook concept of simply providing electronic copies of hardcopy books in the release of its new product, myWordii.

myWordii eBooks are specifically designed for children in the first few years of formal education and are ideal when used along side or as a replacement for hardcopy levelled readers.

myWordii supports independent reading as well as whole class, small group and paired learning settings. It is perfect for the struggling or reluctant reader and students for whom English is a second language.

myWordii not only delivers hardcopy content in style matched electronic format, but also adds significant value to the text by including, within each book, the ability to access research-supported teaching and learning functions.

How Do I Write a Book? Easy Guidelines to Write a Book by Donna Monday

2010-08-23T07:40:00.001-07:00

Writing a book of your own isn't as difficult as it seems as long as you get yourself organized at the beginning. Contrary to the myth, writers don't just sit down, look at a blank page and suddenly have this great flood of inspired writing come magically out of thin air. The reality is, there's quite a bit of background preparation to be done before the first sentence is written.

So, you want to know: How do I write a book?

Here are some guidelines to write a book:

Guideline #1: Have a Clear Idea of What You Want to Write

The first thing you need to think about is what type of book are you going to be writing?

Is it a fiction or non-fiction book?

These are two completely different types of book styles that require preplanning and preparation. If you're writing a fiction book, then you want to choose a genre for your story: drama, mystery, fantasy, horror, action adventure, romance, etc.

If you are writing a non-fiction book, then you want to know which niche your book falls under: cooking, business, self-help, memoir, etc.

Each type of book will require various types of research, note taking and coming up with ideas for chapters and content.

Guideline #2: Create an Outline

Now that you know what you're going to be writing about, you need to create an outline that will serve as your blueprint during the writing process. If you're thinking of skipping this part, I can tell you that it's not a good idea. It's very difficult to try writing a book from nothing but bits and pieces that come up in your mind.

Writing a book this way, won't be very organized and may have major problems with plot or natural flow of information. So, commit to writing your outline. Yes, this will take some work to do, but it's going to be well worth the time and effort.

Guideline #3: Think Up a Good Title

Every book needs a title and you'll need a good one for your book. Non-fiction book titles should contain the major benefit that your book will provide the reader. In this case, your book's title will serve as a mini billboard for the type of information you're giving someone.

Fiction book titles can be pretty much anything. However, it should try and capture the essence of your story in some way.

Guideline #4: Set Aside Time to Write

When you begin writing your book, you should devote from 1 - 4 hours at a time to doing nothing but that. There shouldn't be any interruptions or distractions. Writing takes a tremendous amount of concentration. Let family and friends know that you can't be disturbed when working on your book.

If you schedule your writing time on a regular basis, you'll find that this discipline will help you to get the writing done faster, than randomly working on it whenever you're in the mood.

Realize your dream of becoming a well-respected published author. I'll show you how fun and easy it is to write and publish your own book in just a few weeks with a step-by-step writing system. Instantly boost your professional credibility and earn more money. Go here now: http://www.funtowrite.com/

Free E-Book : The Power of Hope: 7 Inspirational Stories of People Rediscovering Faith, Hope and Love

2010-08-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

Guideposts, the non-profit organization dedicated to providing hope, encouragement, and inspiration to millions across America and the world, today made available via a free download The Power of Hope: 7 Inspirational Stories of People Rediscovering Faith, Hope and Love.

In difficult times, how do others find hope? Download your free copy of The Power of Hope: 7 Inspirational Stories of People Rediscovering Faith, Hope and Love. You'll meet real people struggling with issues you hear about on the news every day. And you'll read in their own words how they were surprised by hope and revived by faith.

"Life often tests us with its challenges and difficulties. But the stories found in the free eBook The Power of Hope: 7 Inspirational Stories of People Rediscovering Faith, Hope and Love are the perfect antidote. Each story dramatically shows how people just like you not only overcome illness and hardships but deepened their faith in the process. In these real life stories of everyday men and women, you'll rediscover the power of faith and hope," said David Morris, Senior Editor of Guideposts Books.

