| Three of the four charts are oddly skewed this week, with Hawkeye, DC comics, and The Walking Dead each taking over a different top ten. 1. Forever Evil #5 Marvel dominates the comiXology top ten this week, taking eight of the ten slots; they had two #1 issues, including the much-hyped appearance of Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel, and 99-cent sale on Hawkeye helps as well. 1. Hyperbole and a Half The Kindle top ten is always an interesting mix; Hyperbole and a Half continues to dominate, and below that there’s a mix of genres and formats—The Walking Dead in collected and single-issue form, two Game of Thrones tie-ins, two issues of the second season of Tom Taylor’s Injustice… Kindle readers are nothing if not eclectic. 1. Naruto, vol. 64 After weeks of stasis, the Nook chart has moved quite a bit. It’s dominated by 99-cent single-issue DC comics, at least one of which (Mad Magazine #1) used to be free, so it may be that its position on the chart reflects a lot of free downloads. iBooks 1. The Walking Dead #120 Down at the iBookstore, it looks like The Walking Dead have taken over; gone are the multiple issues of My Little Pony that usually share the space. It’s interesting that while the first volume of The Walking Dead charts reliably on the Kindle and Nook platforms, only in iBooks do the more recent volumes pop up. It looks like they are up to date on Injustice Year Two as well, but that issue #3 is a pre-order. Digital Comics Best-Sellers for February 9, 2014 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Digital Comics Best-Sellers for February 9, 2014
Flappy Bird for Android Still Available on Good e-Reader
| Flappy Bird has been one of the breakout success stories of 2014, with it rising to the top of the app charts for iOS or Android. The Vietnamese developer was making close to $50,000 per day in advertising revenue from the apps. Many news outlets and media have been petitioning Dong Nguyen about interviews. Unable to cope with the fame and the growing tide of people who said the art assets have been ripped off from Nintendo games, the app has been pulled down. If you want to Download Flappy Bird, you can still download it for free from the Good e-Reader App Store. It is currently available for both Blackberry 10 and Android.
Flappy Bird for Android Still Available on Good e-Reader is a post from: E-Reader News |
Vampire Diaries Author Publishes Her Own FanFic of the Work
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What may also come as a surprise to fans–even a shock, to some–is that author LJ Smith was cut out of the series by the publisher after the fourth book, even though she had already written the fifth book in the series. At the time that she was expecting to receive remarks from her editor at the publishing house, she instead received a letter telling her they were going with a ghostwriter to finish the series. A very in-depth and authoritative post on the subject can be found HERE. Now, in a move that Good e-Reader has suggested for authors like JK Rowling, among others, Smith has found a home for her work on her series in Amazon’s Kindle Worlds fan fiction site, allowing even the original creator of the characters and story line to have fun and success at the same time while breathing new life into the title. Smith, whose work has joined the more than three hundred stories that have already been published through the licensing agreements set up by Kindle Worlds, currently holds the top spot for her continuation of the Vampire Diaries. Even more interesting, readers can pick up book three in the series (traditionally published), and then choose to either go with the publisher’s concept in book four, or Smith’s newly revised version of what should happen in book four. Once relegated to the iffy realm of overzealous fans who just couldn’t let go, fan fiction has taken on a sudden literary acceptance the likes of which the industry hasn’t seen since self-publishing first became acceptable. While some fanfic writers still spurn publishing of the genre for profit by saying it essentially strips away the reason for writing it, others have found success and even critical acclaim for their work. Still others have even garnered the praise and support of the author who originally created with world these newcomers are crafting for. Regardless of the processes involved in creating a book–whether entirely one’s own concept or a building of another’s prior work–digital publishing has allowed fan fiction writers to reach broader audiences with their stories, and to enjoy the same successes that other authors can.
