| Today on the show I talk about all of the latest rumors about Amazon potentially lowering self-published authors royalty rates from 70% to 30%. Funny enough, Amazon offers 30% royalties to a number of new markets it has entered recently, such as India. This had zero backlash at all, since it was a new service. Can Amazon get away with this? Yes they can. Big Foot and Gargoyles used to be the things of Saturday morning cartoons and movies like Harry and the Hendersons. Now, there is almost 10 erotica books featuring Big Foot having his way with a number of young ladies. Welcome to erotica aimed at people who are tired of zombie, vampire and werewolf love. Barnes and Noble has had two self-publishing platforms over the years, Nook Press and PUBIT! Why hasn’t the company stocked their own bookstores with indie titles? Maybe they should consider partnering with Ingram Lightning Source to easily get books in their stores from their own authors. This would attract a copious amount of writers to Nook Press, instead of the service floundering like it is now. Good e-Reader will be at CES this year in the first week of January. Most of the team will be in Las Vegas the day before, to hit up all of the big events where Samsung, LG, Acer, and many more will be showing their products before they hit the floor. If you are a company involved in e-readers, tablets, digital publishing, or wearable tech, hit our contact form and we can arrange a meeting. Podcast: KDP Authors May see Royalties Decreased to 35% is a post from: E-Reader News |
Friday, December 27, 2013
Podcast: KDP Authors May see Royalties Decreased to 35%
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Rapid City Public Libraries: Let patrons take eReaders for a test drive
| It's time to check in with another winner of this year's Digital Library Champions contest! Since August, we've been highlighting winners and their success stories through a series of Librarian's Share blog posts. This week, we feature the winner of the "Test Drive" category, Rapid City Public Library in South Dakota, as written by their Public Services Library Associate Sam Solcum.
The Rapid City Public Libraries take pride in providing our patrons with hands-on eReader experiences. We have been actively using unique marketing strategies to promote our OverDrive digital collection. The libraries have seen a huge increase in demand for downloadable materials – over the 2012 year we saw an increase in circulation of electronic materials of 122%, and 2013 is on track to break that record! Our patrons love mobility, so we're making our eBooks easier to find than ever by promoting our downloadable collection in creative, innovative and effective ways. The Rapid City Public Libraries are raising awareness for our OverDrive collection by giving our eBooks a physical presence in the libraries. We've also been marketing our digital services on our website and social media sites, at community outreach events, during staff trainings, on billboards, in clever library displays and with our 2013 OverDrive Digital Champions Award-Winning Test Drive program.
To better serve our patrons and attract new users, the library embarked on a new project. A major marketing effort went underway to introduce the Test Drive program with digital displays, handouts and newspaper articles. For those patrons who are still on the fence about purchasing an eReader, this program is perfect. In order to help them make an informed decision, eReader lending was launched in June 2012. Patrons can check out an eReader to test in the comfort of their own home for a two-week “test drive.” Each eReader comes in a canvas library bag with a charger, stylus, charging cable, directions, start-up guide and a survey to fill out when returned. The Rapid City Public Libraries also offer a homebound delivery service, in which patrons who are unable to travel to the library can have library materials delivered to their homes, including our Sony eReaders from the Test Drive program. For our patrons that have never downloaded or read an electronic book, our E-Reader Guide helps them through the process. If patrons would like some more hands-on time with a variety of devices, the Rapid City Public Libraries also have “petting zoos,” where patrons can experiment with different tablets and eReaders. Inside the library, the staff created Shelf Peekers, which interfile with the books on the shelf. The Shelf Peekers are just one way we provide a visual representation of the many titles available in our eBook collection. A QR code printed on each Shelf Peeker links directly to the Overdrive catalog for instant and convenient downloading. We also place, "Available in eBook Format!" stickers on the book covers of titles that the library owns in both print and eBook format. Our grab and go QR cards are basically a business card for a book, which includes a QR code that links to the OverDrive download page for that specific title.
Our downloadables are highlighted on our major social networking pages. Our Pinterest board, Downloadable Digital Vacations, spotlights downloadable eBooks, provides a little reader's advisory, and directly links to our downloadable catalog. These are just a few ways we are making the digital library experience more streamlined and accessible. After planning, testing and implementing these programs, we are now serving more online patrons than ever, and more efficiently.