Download your free copy of The Power of Hope and read true stories that will open your heart and help to bring you hope, faith and healing love into your life. The complimentary eBook is available exclusively on Guideposts.org at: http://www.guideposts.org/free-ebooks/power-hope-7-inspirational-stories-people-rediscovering-faith-hope-and-love

Tips For Writing Your First Book - Important Things to Remember About Books by Glen Ford

2010-08-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some facts about writing a book that you should remember.

Books require someone to read the book. If you don't have a group of readers you don't have anything except a bunch of paper with type on it. You have to find the group you will sell most of the books to and concentrate on them. You can't be all over. If you look at T.V. channels they always are aimed at a specific group of watchers. Cartoon channels are aimed at kids and teenagers, the news channels at those who want to be kept up to date, science-fiction channels, etc. They concentrate on one group of people, because otherwise nobody will watch them; it is the same with books.

All books need to meet a need. A weight loss book helps to meet the needs of someone who is trying to lose weight, while a fiction book meets the needs of someone who needs to be entertained. Your book must do the same: it needs to give the reader answers or solutions, or at least help them find these answers and solutions to their needs.

The best type of person with a need is someone with a problem or group of problems. Your readers are no different, so find a common problem in the community you are aiming at and work it to your advantage. All problems have solutions, so promise a solution to this problem in your book, and give them the solution. If it happens to be a fiction then make the character's problem their problem now; they must feel like the only way for an answer is to buy your book and read it.

If you are publishing a book just for the sake of publishing a book it won't work. It must have feeling. You must have a reason to write. Figure out why you want to - why you have to - write this book, and you will do much better. This will also be required for the blurb on the front of the book telling the reader a little about you. You have to know what entitles you to be able to write this book and help people with whatever problem they happen to have, whether it be a lack of entertainment or learning how to play the kazoo.

Many people today write books as a means of branding themselves. If this is your reason there is one important fact you need to know.

People really don't give a darn about who the publisher is.

They care about what the book contains, how the writer can help them, and the fact that it's published. What this means is that you don't have to convince a traditional publishing house to publish your book. Modern on demand publishers have given you the capability to publish the book yourself. As far as the public is concerned, you'll do just as well publishing under a name of your choosing. It is best not to use your name as the publisher's name, however. Use something different enough for people to not know right away that it's you publishing the books. The only problem of course, is that this doesn't work with book sellers who continue to rely on the traditional publishing houses for their product.

Do you want to learn how to write a book in 24 hours? Take my brand new free course here: http://www.learningcreators.com/

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

New Organization Formed for Independent Authors

2010-08-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

The Association of Independent Authors presents a clear vision of the future in publishing – independence is the preferred, and first choice for all authors. To achieve this, the AiA engenders a culture of excellence, teamwork and professionalism in a supportive community environment.

"The publishing industry is undergoing monumental changes," says spokesperson Melanie Walsh, "including an ongoing exponential growth in e-book sales, a change in book buying trends, and a new generation of readers who want everything now on their reading device."

The AiA plans to be at the forefront of this change, representing authors who choose independence over traditional publishing. "It seems difficult for some people in the industry to understand and accept, but there is a large contingent of new-breed authors who choose to self-publish up-front because it is best for them. It's not a case of settling for an easier alternative," says AiA administrator, Cara Edwards. AiA member Zoe Winters explains this attitude in her video series, "Zoe Who?"

Planning is underway for the AiA's inaugural conference to be held in San Francisco in July 2012. A Call for Submissions has now been issued, and given the quality of early responses, organizers expect to deliver a relevant, valuable program on all aspects of self-publishing. Interested speakers have until 1 November 2010 to make a submission on a range of topics including market forces, the process, design, technology, professionalism, and innovation. A strong delegation of independent authors is also expected, and a social program will be a highlight of the three-day conference.

