As Apple Adds Restrictions to “Apps,” Independent MultiMedia eBook Distributor, Cathedral Rock Publishing, Holds the ...

Apple’s recent announcement that its “App Store” will no longer permit external mechanisms for purchases, such as “buy now” buttons and other external links (as reported by CNN on July 25, 2011), is the latest chapter in a string of moves by market leaders to impose limitations on how merchants can do business. Cathedral Rock Publishing believes it is only a matter of time before at least some merchants get fed up with these prohibitive restrictions and seek out distributors who are more focused on customer needs.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) July 31, 2011

Apple’s recent announcement that its “App Store” will no longer permit external mechanisms for purchases, such as “buy now” buttons and other external links (as reported recently by CNN), is the latest chapter in a string of moves by market leaders to impose limitations on how merchants can do business.

While App Store merchants, including book distributor heavyweight, Amazon, have been quick to comply, independent multimedia eBook distributor, Cathedral Rock Publishing, believes it is only a matter of time before at least some merchants get fed up with these prohibitive restrictions and seek out distributors who are more focused on customer needs rather than lining their pockets.

For more information, go to http://CathedralRockPublishing.com.

“It is somewhat bizarre when you look at the how well the iPad leverages ePub standards, and at the same time, the App Store nullifies those same standards,” says Cathedral Rock Publishing’s co-founder, John David Balla. “This squashing of the iPad’s capabilities by the App Store makes us even more committed to distributing multimedia eBooks without restrictions.”

In fact, Cathedral Rock Publishing’s “Book is the Store” application – not to be confused with an App Store “app” – is designed specifically so that multimedia eBook authors and publishers can fully leverage the capabilities of the iPad and other digital tablets, including providing external links to supplemental content.

“We see the multimedia eBook as much more than just a book,” says Balla. “Potentially it’s a micro-portal or gateway to additional information, products, and services. Services the publisher knows the reader is interested in, by virtue of the fact that the reader has already purchased an eBook dealing with specific subject matter. Whether merchants decide to provide external links for the purpose of selling additional products or services, or just do so free of charge, is entirely up to them. Cathedral Rock subscribes to the ‘disintermediation model’ that removes the middleman whenever possible and allows buyers and sellers to interact more efficiently and cost effectively.”

Over the past few decades, hardware and software companies’ attempts at closed architecture and business models have ultimately failed, in part because the main thrust of the Internet has always been one of an open framework, both technologically and commercially. Still, some market leaders, driven by an appetite for even greater dominance, occasionally stray from what consumers demand, namely more flexible and convenient products and services.

“Cases in point,” explains Balla. “Try to buy a song on your iPad that isn’t from iTunes. You can’t. It just won’t download. Or try to buy an eBook on your Kindle that isn’t from Amazon. Again, you can’t. Not because it can’t be done. Only because both companies force you to buy from them. We don’t think these kinds of restrictions are sustainable in the long run.

“Back in the 80s, we had Wang computers in our office,” continues Balla. “They were totally proprietary computers and now they’re gone. Today we see similar attempts to force people to do things ‘the vendor’s way.’ But people don’t like to be forced to do anything. At least, that’s what we’re betting on.”

In the meantime, Cathedral Rock Publishing continues to offer unrestricted multimedia eBooks to consumers that bypass the App Store entirely, seamlessly downloading directly to the iPad’s bookshelf. Only time will tell if Apple will deny access to non-App Store eBooks. But if the recent restriction on external linking in the App Store is any indicator, consumer demands may be on a collision course with increasingly uncompromising vendors.

For more information, go to http://www.CathedralRockPublishing.com.

# # #

Stephen Smoke
Cathedral Rock Publishing
310-704-8877
Email Information

View the original article here

Tyndale House Launches eBook Publishing Initiative

“The audience for ebooks continues to explode. We’ve watched it grow exponentially,” says Jan Stob, senior fiction acquisitions editor for Tyndale House Publishers, based in Carol Stream, Ill. “It has grown across the board but primarily in fiction. When we look at our top 10 best-selling fiction titles, ebooks have begun to appear on that list, which wasn’t true a year or so ago.”