Sam Slocum is a Public Services Library Associate at Rapid City Public Libraries in South Dakota, winner of the Test Drive category in the 2013 Digital Library Champions contest.  |
Tips for Making (And Keeping) Resolutions this January
Making any resolutions this New Year's eve? Check out these tips to help turn your resolution into reality in 2014.  |
Free Children’s Enhanced Shrek Forever After eBook from iStoryTime
| As part of the holiday recognition of their customers, a number of companies are offering their users free content in this post-holiday period when many users may have received new devices. Apps likes Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts offer everything from free songs to free ebooks via the iTunes store. One company that has extended the free gift period is children’s ebook app developer iStoryTime. The zuuka-owned platform has produced a number of major titles for companies like Dreamworks, including Kung Fu Panda, The Smurfs, The Penguins of Madagascar, and more. Today only, and only available with this code from Good e-Reader, iStoryTime is offering enhanced ebook of Shrek Forever After, the most recent installment about the world’s most beloved ogre. “Burdened by responsibility and trapped by routine, this ogre has lost his roar. In order to recapture his past as a real ogre, Shrek is tricked into striking a bargain with Rumpelstiltskin, trading a day from his life as part of the deal. But the fine print of the contract lands him in an alternate universe where he's feared, all right, but he's also never rescued Fiona or met Donkey, Puss in Boots, Gingy and all his fairytale friends. Now, to get back to reality and his family, Shrek has to find Fiona and defeat the devious Rumpelstiltskin before the deal expires.” To claim a copy of the book for iOS, go to the title’s landing page in the app store and enter the code CANDYCANE under the Use Storycode button. The title can be found by clicking HERE.
Free Children’s Enhanced Shrek Forever After eBook from iStoryTime is a post from: E-Reader News |
NOOBS v1.3.3 available
| If you got a Raspberry Pi for Christmas, check out this post for some suggestions on how to get started. The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that the NOOBS minor revision number on the downloads page crept up by one at the end of the day on Christmas Eve. This release incorporates updated versions of Arch, Raspbian and Raspbmc. Check out the release notes for each distribution for more details. Highlights for Raspbian include:
Thanks to Dom Cobley (for firmware and kernel), Maciej Fijalkowski and Armin Rigo (for PyPy), Tim Rowledge (for Scratch), Vincent Sanders, Luke Diamand, David Stevenson, Tim Gover and Simon Mellor (for V4L2), Alex Newman and the Wolfram Research team (for Mathematica), Siarhei Siamashka and the fbturbo team (for X), Dave Higham (for Arch), Alex Bradbury and Peter Green (for Raspbian) and Sam Nazarko (for Raspbmc). This release was coordinated by Andrew Scheller, who will be handling NOOBS releasing from now on. |
Experts Warn Strict Parental Control Needed for Kids Tablet Usage
| One of the reasons that have contributed to the stellar growth of tablet devices has been their ease of use, something exemplified no better than the way kids aged even three year olds have taken to using them with élan. However, notwithstanding the great publicity that this would make for technology or the way it can help improve our lives, experts are wary of the negative effects it might have on the minds of the little ones. Some pediatricians have raised concerns that kids can have better brain development from time spent with non-electronic toys or from interacting with adults than fiddling with tablets. On the contrary, too much time spent using the tablet has often been linked to behavioral or social issues. However, as per Dr. Dimitri Christakis, serving pediatrician at Seattle Children's Hospital, the above is more applicable if the child is spending too much time watching videos and such and the result would be just the same as watching a TV. However, he did mention engaging in educational games and puzzles do have a positive impact on the child’s brain development. To make things simpler for parents, the American Academy of Pediatrics has even gone on to specify a daily tablet usage limit of 2 hours at the most as anything more than that could have an adverse impact on their normal activities, which includes sleeping, playing and such. Not to mention the most vital of them all, interacting with adults which initiate the language learning process along with other mannerisms that they learn from seeing others. Experts have sounded the same word of caution among slightly older children as too much time spent with tablet devices means they are spending less time interacting with other children. As such, they loose out on honing social interactivity skills like, making friends and so on. As Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood likes to point out, “The best toys are the ones that just lie there until the child transforms them,” which rules out electronic items that can be run by pushing a button or via taps and swipes. However, there are also those who would like children to be exposed to the new age devices such as tablets arguing they will feel more at-home when they reach classroom when allowed to use tablet like devices at an early age. This they claim is vital considering the increasing use of technology in today’s classroom to impart education. That said, they’d also like to point out its important to strike a balance so as not to make kids too much dependent on tablet while also ensuring not to keep them alienated of the hottest new developments that has otherwise permeated deep into our lifestyles. As has been pointed out by the father of a 5 year old how his child benefited from the use of an iPad. “He had an iPad at close to 18 months so he was definitely one of those babies swiping away in his stroller. “Now it’s different, but back then we were a little ostracized. Now he’s reading at close to a second-grade reading level and I credit a lot of that to iPad apps.” Experts have also pointed out that with tablet devices entering mainstream segment just 3 years ago, it’s too early to have a clear idea of the impact that such devices may have on the growing minds. However, what seems to be the best option in such a scenario is to strike the right balance: allowing kids to grow up in the traditional manner while also allowing them limited exposure to technology to keep them updated of the latest developments. Tablet devices can be a great learning tool but has to be used just right.
