Saturday, May 30, 2009

Kindle goes Virtual "Post It Notes"


Recently, I actually DROVE to a bookstore (and the clerks almost fainted when they saw me - it's been so long due to the fact I have the Kindle and Whispernet) and picked up the book "I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like" by Mardy Grothe.

I decided to actually buy the hardback because I love to highlight and flag things, but have always found that doing so on the Kindle is fine, but used to be tedious to try and and go back and slog thru everything.

While reading it last night, I went through a ton of Post It flags, marking lines that I really enjoyed.

I'll admit it right now, I'm a POST IT NOTEaholic. I had to BUY the actual BOOK Practical Magic so I could highlight all the dreamy, thought provoking, sentences, (hey, it's what writers do!). Also, I did want to have an actual copy of the book in case something happened to my Kindle (no electricity, drop it in the toilet, roll over on it in bed and crack it, etc).

I wake up this morning, open the email from Amazon announcing that now highlights and notes can be easily navigated on line by going to http://kindle.amazon.com.

As an avid highlighter and notetaker, I can't tell you how enthusiastic I am about this new feature!

And my family will be relieved not to find little neon Post It flags stuck to their shoes all the time!

Love it!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Boycotting Baldacci


Sadly, I'm now boycotting ALL David Baldacci after reading his comment quoted in the NY Times Article "Steal This Book"

"The lower e-book price “is not sustainable,” said Mr. Baldacci, whose novels regularly rise to the top of hardcover best seller lists. If readers insist on cut-rate electronic books, he said, “unfortunately there won’t be anyone selling it anymore because you just can’t make any money.”"

In the hands of the right person, a well marketed eBook is valuable. In the hands of someone that is more concerned with their art than "making money" - a reasonable priced eBook is a spark that will ignite a career.

Paulo Coelho (author of The Alchemist) was disappointed that his book only sold 900 copies in its first printing...so he made is available for free. What happened as a result? Actual sales of The Alchemist jumped to one million over a 3 year period (with no additional promotion or publicity from his publishers). Coelho is still an advocate of sharing his work for free and because of this, author Jeff Jarvis named Coelho 'the Googliest author' in his book 'What Would Google Do.'

I've discovered new authors that I hadn't previously tried because their book were free or cheap on Kindle - Charlie Huston a prime example. I downloaded the free "Caught Stealing" liked it so much I actually bought more of his books - HOWEVER - his latest is 11.99 - so...not buying till the price is lowered.

So, yeah, there are authors and publishers out there that keep their readers in mind and with diligence and authenticity, are able to make a living selling their stories.

And THOSE are the authors & publishers that I will continue to support, spread the word about, and read.

**and ironically, Mr. Baldacci has several philanthropic interests
that concern and promote literacy - yet instead of seeing the positives of eBooks, he's worried "no one will make money."