With Digital First, Tyndale will be able to publish more authors.

“There are a limited amount of physical slots in a warehouse to house books – digital is limitless. We can focus on quality without the confines of quantity. [The ebook format] allows us to be much more agile regarding trends,” says Stob. “A print book can take six to 12 months from finished manuscript to publication, while digital can be much more immediate.”

This isn’t Tyndale’s first foray into electronic publishing, as the house has already converted most of its backlist into ebooks and currently is working on converting its front list. Digital First titles will have the same logo and be sold the same as its other ebook titles. Digital First authors also could see their ebooks become a printed edition if a pre-determined benchmark in sales is reached.

An Ebook Tale
For the authors, electronic books offer certain advantages over print books. “It gives authors the advantage of being first to press. If an author is writing about a hot topic or trend, chances are someone might write on the same topic and launch their title first. Digital is much more agile,” explains Stob. Like us on Facebook

Retail bookstores decide on new inventory based on the author’s previous sales, but ebook authors have the “opportunity to build their readership in digital before they debut in print. Digital is more forgiving that way,” says Stob.

Author Michael Berrier, whose Cash Burn will be released in July by Digital First, says he wanted to write ebooks “because ebooks are becoming the dominant medium of the printed word, and it’s happening fast. … Consumers are demanding access to text electronically for its convenience, speed, and cost-efficiency.”

He predicts more publishers will follow Tyndale’s lead and develop their own line of exclusive ebook titles “because even if the consumer demand for ebooks weren’t the driver, the lower production and distribution costs create an opportunity for publishers to provide more product to their followers in a less risky manner and much more quickly.”

“E-readers are growing in popularity, e-book sales are soaring, and e-publishing appears to be the wave of the future,” says Diana Prusik, author of Delivery, another Digital First title. “I am reminded of a scene in Frank Capra’s classic film ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ where Sam Wainwright offers George Bailey an opportunity to invest in the ground floor of plastics, a venture that soon exceeds even Sam's expectations. I believe e-publishing is heading for similar wild success.”

While e-readers are changing publishing models, Berrier and Prusik say writing ebooks will not be different from writing print books.

“This hasn't changed the way I write, because one thing can't change whether the distribution method is electronic or paper: quality writing about realistic characters struggling against powerful forces will always be the fundamentals of an author's work,” says Berrier, who owns a Kindle. “That can’t change, and it will be what separates the wheat from the chaff in the huge threshing floor that's becoming the ebook marketplace.”

The Ebook Revolution
Sales of fiction ebooks in particular have exploded recently, and Tyndale House plans to be at the forefront of that wave of interest.

“We have invested in an in-house staff that converts files to allow for quality control, and we work hard to stay on the bleeding edge of digital technology by closely studying the trends and marketing opportunities available. As the digital age continues to explode, we’re committed to investing in digital expertise,” says Stob.

Digital First’s initial ebooks include Delivery, Cash Burn, Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman, The Reinvention of Leona Harper by Lynne Gentry and 40 Days without Food: Divine Goodness to a Starving Soul by Russ Masterson. The ebooks will be priced at full retail. Tyndale will promote its Digital First titles similarly to its other ebooks, which is mainly through reviews and online marketing.

“The shelf life on an ebook is endless, whereas a print book often has a shelf life of a couple of years,” says Stob. Tyndale might release more Digital First ebooks in 2011 and will track sales trends to determine 2012 releases.

View the original article here

Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL) Completes eBook Projects for Information Today and Plexus Publishing

Press Release Source: Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc. On Tuesday May 10, 2011, 1:00 pm EDT

FRESH MEADOWS, N.Y., May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL) recently completed eBook projects for Information Today, Inc.c and Plexus Publishing, Inc. DCL provides conversion services and software to publishers, information aggregators, industry, government, libraries and documentation developers. DCL was selected for its expertise in conversions to eBook formats such as EPUB and MOBI.

For Information Today and Plexus, the eBook conversion project was a new experience and was driven in part by the desire to release the eBook format of a New York Times bestseller -- Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City -- in time to coincide with a series it inspired that was produced for HBO by Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter.

