Feb 9 2011
Wednesday Midday Links: Classic nook for $79
The classic nook, refurbished, is on sale today only for $79 at 1 Sale a Day. I’ve never purchased from them and I can’t vouch for the service. I’m not a fan of the classic nook. I think that it’s touchscreen + eink screen is confusing and I’ve heard reports that the buttons break easily. That said, it is the cheapest eink with wifi out there. Via eBooknewser.
****
Internet friend, Nate the Great is a new contributor to eBooknewser, a division of MediaBistro. Nate is a very knowledgeable, pro consumer guy and it’s exciting to see him get an even greater platform than his already wonderful blog, the Digital Reader.
****
You know how traditional publishing moves slower than the sands of time on a soap opera? Simon & Schuster is launching a social media site aimed at chic lit readers. True, it is in the UK and maybe chick lit is selling like hotcakes over there.
****
Self publishing phenom, Amanda Hocking, will make her top 50 USA Today besteller list debut with three novels: Switched, Torn and Ascend. All told, Hocking sold over 450,000 copies of her nine self published books in January.
More astounding: This January she sold more than 450,000 copies of her nine titles. More than 99% were e-books.
****
According to this article, HarperCollins may cease production of CD audiobooks altogether.
In a move that may indicate a major shift in format, HarperCollins is only publishing two out of its 150 spring audio titles on CD. The rest will be available as digital downloads.
A spokesperson for Harper says that they are not discontinuing the CD format and may decide later to publish a few more titles on CD. However, the move is being interpreted as a sign of things to come.
*****
Bloomsbury has announced a company wide initiative to acquire world rights whenever possible.
"We want world rights where ever possible," Charkin said, adding at a minimum Bloomsbury expects to acquire all English-language, German and Arabic rights. And, Charkin noted, Bloomsbury won't do a deal that doesn't include digital rights. He said the number of titles released in the U.S. annualy could rise as books acquired in other regions are released in the States. In addition to the global reach of Amazon, Apple and Google in digital distribution, agents and printers have also expanded internationally, Charkin said, making it imperative for publishers to keep up.
*****
In piracy news, Astatalk has deleted its fiction downloading board:
Posting of Fiction related Releases (downloads) is strictly forbidden because in most cases it turns to the problems for copyright owners.
ANYONE who creates fiction related releases/requests Will Be Banned
Thank you for understanding
FYI: you can’t ask for links to other sites and no discussion about other sites and etc. Also posting INFO that privately releases books is also banned
PS. WE CAN FIND OUT WHAT YOU PM TO EACH OTHER…..
PS. AGAIN I am not responsible for this mayhem..I only posted this WARNING for your own good
My guess is that Astatalk was talked to by the FBI as there have been reports of increased scrutiny by the government directed toward sites were there is commonly known downloading of copyrighted material.
Send to Kindle
Feb 09, 2011 @ 13:08:57
I really can’t speak to the chick lit market in the UK at all. But I did just buy a book called “From Notting Hill with Love Actually”, published by Sphere.
The thought of publishers ceasing to release cd audiobooks is quite depressing for this librarian.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 13:15:21
I’ve bought from 1SaleADay several times without a problem. I’d recommend them as a whole.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 13:26:26
RE: Astatalk, I know of at least one author who’s been very aggressive and public in her process to take that site down in the last couple of months, building up a case with the FBI, amongst other things. I guess she’ll be elated.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 13:55:37
I live in London and it’s almost impossible to get an American-style romance in bookstores here unless it was written by Julia Quinn or Nora. My libraries have a small section, but for the most part it’s all chick lit, which, confusingly, is called romantic fiction. The British version of the RWA is called the Romantic Novelists’ Association, but most of the books I’ve seen of theirs seem to be more what I’d think of as chick lit as opposed to a romance novel.
@KatrinaLatham
Feb 09, 2011 @ 14:23:04
Production of CD audiobooks, but not audiobooks entirely, right? I hope they don’t ditch the audio format entirely.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 15:48:03
FWIW, I love my classic nook and have been using it almost daily for a year now with no problems. I have no issues with the combo touch screen bottom/e-ink top (maybe you just need to get used to it?). I still think if I had to buy one right now I’d get it again. So for $79 it seems like a steal, assuming the refurbished nooks are in good shape.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 16:14:07
Thanks for the info on the nook buy! I bought one for my mother. She’s wanted one for a while but did not want to spend over 100.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 16:34:49
The HarperCollins article, is there a non-instapaper link for that?
Feb 09, 2011 @ 17:12:41
I chanced on Ms. Hocking’s blog and she seemed so genuine and unassuming that I ended up buying a couple of her books on Kindle. I’m not a frenzied fan, but they are readable. I’m recommending them to a friend for her teen granddaughter who thankfully seems to have gotten over Twilight, but still likes fantasy.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 17:16:15
Gah, why the nook hate? I love my classic nook as well, and have been using it daily since September without a problem. Buttons are fine?
Feb 09, 2011 @ 18:34:00
So is the Bloomsbury news a move toward eleminating geographic restrictions? If they owned world English language rights, they could sell anywhere?
Feb 09, 2011 @ 19:39:40
I purchased two classic Nooks, refurbished, in October and have loved them. The page buttons have not cracked, but I make a point of swiping the touch screen to avoid this known weakness.
For anyone considering a purchase, B&N gave the same one-year warranty on these units as they do on the new ones. I’m not familiar with 1 Sale a Day, but you should be able to check the details on-line.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 20:03:37
@MaryK I think that is what that means.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 20:03:49
@De Sorry about that. I changed the link.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 21:00:40
@Phoebe I don’t hate all nooks but I don’t like the classic nook. I think the nook color is great for those who want a color reader.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 23:25:49
My own personal experience with 1 Day Sale. I bought a supposedly brand new cell phone from them a few years ago for a friend who had lost hers and her birthday was coming up. When I got the cell phone, the box looked worn out. It looked like someone had dropped the cell in the dirt and didn’t even bother to wipe it off. The dirt was on the buttons and in between the spaces. I emailed their customer service about it and they wouldn’t refund me or exchange it. After that I promised myself I’d never buy from them again, even if its a good sale price because I’ll never know what I’ll get.
I have the regular nook and I broke the bottom button on the right side. I didn’t even know I did till one night I tried to turn the page and saw the break mark. Very sad :(
Feb 12, 2011 @ 02:45:03
ACK! missed the nook sale:(
stupid internet was out a couple days and I miss what could have been a great gift for my besty this Valentines *sigh*
Btw, I purchased pearl earrings from 1 Day Sale as Christmas gifts and had a great experience, so I’d buy from them again.
Mar 04, 2011 @ 01:04:18
Awesome about the Astatalk situation. It does frustrate us authors to see that 200 copies of our books sold at our publisher or the third party outlets such as Amazon\Kindle, then see that 9000 copies of the same book were downloaded for free at a share site.