The Association of Independent Authors (http://www.independent-authors.org/) is a membership organization of independent authors predominantly from the USA, Canada, Asia, UK and Australia. Membership is also open to authors who have published traditionally who are now planning to publish their future work, and reverted rights.

Free The Personal Growth Chicago Book Club

2010-08-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

Chicago resident and native Brian Vaszily, editor in chief of one of the world's most popular personal growth websites, IntenseExperiences.com, founder of the new international "1 World, 1 Book" club online, internationally renowned life coach, and author of multiple bestselling books, has launched The Personal Growth Chicago Book Club.

The book club is free to everyone living in and around Chicago interested in reading and meeting live to discuss today's most exceptional books that promote personal and professional growth. This most commonly includes books in the genres of Psychology, Self-Help, and Business, and also occasionally Health, Spirituality and Biography, and tends toward new books or those published within the last several years.

Each month, Personal Growth Chicago Book Club members vote on one of three books to read and discuss in the following month. The three books to choose from are primarily culled from members who attend the book club discussions. Members meet monthly at a convenient central location in Chicago to discuss the winning book.

In its inaugural meeting in July 2010, for example, over thirty book club members met at Whole Foods in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago to discuss the book, What EveryBODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed Reading People, by Joe Navarro. Members rate each discussion at the book group's website, and this discussion received five out of five stars.

"I started The Personal Growth Chicago Book Club for two reasons," notes Brian Vaszily. "First, discussing the best personal growth books being published today with other locals who share a passion for reading greatly enhances the lessons and enjoyment of those books versus reading them alone. Membership already consists of a diverse mix of people from throughout the Chicago area - different careers, ethnicities, races, lifestyles, and economic backgrounds, and those from different neighborhoods within the city and different suburbs - and so discussing these books inevitably reveals some amazing and useful new perspectives! By extension, they're a great way for people to network, as well."

"On a more personal note," Vaszily continues, "I also launched The Personal Growth Chicago Book Club to engage with live people from the Chicago area who share a love of reading, discussing ideas, expanding their horizons and improving their life. Through my books, videos and the Intense Experiences newsletter, I reach tens of thousands of people weekly, but they're located throughout the world. That's me sitting alone in front of a computer thinking, feeling, writing, recording and editing most of the week; I'm so grateful my work now reaches so many people, but frankly I missed meeting new people in person who are dedicated to reading and growing personally and professionally."

The Personal Growth Chicago Book Club is free and easy for anyone to join at http://www.meetup.com/chicago-book-club-1, where you can also learn more about the club, contact founder Brian Vaszily, and vote from amongst three new personal growth books on the one book you want to read and discuss with other members in the coming month.

Writing a Cover Blurb For a Book by Glen Ford

2010-08-08T08:11:00.001-07:00

So you've written your first book. And you've decided to self-publish it. So now you're faced with the question of what to write on the cover. Or maybe you're a freelance writer and you've scored a gig to write cover copy.

Where do you start?

Well if it's your own book you're in luck. You see the place to start is with the problem your book is solving. You are solving a problem in your book aren't you? And you did create a reader profile before you wrote it didn't you? That profile and the problem are now the key to your writing of the blurb. They will guide you in writing that cover copy.

You see there are two purposes of having the blurb.

The first and most important purpose is the same as the title. Simply put, it is to get the potential reader to read your book. After all, if your potential reader doesn't pick up your book, they won't buy it. If your potential reader doesn't open the book, they won't buy it. If the potential reader doesn't read the first paragraph, they won't buy it. And so on. You need to get the reader to pick up the book and crack it open to the first paragraph.

That's the first and most important task of the cover copy (aka blurb). Like most purchases the process has been studied. What the time & motion studies have revealed is important. You see, when a potential reader picks up a book the decision process goes like this. See a cover and be attracted by the cover. Pick up the book and look at the title. If the title interests you read the blurb. If the blurb interests you open the book and read the inside blurb. If the inside blurb interests you read the first paragraph. If the first paragraph interests you read the last paragraph. Buy the book.

