The Mall of America is celebrating their 25th year of operation with a unique proposition for indie authors, they want to hire a writer to be in residence for five days, to write about a week in the life of the nation’s largest mall.The writer who wins the contest will be flown in and will receive four nights at a nearby hotel and given a $400 gift card for food and drink. … [Read more...] about Mall of America is looking for a Writer in Residence
Archives for February 2017
Cisco Engineer Develops an E Ink Name Tag
E Ink is best known for the e-paper displays on the Amazon Kindle, but the company also has their hands in many cookie jars. They have a series of official partners who develop screens for cosmetics, bus signs and art galleries. Sometimes people purchase development kits through the new e Ink e-commerce shop and do some fairly amazing things, that could possibly birth an … [Read more...] about Cisco Engineer Develops an E Ink Name Tag
Arkansas is going to tax audiobooks and e-books
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee in Arkansas is going to end the tax exemption of audiobooks and e-books. This will drive up the costs for people who buy e-books from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo.Some legislators said the change could be unfair to college students who buy textbooks online and that the taxes should have a "sunset" clause.In response to this … [Read more...] about Arkansas is going to tax audiobooks and e-books
Simon & Schuster Dumps Milo Yiannopoulos Book
It's a tough day to be a jerk, as Milo Yiannopoulos is still learning. The self-styled "provocateur"--which is polite speak for arrogant, flippant, sub-bridge dwelling troll--has lost both his book deal and his high-dollar CPAC speaking engagement in the course of a single day. His alleged crime? A video has surfaced which purports to show him advocating for legalization of … [Read more...] about Simon & Schuster Dumps Milo Yiannopoulos Book
Amazon lowers the price of free shipping
One year ago Amazon raised the total order price of free shipping from $35 to $49. It seems as though the company has reversed this decision a few days ago and you once again have to pay the old price from all product categories. Orders including $25 or more of eligible books also qualify for FREE Shipping. With free shipping, your order will be delivered 5–8 business days … [Read more...] about Amazon lowers the price of free shipping
Does KDP Paperback Publishing Really Solve Anything?
Never one to be a naysayer, we at GoodEReader ordinarily go fan-girl level crazy over a new startup that innovates anything to do with digital publishing. But a new beta program from Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing seems to solve a problem that no one has.Until now, authors who wished to create an ebook for sale on Amazon went through a fairly straightforward upload … [Read more...] about Does KDP Paperback Publishing Really Solve Anything?
Are Your Favorite Characters Taking Over Your Life?
To rephrase a line from the really fun comedy The Truth about Cats and Dogs, "You can love books, just don't loooooove books." Unfortunately, a new survey has found that for many fiction readers, their favorite characters are stepping out of the pages and into their daily lives. Before you have to wonder if Christian Grey has invaded more than a few bedrooms, never fear, it's … [Read more...] about Are Your Favorite Characters Taking Over Your Life?
The Next Big Library Read from Overdrive is a Cookbook
A few times a year Overdrive orchestrates a program where libraries can loan out an e-book with an unlimited number of loans. It was designed to introduce new patrons to the digital catalog and to bypass the wait list  This year, the Big Library Read is a cookbook entitled "Art of the Pie," which is heralded as one of the most popular bakery books of 2016.Participating … [Read more...] about The Next Big Library Read from Overdrive is a Cookbook
Samsung is developing an e-Ink Display
Samsung has just been granted a patent by the Korean Intellectual Property Office, for an e-ink accessory for an upcoming smartphone. It is very likely that this screen will display a series of widgets and not be true screen mirroring. You can expect it to display missed calls, the weather, time and photographs.Samsung will be debuting a new smartphone in the next few … [Read more...] about Samsung is developing an e-Ink Display
Audiobook Publishers Association Launches Blogger of the Year
Today the Audio Publishers Association is announcing the 3rd annual Audiobook Blogger of the Year Contest. The contest opens today, and bloggers who are based in the United States have until March 16th to enter. This year’s winner will receive two tickets to the 2017 Audie Awards Gala in New York City (valued at $700), recognition of their award at the Gala, and a $200 cash … [Read more...] about Audiobook Publishers Association Launches Blogger of the Year
You can now listen to audiobooks on your Apple Watch and Android Wear
Audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in digital publishing and audiobooks.com is at the forefront of integrating their extensive library of titles in nonconventional ways. The company offers streaming capabilities on tvOS, Sonos, CarPlay, Android Auto, and select infotainment systems in GM, Land Rover and Jaguar. Today, audiobooks.com has just introduced full support for … [Read more...] about You can now listen to audiobooks on your Apple Watch and Android Wear
New Author Services Startups Focus on Speed
A day in the life of a traditional publishing deal...According to one author, her manuscript was submitted to various agents between January and April of 2010. There were a few nibbles from people who wanted to see "fulls," or agents who requested the entire manuscript. In August of 2010, it had been greenlighted with a major publisher following its win in a writing … [Read more...] about New Author Services Startups Focus on Speed
One Wattpad Story Has 282 YEARS’ Worth of Reads
Indie authors have long had a phenomenal tool that helped them reach readers and build a following. Wattpad, the free reading and writing platform, has provided both authors and book fans with an abundance of content and an instant audience. As one of the world's largest platforms of its kind, Wattpad has truly changed the game in terms of connecting readers to writers.The … [Read more...] about One Wattpad Story Has 282 YEARS’ Worth of Reads
Is Crowdfunding Your Book Worth It?
There's little doubt that crowdfunding has reshaped the way we function as a society. A study last year from the University of Pennsylvania found the popular site Kickstarter has had economic impact in the billions of dollars, and created more than 300,000 jobs since it launched. Competitor sites like TeeChip and IndieGogo surely have similar functionality, even if the sheer … [Read more...] about Is Crowdfunding Your Book Worth It?