John B. Bryans, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher at Information Today and Plexus Publishing, said: "This endeavor allowed us to create 20 key titles in various eBook formats. DCL made it possible for us to get into eBook publishing without increasing staff or asking our current team to take on additional responsibilities." Bryans added, "Like other small and medium-sized publishers, we knew we needed to get into the eBook market, and we feel that this has been a real, credible step. DCL made it hassle-free and offered amazing support. We are excited about the future of electronic publishing and are glad that Unlimited Priorities Corporationc introduced us to DCL."

Mark Gross, DCL President and CEO, commented: "We were happy to hear that Information Today and Plexus are seeing an uptick in sales as a result of their foray into eBooks. It was a pleasure working with these publishers, helping them to understand the process necessary to handle the complexities between publishing to a paper format versus an electronic format."

About Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc.

Founded in 1981, Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc. converts and organizes content to create electronic documents, populate databases and publish on the Web, sustaining long-term strategic relationships with clients preparing for tomorrow's technology. DCL operates with facilities on four continents, providing support services for high-volume data-entry and data processing using its real-time Web-accessible process control software. DCL's services help refine conversion strategy, identify document redundancy, extract metadata and transform legacy and future documents to meet our clients' real needs -- today and in the future. DCL converts from any format to any format, and has processed more than a billion pages.

Contact:
Mark Gross
President and CEO
Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc.
718-357-8700
MarkGross@dclab.com
http://www.dclab.com

This press release was issued through eReleases(R). ?For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

View the original article here

Publishing News: How to improve ebook marginalia - Improving ebook note tools, ask for data and you'll get it, the ABA ...

by Jenn Webb |?@JennWebb |?Comment |?13 May 2011

Tweet

Here are a few highlights from the publishing world. (Note: Some of these stories were published here on Radar throughout the week.)

Is anyone happy with today's ebook note-taking tools? I'm talking about what you get with Kindle, Nook, iBooks, and so on. You can highlight passages and add notes, but that's pretty much where things start and stop.

Think about how limited that is, compared to what you can do in a print book:

Jot notes anywhere you like (e.g. blank pages in the back) to keep track of your overall reaction to the book.Highlight non-contiguous phrases on a page, editing out all the boring bits and spotlighting the author's best points.Draw arrows, circles, and all manner of geometric curlicues, reminding you of how this section here relates to that point over there.Construct simple diagrams (e.g. tree-like structures), if you're the type who likes to think about ideas in terms of hierarchies.Easily review all this stuff by flipping through the pages of a book.

None of that's possible on any mainstream ebook reading system today.

So here are some suggestions, which, incidentally, I think would be perfect for an eager-to-experiment underdog (Kobo, are you listening?). Add a beefed up note-taking system similar to what I describe below and soon, I bet, you'll get more business from serious readers.

It turns out all the publisher hand-wringing of late about Apple not sharing consumer data was largely for naught. In a post on Forbes, Jeff Bercovici pointed out that publisher concerns that consumers wouldn't share their data if given the choice were off base:

As things stand, if you buy a subscription to The New Yorker or Popular Science in the iTunes store, you will get a little dialogue box asking if it's all right if Apple shares some of your personal information with the publisher. Initially, publishers were worried, reasonably enough, that users would overwhelmingly say no. But they don't. In fact, about 50 percent opt in.

And that opt-in statistic isn't the only good news — some magazines also are showing impressive growth in new readers. And it looks like newspapers might be finding common ground as well.

The American Booksellers Association (ABA) announced this week that it would team up with On Demand Books to market On Demand's Espresso Book Machine (EBM) to ABA member bookstores. An announcement post described the machine:

Essentially an ATM for books, the patented EBM and its EspressNet software system links to a vast network of content, enabling the instant distribution of books, on demand, at point of sale. With the push of a button, the technology prints, binds, and trims a bookstore-quality, perfect-bound paperback book, in any language, with a full-color cover, in minutes. It is an environmentally friendly technology since it eliminates shipping, returns, and the pulping of unwanted books.

Big news, but as Mercy Pilkington pointed out in a post for Good eReader, it doesn't come cheap:

The licensing of the software per store is in the neighborhood of $25,000, and although the ten percent discount to ABA member stores will mean a massive savings, it just might not be enough to compete with the other so-called future of publishing, the digital e-reader.

