As the storm clouds gather, and we wait to find out whether the iPad has come to liberate mankind, or enslave him to a new world order, the faithful gather in New York where the 2010 BookExpo America will be taking place this week. I hope to have reports coming back from intrepid reporters. And the rest of the week looks like it will be seeing a lot of articles on the iPad.
But first, watch for a mammoth post of interest to all self-publishers early in the week.
In the meantime, it’s Sunday, and we’re reading about the rising tide of E-Books, Amazon’s debut as a publisher, the numbers behind E-Book sales, and a collection of websites you won’t want to miss. Have fun!
by Jeffrey Trachtenberg on WSJ.com
E-Books Rewrite Bookselling
“But it wasn’t until the arrival of Apple Inc.’s iPad last month—with its promise of one day tapping more than 125 million iTunes customers—that the true potential of the e-book market became apparent. ‘It’s taking digital books to a new level,’ says John Makinson, CEO of Pearson PLC’s Penguin Group.”
Sarah Weinman on DailyFinance
Amazon as Book Publisher May Change the Game for the Industry
“In other words, if James Patterson wakes up and realizes he can get even richer by dealing directly with Amazon (or Apple, or Google, or Barnes & Noble, or all of them), and cuts out his longtime publisher Little, Brown, then and only then will the game change drastically — and it will also be game over for publishing as we know it.”
Mark Coker on Smashwords
Weighing EBook Distribution Options
“Why would anyone think Amazon/Smashwords is an either/or situation? It’s not. As an author, you should maximize your distribution points, not minimize them.”
Jane Friedman on There Are No Rules
101 Best Websites for Writers—My Favorites
“Every site on the list is worth your attention, but here I’ll offer up a special curation.”
And for Something a Little Different . . .
Steve Weber on Plug Your Book
World’s worst book trailers: The nominees are…
“Get your Jiffy Pop ready! Tomorrow Melville House will award prizes for the world’s best and worst book trailers. And without further ado, in alphabetical order, are the five nominees for ‘Least Likely to Sell the Book'”