So the blurb is the second most important writing on the cover of the book following the title and sub-title.

The second purpose is much less important. However, as any copywriter will tell you it is deceptive in its importance. What is the second cover blurb? It is the introduction of the writer. It is there to introduce the writer and prove their justification for writing the book. Think of it as a statement of social proof. Why should you believe the writer? You'll find the answer in this section.

Generally these are two different blurbs. However, they can be combined or the writer introduction blurb can be moved to the inside of the book.

One mistake that is occasionally found is when the only blurb on the book cover is the introduction blurb. The main cover blurb describing the book is moved inside. The concept is that you need to open the book in order to learn what the book is about. And because you've opened the book you are one step closer to reading the first paragraph. Unfortunately, there is no incentive given to open the book in the first place.

So how do you write a blurb?

There are many ways but the best is to focus on your reader's problem. You start with your reader's problem. Describe it. Try to evoke the emotions that the reader feels around the problem. Give them some form of justification for feeling that way.

Then promise them a solution which can be found inside the book. If necessary give them some proof that the solution works. Try to avoid actually stating the solution but if necessary that can be done to increase social proof.

Use the information that you discovered regarding their motivations to help you motivate your reader to continue.

Do you want to learn how to write a book in 24 hours? Take my brand new free course here: http://www.learningcreators.com/

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

Author Charles G. Irion Participates in Growing Self Publishing Trend

2010-08-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Self publishing is on the rise. The number of self published book authors is up 181 percent from 2009, according to Bowker bibliographic company. Arizona author Charles G. Irion of Irion Books LLC is part of this growing trend.

As technology progresses, so do the standards and expectations of publishing. Ten years ago a self published book could be spotted immediately and held a negative stereotype. Today, authors who choose to self publish have the same benefits as those who use traditional publishing and in some cases the benefits exceed those of traditional. Last century's logic is now outdated and lacks the agility of self publishing.

According to Irion, the advantages of self publishing outweigh those of using a traditional publisher. "I keep control," says Irion. "I retain all rights to my books, which doesn't happen with the large publishing houses."

In addition to having control over his novels, Irion has a greater profit margin by utilizing a print on demand service. By using print on demand Irion is able to order only what is needed by consumers. Irion jokingly adds, "It also allows me to have a parking spot in my garage."

Irion warns, however, "would-be" self publishers should also be wary of the commitments of self publishing. While there are many positive aspects to self publishing, the work load is also increased.

"In order to do this, I've had to wear many hats," Irion says. "You have to have perseverance, resources, imagination, and money. You need to have an open mind and some marketing skills. Then the writing gods do the rest."

The key ingredient in breaking the mold of traditional publishing, according to Irion, is dedication of both time and resources. Self published authors must be able to fully immerse themselves in all aspects of production.

"I advise anyone considering self publication to fully research the process before deciding," Irion says. "Authors should get referrals from publishing companies, join a professional association like the Arizona Book Publishing Association, and use vendors that other self publishers recommend. And lastly, "Don't be afraid to ask for help."

Charles G. Irion is an author and founder of Irion Books LLC.
http://www.CharlesIrion.com and http://www.irionbooks.com/

Attorney General Investigates Potentially Anticompetitive E-Book Deals with Amazon and Apple

2010-08-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating agreements between the country's largest e-book publishers and two of the largest sellers -- Amazon.com, Inc. and Apple, Inc. -- that may block competitors from offering cheaper e-book prices.

Both Amazon and Apple have reached agreements with the largest e-book publishers that ensure both will receive the best prices for e-books over any competitors -- contract provisions known as "most favored nation" ( MFN ) clauses.