To see exactly how the EBM works, check out this demo video:

Suggestions are always welcome, so feel free to send along your news scoops and ideas.

Photo: Marginalia by Cat Sidh, on Flickr

Keep up with Radar's latest publishing news and interviews with our publishing RSS feed.

Related:

View the original article here

Ebook Publishing Using Linux Tools

What's Coming Up For GNOME 3.2?

Linux Mint 201104 Xfce Review

Mozilla Firefox 5 Beta now out - that was fast!

Weekend Project: Pre-Loading Maps for Open Source Navigation Apps

How To Install A (Canon) Printer On Debian And Debian-Like Systems

Tech Comics: 'Really Private' Facebook Apps

The Future of OpenStack and Why Ubuntu Linux has come first.

Geniatech Launches a TV with Android onboard

SECURITY: Fedora 15 Boosts Linux Security with Dynamic Firewalls

Plasma Components - what you should know about this GSoC Project.

View the original article here

MultiMedia eBook on Steroids -- Cathedral of the Senses -- Turns Book/Music Publishing on Its Head

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 28, 2011

Cathedral of the Senses is the sequel to the famous metaphysical cult classic, Trick of the Light, which was published by Beyond Words (the publisher of The Secret). Trick of the Light was extremely well reviewed and was optioned by Hemdale Films (winner of two Best Picture Academy Awards—for “Platoon” and “The Last Emperor of China”).

Cathedral of the Senses is a metaphysical novel that appeals to an audience interested in Eckhart Tolle’s Now Moment philosophy, as well as to people who enjoy the Abraham-Hicks books. Whereas those books are non-fiction, Cathedral of the Senses is both a novel and a MultiMedia eBook that is essentially an album inside a book.

One of the unique aspects of this novel is that it is the first novel with a self-contained music soundtrack. The iPad ebook version allows the reader to listen to appropriate portions of songs written for this book by merely touching the screen. The reader may then download the entire song, or the entire album from the Internet. The songs were professionally recorded and fully produced and included contributions from such industry heavyweights as Mike Lattanzi and Barry Keenan.

One thing that makes Stephen Smoke’s Cathedral of the Senses so different is that he’s a professional novelist and he recognizes that his first job is to entertain. Beyond that, all his metaphysical writing is based on an experience he had when he was 20 years old. Says the author, “I don’t merely re-purpose information I read from other people’s books. I truly believe I have something unique to say.”

What people are saying about Cathedral of the Senses:

"I read the prequel, Trick of the Light. Being a writer myself, I thought it was one of the most inspirational books I’d ever read. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that, in my opinion, Trick of the Light is a masterpiece. Now that I’ve read the sequel, I am blown away. Besides being a writer, my main profession is acting. I love the visual palette the author works from. While dealing with spiritual and philosophical issues in a completely unique manner Mr. Smoke manages to accomplish the trick that eludes most inspirational writers: He entertains the reader! You don’t have to be a spiritual seeker in order to enjoy this book. And I absolutely love the music. My two favorites are 'Diamond Mind,' and 'Amsterdam.'" – Thomas Morris, actor (“Schindler’s List,” “Angels and Demons,” “The International”)

“Reminiscent of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, set in a world straight out of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Cathedral of the Senses is thought-provoking without being preachy. In many ways it’s a fictional depiction of the popular ‘now moment’ philosophies put forth by such contemporary writer/philosophers as Eckhart Tolle.” – John Knoerle, author of A Despicable Profession

“Unlike most Western books I’ve read that try to describe the Zen experience, Cathedral of the Senses creates an environment for the reader to have his or her own experience.” – Bernadette Shih, author of Mao – A Young Man from the Yangtze Valley, and Ling Ling: The Most Beautiful Giant Panda in the World

About the Author

Stephen Smoke is the author of 29 books (19 novels), including five bestselling psychological thrillers with HarperCollins (Black Butterfly, Pacific Coast Highway, et al.), as well as the socially-conscious “Bill of Responsibilities” series. He also wrote and directed several feature films, including “Street Crimes” starring Dennis Farina. His books are available at http://www.StephenSmoke.com.

