Round up #229: acts of literary kindness, p-books have a bright future?

Round up #229: acts of literary kindness, p-books have a bright future?

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

The Book Is Not Dead infographic

Here is an interesting infographic in an

EBOOK FRIENDLY post by Ola Kowalczyk

Of course, the name of the infographic immediately makes me want to doubt the data. It’s really talking about p-books (paperbooks), not books. That emotionally resonates to me as them wanting to be inflammatory, which doesn’t then make me think they are neutral and reliable. 🙂

Even some of the data appears to be skewed. It looks like, in order to exaggerate a flattening of the e-book curve, they used the first eight months of 2013 to compare to previous full years. While you might guess that the rate of growth is consistent throughout the year, it’s certainly possible that December sees a considerable jump in e-book sales: I believe December 25th last year might have been the biggest day for Kindle e-book sales, as people need to “feed their new beasts”. 😉 It’s also possible that hardback sales go way up at the end of the year…either  or both might be true, but I do think it could affect this data significantly to leave off the last four months of the year.

That said, there are other interesting data points here…the main message being that p-book sales are doing fine, thank you. 😉

Video: Indie bookstores doing well

CTV News Channel

It isn’t a surprise that independent bookstores are seeing some growth. I’m a former brick-and-mortar bookstore manager, and I’ve been talking about that in this blog as a likely outcome.

Large, generic bookstores? They can’t compete with the internet, which is why both Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million have had…non-encouraging financial reports (even if B&N was able to cut costs). You can’t compete with Amazon and e-books (and those are two different things) on cost or selection.

You have to give people a good experience. You have to have it be that they are willing (even wanting) to give you more money than they could pay somewhere else, because they want to support you.

That’s entirely doable, although it takes work, and not everybody can do it.

It’s cheaper, more convenient, and there is a heck of a lot more selection to watch movies on our devices (including TVs…remember those? 😉 )…but movie theatres are still in business.  Sure, part of that is the concessions, and some bookstores work it that way. Part of it, though, is the experience.  Even when we have home technology that gives us a more story immersive experience than even an IMAX screen, people will still go to the movies…because they like the idea of it.

People will pay to express support for a concept…they just have to believe that you hold that same opinion.

9 Ideas for Random Acts of Literary Kindness

Hm. I’m not quite sure I agree that all of the acts proposed in this

BuzzFeed post by Novelicious

are kind…certainly, not always to the books!

However, I do like the idea of using a love of literature to bring joy to the world. 🙂

We recently had one of those little pop up sort of libraries appear in our neighborhood (I’ll get you a picture at some point…we walk past it with the new dog, and can’t stop easily).

It’s, oh, maybe the size of a mailbox where you would put the mail for pickup. It has a clear front, and you just take and leave books. That’s my understanding of it: no charge, no record, just leave them.

We do have a hardback we bought to give as a gift at one point, and didn’t…we’ll probably put that one there, even though we aren’t likely to borrow anything ourselves (I just don’t really read p-books any more…I’ll go back to ones I already own, but it’s so much easier to read e-books that that is how I do it nowadays).

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

You can give up to 5 family & friends a 15% discount on Kindle Fire

You can give up to 5 family & friends a 15% discount on Kindle Fire

And the discounts just keep on coming!

Here’s the latest from Amazon on the

• Kindle Fire HDX 7″, HDX Display, Wi-Fi
• at AmazonSmile…benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*

or the

• Kindle Fire HD 7″, HD Display, Wi-Fi, 16 GB
• at AmazonSmile

You can have a 15% off code sent to up to five e-mail addresses (your “friends and family”).

In this case, I think it is worth reproducing the terms and conditions:

• You are only eligible to refer people to receive this discount if you received an email from Amazon.com notifying you of the promotion, or if you were directed to this page after clicking on the “Exclusive Offer: Family & Friends Save 15% on Kindle Fire” promotion on the Amazon.com home page while signed in to your Amazon account.
• Limit five referrals per customer and account.
• In event of multiple submissions of a referral form by a customer, only the latest submission will be considered eligible for the promotion.
• You cannot refer yourself.
• The coupon code will only be sent to email addresses that are associated with an Amazon.com account and have not opted out of receiving marketing emails from Amazon.com.
• Referrals must be submitted by December 21, 2013 at 11:59PM (PST).
• Discount applies to one new Kindle Fire HDX 7″ with Wi-Fi or Kindle Fire HD 16GB device sold and shipped by Amazon Digital Services.
• Offer valid for customers located and with billing addresses in the United States.
• Amazon reserves the right to modify or cancel the offer at any time.
• Offer is non-transferable, may not be resold, and may not be combined with other offers.
• Void where prohibited.

