Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon writing out my idea for how fanfic and other writers could theoretically use digital technology to bypass copyright roadblocks. What inspired me was the recent story about an unauthorized sequel to “The Catcher in the Rye” that Salinger managed to quash in the U.S. before his death. Now [...]
authors
Is a Kindle bullet proof? There’s one quick way to find out.
“Can a book save your life?” That’s what Tom Shillue of the literary journal Electric Literature asks in the clip above, and you can tell he should be taken very seriously because he does that TV news journalist walk toward the camera at the beginning. (EL’s next clip should test which books are sexual predators.) [...]
Amazon's new lending feature is probably going to anger some publishers
When it comes to Kindle features, Amazon tends to follow the aphorism that it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission. This strategy doesn’t always work–see the text-to-speech controversy–but it helps give Amazon the element of surprise in the marketplace. With that in mind, I have a feeling that some indie publishers are going to be [...]
Jane Austen sale extended another day, says publisher
“We tried, we screwed up, we’re sorry,” writes Dominique on the Sourcebooks blog, in reference to yesterday’s Jane Austen promo that apparently didn’t go as planned. You can read her full post if you want an inside look at how hard it is to pull off a widespread ebook event in today’s market, but the [...]
Lots of free Jane Austen stuff, but only for today
If you’re a Jane Austen fan or know someone with a Kindle who is, make sure you take advantage of this short-term Austen sale on the Kindle Store. But hurry, because it looks like most of these deals are for today only in honor of her birthday. (I’m sorry I’m just now posting about it–I [...]
Author Warren Adler adds 5 new novels to Kindle store, promotes short story contest anthology
This morning, Amazon and author Warren Adler co-announced the release of five previously unpublished novels as Kindle exclusives. Adler is probably most famous for “The War of the Roses”, which was made into a moderately successful Hollywood film in 1989. The new books are exclusive to Amazon but available in paperback as well as Kindle [...]
Amazon and Seth Godin partner up to create new worldwide publishing imprint
I’ve long had some precognition that I might be psychic, but now it’s confirmed; just a week after I posted a more or less random item about Seth Godin freebies, Amazon has announced that they’re partnering with him to launch a new imprint he’s calling The Domino Project. Godin says he’s got three titles already [...]
Amazon and Penguin announce fourth annual novel writing competition
I hesitate to post this now that NaNoWriMo has just wrapped up, but fortunately the submission period doesn’t begin until the end of January, so you’ve got a couple of months to cool down and start rewrites. Anyway: Penguin and Amazon are holding the fourth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest for fiction and young adult [...]
Why DRM is a distraction
There are bigger problems in the ebook marketplace than individual piracy. You may not feel that way if you’re an author or publisher with a marketable title. And you may not feel that way if you’re a staunch consumer advocate, or if you worry about how DRM prevents ebooks from being future-proof. But the underlying [...]
Amy Sedaris mocks ereaders in funny promo clip
After finally turning her new book, “Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People,” around so that the cover is upright and facing the camera, the always hyperactive comedian Amy Sedaris says, “For many of you young readers, this is a book.” She goes on from there to poke gentle fun at the whole burgeoning ebook scene, [...]
The Paris Review posts over 300 author interviews online
If you enjoy learning how your favorite authors think, write, and argue, then you’ll love this amazing new resource now available for free online. The Paris Review has been interviewing the world’s most famous authors for over five decades, and last week its new editor posted all of them on its website. With over 300 [...]
I wrote a Halloween story!
To celebrate Halloween and the sort of horror fiction that I like to read, I wrote a short story. It’s about growing up, trick-or-treating, and death. It’s also got death in it. And more death. Did I mention it’s a horror story? Good.