Posts Tagged ‘ereaders’

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Publish Your Own E-Book Course – Camosun College

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

I’m again teaching a full-day course on e-book publishing at Camosun College, Victoria, BC. The course is on Saturday, February 4th.

Here’s the blurb and a link to Camosun – Publish Your Own E-book to register.

Thinking about publishing your writing but struck out with traditional publishers? Don’t fancy the headache of self-publishing in print? Then it’s time to join the latest publishing sensation.

You can publish your magnum opus (or cookbook, or romance, or…) in an electronic book format, sell it through major online booksellers and receive above average royalties as easy as a,b,c…well, almost.

This course will introduce you to all things e-book including set-up and formatting, online bookselling sites, e-reader choices, cover image basics and marketing possibilities.

And it’s only $75.00 (plus the dreaded HST). Always a full house; love to see you there!

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The Niki Awards: Top Ten Creative Endeavours of 2010

Friday, December 31st, 2010

Happy New Year and best wishes for a healthy, prosperous and inventive 2011.

Last year at this time, I created my own little awards, The Nikis, to honour the best of 2009.

So, continuing this tradition, I’ve nominated a new top ten for 2010.

My categories are mostly related to creative endeavours, are arbitrarily chosen and listed in no particular order.

So, drum roll, please; a Niki nod to each of the following:

1. Top Technology of the Year: E-readers

2. Top Multimedia Company of the Year: enkHouse Transmedia Storytellers

3. Top Cool Thing of the Year: iPad

4. Top Food of the Year: my sister’s Microwavable Chocolate Fudge

5. Top Song of the Year: Missing by Glynne Turner

6. Top Plant of the Year: My Phyllostachus Vivax Bamboo

Vivax Bamboo

My Vivax Bamboo

7. Top Radio Play of the Year: BBC Radio 4 Short Story Contest

8. Top Photo of the Year: Our new Yorkshire pup, Geordie

Our new pup, Geordie

Our new pup, Geordie

9. Top E-Book Publisher/Distributor of the Year: Smashwords

10. Top Fun New Effort of the Year: The Novel Experience Podcast

So…what’re your top ten?

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Romance Rocks E-Book Sales

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Just read this article from the NY Times which describes the Lusty Tales and Hot Sales of romance e-books.

Seems gals are buying romance e-books with abandon.

Warrior Women

Warrior Women

Anyone surprised? Not moi.

Just think of some of the benefits to romance readers:

  • quick (and often less expensive) access to new titles
  • pleasure of reading romance in public without hearing snickers or receiving disapproving stares
  • first time opportunity to buy back lists of their favourite authors
  • chance to read ‘racier’ romances with no one being the wiser.

Throw Darts at a Cheesecake

Throw Darts at a Cheesecake

I’m sure they are many more. Now, how about some of the advantages to romance authors?

  • terrific new market growing in leaps and bounds
  • re-sales of out of print books
  • new electronic publishers seeking authors
  • higher royalties.

Wolf in Tiger Stripes

Wolf in Tiger Stripes

Win win for everyone…now, if I could garner interest in Deadly Games, my cutting-edge action/adventure/romance series that sends former pro athlete, Erin Black, undercover into the high-stakes, killer-instinct world of women’s professional sports.

Originally pitched to Harlequin for their Bombshell line but the new line bombed before my kick-ass heroine, Erin, had a chance.

Hmm…

(Oh and thanks to Amazon.com for the three covers, each depicting a terrific romance e-book written by a good friend.)

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Google Launches E-book Store

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Whew!

Trying to keep up with electronic publishing is like herding a pride of feral cats who are chasing a flock of chickens who are fleeing a randy Rhode Island Red rooster.

In other words, nie impossible.

I’m trying though…and today have just learned that Google’s E-book store launches today.

As my Publisher’s Lunch Daily email advises: Google declares they have “the largest ebooks collection in the world with more than 3 million titles,” including “hundreds of thousands of books for sale from publishers” as well as “millions” of public domain titles, with the latter provided for free.

