FULL DISCLOSURE: I was a classroom teacher for almost twenty years, the last seven of which were spent using a classroom set of Kindle e-readers. My classroom had more than 200 ebooks for the students to choose from, and it was a nightmare trying to make that innovation work.But nightmares no more! Amazon has released an update for its Whispercast feature that will make … [Read more...] about Amazon’s Whispercast Update Meets the Needs of K12 Classrooms
E-Book News
What Happens when a Book Publisher Doesn’t Pay Royalties?
There is a growing cadre of publishers that have been not paying authors their royalties. There are many lawsuits currently in the works that seek to get compensation, but its a long and dark road.Hesperus Press has been ordered by a British High Court to stop selling digital and print copies of Jonas Jonasson’s smash-hit novel The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the … [Read more...] about What Happens when a Book Publisher Doesn’t Pay Royalties?
Racy Cover Lands Author in Court over Theft of Image
It's always a good thing when Gronkerotica makes national headlines since it serves to remind the rest of us that yes, there are steamy books available that offer fun word play on terms and phrases like "tight end" and "the receiver was wide open." The fact that the title character (spoiler alert) doesn't get to have sex in the erotica title he stars in is unimportant to this … [Read more...] about Racy Cover Lands Author in Court over Theft of Image
Want to Win an Election? Write an eBook
When President Obama defeated Mitt Romney to win the 2012 election, ebook innovator Vook had two books standing at the ready. One was entitled Why Obama Lost, and the other was Why Romney Lost. Not very imaginative titles, to be sure, but that wasn't the point. The purpose of the books was to have a product to distribute to readers the moment the election results were in. It … [Read more...] about Want to Win an Election? Write an eBook
Self-Publish Your e-Books in Germany via Tolino
There once was a dream in Germany that local businesses could band together to combat the Amazon threat. The Seattle company controls 75% of the digital book market in the US and 95% in the United Kingdom. Germans did not want a foreign company to have that much clout and the dream was realized.Weltbild, Hugendubel, Bertelsmann Club, Deutsche Telekom and Thalia all formed a … [Read more...] about Self-Publish Your e-Books in Germany via Tolino
The Author Bullying Saga Just Got Real
Authors have existed pretty much since the dawn of the written word and, without a doubt, someone became a critic shortly after that. Unfortunately, whether the opinion of the critic is harsh or complimentary, someone will most likely take issue with it.Author and reviewer "bullying" has taken on a life of its own in the past few years, and it's led to some pretty crazy … [Read more...] about The Author Bullying Saga Just Got Real
Kobo to Exclusively Publish Jian Ghomeshi e-book
Kobo has picked up the exclusive digital publishing rights to the upcoming title, Jian Ghomeshi – Secret Life. The book will reveal details and background info about the superstar radio interviewer, his tell-tale past and how his actions conspired to getting fired from his post at CBC Radio One.Jian had a spectacular fall from grace, amidst heavy controversy on his personal … [Read more...] about Kobo to Exclusively Publish Jian Ghomeshi e-book
Custom Dictionaries for e-books is Starting to Catch on
Fantasy and science-fiction e-books are typically filled with verbiage that normal dictionary is unable to handle. The Song of Fire and Neuromancer are rife with people, places and things that don't exist in the real world and there is now a definitive solution, custom dictionaries via The Fictionary.The Fictionary is a new service that bundles custom dictionaries on … [Read more...] about Custom Dictionaries for e-books is Starting to Catch on
Is the Scholastic Storia Streaming e-book Platform Viable?
There has been a sudden influx of e-book subscription services that allow you to read as much as you want, for a low monthly price. Adults have been gravitating towards Entittle, Kindle Unlimited, Oyster and Scribd. When it comes to our kids though, there are scant options, aside from Amazon Freetime Unlimited. Is there room in the market for a major player to target … [Read more...] about Is the Scholastic Storia Streaming e-book Platform Viable?
BookShout Partners with Cheerios for Free e-books
Bookshout has a novel business model, partner up with established companies to give away free e-books. The company has just ironed out a new literacy campaign with Cheerios to give away free titles from Karma Wilson, Frank Asch, Andrew Clement, Ashley Wolff, John Lithgow and Lenore and Daniel Jenneweinarma Wilson, Frank Asch, Andrew Clement, Ashley Wolff, John Lithgow and … [Read more...] about BookShout Partners with Cheerios for Free e-books
New Kindle Direct Publishing Dashboard to Help Indie Authors
Amazon is famous for surprising its authors with new features, new offers, and newly revamped designs, all while keeping quiet about it. Past moves have included adding whole new sales territories in foreign countries, and only revealing to authors that their books were available in Mexico, for example, when they found the country listed on their sales dashboards. It's akin to … [Read more...] about New Kindle Direct Publishing Dashboard to Help Indie Authors
Reese Witherspoon to Narrate Go Set a Watchman Audiobook
Oscar winning actress Reese Witherspoon has committed herself to narrating the upcoming Harper Lee audiobook, Go Set a Watchman.“As a Southerner, it is an honor and a privilege to give voice to the Southern characters who inspired by childhood love of reading, Scout and Atticus Finch,” said Witherspoon, who won the best actress Oscar for the role of June Carter in the … [Read more...] about Reese Witherspoon to Narrate Go Set a Watchman Audiobook
When Will Publishers Learn? Direct to Consumer Doesn’t Work
We're going to go out on a limb here and make a sweeping prediction, one that hopefully will be ridiculed in fifty years: consumers do not buy books directly from the publisher. Why not? Because in most cases, they don't know who the publisher is. In even more dire news for publishers, consumers also don't care who the publisher is.That truth hasn't stopped Penguin Random … [Read more...] about When Will Publishers Learn? Direct to Consumer Doesn’t Work