Experts Warn Strict Parental Control Needed for Kids Tablet Usage is a post from: E-Reader News |
Dinner at Hogwarts: Recreating delicious dishes from your favorite novels
| I am an avid reader of cookbooks. I enjoy trying new recipes and making dishes from different cultures and styles of cooking. When reading a cookbook, I always try to consider the time commitment for each dish and whether the ingredient list is easily accessible (Do I want to travel to an exotic locale for a spice?). Each of these literary-inspired cookbooks contains recipes and references to dishes your favorite heroine/hero ate throughout the novel and an ingredient list that makes it possible in your own kitchen.
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory- More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Muggles and Wizards (Dinah Buchotz) Banana Fritters with Caramel Sauce (Ch. 8 Deserts and Snacks at School) This recipe is on my to-make list. The idea of fried bananas paired with a homemade caramel sauce sounds delightful.
Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen: Recipes and Tales from Classic Children's Stories (Odell & Pignataro) Bear Honey and Nut Spread (Breakfast Foods/Winnie-the-Pooh) This recipe is quick and delicious. The ingredient list is simple: ½ cup chopped nuts (I used pecans but any will work), four tablespoons of honey and bread to spread it on. This would be an excellent recipe for little ones who want to help cook or a sweet treat with a cup of tea!
The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook: From Lady Mary's Crab Canapés to Mrs. Patmore's Christmas Pudding- More Than 150 Recipes From Upstairs and Downstairs (Emily Ansara Baines) "Unsinkable" Cream of Barley Soup (Ch. 2 First and Second Courses: Soups and Fish) A delicious soup course and a historical drama- As the title indicates, this cream of barley soup was served on the tragic and final evening of the Titanic's travels. I made this soup and it did not disappoint.
The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook: From Lamb Stew to "Groosling"- More Than 150 Recipes Inspired by the Hunger Games Trilogy (Emily Ansara Baines) Prim's Basil-Wrapped Goat Cheese Balls (Ch. 4 Humble Beginnings) I think this would make a lovely appetizer! The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew- More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Alan Kistler) Sansa's Strawberry Chiffon Pie (Ch. 6 Deceitful Delights: Desserts, Drinks, and "Poisonous" Cocktails) The base for this pie is a graham cracker crust and a fresh strawberry filling. I think that a graham cracker crust is a bit simpler to make than the traditional dough crust.  |
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
New Startups Focus on Tracking eBook Reading Data
| How long does it take for someone to complete a book? When reading a steamy erotica, are you lingering over the sex scenes? Do readers ever finish the books they start, or skip right to the end? New startups are seeking to address these questions with new software and they intend on opening it up to writers, indie authors and publishers. New startups such as Oyster are selling critical user data to companies about their subscribers, who access a copious amount of titles for a low monthly fee. These eBooks can then be read on a myriad of iOS, Android and mobile devices. "Self-published writers are going to eat this up," said Mark Coker, the chief executive of Smashwords, a large independent publisher. "Many seem to value their books more than their kids. They want anything that might help them reach more readers." Smashwords recently inked a deal with Harper Collins backed Scribd, to contribute over 250,000 titles to the platform. Before that, they also ironed out a contract with Oyster, to have their titles on that platform too. The intention is for Smashwords to get plenty of data about their title, that they would not normally be able to capture themselves. Analysing reading data is playing a crucial role in the evolutionary growth in Amazon and Barnes and Noble. For years, those two companies have been guarding their data and not relaying it to their publishing friends. This data is exploited to promote books that are fashionable in any given day and the ones people tend to read, cover to cover. Scribd has only been offering their eBook subscription platform in October and already they are massing a treasure trove of data. The longer a mystery novel