Vampire Diaries Author Publishes Her Own FanFic of the Work is a post from: E-Reader News |
Daily Deals & Freebies – February 9
| Kindle Daily Deals The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school—it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been […] |
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Adobe Announces it Will Continue to Support old eBook Formats
| Adobe has announced that it will continue to support the older DRM encryption formats for PDF and EPUB eBooks. This flip-flopping on this specific matter was due to the firestorm that erupted due to our recent post on Adobe killing the e-reader industry. We had so much feedback, that Adobe themselves commented on our original story and announced that they will continue to support the old formats indefinitely. Last week, Adobe stated that they were upgrading the security of their eBook encryption systems. They mandated that they would start petitioning the greater eBook industry starting in March and would prevent older e-readers from reading new eBooks. Basically, if you have an old device, and buy a new eBook, you would not be able to read it, unless the company who made the e-reader updated the firmware. Needless to say there is a ton of older models on the market and perfectly good devices in service, that would never receive the firmware update. "Adobe does not plan to stop support for ACS 4 or RMSDK 9. ACS 5 books will be delivered to the older RMSDK 9 based readers", according to Shameer Ayyappan, Senior Product Manager at Adobe. "We will let our resellers and publishers decide when they wish to set the DRM flag on ACS 5, thus enforcing the need for RMSDK 10 based readers." In other words, ACS and RMSDK customers can migrate to the new hardened DRM that provides a higher degree of security to EPUB & PDF content and prevents unauthorized viewing of content now and in the future in a timeframe that makes sense for them. Although Adobe will not cut old e-readers off, they still won’t be able to read the new eBook formats, once more companies start adopting them. One silver lining, was that Sony was the largest company that used the stock Adobe DRM, but they have since abandoned their bookstore in the USA and Canada. Kobo has picked up their customers and all the old books, and Kobo uses their own offshoot of Adobe DRM. Adobe may not have the clout in North America that they used to, but still have a major presence in the international digital scene. Thalia, txtr and many other companies use their stock encryption, but all of these stores only account for 4% of the global eBook market. Adobe Announces it Will Continue to Support old eBook Formats is a post from: E-Reader News |
Poorly Translated Public Domain Titles Removed from Amazon
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A number of books uploaded by an individual going by “M Angelo” were nothing more than Google translate-style quick jobs of well-known classics of literature, muddled together in a variety of foreign languages, prompting Amazon to remove the ebooks after complaints about the books barely being readable, let alone offering a quality translation. Before anyone expresses concern that Amazon is now stripping books from its retail website due to simply not thinking they are worthy, the terms of service for using KDP have always allowed the retailer to do so, a right they have exercised in the past in regard to immoral, pornographic, and pirated works. Even more compelling, though, is the fact that the terms of service don’t allow any author to charge for a public domain work, even one that was sloppily translated. This recent uproar in the world of self-publishing is a demonstration of what many critics fear most about the ability to flood the book market with garbage. An unscrupulous individual saw an outlet for making quick money–even while listing himself alongside the author and charging only 99 cents for each language’s edition of these works–and dealt another blow to the credibility of authors who do put forth incredible amounts of time, talent, effort, and even financial resources to ensure that their works are well-received and worthy reads. Hopefully, this get-rich-quick scheme does not become another notch in the yard stick by which consumers measure self-publishing.
Poorly Translated Public Domain Titles Removed from Amazon is a post from: E-Reader News |
Daily Deals & Freebies – February 8
| Kindle Daily Deals Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward Winner of the 2011 National Book Award. A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch’s father is growing concerned. A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn’t show concern for much else. Esch and her three […] |
Friday, February 7, 2014
How to Load Android Apps on the Blackberry Z10 and Z30
| Blackberry has released a firmware update for their current generation line of touchscreen smartphones. The Z10 and Z30 now has the ability to load and install APK Files, which makes life easier, compared to the old methodology. Today, Good e-Reader will show you exactly what you need to do on your phone to install apps. If you wanted to load in your own apps on the Blackberry Z10 or Z30 until today, there was some extensive work to be done. You first had to find an Android file you wanted and then use the APK to BAR Convertor to bring it over to a Blackberry compatible format. Next, you needed DDPB or the Google Chrome plugin to install and test the app on your device. Most apps did not work and the entire process was an exercise in patience. The new method to install Android apps does not involve development mode or plugging your phone into the computer. From now on, you can simply use your phones internet browser to find and load in apps. In the video below, we walk you through the entire process. I recommend the first app you should install is the Good e-Reader Android App Store. We currently have over 100,000 apps and you can install everything in one button click. There is no registration or any kind of barriers to prevent you from discovering content and installing it. The very fact that Blackberry has added the ability to load in APK files is a game changer. It suddenly makes their phones relevant and you can easily play Simpsons Tapped Out, Flappy Birds and thousands of other games that never made it into Blackberry World.