In letters to Amazon.Com and Apple, Blumenthal is calling on the companies to meet with his office to address these concerns. Publishers that have reached such agreements with Amazon and Apple include Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, HarperCollins and Penguin.

These agreements appear to deter certain publishers from offering discounts to Amazon and Apple's competitors -- because they must offer the same to Amazon and Apple. This restriction blocks cheaper and competitive prices for consumers.

After a preliminary review, Blumenthal's office has already found that e-book prices offered by Amazon, Apple, Borders and Barnes & Noble for several New York Times Bestseller books were identical among all four sellers.

"These agreements among publishers, Amazon and Apple appear to have already resulted in uniform prices for many of the most popular e-books -- potentially depriving consumers of competitive prices," Blumenthal said. "The e-book market is set to explode -- with analysts predicting that e-book readers will be among the holiday season's biggest electronic gifts -- warranting prompt review of the potential anti-consumer impacts.

"Amazon and Apple combined will likely command the greatest share of the retail e-book market, allowing their most-favored-nation clauses to effectively set the floor prices for the most popular e-books. Such agreements -- especially when offered to two of the largest e-book retail competitors in the United States -- threaten to encourage coordinated pricing and discourage discounting."

Forget eBooks: Historical Fiction Author Tweets New Novel Live for Big Burn Centennial

2010-08-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Literary history, of a sort, will be made from August 17-25, 2010 as novelist W. John MacGregor leverages social networking platforms to post the events of his novel West of the Gospel to Twitter, Facebook, and a customized blog. The most intriguing aspect of MacGregor's innovative project is that the fictional events in question took place 100 years ago in the context of Idaho's "Big Burn."

The seven-day event is designed to coincide with Centennial commemorations of the catastrophic 1910 hurricane-force forest fire that flattened and burned millions of acres in Montana and Idaho. MacGregor's novel, named after the Gospel Mountain region south of Idaho's Coeur d'Alene district, is also being released on August 17.

But can a novel be tweeted? Twitter is a social media platform notorious for limiting posted messages to 140 characters. "It's certainly a different format, and not one I'm particularly used to," says novelist and armchair historian MacGregor--who himself managed to avoid the Internet altogether up until a few short months ago. "But the idea is that several characters from the book—the supposed outlaw hero, sheriff's deputies, key witnesses, and the story's villain, such as he is--will report their activities as the story plays out in 1910."

MacGregor is quick to point out that the novel itself is not being tweeted. The tweets will be real-time status reports covering the story from several unique points of view—many of which are not addressed by the first-person narratives of the novel. "The end result will not be a document you'll want to read, in the conventional sense," MacGregor advises. "For the Twitter and Facebook versions, the idea is that you'll feed the story to your mobile device, whatever it is, and follow developments as they play out over a week."

"Once readers get past the odd notion of Old West cowboys texting from horseback," adds publisher Greg Wright, "I think they'll find following these characters quite gripping." The approach guarantees to take suspension of disbelief to new levels as readers squint at cell phones and laptop screens for a peek into long-past events. But Wright suspects that many latecoming followers of the Fewkes Legacy story might even come to think that the fictional tale is actually playing out in 2010.

"It could be important to get the word out about this," cautions Wright. "If 911 centers start getting calls about a desperate killer making his way into Libby, Montana, we might have to pull the plug.

"Orson Welles would be proud of Mac for coming up with this," Wright adds in a reference to the notorious Mercury Theatre radio production of War of the Worlds which convinced East Coast citizenry that aliens had invaded Earth.

But conquering the Internet is not the only item on the ambitious MacGregor's agenda. He has also authorized his publisher to begin developing West of the Gospel for big-screen treatment in cooperation with Moonlit Pictures. "This is a story that has generated a lot of buzz in the publishing and movie industries," says MacGregor. "I've been pretty surprised, on one level. But on another I haven't at all. Don't we all love a good mystery?"

