New Kobo & Kindle Ereaders in a Nutshell SEP 2012

Kobo Mini

Both Kobo and Amazon are releasing new ereaders this fall and I've got the skinny. If you're thinking about purchasing an ereader or turning in your old one for a new one, this post is for you.

Both Kobo and Amazon have made improvements to their ereaders across the board, which I like.

For me, I think Kobo's big plus it's versatility in the worldwide market. Now I know Amazon is opening markets up all over the world, but Kobo is a device that truly has an international market. It claims to have a network of over 11,000 booksellers worldwide.


Kobo's new devices include:

Kobo Arc – a 7 in. multimedia tabled ($200.00)
Kobo Glo – eink w/built in lighting ($130.00)
Kobo Mini – 5 in eink reader ($80.00)
Kobo Touch – upgraded touchscreen eink ($100.00)

Highlights: The Arc offers access to Google Play, plus Google's app store (about 600,000 apps)

(plus 3 million books in over 60 languages – for all readers)

Amazon's new devices include:

Kindle Fire HD – comes in 2 sizes: 7 in and 8.9 inches. They promise less glare and dualband wifi along w/2 antennas to improve reception. ($199/#299 for the 8.9 in)

The 7 in Fire HD starts shipping 14 SEP. The 8.9 inches starts shipping 20 NOV 2012.

Kindle Paperwhite. Has a front lit fiber optic display
8 week battery
$119 for wifi
$179 for 3G

(Steph's Note: I hate wifi and I highly recommend the 3G version of anything. Yes, it may cost more, but you get what you pay for and I often find I can access 3G where I can't access wifi)

The Original Fire: upgraded with a faster chip
More memory
Better battery
Price cut: $159.00
Ships 14 September 2012


I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new ereaders. Do you have a preference? Why? What are your pros and cons and deal breakers when it comes to buying devices? Wifi? 3G? Price? Eink? Share!

Smiles
Steph

News from the Publishing World - June 2012

Kobo Vox, price: 179.00

I haven't had a chance to compile my "News from the Publishing World" in a while, but I'm back. Enjoy!

** Ebook Retailer Kobo unveiled its "Kobo Writing Life" at Book Expo America. "Kobo Writing Life" is a self-publishing platform similar to Amazon's. (KDP Select) The new service will use the epub format and offers independent authors 70% of royalties up to $12.99. Over 1,600 writers have signed up to use the service.

Steph's Note: While not as big in the U.S. as Amazon and B&N, I have noticed Kobo is worldwide, reaching readers form Canada to New Zealand. I'm curious how well the program will do with the international markets.

** Rick Riordan who writes the "Percy Jackson" Series is due out with his 3rd Heroes of Olympus book, "The Mark of Athena" on October 2, 2012.

Riordan is also traveling to Europe to research a new series based on Norse lore.

Riordan's "Sea of Monsters," Book 2 in the 1st Percy Jackson Series will be released as a movie March 15, 2013. Logan Lerman will return as Percy.

Steph's Note: I saw the "The Lightning Thief" with my son, Andrew a couple of weeks ago. While it wasn't very accurate in reflecting the novel, my son enjoyed the movie very much. Sean Bean played Zeus, Kevin McKidd was Poseidon and Melina Kankakaredes was Athena.

Riordan says he wrote the stories for his sons and is fortunate to have the level of success he's had.

** Random House reported that six weeks after taking over the publication of "50 Shades of Grey," the series had sold over 10 million copies, print and digital.

** Oprah's Book Club is back! Now called "Oprah's Book Clue 2.0," her pick for June is "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail," by Cheryl Strayed. The story is a memoir of the author's 1,100 mile hike she took after a personal tragedy.

Reference: Information for today's blog was taken from Publisher's Weekly, an online magazine.

News from the Publishing World

Hi All - I haven't done this in a while, but I thought I'd post about the recent news from the publishing world and my thoughts on it. I get my news from Publisher's Weekly online, an industry trade magazine about the publishing industy and you can find it at: http://www.publishersweekly.com

#1 - Texas Attorney General questions Ebook Pricing.

Harper Collins and Hachette publishing have been approached by the Texas Attorney General regarding their pricing of ebooks. The crux of it: "Apple, in seeking to attract content for the iPad, opted for an agency pricing model in which publishers set their own retail prices and receive 70% of the price while sellers receive the remaining 30%." Because of this, the pricing on some ebooks went UP. For example, from 9.99 as much as 14.99. That's a lot. (And this is for major authors) This is the "Agency Model" and major publishers like this. The traditional model is to have the retailer, say AMAZON, set the price.

Personaly the Agency model is not Reader/Buyer friendly. While the iPad is cool, it is pricey and it's not something I can afford right now.

#2 - Borders is Developing an ebook reader - KoBo. I don't much else about it but I'll look around. Right now it is not available but the book store is taking pre orders for $150.00. It is scheduled to ship 17 June. KoBo does not have 3G or WiFi but has Bluetooth access so it should allow downloads from your computer to the ebook reader through bluetooth. KoBo uses eInk Technology like The Nook and Kindle.

My notes: Kobo looks like the Kindle. I like the price as it's very affordable at $150.00. If you are looking for affordablity, it is comparable to the Sony Ereader.

#3 - The Nook outsells the Kindle in MARCH 2010. One of the reasons? The Nook sells in Target and Barnes and Noble Brick and Mortar stores. The Kindle sells only through the online store. (All though I think this might changing soon.)

#4 - Belinda Carlisle publishes her memoriors: Good Morning America hosted singer Belinda Carlisle recently, whose Lips Unsealed: A Memoir (Crown, 978-0307463494, $26; RH Audio abridged CD, $30). PW thought "Carlisle writes candidly, and her chronic fear of being exposed as a fake is heartfelt and winning."

#5 - June is National Audio Book Month!

Enjoy