How to Load Android Apps on the Blackberry Z10 and Z30 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Video: Facebook Paper Review
| Facebook Paper is a USA only app and was released last week. It has two main components, part a total revision of the core Facebook experience and a news app. Today, Good e-Reader checks out what this app is all about and gives you a sense on whether or not it is a good install. Every time Facebook initiates a design change on their main website, it often polarises the community. Some herald each change with advancement in the platform, but the vast majority just complains about it. Facebook Paper gives a 2014 upgrade to the core experience and is exclusively optimized for the iPhone. Status updates, pictures, video are the core aspects that makes Facebook stand out in the crowd. The company has revised their approach into the popular “cards” interface. Each card is the same size and all of your friends activity are listed there. If you click on one, you get the full screen view, such as an article they posted. You can then gesture to the right to automatically scroll to the next story. The interface takes a bit getting used to. There is seldom any pinching and zooming features, and no navigation keys. Instead, if you long-press the top of the screen and drag your finger down, you will get some options, such as Create Post, Edit Sections, and Settings. The main draw of Paper is the news functionality. It follows the popular curated aspect of news, with Facebook selecting popular news outlets and featuring their top stories. Other news journalists draw parallels with Flipboard or Pulse, but really Facebook is more akin to the new Yahoo News App. The curation aspect gives you simple, yet essential stories. If you like technology, they tend to give you Verge, Engadget, or Re/Code. There is no way to add in a custom feed or input your own list of websites. One of the big problems with Facebook Paper is when you don’t use it for a day or two. When you fire up the app the cards initially load up the old data, but then scroll super fast from where you were, to the latest updates. It is a very jarring experience and one of the current downfalls of the app, but it should hopefully be fixed soon. I have no problem with news curation, giving you a fixed list of stories from various genres. The main problem, is most of the news outlets are owned by various interests. Engadget is owned by AOL, Re/Code partnered with CNBC. You will seldom get a pure independent news outlet giving you riveting or compelling opinions.
Video: Facebook Paper Review is a post from: E-Reader News |
Amazon Begins Selling Kindle e-Readers in Brazil
| Amazon has been selling eBooks in Brazil since 2012 and the only way you can buy the e-readers is if you purchased them through a 3rd party. Today, Amazon has announced they will begin selling their entire line of Kindle readers in Brazil. The Brazilian Kindle division is being run by Alex Szapiro, a former Apple executive who is charge of deployment. According to industry figures, Brazilians bought 435 million books in 2012 worth $2 billion. Szapiro said ebooks were about 3% of total book sales. Amazon is foregoing their massive warehouse distribution network that they own and operate in the USA, with their foray into Brazil. Instead, the physical distribution from online orders will be shipped from external partners, which currently are unknown. Often, high import fees make e-readers inaccessible for your average reader. This is the main drawback of selling phones, tablets or e-readers in Brazil. We have word that the basic Kindle model will cost BRL 299, while the most expensive one, the PaperWhite 3G, costs BRL 699. Amazon Begins Selling Kindle e-Readers in Brazil is a post from: E-Reader News |
Canada Institutes Its Own eBook Terms with Publishers
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Now, Canada has reached its determination on what end result will befall for Simon and Schuster, Macmillan, HarperCollins, and Hachette, at least in terms of operating in book sales in the country. Per the agreement, the publishers will not work to limit or restrict any prices that ebook retailers choose to set on titles for at least eighteen months, as well as eliminates the Most Favored Nation clause that caused such a stir in the US legal proceedings. And much like in the US, Penguin was not a part of this agreement; Penguin was not offered a settlement at the onset of the Department of Justice investigation, with many parties stating that Penguin was part of the initiation of the collusion. The resulting merger that created Penguin Random House left Penguin bound by the settlement and agreement that Random House made in the case. The committee that oversaw the investigation into the matter in Canada estimates that ebook prices have fallen in the US following the settlements by as much as twenty percent, a trend that they hope will continue in the north.
