Read an Ebook Week 3-9 MARCH 2013

March is "Read an Ebook Month" and 3-9 MARCH 2013 is "Read an Ebook Week" this week. 

Kindle, 3rd Generation

An "Ebook" is a book length publication in digital form. No one really knows when the first ebook came along, but it's been several decades in the making. "The Index Thomistiticus" was a heavily annotated electronic index to the works of Thomas Aquinas in the 1940s put together by Roberto Busa. 

However the idea of the ebook reader came to Bob Brown in the 1930's, inspired by the "talkie" movies. In an article Jennifer Schuessler writes, "The machine, Brown argued, would allow readers to adjust the type size, avoid paper cuts and save trees, all while hastening the day when words could be 'recorded directly on the palpitating ether.'"

In 1949 a teacher from Spain, Angelia Ruiz, patents the 1st ebook. She wanted to decrease the number of books her kids brought to school.  

In Star Trek, The Original Series and even The Next Generation, Capt Kirk and Capt Picard each use "ebook" readers - though Kirk's was a bit bulker than Picard's. 

In 1992, Sony launched the Data Discman, an electronic book reader that could read e-books that were stored on CDs. 

The establishment of the E Ink Corp. in 1997 led to the development of electronic paper a technology which allows a display screen to reflect light like ordinary paper without the need for a backlight. The Rocket Ebook is introduced but doesn't gain any popularity. 

In the mid 2000's, Amazon released the "Kindle" a slim, convienent, ebook reader that is affordable to the every day public.  Sony does the same. 

"Read An Ebook Week" was first listed in 2004. The purpose was to educate and inform the public about the pleasures and advantages of reading electronically.

Popular formats include: PDF, EPUB, and HTML. 

Some advantages of having an ebook: 

--All fiction books published prior to 1900 are considered in the public domain and free.
--An ebook can be ordered and downloaded immediately.

--The cost is affordable.

--A single reader can have many books.

--There is a wide variety of ebook readers that are affordable.
--It saves on physical space.

--You can ajust the font and add notes if you want.

CONTEST!!
If you go to: http://www.ebookweek.com/index.html
There are two contests along with a great list of "deals and steals." It's a great place to hang out and enjoy an ebook this week. 

Question for you: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one. Why do you recommend it? The price? The size? The features?  

Do you have any "Deals and Steals" you'd like to share this week? Leave a comment! 


References: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book

Guest Author Series - Author Shirley Kiger Connelly talks about Amazon Kindle Ereader

STEPH: Welcome to to my ebook reader series, Shirley. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

SHIRLEY: I’m not only a writer but an avid reader of just about anything, I think. When I’m not writing books (fiction and nonfiction), or teaching, or moving furniture around, or out with my animals, I’m reading or researching.
My husband and I live on the southern coast of Oregon about two blocks from the harbor.
That’s just a little about me.

STEPH: What ebook reader to you have?

SHIRLEY: I have the Kindle

STEPH: How long have you had it?

SHIRLEY: Got my first Kindle early last year. It strangely went kaput on me, so I called up the ones in charge (somebody over there at Amazon who does Kindle stuff) and told them my Kindle not working. They just said send it back and another was on its way to me, no charge, within days with all the information back on it again. I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

STEPH: What do you like the most about it?

SHIRLEY Oh, wow, let’s see. Probably that I can download a bazillion “samples” of books before I have to make a decision to purchase them. I really love that. (Can I add another reason?) That would be that, with my handy-dandy leather, snap shut case, I can hold it like a book which makes it more comfortable for me, yet it doesn’t take up much room anywhere. So now instead of three or four small books stuffed in my tote or purse, I just stick my Kindle there and I have a lot more than those three or four books to choose to read if my mood changes.


STEPH: What do you like the least about it?

SHIRLEY: Maybe that it’s SOOOOOO easy to purchase something, since it’s immediately THERE, and having to turn on my computer email the next day with the reminder of what I spent the night before.

STEPH: What features are unique to your Kindle?

SHIRLEY: What is unique to me might not be unique at all to someone else. Probably it’s that I can highlight a word that jumps out at me when I’m reading and know it goes in a special “Shirley” file for me to later look at. Or being able to see the definition of a word I don’t often see, and getting a clearer understanding of why it’s been used.

