| The Good e-Reader Video Trailer Service assists indie authors in valuable The Good e-Reader Video service has been going strong the last six months and recently one of ours has started to go viral. It is very important that authors play a role in the construction of their trailer and we look at reference videos, cover art and exchange emails and phone calls to make sure the end result is stellar. You can reserve your video today for a one time fee of $199.99. We also showcase the video on our website that gets close to three million visitors a month for added exposure and our Youtube channel which gets one million views a month. We have a dedicated film production studio with state of the art computers, sound equipment and the latest software. Check out our latest video featuring Thatcher C. Nalley and the new eBook Letters From The Looney Bin. A New Good e-Reader eBook Trailer Starts to go Viral is a post from: E-Reader News |
Saturday, October 19, 2013
A New Good e-Reader eBook Trailer Starts to go Viral
WHSmith Boycotts Self-Published Authors
| WHSmith has announced that their online bookstore will reopen once all self-published materials have been removed. The store closed early last week due to UK Press reporting on a staggering number of digital books about incest, rape, and bestiality found in the children’s section. "Our website will become live again once all self published eBooks have been removed and we are totally sure that there are no offending titles available. When our website goes back online it will not display any self published material until we are completely confident that inappropriate books can never be shown again." Kobo has been in the news about this entire issue because they are powering the WHSmith store with millions of titles. Their self-publishing platform “Writing Life” has no safeguards in place to prevent this type of material from being uploaded and the company is incapable of policing it. The easiest solution is to just disable the feed with all self-published materials so WHSmith can open again next week. “Our goal at Kobo is not to censor material; we support freedom of expression. Further, we want to protect the reputation of self-publishing as a whole. While some may find our measures extreme, we are confident that we are taking the necessary measures to ensure the exceptions that have caused this current situation will not have a lasting effect on what is an exciting new channel that connects readers to a wealth of books." Kobo does not share all of the blame for this saga, as self-published books were basically on the honor system that they were not violating any of the laws. Amazon offers a platform called Kindle Direct Publishing, which lets any author upload a book and have it listed in the Kindle digital store. One of their guidelines states “"We don't accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts." This statement is laughable because if you spend a few minutes searching the site, you will find thousands of titles in violation. Self-Published authors are mostly to blame for this issue. In many cases if their book was a victim of the purge that all major digital bookstores initiated this week, they are simply changing the cover art, book description and title. They are then resubmitting it to Writing Life, KDP and Nook Press and having it automatically approved, because there are no humans actually verifying these books before their listed. These books once more are appearing in the children’s section because they are “gaming the metadata” and bypassing the filters. I applaud Kobo in actually developing a core feature that will allow bookstores such as WHSmith and Whitcoulls to opt out of self-published titles. Since so many of their bookstore partners worldwide actually depend on their feed for all digital content, this is an important step forward to eliminate self-published books, until more safeguards can be established. WHSmith Boycotts Self-Published Authors is a post from: E-Reader News |
Google to Launch Play Newsstand by the End of the Year
| Google is intending to release their Play Newsstand by the end of the year where they will offer newspapers and magazines side by side in their online store. Right now their section just comprises of magazines and it will also include thousands of newspapers for people to purchase single issues or subscribe to on a monthly basis. Google is betting on offering the same sort of digital content found on the Apple Newsstand. Play Magazines is thought to be merging when the Newsstand app when it comes out at some point this year. It would be tremendously redundant to have two different apps, and many sources are claiming they will merge them under a single banner. A recent tear-down of the new code for the Google Play Store has found the company will also offer free trials for newspapers. Here’s the introduction text: “Your favorite magazines and news are right here on Google Play. Pick up the latest issues or try out a free trial subscription. Read instantly with the Play Newsstand app, even offline.” via Android Police Google to Launch Play Newsstand by the End of the Year is a post from: E-Reader News |
Third Pole Education Base That Serves as a Digital Library Set Up in Ladakh
| For some, adventure is all about conquering a particular terrain. They can go to any length just to accomplish their goal, often creating history in the process. However, history of a different kind is being created in a particular region in India by a team of adventurers. The place is the Ladakh region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where a team of adventurers comprising of Paras Loomba have set up what they refer to as the Third Pole Education Base or just an ebase. For them, it's like giving back something to a place they have been so fascinated about. The first two such ebase has been set up in the South Pole and Pench tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Created by Sir Robert Swan, who has the unique distinction of being the first to set foot on both poles, the ebase serves as a digital library that is equipped with computers and tablet devices where local readers can visit to surf the net, watch videos, or read books. Schools can also organize trips to the ebase where the students can make the most of the facilities available. One of the biggest positive aspects of the ebase is that it is open to everyone and is open all round the year. To achieve this, special effort has been taken to set up the ebase where the structure will be least prone to be affected by natural calamities such as flash floods, landslides, and such. Even the material that has gone into the making of the ebase has been specially chosen to provide enough insulation to ensure the interiors remains warm enough even during the harsh winter months. Equally laudable is the concern shown for mother earth, what with the entire ebase being fed with solar power, never a bad idea in a place that is referred to as a cold desert and is showered by ample sunshine for most parts of the year. Paras Loomba and his team have left their jobs just to pursue the dream of doing something different and have been buoyed by the success of the ebase. They are keen to replicate the same model in other parts of the country, with the next ebase likely to be set up either in Sikkim or Arunachal Pradesh.