Canada Institutes Its Own eBook Terms with Publishers is a post from: E-Reader News |
Librarians Demand More Notice for Overdrive Big Library Read
| Overdrive Read is an innovative program that sees a single eBook become available for libraries to loan out an infinite amount of times. This is a stark contrast to the normal practice to the one title, one loan mentality. Obviously there is some very compelling aspects of the Reader program, but librarians are beginning to feel ambushed to the short notice of titles becoming available. Starting February 17th, until March 5th, Food Network and Cooking Channel star Aida Mollenkamp has provided her culinary guide Keys to the Kitchen to libraries that do business with Overdrive. Overdrive gave libraries one week notice via email on the logistics of digitally distributing it to their patrons. Overdrive has always gave the libraries one single week notice before the start of the program. A fair number are becoming quite vocal about the short notice and their inability to develop internal marketing material to properly promote it. Many librarians all over the USA talked to Good e-Reader at various American Library Association events. Most of them liked the spirit of the program, but were not actively participating due to the one week notice. It simply was not enough time to make flyers or posters, or educate the public on what it is all about. Kristin Schultz commented “Is there ANY way you can give us more notice than 2 weeks? This is the third time for the Big Library Read and every time it's like I’m ambushed. Why cannot we have more advance notice for promotion?” Meanwhile, Julie Bauer weighed in “I'd like to echo what Kristin is saying – there is very little time for us to plan anything around Big Library Read (even with that extra week). A couple of months' notice would be more like it.” Overdrive should be giving libraries over a months notice before the advent of any Read program. One week, is way too short and going forward, my recommendation is distribute a content calendar of titles coming out later in the year and forwarding them to libraries. Librarians Demand More Notice for Overdrive Big Library Read is a post from: E-Reader News |
UK Residents to get a 1 Year Spotify Premium Subscription for Free
| Spotify has teamed up for the first time with a major media outlet to give customers in the UK a free one year subscription to their Premium Service. The offer will be available to new and existing subscribers to the 12-month Times and Sunday Times digital pack, charged at £6 a week, and the Ultimate Pack of seven days of newspapers, as well as digital access (£8 a week). The Times and Sunday Times has a solid digital subscription base of 153,000 users and they are seeking to increase it with the Spotify deal. “Music is one of the top passions of readers of the Times and the Sunday Times and it is our aim to provide new services to our membership base to add value to their subscription,” said Katie Vanneck-Smith, chief marketing officer at parent company News UK. “It is great to be working with a like-minded brand that also offers premium paid-for content.” UK Residents to get a 1 Year Spotify Premium Subscription for Free is a post from: E-Reader News |
50th Anniversary of the Beatles in America
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Two days later, my dad (then 10 years old) was eating dinner with his family at my great-grandparents' house. Although they stayed for supper there from time to time, that night was special. His older sister, my aunt Carol, had heard from excited girlfriends at school about a British band called "The Beatles" that was going to be on The Ed Sullivan Show live that night. Since my great-grandparents had a bigger television set (and, when broadcasts allowed it, was actually in color), they and my grandparents agreed to let the kids stay up late on a school night to watch these four moptops from England drive the teenage audience crazy. "They need a haircut!" complained my grandpa, who much preferred the likes of Johnny Cash and Mantovani. "And they're wearin' GIRLY BOOTS!" "Irv," my grandma scolded him. "Let Carol watch this." They were just a handful of the record-breaking 73 million Americans who watched John, Paul, George, and Ringo take the country by storm. I'm sure my grandpa hoped Newsweek's prediction following the broadcast would come true: "The odds are they will fade away, as most adults confidently predict." Fifty years later, nothing could be further from the truth. OverDrive has plenty of eBooks commemorating the Beatles' (and Ed Sullivan's) impact on history now available in Marketplace.
The Beatles in America: The 50th Anniversary by Chris Hutchins The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was only 77 days after President Kennedy was assassinated. The country was ready for something happier, and took to the Fab Four's music, humor, fashion sense, and charisma immediately (at least most Americans did). Instead of being just a flash-in-the-pan teenage fad, the Beatles continued to influence not only the arts, but also culture for more than half a century. This eBook, presented by the Smithsonian and the Grammy Museum, celebrates their legacy. The Beatles Are Here! 50 Years After the Band Arrived in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember by Penelope Rowlands My aunt's girlfriends were hardly the only screaming fans bitten by Beatlemania. In fact, the author of this eBook was captured on film doing just that. Rowlands collected memories from the likes of Lisa See, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and many other devotees explaining how the Beatles changed their lives forever. The Beatles: The Authorised Biography by Hunter Davies "Jungle music," my grandpa grumbled, in both the 1960s and in the 1990s, when I came over to my grandparents' house to listen to my Beatles albums on their record player. (This was a little odd, since by then, CDs were well-entrenched). I carried with me a dog-eared library copy of this 1969 biography, the first of many Beatles books I would read in years to come. Hunter Davies spent over a year with the band while they were still together, and this 40th anniversary edition contains even more behind-the-scenes exclusives. Sundays with Sullivan: How the Ed Sullivan Show Brought Elvis, The Beatles, and Culture to America by Bernie Ilson Ed Sullivan was a shrewd and savvy businessman who knew he was on to something big when he saw British teenagers screaming for the Beatles. He strived to make his Sunday night variety show appeal to every member of the family, and judging by Sullivan's chart-topping ratings, he certainly did. However, the shrieks of his Beatlemania-infected teenage audience members threatened to drown out the more "cultural" acts that night. Sullivan playfully warned them, "If you don't keep quiet, I'm going to send for a barber!" For more on the man himself, check out Impresario: The Life and Times of Ed Sullivan by James Maguire. Sing Like The Beatles, ProSound Karaoke Band Did you know that OverDrive has karaoke tracks? Patrons may not be able to sing them at the library, but they certainly can let out their inner Beatle at home! "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!" my dad sang in the car ride home that Sunday night. I'm sure my grandpa just loved that.