STEPH: Is loading books onto the Kindle easy?

SHIRLEY: I haven’t tried downloading (or is it uploading?) a PDF from over on my computer to my Kindle, although I know it can be done. I just haven’t tried to figure it out yet. But otherwise loading is very, very easy. I also love that my daughter, who can’t yet afford the handheld Kindle could download the Kindle program onto her computer and read whatever she wants right there. That’s so great.

STEPH What are some of the pros to your book reader?

SHIRLEY: Access to books, any books, my favorite books, my favorite authors. Quick access to research material.

STEPH: Was price a factor when you bought it?

SHIRLEY: Price is always a factor for me, but thankfully with Amazon I am in the Prime membership so shipping for me is always free. (Unfortunately it opens up more temptations for me to buy more. That’s the intention isn’t it?)

STEPH: Anything else you'd like to tell us about the Kindle?

SHIRLEY: Well, if you like to color coordinate, you can do so with the skins to protect the outside of your Kindle (all styles and colors) and you can get all kinds of little Kindle holders. Hey ... you can change with what you’re wearing, or to go with your purse, or belt, or shoes, or scarf. It also has that little light you can attach so you can read it in the dark. I’ve also used the audio. I had to laugh when I listened to one of my own books with that. My Southern Belle didn’t sound too much like a French girl from the south, however. And the guy, well, he didn’t sound that romantic. Oh well.

Thanks for being here today, Shirley
Smiles
Steph

Guest Author Series - Author AR Norris talks about the Kindle

STEPH: Hi Amber, can you tell us a little about yourself?

AMBER I live in the beautiful Northern California Wine Country of Napa Valley. Married to a wonderful husband, we have 4 children ranging from 3 to 15 and two canine babies. One very evil cat -- of which the dogs fear -- decided to accept our offer of residency and has tolerated us for about 7 years now. Although I enjoy reading all genres, my writing centers on speculative fiction and science fiction.

STEPH: What kind of Ebook Reader do you have?

AMBER: Is it the Kindle 2 or 3? - I just recieved the Kindle 3G with WiFi for Christmas. (Thank you Hubby and Kids!)
STEPH: Sounds like the Kindle 3.

STEPH: What's the best feature on the kindle you like?

AMBER: I think my favorite feature is the ability to click for more information on the book. It takes you to Amazon and you can look up more information on book, get reader reviews, and find other books by that author. I've been able to easily find other works by my favorite authors that are not found in my brick and mortor store. I'm no longer restricted to what others decide to put on the shelf and can easily get opinions from others readers.

STEPH: How many books are on your Kindle?

AMBER: I've only had it since Christmas so my collection is still rather small. I've only downloaded about 35 books so far. I've spent the time to create collections so they're separated by genre. This makes it easy to find the book I want based on the mood I'm in.

STEPH: Where do you buy books from - just Amazon or other places?

AMBER: I've bought books through Amazon's Kindle Store and B&N so far, because it's easiest. I'm starting to branch out to other publisher sites now.

STEPH: Do you have a program like Calibre to help you convert & load books?

AMBER: No, I haven't needed to convert anything. So far the few that I've downloaded away from Amazon, I've been able to save to my PC, plug in Kindle's USB and upload it directly. Super easy to do and no converting needed.

STEPH: Any cons or something you don't care for with your Kindle?


AMBER: The only thing I've found I don't like is it doesn't have a reading lamp. So in the evening I still have to turn on my nightstand lamp. I'm going to look for a book light in the next month or two, if Kindle doesn't have an accessory. I would also like it in color, but it's so much like a page in a regular book that I don't miss it as much as I thought I might.
STEPH: Now, I'm not so sure, my husband has a reading light the Kindle 3.

STEPH:Tell us about your upcoming project.

AMBER: I can't wait until debut novel, Duty and Devotion, comes out in ebook format. It's a SFR set about 700 year in the future. The two main characters are sisters from the now ice covered planet of Earth. They are drafted into the first war in several hundred years. No one really knows what to expect, not even the current militia, which is run more as a galactic monitoring system. The story takes us through their training and the very different paths they each go down. Nettie, the older one becomes a space fighter pilot while the younger is training to become a ground combat soldier.