Note that there are quite a few significant restrictions (not that this doesn’t make it a great thing to do!). You have to know the e-mail address associated with their Amazon account. In a way, though, that’s a good thing…you aren’t opening people up to new spam (unsolicited commercial e-mail). Amazon already has this information. It also may not even be available you to do. I think you’ll be able to find that out when you go to

• 15% off for friends and family page
• at AmazonSmile

You also can’t refer yourself. 😉 I assume you could send the code to someone who then bought you a Fire with it, though.

You’ve got to do this in the next few days (by the 21st…Saturday).

The recipient of the code could save quite a bit of money…on the least expensive KFHDX, they’d save over $30.

Enjoy!

Bonus recommendation:

• Now I Know: The Revealing Stories Behind the World’s Most Interesting Facts
• at AmazonSmile

by Dan Lewis
published by Adams Media
$2.99 at time of writing

I really like trivia, but it often isn’t that well done. I’ve read a bit of this, and do like it…it’s worth noting that Adams Media is a traditional publisher. That’s not always an advantage, of course, but it tends to mean that production quality is reliable.

This one could make a great “little gift”. Can you do Kindle store books as little gifts at the holidays? Absolutely! I’m doing that this year. You just need an e-mail address for the person (it doesn’t have to be the address associated with their Amazon account, which the offer at the top of this post does need). You can choose to have it delivered on the day you want…and you can pick a name for it to say as the gift giver (it doesn’t have to say your name there).

I have to say, I haven’t read all of it, so I can’t be sure that it is “safe for work” or appropriate for kids (or…let’s say, sensitive adults), but my guess is that it is okay.

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get.  Shop ’til you help!  

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Round up #228: Silk fix, what did Melville make?

Round up #228: Silk fix, what did Melville make?

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

Coming in 2014: Give a Kid a Kindle

I’m going to give away a Kindle to a child in 2014 (I hope to do it every quarter), and you’ll be able to help.

You can nominate a child that you know, by commenting on this page:

Give a Kid a Kindle

which I have just made public this morning.

Nominating comments can be made now (see that page for more information), and I will begin displaying those nominations (which may be edited) on the page in January.

Readers will be able to recommend a child for the Kindle in March of 2014, by using a poll which will be on that page.

There is no charitable organization involved in this, and there won’t be any tax write-offs associated with it…it’s just something that I want to do personally (and I’ve discussed with my Significant Other, of course).

I’ve tried to keep this simple. I just want to do something nice. 🙂

I think reading is important, and that readers can (but don’t have to) change the world.

I’d appreciate any comments or suggestions you have for this. I can certainly see some challenges in doing it…

Amazon promises Silk “accordion” fix

It has seemed pretty obvious lately that Amazon needs to do more testing before they release updates.

Don’t get me wrong, I love getting free updates with new functionality! It’s just that you don’t want them to make things worse. That’s clearly how some people are feeling about Amazon’s updates…I know of people saying that they are afraid to turn on the wireless, because they don’t want to get a new update.

Recently:

• A Kindle Fire update appears to have made wireless connections unstable…I have to frequently toggle the wireless on and off now
• The introduction of Cloud Collections to the Kindle Paperwhite in a recent update has been widely criticized as confusing and unwieldy
• An update to the Silk browser caused pages to “accordion” as you scrolled, making it impossible to read them

As to the last one, Amazon had now addressed it in this:

Kindle forum thread

They’ve said that a fix has been released, and that the Fire should automatically update within the next few days.

I really appreciate that Amazon employees will go into a public forum and make a statement like that…but it would be better if the problems were discovered pre-release, and fixed.

I’m guessing that when Amazon gets a little distance on all this after the holiday season, they’ll re-evaluate their quality control and testing for updates. That might mean we get them farther apart, but I think that would be worth it.

