Not Cool Google

So I was at work the other day shelving books when I spotted a title that interested me. Usually I pull out my phone and scan the cover in the Amazon app to download a sample. In this case the book was on sale for cheap so I went right ahead to buy it. Only,……

Disappearing eBooks

DRM Digital Rights Management has jumped back into the headlines with the closing of Microsoft’s eBook store. Users of the store found not only was the store closing but it was also taking it’s books with it. https://futurism.com/microsoft-closing-ebook-store The DRM software that comes loaded with the file makes this as easy as flipping a switch……

Formatting It’s a Bitch

With all apologies to Mr. Jagger and Richards. So you have your plot all dialed in, your characters live and breathe in your readers’ minds and your grammar is spot on, not a comma out of place. All that remains now is to get your work in a proper format for your publisher. If you……

It’s called Price Fixing and It’s Illegal

So Apple ignored the publishers who rolled over and settled with the Department of Justice and so this past Wednesday received a guilty verdict from a federal judge. Digitaltrends.com posted an interesting article on what the fallout for consumers could be: http://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/apple-e-book-fallout-what-it-means-for-your-wallet/. It is unlikely that we will see eBook prices drop across the board. All……

Can I Be an Artist and a Capitalist?

Something that has been going through my mind, other than copious amounts of life sustaining blood, is the difference between being an Artist and a Capitalist. I didn’t begin writing as a fast track to wealth. It was just something to do, something I liked doing. That is the attraction of the arts. Capitalism kicks……

Sue Me an Amazon River

Saw this on the Huffington Post Books page. DRM Lawsuit Filed by Independent Bookstores Against Amazon, Big 6 Publishers. Basically the suit alleges that the DRM in place on eBooks grants Amazon a monopoly. I would agree that this DRM effectively shuts out independent book sellers, but, “monopoly,” is a tough word. I do not think I……

E-book Price Gouging

After my last post on e-books looking at the no to low end I thought this post which I am borrowing from American Libraries Magazine, The Visible Hand of the Market?, might complement it. Libraries would love to provide their patrons with all the digital content their devices could contain. Sadly that is just not in their hands. To counter that,……

E-booking on the Cheap

The other day I came across a review for J.K. Rowling’s new work, Casual Vacancy, interested I clicked on over to Amazon to see about getting a copy. Well any thought of that happening went away when I saw the price. Really, J.K. now I know you’ve been hitting the butter beer hard. $17.99 (update:……

Two Developments on the E-book Front This Week

So the government is heading into court to smack the hands of Apple, Macmillan and Penguin. E-book Price Fixing Trial Set for 2013 I am more interested to see what comes out in the arguments before the bench than any possible outcomes. especially now that people have done the math. The agency model is not any……

I Have Given up on Library E-Books

Since buying my smart phone two years ago I have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of reading I do. The convenience of e-readers on a device that’s always in my pocket has given me more opportunities to read. Alas this happened just as e-book prices began thier trek north, so my new pastime has become a costly……