These titles may have geographical or other restrictions, so if you're having a "Hard Day's Night," just say "Please Please Me" to your OverDrive Collection Development Specialist for "Help" getting these eBooks from OverDrive. Did you see the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show? Please leave a comment to tell us about your experience!
Jenny Norton is a Support Services Specialist at OverDrive.
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Collection Team Column – Bailey Hotujac: The art of it all
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One of the things I love most about art history was its universal appeal. No matter what other course I took in college, it connected in some way. From math (trust me, it was math – not aliens – that helped the Egyptians build the pyramids) to geology (crushed rocks = main ingredient in paint), it all applied to art in some way. It shouldn't be a bit surprising that I also love to read about art. I love the nonfiction – artist biographies, narratives of stolen/looted art, and forgers – and the fiction – kids running away to spend the night in the Met? Sign me up! One topic that has continually drawn me is the topic of lost/stolen art and forgeries. And maybe that's why Robert Edsel's The Monuments Men is one of my favorite books of all time. You can imagine, I'm pretty excited that the film adaptation opens tonight! (Anyone want to guess my plans after work?) With an all-star cast and Oscar buzz, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not the only one at the theater tonight. With the spotlight on art, I'd like to share some of my favorite art-related books and my ever expanding wish list: Fun with art history (one copy/one user) and Fun with art history (metered access).  Bailey Hotujac is a Collection Development Specialist at OverDrive.
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Code Club Pro: a training programme to support primary school teachers
| From September 2014 Computing will be a subject in its own right in UK schools. Of course at Raspberry Pi Towers we are delighted (and I mean dancing around like a drunk uncle at a wedding reception delighted) that young people will now have the opportunity to study one of the most creative, exciting and challenging subjects in the curriculum. But who will teach them? Computing is effectively a brand new subject and there are relatively few specialist teachers to deliver it. The problem is worse for primary school teachers who have to teach a range of different subjects and who typically have fewer IT resources than secondary schools. So, of course, we need to train teachers, especially primary teachers. And training works wonders—teachers arrive at my courses full of trepidation and weird rumours (you need to be a maths genius; it’s all about programming; coding gives you hairy palms). They walk out of the end of the day confident and buzzing with excitement and ideas. That’s all it takes. Of course no one will be an expert after day, but the point is that you but don’t have to be. Computing at this level is about problem solving and puzzles and creative fun—things that human beings are naturally drawn to and enjoy. And it’s definitely not about “coding”. Whatever that is. So hurrah for training! Let’s all sign up for a course at our local school! Except … there isn’t any to speak of. What there is is typically dispersed and expensive and of variable content. What teachers and schools need is widely available, low-cost, high quality, curriculum-centred training. Which is what Code Club thought too. So in true Code Club fashion they decided to just do it. We love Code Club! Anyway, I’ll let them fill the rest in. I only meant to write a sentence as an intro but as you can tell it’s something I’m passionate about. Plus, I like showboating. And if you are a school or teacher and would like to get involved, pop over to Code Club Pro’s site for more information. Code Club, the network of over 1,875 volunteer-led after-school coding clubs, with the support of Google and CAS (Computing at Schools), is launching a nationwide training programme to teach core computing skills to primary school teachers. The CPD program has been launched in response to widespread teacher demand for training in this area. According to Code Club, which has access to a wide network of schools, the training needs of teachers has so far been overlooked in this process. Its founders said: "Teachers are the key front-line implementers of the curriculum and more needs to be done to support this transition".  Code Club Pro was launched today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, at a special Code Club session in Bexton School in Knutsford, Cheshire. Launching in April, Code Club Pro will enable primary school teachers to quickly understand the requirements of the new computing curriculum. The mission is to deliver training in computing to over 20,000 primary school teachers by 2016, while reaching many more through the provision of online programmes and resources. Clare Sutcliffe, Co-Founder and CEO of Code Club, said: "The addition of coding to the new primary school curriculum is a great step forward for the UK education sector. However, to date, there has been a lack of focus on how to equip the primary school teachers to actually teach this new subject. We know first hand that teachers are feeling daunted by the prospect of having to teach a syllabus they don't fully understand themselves. As a result, we decided to create a training programme that would help support them through this period of change. "As a not-for-profit, Code Club is able to focus on a core objective of supporting as many teachers and children as possible, through the provision of fun, accessible and affordable training, which hands on and experiential. Our goal is to improve access to training, so that teachers can feel confident and excited about delivering the new computing curriculum." |