Hugh Howey writing in the world of Kurt Vonnegut

My feeling is that Kindle Worlds has been a bit slow getting off the ground. This is Amazon’s bold venture to mainstream fanfic (“fan fiction”), in a sense, by licensing properties from the rightsholders and then letting anyone write within those worlds (within certain guidelines), and splitting the royalties.

I’ve been following the forum at the

• Kindle Worlds storefront
• at AmazonSmile…support a non-profit of your choice by shopping*

and after some initial activity, it’s been quite slow.

The bestselling Kindle Worlds books tend not to break the top 10,000 in the Kindle store. That doesn’t mean that can’t be profitable and popular, but my intuition is that Amazon would like more out of the program.

Part of this is chicken or the egg: they may need hits to get people interested in the program, and people need to be interested in the program to write those hit titles.

Well, this title should help.

Hugh Howey (at AmazonSmile) is a best-selling (New York Times and USA Today) science fiction author. I’m reading Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 – 5) (Silo Saga) (at AmazonSmile) myself, although it’s not first in line for me (I’m reading a galley copy of something right now, as part a “beta reader”, and then there is always the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library book to finish). My guess is that I’ll finish the five books in the next few months.

Howey is writing a Kindle Worlds’ title in the world of Kurt Vonnegut:

• The World of Kurt Vonnegut: Peace in Amber (Kindle Worlds Short Story)
• at AmazonSmile

It can be pre-ordered now, for delivery on January 14, 2014.

Howey’s books are well-reviewed on Amazon, and this announcement has gotten some media play. It’s an interesting mix of inspiration (Slaughterhouse-Five (at AmazonSmile)) (which is only $2.50 at time of writing) and author. Howey had a personal experience with the September 11th World Trade Center attacks, which may certainly inform this piece.

Janet Dailey reported dead

We sold a lot of Janet Dailey (at AmazonSmile) when I managed a brick-and-mortar bookstore…and we certainly weren’t the only ones.

Reportedly, the author’s books sold something like 300 million copies, certainly making the romance novelist one of the best-selling novelists of any kind.

Amazon lists over 100 Janet Dailey titles in the Kindle store, including at least some of the Americana series (Dailey wrote a novel for each state).

Dailey began writing in the 1970s, and the latest book from the author was published this year.

New York Times article by Paul Vitello

Herman Melville’s Lifetime Literary Earnings

Bibliokept has this nice

post

which shows you how much Herman Melville got paid for writing. While not complete, let’s just say that the figures might be surprising…you do have to remember that we aren’t talking about constant dollars, though. Money went further back then. Still, being an author is rarely one of the best paid occupations.

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get.  Shop ’til you help!  

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Today only: Kindle for less than $50

Today only: Kindle for less than $50

Has this been the season of deals from Amazon, or what?

This is only while supplies last (and may not be long), but you can get a Mindle (that’s what I call the lowest priced Kindle) with Special Offers for $49…today only!

• Mindle
• at AmazonSmile…support a non-profit of your choice by shopping*

It’s interesting, because the lower price ($20 lower) isn’t impacting the non-ad supported one…making a $40 discrepancy between getting one where agreeing to ads on the “screensaver” (and a small one at the bottom of your list of books, but not in the books themselves) means that you get a discount, and one without that support.

This one doesn’t have a touchscreen, and doesn’t have a built-in light…but I do use one of them every day.

It certainly c0uld be a good gift, and it might be a good choice for

A Kindle for the guest room

This price may not apply in your country: as always, check the price before hitting the Buy button.

Oh, and “…while supplies last” doesn’t have to mean “every last Mindle in the fulfillment centers.” It’s okay for them to have set aside a certain number for promotion, and when they run out of those, stop the promotion, even though they still have Mindles at the regular price…that’s my understanding of it, at any rate.

Does this mean they are going to discontinue this model? Probably not…they’ve been doing lots of deals this year. However, it’s possible that they will. Outside of the price, I’m not sure that there are a lot of people who prefer the specifics of this device…it has the least handy interface, for example…entering a search word is like entering it on your Tivo, sort of.  It is nice to have a non-Fire hardware deal to promote. 🙂

One interesting thing: on some of these deals (including this one), Amazon treats them differently for their Associates. They may not allow Associates (who earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon products) to directly link to one of the short-time sale versions. That does save Amazon a small amount of money, and they probably aren’t really looking to  push the sale outside of the Amazon site itself (where it is on the front page).

