Posts Tagged ‘ebook’

The Electronic Evolution of Publishing

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I recently gave a speech to a local group called the Victoria Writers’ Society on the Mysterious Evolution of Publishing.

An engaging crowd of over thirty writers and editors attended. My focus was on electronic publishing and blogging and how I have used ebooks to give a couple of my novels a second life. My efforts appeared to go over well as there were numerous questions and much discussion after.

One of the best things occurred about a week later when the president, Debra Henry, kindly emailed me a sweet thank you note for “an information-packed evening that was both engaging and inspirational”.

She added the following:

A poet in the audience that night spoke to me a few days later and said she’d never considered the web when submitting poems for publication. After your talk she went home and sent poems to a dozen online venues for her work. She was up until the wee hours of the morning, well past her bedtime, and blamed it on you. Ha!

Now, that’s what I call inspirational!

My thanks to the Victoria Writers’ Society. Anyone interested in joining an obviously thriving wordsmithing community should check them out; they’ve got all sorts of stuff happening, including a monthly meeting, critique groups, writing contests and a summer e-camp.

New Review for Teed Off!

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
Teed Off!

Cover for Teed Off!

Coffee Time Romance & More, just reviewed my swinging whodunit, Teed Off!.

Matilda, a reviewer for the terrific online review site, called Teed Off! “good and suspenseful” and she’s not even a golfer! You may read the whole review here.

Reviewed @ CTR

Teed Off! reviewed by CTR

Teed Off! is available as an e-book for $2.99 US at a number of online bookstores.

To find out more (reviews, book trailer, excerpt, booksellers), please go to epubbing.com’s page for Teed Off!.

The Number of Library E-book Downloads Soared in 2009

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Okay, hands up those of you who insisted that your local library was going the way of the Dodo.

Good, now those of you who said e-books were just a fad, stick up your fists, too.

Now, don’t you look foolish.

Dodo bird

Dodo bird (photo Jeremy Burgin)



Today, soaring numbers of ebook (and audio downloads) have been reported by OverDrive, the world’s leader in ebook and audio downloads.

Adding to the good news reported in their press release is a 40% increase in new library users and a 53% increase in ebook checkouts.

Yeah, I know that we authors don’t get royalties directly from library downloads but we do receive some for the books purchased by the libraries and exposure to new readers is one key way to for us to increase our paying audience.

So I think this is terrific news.

Oh, and what were the most downloaded fiction and non-fiction ebooks of 2009?

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

Congrats, guys.

(And thanks to Jeremy Burgin for his Dodo pic)

Shortcovers Rebrands as Kobo

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Pretty interesting day for ebook author and sellers.

Shortcovers.com

Shortcovers.com

Shortcovers, the online bookselling arm of Indigo Books & Music Inc., has spun off into a new chapter. They’ve taken on Borders Group Inc., Instant Fame and REDgroup Retail as partners, and have rebranded themselves as Kobo.

Their press release, in part, says:

Shortcovers is pleased to announce a new chapter in our company’s history: Shortcovers is rebranding with a new name, a new look, and a new round of investment from leaders in the industry.

Today, December 15th, 2009, Shortcovers will begin operating under the name Kobo. Our rebranded website is available today at http://www.kobobooks.com , and updated versions of our mobile applications for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and Palm Pre are on their way to their respective app stores and our website.

Read the complete press release from Shortcovers here.

This could be very cool and profitable for ebook authors: more markets; more buyers; more dough.

Of course, now I’ve got to change all my links to booksellers!

Smashwords Titles Soon Available on Amazon Kindle

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Smashwords, the “people’s ebook publisher and distributor”, have announced another coup: a deal to distribute their titles through Amazon.com’s Kindle Store.

Smashwords logo

Smashwords logo

This is really freakin’ amazing given what is required by an author/publisher to get titles into the Kindle Store. See my earlier post for more info.

I worked for weeks, spending hours lurking on Kindle forums, figuring out Amazon’s Digital Text Platform, uploading dummy test titles, reviewing and testing uploaded versions until finally hitting the publishing button for my three titles.

Amazon Kindle E-Reader

Amazon Kindle E-Reader

And now, all you have to do is be an author in the Smashwords Premium Catalogue (not hard; just follow their sensible text format and conversion advice) and you’ll soon have ebooks available to Kindle readers!

How to Publish an Ebook on the iPhone

Friday, November 20th, 2009

As part of my ongoing quest to list my ebooks on as many online bookselling sites as possible, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see my work available earlier this year on the iPhone via the App Store at iTunes.com.