Kotobi, First Arab eBookstore, Launches at Cairo Book Fair
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According to the Kotobi website (translated), “Statistics show that readership levels in the Arab World are significantly lower than those among other world populations. And because we believe that reading is a key ingredient for the development of any nation, we've taken it upon ourselves to play a role in supporting the Arabic reading ecosystem to the benefit of raising readership levels in the Arabic language.” A number of concerned stakeholders from throughout the Arab nations joined Vodafone Egypt to bring the ebookstore to fruition, with many seeing this initiative as a way to combat the alarming illiteracy rates mentioned on the site. More importantly, Kotobi goes on to hint at a possible self-publishing platform, going so far as to mention the “barriers to publication” that keep authors, publishers, and readers from thriving through book development. “Kotobi's digital technology removes the barriers to publishing for authors and publishers alike; and creates an innovative avenue for readers to access the biggest variety of Arabic publications at the convenience of their home: no need to travel a distance to find the nearest bookshop; and no need to wait until the next print of a book is out; and best of all, you can buy through your credit card anywhere in the world, or through your mobile phone in Egypt. And as you buy your collection of books, you needn't worry about carrying it around, because Kotobi's mobile app allows you to walk around with your library: all on your mobile phone or tablet.” So far, Kotobi offers ebooks, periodicals, and a wide variety of free titles, including translations of well-known classics from foreign authors like Aldous Huxley and Charles Dickens.
Kotobi, First Arab eBookstore, Launches at Cairo Book Fair is a post from: E-Reader News |
Apple to Begin Requiring “Interest Age” Label on Children’s, Teens’ eBooks
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This requirement of an interest age rating may have stemmed from the recent controversy surrounding explicit titles that were available–some say maliciously so, which a self-policed interest age rating may not prevent–in the children’s book sections of a variety of ebook retail websites, an issue that caused several retailers to make sweeping deletions of book titles until the matter could be resolved. Rather than simply suggesting some keywords or clicking on book categories at the time of upload, this concentrated interest age will mean selecting the appropriate audience for the book. Additionally, in light of the data that shows a higher-than-ever percentage of crossover fans–adults who purchase young adult titles for their own reading–this will help consumers understand what constitutes appropriate for different individual readers; a parent whose child is thirteen years old may not be at the right maturity level to read a series such as the Divergent titles, for example, while a child as young as ten years old may actually be ready for the thematic elements and violence in The Hunger Games. This labeling system will help consumers select high-action titles for themselves, as well as make informed purchasing decisions for the younger readers in their lives. Apple has long been known for its educational focus as well, and this interest age system will apply to academic titles, for much the same reason. Simply stating that a book’s difficulty level is only fourth grade does not mean a fourth grader is prepared to tackle some of the concepts in various textbooks. This will help teachers and administrators make sound choices when selecting digital content for classroom use.
Apple to Begin Requiring “Interest Age” Label on Children’s, Teens’ eBooks is a post from: E-Reader News |
Daily Deals & Freebies – February 7
| Kindle Daily Deals Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda Secret Daughter, a first novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, explores powerfully and poignantly the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love through the experiences of two families—one Indian, one American—and the child that binds them together. A masterful work set partially in the Mumbai slums […] |
New Hack Boots Android From External SD on Kobo Aura HD, Touch and Glo
| Lately I’ve been keeping an eye on the Android on Kobo: “Tips and Apps” thread at MobileRead for interesting tidbits for running Android on Kobo’s ebook readers. A couple days ago a new dual-boot hack has come to light that makes it possible to run Android off an external microSD card instead of having to […] |