is, the more likely readers are to jump to the end to see who done it. People are more likely to finish biographies than business titles, but a chapter of a yoga book is all they need. They speed through romances faster than religious titles, and erotica fastest of all. "We're going to be pretty open about sharing this data so people can use it to publish better books," said Trip Adler, Scribd's chief executive. Meanwhile, Oyster’s data shows that readers are 25% more likely to finish books that are broken up into shorter chapters. That is an inevitable consequence of people reading in short sessions during the day on an iPhone. So how does Scribd and Oyster sell their data to companies? The companies declined to outline their business model, but publishers said Scribd and Oyster offered slightly different deals. On Oyster, once a person reads more than 10% of the book, it is officially considered "read." Oyster then has to pay the publisher a standard wholesale fee. With Scribd, it is more complicated. If the reader reads more than 10% but less than 50%, it counts for a tenth of a sale. Above 50%, it is a full sale. Will authors ever be able to get access to this data? Likely, if they are signed to a major publisher, they already have agreements to get it from the ebook subscription companies? How about Smashwords? They likely will provide authors who publish on their platform how things are doing, once the data pours in and they develop software to monitor it. When it comes to big overview statistical data on specific genres, to assist authors on what is being read the most, and maybe advise them on what to write? Well, this is sorely lacking at this point. New Startups Focus on Tracking eBook Reading Data is a post from: E-Reader News |
Samsung Plans New PRO Line of Tablets
| Samsung has made in known in no uncertain terms of the huge ambitions they harbor of making it big in the tablet sphere. Not content with playing second fiddle to Apple and its iPad range, Samsung has lined up a slew of tablet launches for 2014 across several segments. Among the tablet devices being readied for launch include Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, and the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. there is also the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite which will be aimed sqarely at the budget tablet segment. However, none of these stands confirmed as of now, and can have its origin traced to a leak by a Samsung insider duly picked up by SamMobile. Among the details that have surfaced, the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite will be launched first, by the second week of January and will be the cheapest of the lot. With a 7 inch display, it will also be the smallest tablet offering as well. Galaxy Tab 8.4 and 10.1 is expected to be launched towards third week of January, followed by the big daddy of all, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 towards end January or early February. Again, these are prone to changes though all four should be seen along store shelves around major markets in the world by Q1, 2014. Further, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is also rumored to offer stylus support and is aimed at business professionals or other productive tasks. Watch out for the detailed specifications and other launch details later. With the CES just round the corner, there sure will be more on this at the show. Keep watching.
Samsung Plans New PRO Line of Tablets is a post from: E-Reader News |
Instapaper Daily Launches – Top Daily Stories
| Instapaper Daily has made a soft landing. So if you have missed it coming, that's understandable considering it made the least noise doing so. Instapaper Daily can best be described as a 'sparse news site' that provides its user with the most read news stories. Of course there is the 'Instapaper' feature that categorizes the news stories according to the topic, which means users can have news as per the topic of their choice, which can be anything like politics, sports, health and so on. There also is the convenient 'Read later' button that allows users to save a particular story to Instapaper for reading later. A timeline along the bottom provides users with the link to articles for another day of the year and so on, allowing users to jump to from conveniently. Overall, a nice development which should appeal to the users, particularly those who are already hooked on to Instapaper.