###

View the original article here

eBook Sales Top All Trade Publishing Categories In February

eBook Sales Top All Trade Publishing Categories In FebruaryFunny
Typical
Important
Outrageous
Amazing
Innovative
Beautiful
Follow ?Ebooks, ?Kindle, Association Of American Publishers, Aap, eBook Sales, Ereader, Nook, Books News share this storyGet Books AlertsSign UpSubmit this storydiggredditstumble

eBookNewser:

eBooks hit a major milestone in February. According to Association of American Publishers (AAP) sales figures, eBooks ranked as the top format “among all categories of trade publishing” that month.

Read the whole story: eBookNewser

FOLLOW HUFFPOST BOOKS ON Facebook: Like3K Twitter: GET ALERTS CONTRIBUTE TO THIS STORY Send Corrections Send Us a Link Contact us Send a Tip Send Photos/Videos Comment
KindleeBookseBooks hit a major milestone in February. According to Association of American Publishers (AAP) sales figures, eBooks ranked as the top format “among all categories of trade publishing” that month...eBooks hit a major milestone in February. According to Association of American Publishers (AAP) sales figures, eBooks ranked as the top format “among all categories of trade publishing” that month... Related News On Huffington Post: ?
eBook Piracy May Have Unexpected Benefits 10 Ways eBooks Are Changing Our Lives Author Jane Green Writes Royal Wedding eBook For ABC News eBook Sales Increase Nearly 116% In January, Paperback Sales Plunge Nearly 31% Stephen Leather's eBook Sales Rival Stieg Larsson's EU Antitrust Regulators Raid European eBook Publishers Self-Published Author Amanda Hocking Makes Millions From eBook Sales Bookstore Bingo: 9 Ridiculous Things Overheard In Bookstores (PHOTOS) Bookstore Sales Drop In July: Result Of eBook Sales? 

eBook Piracy May Have Unexpected Benefits

Back in 2009, O'Leary did this for one publisher, O'Reilly Media, which publishes technical books. Surprisingly, he found that sales actually increased after their books... 

10 Ways eBooks Are Changing Our Lives

The Hermitage Bookshop in Cherry Creek North, decidedly old-school with its oak furniture and elaborate Persian rug, isn't where you'd expect to find a fan... 

Author Jane Green Writes Royal Wedding eBook For ABC News

She's a New York Times best-selling author. She has a spectacularly lovely British accent. And she's been watching the royals for just about her entire... 

eBook Sales Increase Nearly 116% In January, Paperback Sales Plunge Nearly 31%

In January's Association of American Publishers (AAP) report, they revealed that eBook net sales went from last year's 32.4 million dollars to 69.9 million dollars,... 

Stephen Leather's eBook Sales Rival Stieg Larsson's

Two names dominate the Kindle U.K. Top 20 for electronic book sales: Stieg Larsson -- the late Swedish author whose “Millennium Trilogy” has sold 53... 

EU Antitrust Regulators Raid European eBook Publishers

EU antitrust regulators, working closely with Britain's OFT (Office of Fair Trading), inspected eBook publishers in several countries on Tuesday. The companies were under suspicion... 

Self-Published Author Amanda Hocking Makes Millions From eBook Sales

Unknown, living paycheck to paycheck in Austin, Minnesota, rejected by publishers all over New York, Amanda Hocking decided to self-publish on ebook platforms only. She... 

Bookstore Bingo: 9 Ridiculous Things Overheard In Bookstores (PHOTOS)

With eBook sales up, you'd think we'd overhear fewer ridiculous things in bookstores. But it seems there's no end to the crazy scenarios booksellers encounter.... Read more from Huffington Post bloggers: Jason Pinter Jason Pinter: Digital Shockwave: How Millions of Dollars and the Survival of the Publishing Industry are at Stake Michael A. Stackpole Michael A. Stackpole: Who Benefits From High Ebook Prices? Mark Coker Mark Coker: eBook Market Exploding, Confirms New IDPF Survey Mark Coker Mark Coker: Where Do eBook Buyers Live? Alaska Tops Per Capita List Steve Haber Steve Haber: The Changing Role of Libraries in the Digital Age Steve Haber Steve Haber: Why the iPad Won't Kill eReaders 

EBSCO Publishing Continues to Enhance eBook Collections

Ipswich, MA (Vocus/PRWEB) March 31, 2011

EBSCO Publishing (EBSCO) continues its commitment to enhancing the quality of the eBook user experience while simplifying collection development. EBSCO has released 26 new eBook subject sets providing libraries with a quick and convenient way to begin or expand their eBook collections.