MacGregor is not at all worried about having the story overexposed, curiously. "140 characters doesn't allow for a lot exposition, or for fancy prose," he notes. "The Twitterization of the novel will be its own unique experience."

Wright cuts in at this point. "We hope, of course, that followers will want to know more. Still, in one sense we are indeed giving the novel away, as one skeptic has put it."

But MacGregor winks. "It's still a mystery. I won't be giving too much away."

Tips For Writing Your First Book - One Method For Making Your Book the Right Length by Glen Ford

2010-08-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Money, money, money. The size of your book will determine how expensive your book is to print. So think carefully before writing as many pages as you possibly can as this will make it more expensive. A more expensive book means fewer copies are sold. Now this doesn't mean you should make your books 100 pages, it just means consider the cost when writing your book. If you've got the information, why not write a series rather than one big book that requires super-human strength to lift.

Your readers and the market control you. After all, you need them so you must give them what they want.

For example, currently there is a push to make large books that will require a lot of time to read, especially in Science-Fiction and Fantasy (SFF). This doesn't mean you should write big books for the sake of writing a big book. However, if your book is pulp length (70,000 words or 200 to 300 pages) you are probably going to have problems selling it.

When people find a character, or group of characters, they like, they want more, more, and surprisingly, more. This means that they want a series of books. It doesn't mean you have to write a series, but it does mean you should consider it. Especially if your book is on the long side. After all, a fan of the first book will normally buy the next books in the series. After a few they will probably try reading some of your other books. If you have an idea that you can easily stretch into multiple books making them all classics, do so. A series will sell much better than a single massive volume. And selling books is the name of the game.

Having said that, if you feel like you only have enough ideas for one book only write one, rather than a series. People will prefer a single well written book full of brilliant ideas than 3-4 books where it feels like the writer has just written more for money.

Hardcover is more expensive than paperback, there is no way around it. Because of this people have a tendency to pick up the soft cover, and it's also easier to transport. If you have a good fan base then a hardcover is a good idea for libraries and serious collectors. But otherwise you should start with paperbacks. People have to know they're spending the money well by purchasing a book they know they'll enjoy when they buy an expensive hardcover. If they don't know you're a good writer they won't be willing to spend the money - normally.

The best way to find what your book needs is to look at other books in the genre. Look at the length that is most common for the top books, and use that as a baseline of where you want to aim for. There are normally 250 words a page, and for SFF books there're either 400 or 700 pages, roughly. This amounts to 100,000-125,000 and 175,000-200,000 words respectively.

Do you want to learn how to write a book in 24 hours? Take my brand new free course here: http://www.learningcreators.com/

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

New York Times Bestselling Author Launches Website for Writers

2010-08-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

TheBookPatch.com uses state of the art technology to build a unique and free platform for writers to create, edit, publish and sell their books in one seamless process.

The new website offers members (membership is free) a complete set of tools letting writers log on to their book from any computer in the world with an internet connection and write. The built in word processor complements writing alone, collaboration or co-authoring regardless of geographical boundaries. The program supports multiple story lines and exclusive applications for creating a cast of characters, storing author's notes and chapter outlines and more.

The website has a built in social network, forums and, professional assistance.

Once a book is ready for print, TheBookPatch.com provides a built in cover design wizard and printing at a push of a button directly from the site. There are no set up fees or royalty sharing. The author retains 100% copyright and can order as little as a single copy. TheBookPatch printing price is unparalleled and declines with every additional copy even if ordered one at a time. Authors can update and make changes to their books with no additional charges and retain the previous editions discounts. An average book price for a 200 page book with a full color cover will run between $5.50 and $16 on the average. TheBookPatch also offers an online book store where authors can sell their books and collect the profit while TheBookPatch retains only the printing cost.

Groundbreaking Digital Reading Experience for Teens

2010-08-02T08:53:00.000-07:00

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing has launched Loser/Queen at http://www.loserqueen.com/, an online serial novel for teens by New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson, hosted by the social discovery and cataloging network LivingSocial's Visual Bookshelf. Loser/Queen is a new style of reading experience that provides online users the opportunity to shape an unfolding story.

