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
Archives for February 2017
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?
Amazon Experienced a 99.4% Increase in Tablet Growth in 2016
Amazon has experienced a tremendous increase in growth with their Fire line of Android tablets. The Seattle company shipped out 11 million units, which is an increase of over 99.4% from 2015. Globally, Amazon tablets are the 3rd most popular devices shipped and accounts for around 7% market share. The massive growth of Fire Tablets cannot be denied, but Amazon has their … [Read more...] about Amazon Experienced a 99.4% Increase in Tablet Growth in 2016
HarperCollins is extending audiobook samples
Audiobooks tend to have previews that can you listen to online and these are designed to give you a taste of the quality of the production and a sense of how the narration is conducted. The average length of a sample is around five minutes, but HarperCollins is looking to extend it. HarperCollins Christian Publishing imprints Thomas Nelson and Zondervan are promoting their … [Read more...] about HarperCollins is extending audiobook samples
There are now 65 million Prime Subscriptions
Amazon Prime is a significant growth driver for revenue for many years and the annual subscription system not only gives users free two day shipping, but a host of other benefits. In a 10-K filing summarizing performance throughout 2016, Amazon did something that it had never done before, they had a designated a category entitled “retail subscription services” that refers, in … [Read more...] about There are now 65 million Prime Subscriptions
The Latest Amazon Kindle and Fire News & Rumors
2017 marks the ten year anniversary of the Amazon Kindle e-Reader and it looks like the company is planning a slew of new devices this year. Here is all of the latest news and rumors surrounding the Amazon Kindle and Fire tablets. Fire 10 inch Amazon seems to be dialing back on their ten inch iPad competitor according to Max Greve at Seeking Alpha. The Fire HD 10 has been … [Read more...] about The Latest Amazon Kindle and Fire News & Rumors
GoodReads Unveils New Rereading Feature
Millions of GoodReads users orchestrate their own reading challenges, whereby they set a book goal for the calendar year. Sometimes you simply want to reread the Harry Potter saga or one of the Divergent books, but in the past they would not count towards your goal. This has all changed with a new BETA ReRead feature that will be rolled out globally in the coming months. … [Read more...] about GoodReads Unveils New Rereading Feature
Samhain Closes: Is Amazon to Blame?
Well-known romance publisher Samhain Publishing sent out a recent email to its authors, informing them that--like so many other mainstays in the past few months--they will be closing their doors. Like others, they cited the decline in book sales coupled with the ever-present struggle to get noticed in a market that is beyond saturated with other great books. Unlike some … [Read more...] about Samhain Closes: Is Amazon to Blame?