Instapaper Daily Launches – Top Daily Stories is a post from: E-Reader News |
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas! Got a new Pi? Read on!
| If you’re here because you got a Raspberry Pi for Christmas, then Happy Christmas – and welcome to the Raspberry Pi family! If you’re just here for fun, then Happy Christmas too! The Raspberry Pi is a computer that you can use for all sort of brilliant and useful things, from learning to program, to making robots, to Tweeting when bird visits a nesting box, to taking pictures from the stratosphere. Here are some tips on getting setting up and using your Raspberry Pi. 1. Make sure your software is up to dateThe most important thing is to make sure that you have the latest version of our New Out Of Box Software (NOOBS). You can check this by starting your Raspberry Pi – here’s Carrie Anne to tell you more. If you don’t have the latest version (1.3.3) we recommend that you go here to get the latest version and follow the instructions (it’s really easy – just download it and then drag and drop onto a formatted SD card). 2. Setting upFull set up instructions are in the quick start guide. If you have any issues setting up your Raspberry Pi set up then please visit our forums. Our forum members are a very friendly bunch and will help you with any problems. The FAQ also has lots of tips and useful information PowerDo make sure that you have a good quality power supply. Some cheaper supplies do not output the power that they claim! Logging inWhen you finally boot up you will be asked to log in. The login is ‘pi’ and the password is ‘raspberry’. Note that nothing appears when you type the password, so tpye caerfuly! Command line and windowsThe Pi boots into a command line where you type instructions to the computer. To start a Windows-style graphical user interface, first log in, and then type startx and press enter. Brain on a stick warning: The Raspberry Pi is special. We built this little computer so that you have to tell it what to do, not the other way round. You’re in charge. It’s a very different experience to unboxing a tablet or laptop—deliberately so!—but because of this it has so much more potential. We accept full responsibility for any learning, thinking or fun that may occur whilst using our product. 3. What can you do with your Raspberry Pi?Because it’s a general purpose computer, you can do loads of stuff. But because it’s also small and light and doesn’t use much power, then you can do even more amazing things. And if you just want to use it as a media player then that’s cool with us too. Want to know more? If you’re under 15, we recommend Carrie Anne Philbin’s Adventures in Raspberry Pi, which will get you set up and hacking away in an afternoon. For anyone over that age, we recommend the official User Guide, co-authored by our very own Eben Upton, which will take you from raw beginnings to automating your whole house. Merry Christmas! We’ll be back in a few days – we’re taking a little while out to spend time with our families. |
Holiday Events Part III: How does this thing work?
| From all of us here at OverDrive, we hope you have a joyful, relaxing holiday season. You'll need it … because once January rolls around you may find yourself with a stampede of people at the library doors with tablets or eReaders received as a gift and want to know how to get free library eBooks. Self-help Embrace the OverDrive-created resources that are right at your fingertips. Especially for the users who just want help getting started, we encourage you to share the following resources:
Training classes and demonstrations Many libraries bump up their training efforts after the holiday season, and we can help with our Post-Holiday Training materials. Included in the kit are some promotional materials and suggestions for coordinating training sessions at your library. Watch our Hot Holiday Devices recording for a quick refresher of some of the new devices you may be working with. Additional support If you are worried about the influx of questions coming in to your library, you may want to sign up for Front Line Tech Support as a way to put your end users in direct contact with OverDrive Support. This will ease any burden put on your library staff during what is already a stressful time of year!
Cassie Renner is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive.
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Sex Sells: Big Foot, Gargoyles, and Erotica, Oh My!
| It’s no secret that romance and erotica top the list of bestselling genres because…well, let’s face it…sex sells. But more importantly, well crafted romance titles that speak to a broad audience of readers also sells, as evidenced by imprints like Carina Press (Harlequin) and Ellora’s Cave being digital-first pioneers while still maintaining standards of authorship. But hasn’t every swashbuckling pirate or lord of the manor story line been done to death yet? Obviously not. Moreover, romance authors and publishers are finding new ways to reach their readers, as evidenced by new themes in the romance and erotica genres. Spare us your vampires, move over werewolves…Big Foot is here. Yes, Big Foot, the stuff of legends and Squatch-hunters everywhere. Only he’s made his way to the page with pseudo-rape tales from author Virgina Wade, and Amazon was nonplussed, to say the least. Following the controversy this fall with ebook titles finding their way in front of juvenile consumers, Amazon and other retailers began a broad sweep of removal, stripping a large number of titles from their virtual shelves for violating what the retailers say were their terms for content of this kind. Key titles were replaced rather quickly, with others, like Virginia Wade’s Big Foot-human-rape-triangle, undergoing a face lift before being returned to the site. Cover image changes, title changes, and even outright rewrites were required of some authors before their erotica would become available again. But that hasn’t deterred the die hard erotica writers or their hard core fans (pun intended). New titles continue to be posted to e-readers in record numbers, and the scenarios are even wilder than before, if that’s even possible. All Big Foot stories aside, gargoyles, aliens, and robots have seen huge growth in fan base as readers look to push the envelope of erotica without being…creepy? The safety net afforded by a non-human–and therefore, not actually possible–partner makes this cryptozoological erotica (an actual term) a highly profitable genre for an equally highly engaged audience.