The latest eBook subject sets span more than seven key collection areas covering arts & humanities, business & economics, IT, non-English content, personal growth & how-to, science & technology and social sciences. With these latest subject sets, particular attention was given to the personal interests of public library consumers with the addition of popular subject areas such as photography, personal finance, home computing and how-to. The extensive content in each of these subject areas provides users with a wealth of information—whether it’s for the novice or expert in the subject area.

The 26 new subject sets that are now available include:
????College Prep????Development Economics????French Social Studies????Geographic Information Systems (GIS)????German Medicine and Health Sciences????Home Computing????How-To????Law and Justice????Learning a New Language????Literary Criticism????Marine Biology????Media and Communication Studies????Mobile Technologies????Modern World History????Natural Resources and Evacuation Management????Networking and Security????Personal Finance????Philosophy????Photography????Public Policy and Administration????Race and Ethnicity????Small Business????Spanish Literary Criticism and Language Studies????Travel Tips for North America????Urban Studies????Women’s Studies

eBook subject sets are a prepackaged set of titles chosen specifically to meet the library’s needs for new titles focusing on popular, in-demand topics. The collection development team of librarians and collection specialists use their expertise and knowledge to create collections and subject sets for libraries. To date, EBSCO has created a total of 124 eBook subject sets—representing more than 1,880 titles. All subject sets from EBSCO include titles published within the past three years and have no duplication among current or past offerings.

eBooks on EBSCOhost offers nearly 300,000 eBooks and audiobooks. EBSCO is proactively soliciting new content in key areas and approximately 5,000 new titles are expected to be added each month. EBSCO has released a preview of eBooks on EBSCOhost allowing librarians and end users to see how EBSCO’s extensive collection of premier eBook titles is being integrated into EBSCOhost. Find more information about the eBooks from the available tutorials: Downloading eBooks on EBSCOhost and Searching eBooks on EBSCOhost or on the EBSCO Support Site: http://support.ebsco.com/netlibrary/eBook_preview.php. A full migration to the EBSCOhost platform is expected by July.

About EBSCO Publishing
EBSCO Publishing is the world’s premier database aggregator, offering a suite of nearly 300 full-text and secondary research databases. Through a library of tens of thousands of full-text journals, magazines, books, monographs, reports and various other publication types from renowned publishers, EBSCO serves the content needs of all researchers (Academic, Medical, K-12, Public Library, Corporate, Government, etc.). The company’s product lines include proprietary databases such as Academic Search?, Business SourceR, CINAHLR, DynaMed?, Literary Reference Center?, MasterFILE?, NoveListR, SocINDEX? and SPORTDiscus? as well as dozens of leading licensed databases such as ATLA Religion Database?, EconLit, INSPECR, MEDLINER, MLA International Bibliography, The Philosopher’s Index?, PsycARTICLESR, PsycINFOR and RILM?. Databases are powered by EBSCOhostR, the most-used for-fee electronic resource in libraries around the world.

EBSCO is the provider of EBSCO Discovery Service? a core collection of locally-indexed metadata creating a unified index of an institution’s resources within a single, customizable search point providing everything the researcher needs in one place—fast, simple access to the library’s full text content, deeper indexing and more full-text searching of more journals and magazines than any other discovery service (http://www.ebscohost.com/discovery). For more information, visit the EBSCO Publishing Web site at: http://www.ebscohost.com. EBSCO Publishing is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., one of the largest privately held companies in the United States.

# # #

View the original article here

Publishing News: Week in Review - Ereader complexity, the problems of ebook pricing, and how HTML5 can help publishers

Here are some highlights of what grabbed my attention in publishing news this week. (Note: These stories were published here on Radar throughout the week.)