That’s what Associates do, to some extent: create sales for Amazon offsite. This is probably more of a way to get people to the website during the last week or so of really big shopping this year (until people have those gift cards and you have the money from returns…). If you do want to support a site (like a blog), you could buy a gift card through them, and then use that to buy the Mindle…that works.

I did double-check: it is still eligible for that half a percent of the purchase price donation from Amazon to a non-profit of your choice on AmazonSmile.

Enjoy!

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get.  Shop ’til you help!  

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

New menus at the Amazon Diner

New menus at the Amazon Diner

Note: this is a work of humor. There is no Amazon Diner program at this point.

Pat: “I can’t wait to try out this new Amazon Diner!”

Jan: “Is everything Amazon with you?”

Pat: “Not yet…but I’m hoping.”

Jan: “Ha, ha. I don’t think they’re open…I don’t see anybody.”

Pat: “No, you just sit down anywhere you want, and open up the app.”

Jan: “On your Fire? What if I don’t have a Fire?”

Pat: “They have the app for a lot of devices…I think I also saw a Kindle Fire vending machine outside. They do rentals…”

Jan: “Never mind, you go ahead.”

Kindle Waiter (appearing on screen): “Hi, I’m Fiona. I’ll be your waiter today. Would you like to see your menus?”

Jan: “Whoa! What are all those things on your Fire?”

Pat: “I guess those are the menus. Wow, there are a lot of them! Where do I start?

Fiona: “Well, are you looking for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or some other option?”

Pat: “Um…let’s start with breakfast.”

Fiona: “Here you go. These are the breakfast menus. You have 347 breakfast menus available.”

Jan: “Can I just have some eggs?”

Fiona: “You have 62 egg choices.”

Pat: “Why so many?”

Fiona: “These menus represent every time you have ordered eggs in the past. You can choose from all of the methods you have selected before. If you prefer, I can connect your device to the Chef’s Plaza. Then, you can select a Chef, and try your eggs a new way.”

Pat: “No, no, I’m sure there is something I’ll like here. I can’t imagine there are many kinds of eggs I haven’t tried.”

Fiona: “You’d be surprised.”

Pat: “I’ll just pick one at random. Jellied eggs? I don’t eat jellied eggs.”

Fiona: “You must have, at some point.”

Jan: “Don’t you remember? We used to have them when we were kids, at the cabin.”

Pat: “Oh, yeah! Wait, I must have been…what, like nine or ten? This menu has every kind of egg I’ve ever had?”

Fiona: “Yes. Isn’t that convenient?”

Jan: “Not really.”

Pat: “Sh. Let me take a look. This one must be a mistake! I can guarantee you that I’ve never eaten eggs with green tea and soy sauce!”

Jan: “Hey…isn’t that what your cousin did…the one who lived in Japan?”

Pat: “I don’t think they even eat them like that in Japan! Besides, why would my cousin’s eggs show up in my menu?”

Fiona: “Is it possible you ate with your cousin?”

Pat: “Sure.”

Fiona: “Would you have paid separately?”

Jan: “We haven’t seen that cousin since we were kids.”

Fiona: “Would you have paid separately?”

Pat: “I guess one of our parents would have paid.”

Fiona: “That would explain it, then. We would consider that you were on your parents’ account, so all those menus show up.”

Jan: “Can’t I just order without a menu?”

Fiona: “Something new, or something you’ve eaten before?”

Jan: “Before.”

Fiona: “Pat, if you start flipping through the menus, you’ll find individual items at the back.”

Pat: “After the 347 menus?”

Fiona: “Those are just the breakfast menus. Individual listings are after all the menus.”

Jan: “How many is that?”

Fiona: “17, 432.”

Pat: “Hey, look! They have pizza. I love cold pizza for breakfast! Nature’s perfect food!”

Jan: “Riiight.”

Pat: “Wait a minute…there’s nothing on the pizza menu.”

Fiona: “That’s because this restaurant isn’t compatible with pizza. We don’t have a pizza oven.”

Pat: “Then I’ll just delete that menu…at least I can clean it up a bit that way.”

Fiona: “Warning: if you delete that menu, you will delete it from all of the restaurants in the Amazon Diner system.”

Jan: “Well, that menu doesn’t do much good if there’s nothing on it!”

Fiona: “There would be something on it, if you were in a pizza-compatible restaurant.”