Sex Sells: Big Foot, Gargoyles, and Erotica, Oh My! is a post from: E-Reader News |
Holidays Disrupt New Comic Day
| New digital and printed comics normally come out every single week on Wednesday. Due to Christmas and New Years happening on both days, the industry is releasing them this Tuesday and next Tuesday. If you are getting your comics from online distributer Comixology, the comics are available right now to purchase. Unfortunately the next week is fairly dire with nothing of note coming out. We have only Forever Evil #4, Justice League #26, Conan, Vol. 14: The Death, Robotech Voltron #1, Doctor Who Special 2013, The Saviors #1, Avengers #24.NOW and Origins II #1. Holidays Disrupt New Comic Day is a post from: E-Reader News |
Monday, December 23, 2013
6 Libraries Loan Out 1 Million eBooks Each in 2013
| One of the big bright spots of digital books this year was the massive role libraries have played. The ALA in conjunction with Overdrive has been relentless in their pursuits to convince major publishers that books were not devalued when loaned out for free. Their efforts have brought on the big 5 publishing companies in either pilot projects or nationwide rollouts. This has set a new record as six different libraries have each loaned out over a million books. The King County Library in Washington loaned out the most books this year with a total number of 1.6 million books, which was a 25% increase from 2012. The market leader in Canada was the Toronto Public library that loaned out 1.5 million, which was a 68% increase from last year. New York, Hennepin County, Cleland Public and Seattle Public all loaned out between 1.1 and 1 million eBooks each. Part of Toronto Public Library's marketing strategy this year included advertisements in subway and bus stations as well as using their OverDrive Media Station as a demonstration tool in local malls. OverDrive Media Station is a touchscreen kiosk that displays the library's digital catalog, where users can browse, sample, place holds and send titles to their device of choice. "We're thrilled that we've made the Million Checkouts Club this year and we're adding more content daily," said Jane Pype, Toronto's City Librarian. "We expect interest to grow even more in the years to come, particularly since more publishers have made their titles available, and it’s our hope that this trend will continue. We're looking forward to seeing what next year brings for our readers of eBooks at Toronto Public Library." The one commonality factor that all of these libraries have in common is their relationship with Overdrive. They are the current market leader in audiobooks, eBooks and video content. They have set the standard in digital distribution, not only in the US, but Canada, Ireland, UK, and Australia. One huge growth area is China, which they formed a tentative partnership with and have promised entry into that market in mid-2014. 6 Libraries Loan Out 1 Million eBooks Each in 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
New Digital Comics Worth Checking out This Week Dec 24 2013
| New Comic Day comes a day early this week and next: Because Christmas and New Year’s Day are on Wednesdays, when most comics shops will be closed, the new comics will arrive on Tuesday. That means new digital comics will be available on Tuesdays as well. The pickings are pretty slim this week, thanks to Christmas, but what there is, is choice. Let’s take a look at the likeliest prospects. Avengers #24.NOW: This confusingly numbered comic is also Avengers #1 in the exuberantly named All-New Marvel NOW! chronology. What that means is it’s a starting point for new readers, as a new story kicks off in this issue—in this case, a rogue planet is on a collision course toward the Earth, and it’s up to the Avengers to stop it. The writer is Jonathan Hickman, who wrote Infinity and a couple of runs of Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Avengers comics for Marvel, as well as The Manhattan Projects, a critically acclaimed series for Image Comics. Esad Ribic, who teamed up with him on Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates, will be the artist. Origin II #1: Writer Kieron Gillen and artist Adam Kubert return to the origin story of Wolverine, the first Avenger. This series is a follow-up to the 2001 series Wolverine: Origin, and it picks up Logan’s story at the end of that series, at the beginning of the 20th century, at a time when he has left civilization and is living with a pack of wolves. Gillen explains what happens next in this interview on the Marvel site, and it sounds like an intriguing story. Adventures of Superman #35: DC doesn’t have a lot going on with its main lines, so this is a good week to check out their digital-first comics. This issue is part 2 of a three-part mini-series, “The Demolisher,” but at 99 cents an issue, catching up won’t break the bank. Robotech/Voltron #1: It’s a crossover between two of the great anime franchises of the 1980s: Robotech, a story about three generations of scavenger soldiers who found and repurposed alien technology to fight more aliens, and Voltron, the story of the five Lions who unite to become the single robot Voltron. Published by Dynamite Entertainment, this five-issue mini-series is just the beginning: Dynamite has been publishing Voltron comics for two years, and at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego they announced they will publish a new line of Robotech comics as well. Tommy Yune, who