Jan 11 2012
Wednesday Links and Deals: Amazon creates a special site for iPads; AAR Is Providing Guidance to Publishing Agents
News
Amazon created an Ipad optimized site because Apple made Amazon remove the buy links. If you have an Ipad, this is the way you want to browse the Amazon Bookstore. Here is the link (www.amazon.com/iPadKindleStore.)
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Random House acquired Canada’s major book publisher McClelland & Stewart. I’m not familiar with M&S, but the acquisition has been labeled the death of Canadian publishing. M&S had previously received a government loan:
As reported in The Globe & Mail today: “Before announcing the transaction, Random Canada quietly approached the office of Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages James Moore to seek an exemption from long-established provisions of the Investment Canada Act, which specifically outlaw such takeovers. The company reported that Mr. Moore granted the approval ‘on the basis of the commitments we made that demonstrated that this investment is likely to be of net benefit to Canada.’”
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AAR, an association for agents (although not a professional regulatory agency), has advised agents on publishing (reg requ’d). I think the advice they are giving is a bit contradictory:
As the canon already states in broad fashion, “members shall not represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction.”the same transaction.” …
Other areas remain wide open, however. The canon already acknowledges that, subject to a client’s approval, agents can “pass along charges incurred on the client’s behalf.” The e-mail acknowledges that these new publishing models might involve upfront fees for publishing services and notes “the agent and client might wish to restructure the compensation paid to the agent for the agent’s services in this realm…. The issue of how an agent is compensated for services remains a private one between the agent and the client.” As DeFiore underscores, “the canon always allowed for agent-members to be compensated by their clients in any way that is mutually agreeable–as long as there is no conflict of interest and no kind of payment from the buyer.”
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Deals
Coupons:
No one seems to mind the coupons. I’ll try to change them up even though some coupons last several weeks.
- The Kobodollar off still works. Use Code “KOBODOLLAROFF“
- BN: 30% off Moleskine - Use B4V9E4U
- BN: 50% Off Your Entire Purchase of Activity Books & Kits 0 - Use D9K8X7Y
Deals:
I use Amazon to search for the deals and there is facebook share button built in so I’m “sharing” the deals as I find them on the Dear Author facebook page. I’ll collate the deals in posts here at DA, but if you want to see them as I find them, you can “like” the DA Facebook page and I believe those postings will show up in your timeline.
- The Witness by Dee Henderson * $0 * A | BN | K
- Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden * $0 * A | BN | K
- Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason * $0 * A | BN | K
- The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister * $0 * A | BN | K
- Maid for the Billionaire by Ruth Cardello * $0 * A | BN | K * This had over 180 reviews. Average of 4.5 stars.
- Blood WIll Tell by Samantha Young * $0 * A | * This has 23 5 star reviews. They could all be bogus. But it’s free
- Love Is in the Heir by Kathryn Caskie * $0.99 * A | BN | K
- The Bachelor by Carly Phillips * $1.99 * A | BN | K
- Red Hot New Year by Diana Mercury * $1.99 * A | BN | K
- A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore * $1.99 * A | BN | K
- Next to Die by Marliss Melton * $1.99 * A | BN | K
- Warlord with Bonus Material by Ted Bell * $1.99 * A | BN | K
- Brazen by Carly Phillips * $2.7 * A | BN | K
- Curiosity Killed The Catsitter by Blaize Clement * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- In Close by Brenda Novak * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- The Black Prism by Brent Weeks * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- A Taint in the Blood by Dana Stabenow * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- The King’s Coat by Dewey Lambdin * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- The Heroes by Joe Ambercrombie * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- True Colors by Kristin Hannah * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- Heartbeat Away by Michael Palmer * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- Foxy Roxy by Nancy Martin * $2.99 * A | BN | K
- Twin Fantasies by Opal Carew * $2.99 * A | BN | K
Send to Kindle
Jan 11, 2012 @ 11:22:48
OK, my brain is so not working today. Can someone translate the AAR goobleygook or is that the point?
Jan 11, 2012 @ 11:36:09
It is contradictory. Looks like the AAR sees changes coming in the future. This statement from them is most likely a gentle way to begin implementing new guidelines that will cover areas and situations that wouldn’t have come up in the past. In other words, they are covering their asses and taking the offense instead of the defensive. The fact that none of this is ever mentioned on literary agent blogs isn’t an accident. They can be a crafty group of people. And I’m not completely sure it’s a negative thing…not yet anyway. It just means authors will have to step up their game and learn to protect their own interests.
Jan 11, 2012 @ 11:50:42
*Urh-durh* moment of the day: DA has a FB page?
Jan 11, 2012 @ 12:47:07
@anon:
Funny. I thought that’s what agents were for.
So…are agents the new vanity press?
Jan 11, 2012 @ 13:22:37
Just so you know the Samantha Young book isn’t coming up on BN (electronic version).
Jan 11, 2012 @ 14:10:10
@Helen: In looking at her website it appears her stuff is only available through Amazon.
Jan 11, 2012 @ 15:19:51
@Moriah Jovan: “So…are agents the new vanity press?”
I think it goes far beyond “vanity publishing”, in a much more problematic way, although vanity publishing is an element. Very reputable agents are adding clauses to their contracts that do things such as give the agent automatic right to publish the represented author’s work if they have “not been able to find a suitable contract elsewhere”, with a contracted percentage to go to the agent. These clauses are being added to the initial contract for representation. Anyone signing a new agent contract these days needs to be very very careful and give a lot of thought to what they want to sign away.
Jan 11, 2012 @ 21:15:05
@Moriah Jovan: I think there are agents who put their own interest above their client’s, and therefore, if you work with such agents, you really have to be careful that you don’t get screwed over by your own agent.
A lot of writers are usually too happy to get an offer of representation to review agency agreements carefully.
Jan 11, 2012 @ 21:16:31
@anon: I’m not surprised. A lot of agents are pubbing their clients. Why would they talk about this letter?
B
Jan 14, 2012 @ 08:37:45
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