Amazing numbers PLUS the e-books are supposed to be readable on multiple platforms, like the iPad, Barnes and Noble’s Nook and Sony’s Reader.

Take a deep breath and dive in. E-booking is really rockin’ now!

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Excellent Enhanced E-Book E2BU Webinar

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Recently, I was fortunate enough to listen to an excellent free webinar, offered by Enhanced E-Book University, on enhanced e-books.

Three interesting guests:

  • Jessica Goodman, Wiley and Sons, explained their “How to Cook Everything” app
  • Theodore Gray, Touch Press, on creating his wildly popular app, “The Elements, and
  • Rhys Cazenove, Enhanced Editions, about producing the very popular, “Death of Bunny Munro”.

The trio offered excellent information and advice.

UnnaturalStates: John & Harry Battling

It was so cool to learn that others are embracing the multimedia enhanced book platform. Though different from our UnnaturalStates Quillr® concept, they were all hip to offering stories and information in a whole new way.

Text alone storytelling and reading is just so five minutes ago!

Read more and see some video of the webinar here.

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Just Released: Self-Publish Your E-Book in Minutes!

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

I’m delighted to announce the electronic publication of my latest how-to primer. This time, I tackled electronic self-publishing with Self-Publish Your E-Book in Minutes!.

I jumped on the digital wagon last year by re-publishing my mysteries as e-books. Soon, I began instructing others—many had failed with traditional publishers or were wary of costly Print on Demand—at a Victoria, B.C., college.

Self-Publish Your E-Book in Minutes by Nicola Furlong

Self-Publish Your E-Book in Minutes

I immediately found the demand far exceeded my eager students and concluded that a practical, simple and affordable how-to primer on electronic publishing was needed.

Thus, Self-Publish Your E-Book in Minutes! was born.

It’s brief, practical and succinctly covers all the essentials of electronic publication, like formatting, uploading and marketing, and is available online at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com for $0.99.

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Ebook E-Reader Prices Dropping…Yeah!

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Good news.

Prices for popular e-readers Nook and Kindle are coming down below $200.

Getting better all the time. Full NYT article here.

Gotta buy one soon…

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Kobobooks Releases the New EReader

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Heather Reisman, head honcho at Indigo Books & Music and Kobobooks, announced the arrival of yet another contender in the already competitive world of electronic book reading devices.

Look out Kindle, step aside Nook, run for the hills iPad and put ‘em up Sony reader ’cause there’s a new kid in town: the Kobo eReader.

logo for kobobooks

logo for kobobooks

Too bad about the unimaginative name; however, this new device is much cheaper at $150 CA, than its main competitors. This comes at a price as it lacks wireless capabilities.

And who said ebooks were a fad? Welcome little Kobo eReader.

Especially LOVE that you’re a Canuck.

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Posted in Ebooks, Electronic / Digital Publishing, Publishing | 2 Comments »

Shortcovers Rebrands as Kobo

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Pretty interesting day for ebook author and sellers.

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!

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Does the SI Tablet Mean the End of Publishing?

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

With the crop of new e-readers available and the ever-growing list of ebooks available, there is a lot of rumbling and grumbling about the end of publishing as we know it.

UnnaturalStates: John & Harry Battling

UnnaturalStates: John & Harry Battling

 

As a keen believer in electronic publishing, especially in telling stories in a multimedia platform like our UnnaturalStates, I’m all for evolution in the publishing business.

  

Church Choir Mysteries: The Unsuitable Suitor

Church Choir Mysteries: The Unsuitable Suitor

I’m also up for good old-fashioned printed books, with their lovely heft and smell.

And, most shockingly, I don’t see these two positions as being diametrically opposed.

 

 

Now, Michael Hyatt offers some excellent predictions on the end of publishing as we know it, as well as offering a video introducing an amazing new multimedia reading device by Time Inc. and Wonderfactory called the SI Tablet.

Check it out. Reading is evolving, whether you like it or not.

Oh, and of course, publishing isn’t ending anytime soon.

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