When battle starts, both sisters find out what it really means to live in a time of war and fight for freedom. Nettie's pain and loss close her heart to anything but her duty, but Officer James Northman is focused on opening her heart again to see the happiness even in chaotic times. Rinny finds love and devotion right off the bat in Danny Gubvre, but learns war is a fickle beast when it rips it away as she's captured by the enemy. Now she's fighting to keep her home free, return home herself, and just maybe find her lost love.

Duty and Devotion will be released by Desert Breeze Publishing June 15th.

STEPH: Any thoughts on Ebook Readers in general?

AMBER: Overall it is an amazing step into the future. As a SF writer, I can only see good things from this technology finally hitting the main stream. Whereas paperbacks brought literacy to the masses, ebooks will ensure they stay that way. It really has brought the written story to the electric age and put it back on the same playing field as movies. It's so exciting to see the new buzz from kids and young adults refinding the joy of reading.

Thanks for being here today.
Smiles
Steph

Wednesday Scoop from the Publishing World

Isn't that a cute picture? A Kindle and a iPad making friends? *grin*

I just want to say thank you to everyone who supported me on my recent blog tours. In July, I went on a blog for my novel, 'Destination: Berlin,' then in August I went on a blog tour for "The Giving Meadow." I enjoyed the tours very much, but I am a bit pooped. *grin* so I'm going to take a break and try to get back to my own blog schedule. I hope to get out a little bit on some of my other blogs I'm affliated with and I'll post those dates on the side bar as they come up.

Wednesday's here is always scoop from the publishing world and I usually take a look at Publisher's Weekly since they have the most recent and update info. This is a link to them: http://www.publishersweekly.com

SONY UPDATES IT'S EREADERS:
The rumors earlier this month were spot on. Sony is indeed releasing a redesigned and upgraded suite of its three digital readers—the 5”screen Pocket Edition; 6” screen Touch Edition and 7”screen Daily Edition—offering full optical touch screen functionality, nonglare black & white e-ink display along with reduced size and weight. The new devices are not only stylish—they come in silver, black and pink aluminum skins—but also offer stepped up power, crisp page-turning and increased storage capacity. Only one model, the top of the line Daily Edition, offers 3G/wireless. The Pocket and Touch Editions will be available beginning today; the Daily Edition in November.


Daily Edition
Despite the frenzy to cut prices in the digital reader marketplace, Sony seems determined not to go down that road. The Pocket Edition, with USB cable file transfer, is $179; the Touch Edition, also with USB cable file transfer and expandable storage, is $229; and the Daily Edition will sell for $299. Despite lowering its prices earlier in the summer, Sony has effectively returned the devices to their former, higher price points. It will be interesting to see if these prices hold in a market full of devices selling for significantly less. By the holiday shopping season it’s likely that there will be full color backlit LCD reading devices selling for $99 and the price of the b&w Kobo Reader, formerly $150, has now been lowered to $99.

STEPH'S THOUGHTS: I like Sony's new look. The Daily Edition which is compatable to the Kindle 3G is $100.00 more than the Kindle. Only time will tell if not lowering the price will work. Interesting Note: Sony is one of the rare EBook readers you can find in stores. I've seen them in Toys R US, Best Buy, and other techie places.

RUMOR MILL: The Kindle is supposed to be going into a certain few stores soon, Target is one I believe but I don't know if they are in stores yet.

Personally speaking, the more ebook readers in brick and motar stores the better. It helps to get the work out.


JUNE EBOOK SALES UP 119%!!
Electronic books continue to show explosive growth in the Association of American Publishers Monthly Sales report. The AAP reports that June 2010 gross e-books sales were $29.9 million, an increase of 118.9% over the $13.7 million in sales reported for the same period in 2009. Gross e-book sales for the first six months of calendar year 2010 are $180 million, a 203.8% increase in sales over the $59.2 million sales reported for the same calendar year date in 2009.

STEPH's THOUGHTS: Ebooks are the wave of the future and continue to grow. These figures are encouraging!