Third Pole Education Base That Serves as a Digital Library Set Up in Ladakh is a post from: E-Reader News |
Write or Read Opens Subscription Reading Service with Real Data for Authors
| Write or Read, an organization for both authors and readers alike, is addressing too key issues in the ebook and self-publishing markets that have so far been fairly hard to grasp. The first is an attempt at a viable subscription reading service, something that has been attempted by many, many others, with little success; the other is a platform that provides authors with concrete data on what their readers are engaging with and for how long. Started by Sabrina Ricci, who has worked for several major companies within publishing, the site is in open beta with the hope of earning enough through crowdsourcing via a RocketHub campaign to launch a fee-based service. Currently, the open beta means the service is open to anyone, free of charge, and Ricci is depending on authors to make their books available for free in order to draw attention to the site. While this means you won’t find any New York Times bestsellers on the list, it does mean the readers and authors who have the urge to support a new concept and to further their works can join in. Self-published authors especially stand to gain from this beta period, as this is a chance to grow their reader base with only the limited investment of letting people read their already-written works without compensation, a far cry from the thousands of dollars many successful authors spend on publicity for their books. The campaign can be found HERE, along with a FAQ from the founder.
Write or Read Opens Subscription Reading Service with Real Data for Authors is a post from: E-Reader News |
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2 vs Icarus Illumina HD
| Welcome to another Good e-Reader Comparison Video! Today we take a look at the front-lit display screens found on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2 and the new Icarus Illumina HD. The Kindle Paperwhite 2 has a better display screen overall with fairly even light distribution accross the entire screen. The Icarus model tends to fade half-way down the screen and even has some light spillage happening on the side of the bezel. One of the drawbacks of the way the Icarus model initiates the front-lit display. You have to hold down on the settings button, while pressing the left/right D-Pad buttons to turn the light on and then find your optimal setting. There are only 8 degrees, which pales in comparison to the sheer amount of light options found on the Paperwhite. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2 vs Icarus Illumina HD is a post from: E-Reader News |
e-Reader Adoption in the US grows to 24%
| The e-Reader industry in the US has really grown up during the last few years. There was a time not too long ago that an entry level model would cost you almost $199. Prices have plummeted the last two years and we are now seeing a wider adoption rate. You likely will not have any problem finding a solid device for just over a hundred dollars and in many cases you can buy one on sale for $79. We now see some firm statistics that 24% of the US population now owns a Kindle, Nook or Kobo e-reader. This new report comes courtesy of Pew Research that ran a survey that ran July 18 to September 20, 1013 among 6,224 Americans ages 16 and older. They issued a different report earlier in the year that said e-reader ownership was as high as 26% in January and 19% in 2012. You can see by the figures that e-reader ownership has not dramatically increased in 2013 and has basically remained rather stable. Likely the new crop of devices from Kobo, Amazon and soon Barnes and Noble will not raise the levels much higher. The bulk of e-reader growth right now is in Europe, Japan, Brazil and Russia. e-Reader Adoption in the US grows to 24% is a post from: E-Reader News |