is best known for his work on Speed Racer, is the lead creator on the crossover. If you’re curious, there’s a preview here. Deceivers #1: This new series, written by Steven Grant of 2 Guns fame, promises a lot: It’s billed as a “globetrotting espionage action/comedy populated by charming, clever characters and thrilling sleight of hand.” The story follows two charming American con men who are doing pretty well in Europe until someone else gets in on the game—and they join up with the CIA to go after him. 2 Guns, which was made into a movie this year, was fun and full of action, and Deceivers looks like it will be in the same mold. New Digital Comics Worth Checking out This Week Dec 24 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Good e-Reader Radio – Top 10 Predictions for 2014 for eBooks, e-Readers and Digital Publishing
| Welcome to a star studded cast edition of the Good e-Reader Radio Show. Today Mercy Pilkington, Jeremy Greenfield and Michael Kozlowski from Good e-Reader and Digital Book World give you predictions for 2014. We talk about the current state of affairs in digital publishing, eBooks, e-Paper, e-Readers, Tablets, Library lending and major bookstores. Jeremy Greenfield who runs Digital Book World talks about his Top 10 Bold Predictions of 2014. He talks about the decline of Barnes and Noble and the prospect of Amazon opening up a retail store. He also talks about the illustrated book business is on the decline and eBook subscription services like Oyster and Scribd entering a boom period. Mercy Pilkington offers her top 5 predictions of 2014 with a heavy emphasis on self-published authors and how they can expect the landscape to change. She speaks about the rise in self-publishing and how Smashwords is making indie titles more accessible to libraries, eBook subscription sites and Overdrive. She also talks about the changing roles as agents for authors and its challenges. One of the most interesting points is the lack of synergy between Nook Press and the Barnes and Noble retail chain. Their one big competitive advantage of running a physical and virtual bookstore is not being even thought about. Finally, Michael Kozlowski, Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader talks about the declines facing the tablet, e-reader, e-paper and digital publishing industry. The manufacturing of tablet screens will be down almost 30% for tablets in 2014 and e-reader screens will likely follow suit. This will prompt companies like E INK to diversify even further away from e-readers and focus on digital signage and wearable tech. eBooks have evened out and some months even declined from 2012-2011 statistics. Finally, Sony and B&N will both stop making E INK Readers and focus only on tablets. This is one of our best shows! Very unique opinions from the top bloggers and media writers of our day! If you are into the world of eBooks, digital publishing or the process of e-reading, you don’t want to miss this one. Good e-Reader Radio – Top 10 Predictions for 2014 for eBooks, e-Readers and Digital Publishing is a post from: E-Reader News |
Apple Rumored To Launch 12.9 Inch iPad in October
| Rumors of Apple working on a bigger iPad variant have been doing the rounds for quite some time now. However, there seems something substantive on this front taking place with new reports pointing out a 12.9 inch sized iPad could be ready by October 2014. Along with this, Digitimes is also claiming the said iPad variant will go on to replace the 11 inch MacBook Pro. To what extent the last bit makes sense is debatable considering a small sized ultrabook caters for a completely different segment than a device that is purely tablet in its execution and functionality while also being entirely dependent on touch based input even if it offers a bigger display. The Digitimes report also has mention of the big-screened iPad that is being put together by Quanta Computers to be aimed primarily at the educational segment in North America. However, usage of the said device in the enterprise segment can't be ruled out either and this could be a tacit ploy on part of Apple to break into a segment that is traditionally dominated by Microsoft. Also, with Microsoft finding the going a bit tough with its latest Windows version, this also makes it just the right moment to have bigger screened version of the best-selling iPad ready for the enterprise segment as well. Meanwhile, its not the iPad alone that would be seen growing bigger to make it appeal to newer emerging segment as the same also seems to be applicable to the iPhone as well. A bigger iPhone variant that was also rumored to be under development could be ready by May 2014. This would allow Apple to field a competitor in the rapidly emerging phablet segment, which for a change will make the California company playing second fiddle to its arch rival Samsung. The latter's Galaxy Note 3 is ruling the roost in this segment, with sales averaging at 5 million devices a month. Apple is also reported to have landed up a deal with TSMC for supplying the chips based on 20nm processor manufacturing technique to power the bigger iPhone variants. However, with the launch dates for the bigger versions of both the iPad and iPhone quite some months away, it won't be surprising to see plenty more rumors and speculations to crop up in between. Meanwhile, Samsung too is rumored to be testing bigger screened versions of its Galaxy Tab range, one that comes with 12 – 13 inch display.