Beginning today, readers will have the opportunity to read the first few chapters and vote for how the story will continue. Online readers will even have the opportunity to vote for final cover art. New chapters and voting opportunities will be revealed every Monday until September 13th. Loser/Queen then, in its entirety, will only be available online until September 20th. Thereafter, readers will have to wait for the paperback edition and e-book edition to be released by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on December 21, 2010.

Author Jodi Lynn Anderson says, "When Simon & Schuster approached me about creating an online book together, I was intrigued. It was a chance to create something really new…the interactive elements, getting the chance to involve readers in deciding on where the story will go…It's been an exciting, creative process."

"Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing is committed to exploring new ways to deliver content to our core audience and to have that audience be a part of the experience," said Justin Chanda, Publisher of S&S Books for Young Readers. "I think Loser/Queen is a big step forward in the digital landscape, not to mention being a terrific story, by a first-class author."

Bloomsbury Publishing to Bring Sir Winston Churchill Into Libraries, Schools and Homes

2010-08-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Bloomsbury Publishing has reached an agreement with the Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust and Churchill Heritage Ltd to digitise and publish in electronic form the one million page archive of the Papers of Sir Winston Churchill.

In 2012, Bloomsbury will publish the entire archive in digital format for libraries and individuals. Scholars, casual readers and school children will all be able to access the largest and most important collection of primary source material of any individual leader of the 20th century.

Sir Winston Churchill has become an icon: a global symbol for strong leadership and the defence of freedom against totalitarianism. He remains one of the most quoted and misquoted figures of the modern era. This collection is replete with hand-written notes and private letters, revealing the human side to the man who is recognised to have saved the nation. Doubts and demons sit alongside confidence and bravado - all of which made up one of the most remarkable Prime Ministers in British history.

Publication will coincide with changes in the schools' curriculum and related interest in the history of the twentieth century. Sir Winston himself said that "The empires of the future are the empires of the mind" (Harvard University, 6 September 1943).

Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust and Churchill Heritage Ltd are together represented in this project by Gordon Wise of Curtis Brown.

Nigel Newton, founder and Chief Executive of Bloomsbury, said, "The distinguished Churchill Archive is the closest the UK has to a Presidential Library, and its publication online will become a landmark in 20th century historical studies. Bloomsbury's strategy is to grow our academic and specialist publishing and we are delighted to be the digital publishers of such an important collection of papers."

James Joll, Chairman of the Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust, said, "The Churchill Papers are carefully preserved in the Churchill Archives Centre. Over the last few years the Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust has worked to ensure that the papers have been made available for research, education, and exhibition. However, this initiative will provide international access through the internet, allowing the collection to fulfil its true potential."

Sir Martin Gilbert, Churchill biographer, said, "The Churchill Papers collection is an Aladdin's Cave of historical riches, which it has been my privilege to explore. I strongly endorse this project, which will enable everyone to have access to Sir Winston Churchill's writings and correspondence. It is a project that will bring the history of the first sixty years of the Twentieth Century, and the remarkable story of Britain's greatest Prime Minister, into the classroom and the home."

The management of the Churchill Papers publications project will come under the direction of Bloomsbury Academic.

For further information please visit http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/

New Publishing Company for Unknown Writers

2010-07-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

This publishing company opens the doorway for writers who are struggling to be heard. Its purpose is to make it easier to have their writing looked at without being scrutinized to the point of having their material tossed in the trash without being given the opportunity of it being read. Catch-It Publication (http://robertcrudup.com/) gives the writer a voice, a sounding board, a vision, and great possibility of making their dreams a reality.