Though the iPhone isn’t billed as an e-reader, its screen is amazingly clear and this ‘coolest gadget on earth’ is used by many to read a vast array of books, articles and papers. A lot of folks are waiting for Apple’s entry into the ebook reading business, the so-called Apple Tablet, but until then, the iPhone does the job very nicely.

My ebooks arrived onto the iPhone after I read an interview with Tom Peck where he described how his nifty company, Appengines.com, was producing ebooks for the iPhone and iPod Touch by creating them as individual apps and selling them through the App Store.

Appengines.com logo

Appengines.com logo


Tom agreed to carry my titles and with a minimum of fuss, they were up and live on iTunes. Unfortunately for the rest of you authors, Appengines’ focus is now beyond ebooks and they are creating all sorts of neat new apps.

I was fortunate and got in early and my titles continue to sell happily on iTunes.com.

Kindle Finally Available in Canada

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

The Amazon Kindle, the grandaddy of all e-readers, is now available in Canada, though with a few missing bits.

It’ll cost $259 USD plus a $31 USD import fee surcharge. Though it will be able to wirelessly download ebooks, the details about the cellular connectors (Rogers and Telus) in Canada have yet to be revealed.

Amazon Kindle E-Reader

Amazon Kindle E-Reader


The Canuck version will lack a web browser and blog subscription service but the nifty Kindle can hold over 1500 books so it’ll more than do the job as an ebook reader. It just won’t act like a mini computer.

Kindle’s VP said:

“We know that Canadians are passionate about books and reading, and we’re excited to make Kindle available to our customers there,” said Ian Freed, vice-president of Kindle, in a statement. “Kindle enables customers around the world including Canada to think of a book and start reading it in under 60 seconds.”

Read more about this announcement here.

It’s still a pretty pricey gadget but also very tempting.

(And thanks to the Kindle Blog for the pic.)

Smashwords Offers Totally Awesome Service

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Just a quickie update on my previous post where I mused about what would happen to my publications, already carried by Shortcovers.com, now that Smashwords.com has inked their own distribution agreement.

Smashwords logo

Smashwords logo


I just emailed Smashwords founder, Mark Coker (amazingly, he not only gives out a legit email address, he responds!) to ask the above.

Within an hour I heard from Mark, who responded and cc’d a co-worker for followup. Minutes later, his co-worker emailed and provided sensible instructions.

I’ve been able to ‘opt out’ of the distribution to Shortcovers but am still opting in on all their other avenues, including Barnes and Nobles and the Sony Store.

Smashwords.com rules.

Smashwords.com Signs New Distribution Deal With Shortcovers.com

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Typical…just after my lengthy post on how-to submit your ebook to the nifty Canadian online bookseller, Shortcovers.com, I received notification that Smashwords.com has signed an agreement with Shortcovers to distribute their books.

Shortcovers.com

Shortcovers.com

Here’s a snippet from the press release (full version here):

“Our partnership with Smashwords represents a great opportunity for authors, publishers and readers alike,” said Michael Tamblyn, vice president of content, sales and merchandising at Shortcovers. “Both Shortcovers and Smashwords are committed to a more open, democratic, and innovative eBook experience. Our open platform allows readers to read on the device of their choice while Smashwords creates new opportunities for writers, utilizing free online publishing tools and community to connect with new audiences in new ways. ”

“This agreement dramatically expands the worldwide market for all independent authors and publishers,” said Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords. “A Smashwords author in the U.K. or Brazil can upload their book today and have it purchased by a Shortcovers customer next week in the United States, India, or South Africa. Under the Smashwords model of instant publishing, any author, anywhere in the world, can go from finished manuscript to worldwide eBook distribution in a matter of minutes or days.”

Smashwords logo

Smashwords logo

This is terrific news, though I’m not sure how it affects my publications which are already available on Shortcovers.com.

Bottom line: I continue to be impressed by Smashwords founder, Mark Coker, and his ongoing efforts to expand sales opportunities for Smashwords.com authors.

So, Mark, now how about getting us into booksonboard.com? :)

Use Your PC as a Kindle Ebook Reader

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

I can’t wait to try this: a free download which allows you to use your PC computer as a Kindle!

Here’s Amazon’s annoucement from their Kindle blog:
KindleforPC.

Stay tuned; I’ll blog about my experiences with it soon.