BORDERS LAUNCHES A PAID LOYALITY PROGRAM:
Borders is unveiling a customer rewards program called Borders Rewards Plus through which customers, for a $20 annual fee, can get discounts on merchanside and free shipping on most online orders. The new program is in addition to a free members program. B&N charges customers a fee to belong to its members program.

To entice customers to participate in the new program, which will become available on September 1, Borders is offering Borders Rewards Plus members the opportunity to earn "Borders Bucks" more quickly through September 6. As Borders explained: typically, members earn $5 in Borders Bucks for every $150 they spend annually, but during this period, Borders will double the spend to bring the member closer to the $150 threshold faster."

In addition to receiving discounts and free shipping, Borders Loyalty Plus members will also receive 40% off the list price of hardcovers (while members of the free loyalty program receive 30%).

STEPH'S THOUGHTS: Borders has been struggling for years and I think a loyality program is good, but to pay $20? Are the incentives worth it? I think what will save Borders is for them to embrace Kobo and the sales offered through ebooks.


THE KINDLE 3
he Kindle 3 is the best e-reading device currently available; arguably, the iPad blows any single-purpose device out of the water, but that’s a topic for another article, and if you prefer and E-Ink screen to the iPad’s LCD, the Kindle 3 is far and away the best device you can get. It’s been thoughtfully redesigned with small but meaningful updates on the design and functionality of the Kindle 2, which, while they don’t amount to a big change in how the Kindle works or what it does, they do make the Kindle 3 easier and more fun to use.

The most noticeable improvement is the much sharper screen: it has a whiter tint than the screen on the Kindle 2, and the text is considerably crisper. It’s similar to the difference between the display on the iPhone 3Gs and the “Retina” display on the iPhone 4: even if you didn’t mind your old display, this new screen is so much better that it makes you think your old Kindle screen was comparatively grainy, so Amazon solved a problem you didn’t know you had.

Next, the Kindle 3 is a lot faster, than the Kindle 2. Page turns no longer have that little lag; they happen, if not almost instantly, in about the time it takes to turn an actual paper page. The new Kindle spends less time “thinking” in general, from opening and closing books, entering and moving around the Kindle store, to waking and sleeping. Again, the old Kindle wasn’t that slow, but this one is faster than any other e-reader out there.

Amazon also made a bunch of improvements to the body and physical mechanics of the device. First off, the Kindle is a good deal smaller--it’s somewhere between the length and width of a mass market and trade paperback, and about as thick as a pencil. It’s noticeably lighter, too. Best of all, the buttons are all much more satisfying to press. The page turn buttons--which are now smaller and mirrored on the left and right of the screen (no more big home button on the right side--it’s been moved down into the keyboard)--are nice and springy. You can actually blackberry-type on the keyboard, which is a huge improvement. Instead of the weird little joystick that’s on the Kindle 2, you’ve got an embedded directional control with a big “select” button in the middle which is perhaps a bit too sensitive. The new graphite body of the Kindle also has a satisfying, vaguely gripy back. The on/off slider is also now on the bottom of the device, which is confusing if you’re used to looking for it on the top, as on the Kindle 2.

The other cool thing Amazon’s come up with is a branded case with a built-in book light that slides out of the upper right corner. It’s powered by the Kindle’s rechargeable battery, so only turns on when the Kindle is in the case and switched on. The case costs a hefty $59, but it’s cool.

As far as the downsides, you are, of course, still locked into Amazon’s store, but that’s not going to change--Amazon, at its core, isn’t a hardware manufacturer, it’s a company that innovates retail. Neverminding it’s nice features, the Kindle is, finally, a portable gateway into Amazon’s store. The Kindle is also an E-Ink device, and all it does it display text; some users may be comforted by that limited functionality, others frustrated. Apple is likely to introduce a smaller iPad soon, which may push E-Ink, and dedicated readers, toward the background. We’ll see.

But this is the best E-Ink device you can get right now. The changes and updates, while very cool, might not, however, justify scrapping your Kindle 2 in exchange for a Kindle 3--they’re still pretty similar. Maybe wait for the Kindle 4, which is rumored to have a feature that will let you read books that, as of today, haven’t even been written.