Pat: “So, if I delete it from here, I won’t be able to order pizza anywhere else, either?”

Fiona: “Your Kindle waiter would be able to direct you to the Chef’s Plaza.”

Pat: “I don’t want that. I guess I’ll go with the jellied eggs. Can I send them back if I don’t like them?”

Fiona: “Certainly. Just let me know, and I’ll e-mail you a label you can print out. You just stick it to the plate.”

Jan: “Where’s the printer?”

Fiona: “Under the table.”

Jan: “Let’s make this easy…I’ll have that, too.”

Fiona: “People who ordered jellied eggs also ordered Canadian bacon, orange juice, and paper clips.”

Pat: “Just the eggs, thanks.”

Fiona: “If you order one more set of jellied eggs, you’ll be eligible to order lunch at 25% off.”

Jan: “I think we’re good.”

Fiona: “Would you like the orders separately, or should we combine them to save delivery costs?”

Pat: “Delivery costs? I have Prime.”

Fiona: “Yes, you do. Your delivery costs are included in your Prime membership.”

Pat: “Then how would I save on delivery costs?”

Fiona: “Not your costs…our costs.”

Pat: “Whatever is easiest.”

Fiona: “Coming right up! Thank you for your order with Amazon Diner. Your default payment method has been debited.” (disappears from the screen)

Jan: “I wonder if Fiona included a tip?”

Pat: “No, there’s no tip…one of the advantages here.”

Jan: “So, they’ve already collected the money…I guess we won’t see Fiona with the bill.”

Pat: “I don’t think Fiona is here…I think all the Kindle waiters are in Seattle.”

Jan: “Really. I was wondering why Washington’s unemployment rate was dropping so much. I heard it’s like 2% lower than California’s. I suppose we’re only going to see a waiter when they bring our food.”

Pat: “I guess so. Hold on, do you hear that?”

Jan: “What?”

Pat: “That buzzing sound…”

Jan: “You mean…”

Pat: “Yep…eight tiny helicopter rotors. I guess we won’t be seeing a waiter after all…”

—

This post was inspired by people’s reactions to a recent update bringing Cloud Collections to latest generation of Kindle Fires and of the Paperwhite. On the Paperwhite, something similar to what I’m describing here happene, with some people getting dozens of Collections they had created on devices in the past…in some case, devices they didn’t even have any more. I’m hoping they make some changes to Cloud Collections in a future update

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Heads up! Kindle Fire limited time offer at 1:45 PM Pacific

Heads up! Kindle Fire limited time offer at 1:45 PM Pacific

This is one of those super limited time offers. The text I got just said “Barbie RV” for $10. I checked at the Amazon site: I assume it is one that I’m seeing which is normally $67.49. I’m not linking to it, because going to it on Amazon’s website is not going to be how you get the deal, and I don’t want to confuse people.

You must have a Kindle Fire, and you’ll see the link on your “screen saver” or by going to Offers from the homescreen. There will be a “Learn more” link or something like that once it shows up. That will have a countdown clock. Hover over that clock, and click it as soon as you can. If you have any control over the network you are using, I think that matters…faster is better. 🙂

I’m hoping some of you see this and manage to snag one. The history on these has been that they sell out in seconds. Again, I would approach this like buying a lottery ticket: the odds that you are going to “win” are quite small, but I think it is fun to try. 🙂

Here is information on the program:

Limited Time Special Offers only on Kindle Fire
Limited Time Special Offers only on Kindle Fire at AmazonSmile

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get.  Shop ’til you help!  

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Split your payments over a year on an HDX

Split your payments over a year on an HDX

Oh, Amazon…you’re always trying something new!

Right now, you may have a lot of money going out the door. Ponying up $229 for a  Kindle Fire HDX (at AmazonSmile…benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*) or $379 for a Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″at AmazonSmile) could be tough!

Sure, you could charge it on your credit card, but those interest charges can be hefty.

Well, Amazon has a solution for you!

They’ll let you pay in four equal payments…over the course of a year…same as cash!

The details are here:

• Get Kindle Fire HDX Now, Pay Over Time
• at AmazonSmile

Now, I should be clear: this isn’t for just anybody. You need to have been a good customer (active for at least two years). There are some other conditions: part of what Amazon says is:

“To be eligible for this offer, you must reside in the United States of America, your Amazon.com account must have been active for at least two years and you must have a valid credit card associated with your Amazon.com account that expires no earlier than March 31, 2014. Residents of Florida and the District of Columbia are not eligible for this offer.”