Screenshot of "War and Peace" from the Kindle iPad appIn a recent post for Gear Diary, Douglas Moran bemoaned the direction technological "advancements" are taking ereader apps and devices. As examples, he compared the original Barnes & Noble eReader (which he liked) to its replacement, the Nook app (which "kinda stinks").

On a personal level, functionality is an ereader obstacle that turns me into an ebook curmudgeon. I recently was gifted a Kindle and I nearly threw it across the room trying to read "War and Peace" (as part of a year-long book club; I'm way behind).

Moran and others noted the simplicity of the Kindle and how its fewer features might make for a more straightforward reading experience. But perhaps the Kindle isn't quite simple enough. In the end, I bought the print version of "War and Peace" and gave up on the device. Trying to toggle around links to read book notes was so clunky as to make that feature completely useless. Why not put the notes at the bottom of the page? Having links is great if 1. they're easy and quick to access, and 2. you can return to your place in the book in some obvious, speedy fashion. Otherwise, just give me the content.

All this led me to questions regarding functionality and user experience in ereading:

Are ereader developers focusing too much on technological possibilities and losing sight of reader behavior?For those of you who embrace ereading: What features on your reader(s) are extraneous or obtrusive to your reading experience?For developers: When working on a new app or an update, how do you incorporate the end-user into development?

Please share your thoughts in this comment area here.

Much discussion (and some dismay) surrounds the current upheaval in the ebook pricing model. As $0.99 ebooks sit "shelved" next to $19.99 ebooks (whose print counterparts might be discounted to $11.99), one of the larger issues surrounding the pricing problem is the perception of value from customers.

Jane Litte at Dear Author argued in a recent post that value is based on the reader's "willingness and ability to pay":

Every reader has a different price they are willing and able to pay for a book. I believe that price represents the value a reader places on a book at the time of purchase. However, value can vary over the course of time from when the reader first becomes aware of the book to after the book is read, increasing and decreasing based on different variables. When readers speak about price, they are talking about the amount that they are willing and able to pay at the particular time that they are expressing the opinion about price. Willingness includes the measurement of time.

I asked Todd Sattersten, author and owner of BizBookLab, to chime in on the pricing issue. In an email interview, he argued that print book pricing actually is the larger contributing problem to the perceived value of ebooks (mainly, ala Amazon) and suggested that serialization might be the right model for ebooks.

Todd Sattersten: There is only one factor that matters right now — what print books cost. Customers compare ebooks to their paper-based ancestors, and they long ago concluded they should be cheaper because everything else in their digital lives is cheaper than their physical lives.

Publishers don't want this to be true and, with the power to control ebook pricing through the agency arrangements, are pricing the vast majority of ebooks like they are print books. I co-wrote a book two years ago called "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time." The hardcover retail price is $25.95. On Amazon, you can buy that version for $16.61 or a remaindered edition for $10.38, while the Kindle edition is $18.99. That creates a short circuit in customers' brains. You don't pay more for things that are more convenient. You pay less.

What's interesting is that Amazon is actively discounting books in the 40% to 50% range, and in many cases putting the price of the print book very close to the price of the ebook. There can't be any margin left at those prices. Amazon, having lost the ability to control ebook pricing, is saying to customers "ebooks and print books are the same." This drives more people to ebooks (who doesn't want to download their book now?), sells more Kindles, and further cements their place in publishing's future — both provider of new and destroyer of old (what bookstore can compete with 49% off?). Also, notice how Amazon is redefining short writings with their Singles program. Fewer words, lower prices and, most importantly, a new (not very good) term to attach to the new value proposition.

See the rest of the interview here.

As technology makes the publishing space more and more geek-oriented, understanding how particular technologies can apply and how existing products or content can be adapted might seem to require a computer science degree.

In a recent interview, Google senior user experience designer Marcin Wichary brought one of those technologies — HTML5 — into perspective, explaining how it applies to publishers.

In design and layout, there's a lot of things that HTML5 now does natively, without you having to hold its hand. Things like multimedia are native to HTML5 — you don't need extensions or plug-ins; they're integrated really well.

