OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Here are some interesting pieces from around the blogs. I love my daily RSS reader fix!
· 20 reasons why 2009 will be the year of the ebook – emerging technologies will make ebook readers cheaper and easier to use, the growth rate is similar to the iPod in the early days and look what happened there! Power to the people with more authors making money themselves –see this post on the Smashwords experience: how you can publish your ebook . Plus they are good for the environment, cheaper and yet the content is still the same.
· The end of Digital Rights Management – iTunes has dropped it for music and publishers will have to go the same way.
· If you have an iPhone you will know that the Apps are a very fun part of the experience. Free or cheap to download, they can be anything that is useful or silly to the extreme. People designing these apps can make millions of dollars if the app takes off (even if it sells for $1). So how does that relate to books? Well, now books can be iPhone apps themselves. Which means you can convert your book to an iphone app and sell it on the Apps list which has millions of viewers. Or consider launching an app as a part of your marketing program…the possibilities are endless!
· A new online way to write – the wovel – Web novel.
· How to price an ebook – this is an ongoing discussion. I have recently priced mine at US$4.99 at Smashwords which I think is a good price as the print version sells at over $20.
· Has the Kindle lost its way? This open letter to Jeff Bezos (Amazon) tells of why former Kindle advocate Joe Wikert has lost faith. As someone who really, really, really wanted the Kindle to come to Australia, I am now wondering whether I should just get an iPhone!
· Predators and Editors – a guide to publishers and publishing services for serious writers. This includes warnings about scam companies, as well as publishers, stores, forums, festivals, software and other resources. A good resource!
· And finally, can you make your book trailer as emotional as this one (for cat lovers)? Here’s how you can make your own book trailer.