Still, this does make it a lot easier to manage your money. I’m sure most people can find $57.25 (the lowest installment payment for a 7″) or $94.75 (8.9″) a lot more readily than the full amount.

Now, if Amazon does release new hardware during the next year, which could certainly happen, it might be weird to still be paying for what has become “last year’s model”.

Is this layaway?

Nope…with layaway, you do pay installments, but you pay them before you get the item (it might be a certain amount to “reserve” it, then then full amount to pick it up).

With this one, you can start using it before you’ve even made that second payment.

I suspect this might be where some Amazon gift cards go after the holidays.

Oh, sure, there may be some people who can’t make all the payments…not quite sure what happens then.

Once again, though, kudos to Amazon for trying new things!

Oh, and I’m not seeing it on the non-Fire EBRs (E-Book Readers) or other products at this point, by the way. If you’ve noticed any, feel free to let me know. I suspect they are trying it out on this…it’s really not that much of a risk with a Fire, since people tend to buy a lot more from Amazon when they have a Fire. It wouldn’t surprise me if some people could default after a couple of payments, and Amazon would still have made money (especially if the Fire has to be sent back and can be sold again after it is refurbished…not for full price, but certainly for some recovery for Amazon).

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get.  Shop ’til you help!  

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Poll Party #5

Poll Party #5

My regular readers know that I really like to hear your opinion. I often ask for it at the end of posts (and I try to give you conversation starters), and I love reading (and responding to) the comments.

I know not everybody wants to, or has the time and energy to, write something like that.

That’s one reason I love the polls we do here. It gives people another way to be heard. Even though we certainly aren’t a scientific sample of the mainstream, I find it interesting to see what we are saying. I suspect we might even be predictive as a group, as far as e-books are concerned, but I don’t really know that.

This time, I really wanted to focus on some trends, comparing this year to last. I’m starting to see those “Best of” 2013 lists, and I don’t tend to do those.

I do look backwards in my The Year in E-Books posts, but it’s not really about what is best (I always find that to be very subjective…what’s best for one person is not best for another). I also try to do those very late in the year…some surprising things can happen in the last weeks. 🙂

However, I do think you have a pretty good idea about how some things will have played out for you by the end of 2013, and hey, I was in the mood. 😉

Reading Increases by Format

My intuition has been that reading (of full-length books) has been on the rise since the introduction of the Kindle in 2007. That’s not just e-books: I think that e-books have also resulted in a more general acceptance of reading, which has likely resulted in more people reading p-books (paperbooks) and audiobooks as well.

For this question, I’m interested in which formats you find yourself reading more…not more compared to the other formats, but more compared to last year. I’m not looking so much of a shift from, say, paper to e, but whether you are reading more: you could have increases in all of the formats.

Source of Books

I actually think that traditionally published books may be reversing a trend, and getting market share back from independently published books. Some of them are starting to figure out the digital world, and they have a lot of resources (including relationships with brand name authors) to bring to the playing field. HarperCollins, in particular, seems to be experimenting with some interesting things, participating in Kindle Matchbook and Scribd’s “all you can eat” plan.

Voting with Your Dollars

Lots of times, we think we have a particular opinion…perhaps that we revere one thing more than something else. When we look at actual expenditures, though, it may turn out that we are supporting different things than we would have guessed.

Length

There is quite a bit of argument over whether or not there is a renaissance in short stories.

Genres

While I generally consider myself an eclectic reader, I do think that e-books have broadened my horizons. I think I’m reading more books of different types, and due in part to independent publishing, more books which can’t be easily classified.

I’m going to take the categories from the Kindle store, although I won’t necessarily take them all.

Quality

Totally subjective, but I’m just curious…

Remember, you can comment on this post if you have more to say about these choices to me or my readers.

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get.  Shop ’til you help!  