We have new devices like the iPad that require new input methods like multitouch or shaking the device. All of this is or will soon be supported by HTML5. So you can imagine delivering an experience through your application or your website or your publication that rivals that of a native application on any of the platforms you want to put it on.

On top of that, it's the web. Al of the things that have been available on the web you also have as well. All the social networking, all the APIs, all the integration with other surfaces — you can just plug it in the way you want.

Wichary also explained how publishers can monetize the opportunities HTML5 brings to the table, and how it might even save money in the long run.

It's very important to recognize that HTML5 fits all the devices you can think of, from the iPhone in your pocket to Google TV to the tablets to small screens and big screens. It's very easy to take the content you already have and through the "magic" of HTML5, refine it so it works very well within a given context. You don't have to do your work over and over again. Of course, all of these different means come with different monetization opportunities, like ads on the web or on mobile devices.

In the interview, Wichary also addressed how publishing workflows might be affected by HTML5 implementation and he outlined specific advantages HTML5 can bring to digital reading. The full interview is available in the following video:

Suggestions are always welcome, so feel free to send along your news scoops and ideas.

Keep up with Radar's latest publishing news and interviews with our publishing RSS feed.

View the original article here

Consider Self Publishing in Ebook Format

Today, more than every before authors are presented with publishing opportunities that have never existed before. This is not to understate the hard work that authors have to go through to get recognition, write great books, and make a full time living from their passion of expression. However, it is to say that today, due to advances in communications technology, authors can now get their books distributed much easier than they could a decade ago. One very popular way that authors are distributing their work is digitally through ebooks. Digital books are gaining so much popularity that even some of the most popular authors in the world have used it to distribute their books. Stephen King for example published "Riding the Bullet" exclusively in ebook format. When this ebook began distribution over Barns and Nobel and Amazon.com there was so much demand for the download that the servers of these two book giants slowed down almost to a halt. People that wanted to download the ebook were put in a large queue with the hundreds of thousands of other who downloaded the ebook as well.

It's not only big name authors that are finding success in ebooks. We at Ebook Architect have been helping authors create, market and sell their ebooks online for years now with great success. Many of these people are first time authors and are often amazed with the success of their ebook sales. Below are some of their ebook writing tips.

Don't underestimate the power of the Ebook

Ebooks are still looked upon as unpopular by many authors who have not yet taken the time to learn about the success within this industry. For example, while the traditional publishing industry growing at the sluggish rate of 5% a year the digital publishing industry is growing at rates between 30% -50%. This means that the opportunities within the publishing industry are growing at a fraction of the rate that opportunities within the digital publishing industry are growing.

To set up an ebook you don't need to be a tech wizard

Setting up your ebook from the idea conceptualization stage to the selling stage can't be completed overnight but it is definitely something that can be done by anyone regardless of your technological background. If you can use a word processor then you can create and sell an ebook online. While it is recommended you set up your own website, it is not necessary. There are outlets such as amazon.com, EBay and Lulu.com to name only a few sites that allow you to post your ebook on their servers.

Setting up an Ebook site is virtually costless and you keep 100% of the profits

With traditional publishers you'll be lucky to see 10% of the profits from your book. With ebooks however, you keep 100% of the profits minus the fees required to set up the site which are minimal. Here is the fee breakdown for ebooks vs traditional books

Ebook vs Book cost

Ebook = Free to create an unlimited number of copies

Book = Approximately $1500 for 200 copies of a 200 page soft cover book

Rights and profit

Ebook = You keep 100% of the profits and rights to your ebooks

Book = You get 10-40% royalty (usually about $2-$5/ book)

With the above examples it is easy to see that for first time authors ebooks make a lot of sense. The risk associated with publishing an ebook is much lower than it is with distributing a soft or hard cover book. Likewise, as an ebook author you'll keep virtually all of your own profits.

If nothing else, it is something worth consideration. Ebooks may not replace traditional paperback books, but they certainly are gaining popularity at a rate that should make all authors stop to think about how they could use ebooks to their advantage.

Written By John R. Ebook Architect http://www.zizzoo.com/guides/ebook/index.php