Most writers feel their words are written in stone and cannot be changed at all. Their written words are not to be chiseled or chipped away at any level that might conform to what an editor or publisher might think is best way to tell the story. Writers are adamant in their descriptive creations for the world to see and admired in some case for their refusal to budge with their concept of a story no matter what the editor or publisher might demand. That usually means the end of their story.

In 2010, Robert Crudup, an advent fiction writer who'd been writing stories for over twenty years yet had never caught the attention of any editor or publisher until 2004 when a small publishing company in Brooklyn, New York took a chance on him and published his first novel, "Blood is thicker than Water." It was through this experience that Robert Crudup decided to create his own small, unknown publishing company with the financial assistance of Anthony Faison, who, later on would become the CEO. Neither Robert nor Anthony had any experience in such a wide venture, but through determination, and many struggles, they created Catch-It Publication.

"When you have a fire in your mind and heart and it is burning through you to get out, you let it out. Being a writer, I always felt compelled to create through my cerebral vision," said Robert Crudup, president of Catch-It Publication. "Listening to sentences form in my mind, and then seeking to express that vision on paper while telling a story. Yet, the rejection letters have a tendency to slap you back into reality. I grew tired of being rejected by editors and publishers for my stories. I needed some other reaching point to get my novels out to the mainstream."

Anthony Faison's connection to Catch-It Publication would be his own story in waiting. In 1987 Anthony was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of a New York City cab driver in Brooklyn (New York City Daily News writers: Nancie L. Katz and Owen Mortz on May 15, 2001 – http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2001/05/15/2001-05-15_13_unlucky_years_2_innocent_.html). For the next fourteen years following that conviction, Anthony would see the horrors of prison and be confronted by the many threatening encounters that might have resulted in loss of life for him if he hadn't put his mind in the law library and began seeking out a justice for his wrongful conviction.

During those years of incarceration, Anthony began writing letters to numerous Congressmen/women, Senators, Community Activist, and many clergy. His drive for freedom would result in him writing over sixty-six thousand letters. One of those letters would eventually prick the interest of a retired New York City detective by the name of Michael Race. With years on the job, this detective would take up the fight for Anthony on the outside by going to the place of the murder and questioning witnesses. His commitment would eventually bring about the immediate release of Anthony in 2001.

For the next two years, Anthony would be constantly reminded of his painful ordeal as he is repeatedly asked to return to court while pursuing a lawsuit against the State of New York (New York City Daily News writer: Ralph R. Ortega on January 16, 2003 – http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2003/01/16/2003-01-16_2_divide__3_3m_-_jailed_wron.html). The State of New York admitted its error and awarded Anthony Faison 1.65 million dollars as well as an apology acknowledging that he'd been wrongfully convicted for a crime he hadn't committed.

On September 11, 2003 Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Robert Kreindler the sitting judge who'd impose the sentencing of Anthony Faison as well as exonerating him fourteen years later, retires (New York City Daily News writer Nanie L. Katz on September 11, 2003 – http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/ny_local/2003/09/11/2003-09-11_judge_who_tossed_out_convict.html). His statement: "I remember saying that I wish there was a way you could tell when a witness was not telling the truth, that it would be very helpful if every time a person lied, a light bulb would go off." This statement should be written on the stone when altering a person's life by wrongfully convicting them. It is through this erroneous act that Anthony invested in Catch-It Publication to assist the unknown voices who are capable of giving something for the layman to read and something to be proud of. To show his faith in, he is in the process of completing his own book, The Mighty Hand: An autobiography of his life.

Catch-It Publication would like to give all writers an opportunity to let the world see their gift by inventing a contest in which writers are encouraged to send in their material along with a small fee. If their material is chosen, then they are placed on Catch-It Publication's website along with a brief biography, their picture, and information about their book. Included also is a guarantee of receiving fifty published books with the acknowledgment that they are a new writer. This contest is every four months and Catch-It Publication is looking for any and all writers to participate regardless of their writing genre. Currently, Anthony Faison is a police officer in Georgia.