Apple Rumored To Launch 12.9 Inch iPad in October is a post from: E-Reader News |
Digital Magazine App Next Issue Launches on Kindle Fire HDX
| Next Issue has been stepping up their game lately, running television commercials and hyping up their digital magazine subscription service. The company is heavily competing with Zinio and Magzter by offering unlimited magazines at a low monthly price. Today, Next Issue has announced official apps on the Amazon App Store that have been customized for the Kindle Fire HDX 7 and HDX 8.9. Next Issue continues to offer its subscription service for only $9.99/month for unlimited basic (all monthly titles) and $14.99/month for unlimited premium (all monthly and weekly titles). For a complete list of magazines available through this subscription, click here. Only customers living in the USA will be able to take advantage of this new app, or to sign up with Next Issue. Canadian customers have to use a different portal and recently Rogers media contributed a bunch of their own titles to the platform. Digital Magazine App Next Issue Launches on Kindle Fire HDX is a post from: E-Reader News |
Phablets Projected to Outsell Small Tablets in 2014
| In the fast changing world of technology where manufacturers are ever on the lookout for newer segment to engage with the consumer, phablets or big screen smartphones seem to have emerged as a surprise hit. Often being the butt of many a joke during the initial days, phablets have not only grown in size and scope but have also started posing a serious challenge to the entry level tablet segment comprising of 7 inch devices. Analytic O'Donnell who has over 14 years of experience tracking the tech segment too is backing the above trend with some hardcore figures, claiming sale of phablets could peak to a healthy 175 million in 2014, outstripping that of small tablets by about 10 million. The above trend is understandable considering the biggest out there, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra offers a 6.4 inch display, quite humongous by smartphone standards following by the equally expansive HTC One Max coming in with a 6 inch display. The HTC One Max is also unique in it being the only other device apart from the Apple iPhone 5s to come with an integrated fingerprint sensor. These clearly are a few notches below than the smallest tablet currently on sale. Nokia is the newest entrant in this segment with its Lumia 1020 that is another one to offer a 6 inch display. However, it is the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with its 5.7 inch display that is the most sought after device in this segment. These are small enough to be still included in your pockets while offering almost the same functionality as a full fledged tablet. Technically, any device with a display greater than 5 inches is considered to be a phablet, a term coined to denote a device that's bigger than a smartphone while still being smaller than the smallest tablet that usually is no bigger than 7 inches when measured diagonally. However, phablets even with smaller dimensions offers better functionality than tablet devices in being more portable while still offering almost the same or even better functionality than tablet devices. Better Bluetooth tech has also saved users from the ignominy of holding up a big slab of a device up to the ear for communicating. However, strange as it might seem, phablets are still far from being in vogue in the US considered the biggest tablet market in the world. Instead, phablet devices have grown in popularity in Europe, Asia and Latin American countries. Particular mention must be made of South Korea where phablets account for two third of all smartphone sales. Maybe the trend could change once Apple too joins the scene with a bigger screen version of the iPhone, something that is being speculated for quite some time now. A juicy proposition it sure will be, considering another Samsung vs Apple duel to be witnessed that currently is limited to the smartphone and tablet segments.
Phablets Projected to Outsell Small Tablets in 2014 is a post from: E-Reader News |