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Round up #227: dynamic pricing, workaround for connection issue

Round up #227: dynamic pricing, workaround for connection issue

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

A partial workaround for the connection instability on the Kindle Fire HDX

Big props to ✿ Jingle-bella ✿, another Kindle Forum Pro who came through with an idea that’s really helping with the problems I’ve been having with my Kindle Fire HDX (at Amazon…benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*). Since the recent update, it hasn’t been staying connected to wi-fi networks…I have had to toggle the Airplane Mode on and off frequently to connect to things. That’s been in more than one browser (I use Maxthon), and in apps without a visible browser (like Fandango).

✿ Jingle-bella ✿ intelligently suggested limiting the variables by turning Airplane Mode off, and then turning wi-fi on.

What that does is turn off the rest of the wireless connections…my intuition here is that the LBS (Location Based Services) might perhaps have been interfering. It’s even possible that when I’ve lost connection, it’s been when LBS has been trying to check-in.

I don’t have a 4G model, by the way.

I tried it this morning:

Swipe down from the top – Wireless – Airplane Mode on – tap Wi-Fi (just below Airplane Mode) and turn Wi-Fi on

I would guess I was on for at least an hour without having to toggle! I did toggle the wi-fi once so far today, although the Fire had been sitting idle for a while when I did that.

Thanks again to ✿ Jingle-bella ✿ for the suggestion!

I’m hoping we get a more robust solution with an update for the Kindle Fires which has been announced in “the coming weeks”.

For those of you having freezing issues, I’d be curious to hear if that helps you as well.

Save $50 on an HDX (up to 3 of them…possible savings of $150) with an Amazon.com Rewards Visa

Here’s a great deal!

• Save $50 on the Kindle Fire HDX 7″ Wi-Fi and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ Wi-Fi with your Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card
• at AmazonSmile

You need to have that special credit card, and it says this will go “while supplies last”. As we saw with the Keurig special yesterday, that might not be much time! =:o

It’s been a bit bizarre to see people’s vitriol over not getting that deal…even reportedly to the extent of writing a bunch of 1-star reviews on the product.

I tried to get one, watched the countdown clock, and still didn’t.

I look at it like buying a lottery ticket…the odds are very against you, but it’s fun if you win! 😉 They announced ahead of time that there were 5,000 of these. Let’s say, oh, a million people tried to get one…your odds would be one in 200 (half a percent).

I’m happy for the people who got one! I’ll probably try again for others.

I’m sure people didn’t think about the fact that leaving 1-star reviews might actually reduce the number of people who buy one (many people just look at the average)…are they really willing to increase the chances that people will lose their jobs, because they didn’t get an opportunity to save some money? I’m sure most folks don’t go through that thought process, but that’s a possible result of 1-starring a product.

However, there is one big difference between this and the lottery…you have to pay for a lottery ticket. 😉 You don’t have to pay anything for trying this, although you do have to have Special Offers on your Fire.

I recommend that you sign up for the text alerts, if you want to do this. You can do that at

Limited Time Special Offers only on Kindle Fire
Limited Time Special Offers only on Kindle Fire at AmazonSmile

P-books aren’t perfect, either

Whenever something is introduced, there is a tendency to point out all of its flaws, and ignore the flaws of the current technology or system.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.

I was an actor, and one tradition is that we got a night on the set before the show opens. We walk around and point out all the potential dangers, typically in a joking way.

That might just seem silly, but it’s actually very important.

You see, the person in charge of the sets is there listening (not saying anything, by the way).

They can then assess those comments, and very often, they end up fixing something that could have been a real risk.

In the case of e-books compared to p-books (paperbooks), some people pointed out possible eye issues on the former (although those aren’t as likely on a non-backlit screen…you read an older style Kindle the same way you read a paperbook).

We also have had a lot of people say that they like the “smell” of a p-book, or the feel of it. My Significant Other had a great response once. Somebody said (somewhat snidely) on seeing my SO with a Kindle (several years ago), “I like the feel of a book in my hand.” My SO said, “I like the feel of a hundred in mine.” 😉

Well, many people have actual physical issues with p-books. Allergies are a common one (I think it has to do with dust mites, in some cases, as I recall).

Here is a

Daily News article

about a student who had to stop going to university because of an allergy to dusty books (and other allergen issues).

I do love old books, but for people who have complained about the effects they have on them, here is some evidence to show others…

HarperCollins CEO says that publishing is healthy

In this

Variety article by Ted Johnson

HarperCollins CEO (gee, wasn’t that a song by by Jeannie C. Riley ((at AmazonSmile))? 😉 ), Brian Murray, has some very interesting and positive things to say about the publishing industry.