STEPH'S THOUGHTS: My husband ordered the Kindle 3. Can't wait to see it as I LOVE my Kindle !

I welcome your thoughts, comments and opinions on the publishing world.
Smiles
Steph

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

Kindles for Christmas

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Santa brought you a couple of items on your list. He brought me a Kindle. Hehe. Now I can stock up on some ebooks.

The Pros of my Kindle:
I can have a ton of books on it and it doesn't take up too much space.
I can take it to work and read. It's convientent to carry.
For those ebooks brought through Amazon, I can adjust the font as needed.
My books I bought for my Iphone app were in my account.
I can directly upload PDF Files to the Kindle.
The price of the books are very affordable.

The Cons of my Kindle:
I can directly upload PDF Files to my Kindle. The downside being is the font on the PDF is what you get and it's quite small. I can adjust the screen to make the font bigger but then I'm reading it on the side and it's a bit disconcerting.

The best way to read is to buy through Amazon. Not that I don't mind. The price is affordable and I can find just about anything I want on it.

Anyone else want to share their thoughts on Kindles, Ebook readers, and ebooks? I'd love to hear them.

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Well, 2009 is winding down and it's been a good year. I can't complain. 4RV Publishing has a children's book it's going to put out and I have two books contracted through Desert Breeze, paranormal romances. I did NaNoWriMo and hit over 50K words in a month (a miracle considering my schedule!)

I hope to have a productive new year. My goals include finishing my NaNoWriMo novel, finishing a historical fiction about Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, becoming a Wild Rose author, Finishing Twilight over Moldavia. And you can always find me on Writing.com as StephB.

*******

My kids had a great Christmas. My son, Andrew, said the best part was opening gifts. Haha!! Joe's favorite gift was a SuperWhy Computer. Andrew's was the Super Mario Brothers Wii game, but he also liked the Indiana Jones DS game. Both boys loved baking cookies with me, but Joe was pretty messy about it. haha!!


*****

Today's agent tip: Keep that query letter to one page. Agents get a ton of queries a week and they don't want to read past a page. Remember to add any writing credits you might have to the letter.

***

Stay tune in 2010 for updates to my writing, the publishing world, and ebooks.

Smiles
Steph

A look at Ebook Readers

Well, I don't have an ebook reader - at least not yet, but ebooks are gaining in popularity and ebook reader's are a must. The most I hear about is the Kindle. Here's the stats on the new Kindle from the Kindle home page:

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle; no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

International Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries.

Paper-Like Display: Reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight

Carry Your Library: Holds up to 1,500 books

Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging

Of course, there are more features, I'm being brief here. I like all these features and more. The new Kindle is weighing in at $259. So....is it worth it?

*******

I have a Kindle app for the IPhone and in fact, I read Rita's Hestand, "Runaway Bride" off my Kindle app. I liked the conviencence (sp) of it. Since I take my phone everywhere, my book went with me. And it opened up at the touch of a button. I bought it at the touch of a button and it's hooked up to my Amazon account. There wasn't too much glare and the font was easy on my easy.

Who says I need an ebook reader, right?

*********

Then there's the Sony Ebook reader. They have a touch edition and the cost is only $199. The screen is 6" and it has access to Google books. It is compable with many ebook stores and has 5 different sizes for text. There's a 2 week battery with audio/picture player and the memory can be expanded.

I like this too. So it doesn't have access to Amazon's library. That is probably the only set back.

*******

Then I found the Barnes & Noble Nook. It's not available yet. Maybe Christmas? I wasn't sure. It has lots of features comparable to the other readers and access to the Barnes & Noble ebook library. It's got a touch screen and the battery will last 10 w/o wireless. Mind you, wireless sucks the life out of batteries, trust me on this.

Here's a link to the top 10 ebook readers - mind you this link is PRICEY and quite honestly, I don't want to spend over $250 for my ebook reader.

http://ebook-reader-review.toptenreviews.com/

Ebook readers shout out. What ebook reader do you have? What's the TOP 3 features you LIKE about it. What did you think of the price. Do you find having access to Amazon, Google Books or B&N convientent or a deciding factor in your decision to get one? Love to hear your thoughts.

Steph