Drawing a parallel between how digital music affected the studios and how e-books affect publishing isn’t entirely wise, as Murray notes. One of the things I’ve said about that before is the consumption of the two are very different. Most people will listen to a song multiple times, and read a book once, for example (not that there aren’t many re-readers out there).

I think this might stand out to a lot of people:

“The company, a unit of the newly spun off News Corp., is testing what he called “dynamic pricing,” where prices of ebooks can be changed “daily” to increase revenues and royalties for authors, as opposed to the print side, where prices are set on the book itself.”

That’s another thing I’ve noted in the past. When I managed a brick-and-mortar bookstore (which was admittedly some time ago), we had to have “sticker guns” to put new prices on books…and it was labor intensive. If you could vary prices easily, you could take advantage of current events (like a hot pop culture movie) to raise or lower to maximize your revenue.

What does that mean for you as a Kindleer?

I’ve got two pieces of advice.

First, to quote (from memory) Whitley Strieber, “Learn to live at a high level of uncertainty.” 😉 In other words, if you can not know for sure what the price will be from one minute to the next, you have to figure out how to accept that.

Here’s the key to that: buy a book at a price that you think is fair.

Then, if it goes up or down later, you already know you got a fair price, right? Sure, I know people get jealous when other people get a lower price, but if you know you made a well-reasoned purchase in the first place, you can be satisfied with yours and happy about theirs. Easy, right? 😉

Second, take advantage of price notification services. Those are no doubt going to have to become more sophisticated…right now, they probably aren’t price checking quickly enough to notify you in time of “dynamic pricing” changes.

I recommend

eReaderIQ

the most valuable resource on the web for Kindle users.

You can give them the information on books you want to track, and they’ll send you a free e-mail (the whole service is free), when it drops an amount you specify.

They have a lot of other good resources, but that one in particular may help as prices start to roller coaster more…wheeeee! 😉

Falling behind the Norwegians…

“Magnus, you are the Head Librarian here at the National Library of Norway…which books should we digitize?”

“All of them!”

That’s right…according to this

The Verge article by Adrianne Jeffries

the National Library of Norway is working on digitizing all of the books in its collection, and making them available online to anyone with a Norwegian IP (Internet Protocol) address…for free!

They are making deals with publishers to make that happen.

Yes, it will take a while…they are thinking decades (but improvements in technology could shorten that).

Probably not going to happen in the USA, although there are more things becoming available.

I’m still looking for a magical book machine to come on the market: put a p-book in there, and it automatically digitizes the book with no action required from you and no damage to the book.

No luck so far. 🙂

I have digitized public domain books, and it’s a lot of work. This one caught my eye:

• piQx Xcanex Portable Book and Document Scanner
• at AmazonSmile

The reviews are generally good. It seems to have some smart features: apparently, it can tell when a new page is in place, detecting perhaps the motion of moving the page. That would make it a lot easier than having to get the book in place, and then pushing a button…I know that doesn’t sound like much effort (“Get over it, George Jetson”), but the issue is that you are sometimes carefully holding the book so it becomes a bit of a juggling act to push that button and keep the book from moving at all (which would mess up the scan).

At $268.90 at time of writing, it isn’t outrageously priced…

What do you think? Is traditional publishing in good shape? Are you surprised at how many ways there have been to get discounts on Kindle hardware this holiday season? Are you able to feel happy for other people when they get a deal you don’t?  Do you have any negative physical reactions to p-books? Feel free to tell me and my readers what you think by commenting on this post.

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get.  Shop ’til you help!  

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Have a Fire? One of those limited time deals at 4:00 PM Pacific: Keurig for $20 (84% off)

Have a Fire? One of those limited time deals at 4:00 PM Pacific: Keurig for $20 (84% off)

I don’t always see these limited time deals, but they are really incredible deals (and may sell out in seconds).

You must have a Kindle Fire, and you’ll see the link on your “screen saver” or by going to Offers from the homescreen.

I’m hoping some of you see this and manage to snag one. This is a fancy coffee maker (I know I’m simplifying)…should be a great gift!

Here is information on the program:

Limited Time Special Offers only on Kindle Fire
Limited Time Special Offers only on Kindle Fire at AmazonSmile

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get.  Shop ’til you help!  

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy  Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.