Ryan Field's Blog, page 540
August 4, 2011
RIP, Leslie Esdaile Banks, Philadelphia Author
Leslie Esdaile Banks passed away this week. I heard about it when it first happened. I live in New Hope, Bucks County, PA, and it's a northern suburb of Philly. So I keep in touch with a lot of local authors. I also have a great eye doctor near Penn Presbyterian, not far from U of Penn, and Ms. Banks didn't live far from there. It's a close community, and sad news like this spreads fast.
I haven't posted until now because I was waiting for solid information and details. I hate putting anything down in writing unless I have all the facts and the reputable sources.
Here's a link to Ms. Banks's web site, and below is the announcement. There's going to be a celebration of her life on Saturday, August 6th, at Smokey Joe's Bar at the U of Penn campus on 208 S. 40th Street. I have a prior commitment that day. But it's in Philly and I'm hoping I can get a chance to stop in later that evening.
My heart goes out to all her family and friends. And also to her readers. She's going to be missed, both locally here in the Philly area and internationally.
Aug 2, 2011
It is with profound sadness that I announce that Leslie Esdaile Banks, our Queen literary passed this morning. I will share details of funeral arrangements as soon as they become available.
Adrienne King
President
Leslie Esdaile Banks FanClub
I haven't posted until now because I was waiting for solid information and details. I hate putting anything down in writing unless I have all the facts and the reputable sources.
Here's a link to Ms. Banks's web site, and below is the announcement. There's going to be a celebration of her life on Saturday, August 6th, at Smokey Joe's Bar at the U of Penn campus on 208 S. 40th Street. I have a prior commitment that day. But it's in Philly and I'm hoping I can get a chance to stop in later that evening.
My heart goes out to all her family and friends. And also to her readers. She's going to be missed, both locally here in the Philly area and internationally.
Aug 2, 2011
It is with profound sadness that I announce that Leslie Esdaile Banks, our Queen literary passed this morning. I will share details of funeral arrangements as soon as they become available.
Adrienne King
President
Leslie Esdaile Banks FanClub
New Release in Virgin Billionaire Series: Virgin Billionaire's Dream House
Here is a link to the latest book in the Virgin Billionaire series, THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE'S DREAM HOUSE.
I'll post more, as usual. I'll be adding my cover copy here on the blog because the publisher must have hired someone new and the cover copy on the retail web sites is a little thin. But basic product details are the book is a full length novel (I think 65,000 words), I added the publisher's link today but it will be on all retail web sites where books are sold, and it can be downloaded as a print book on amazon.
Also, for those who are still learning about e-books, you can download e-books to your computer and read then on your computer. There's a huge misconception out there that you need an e-reader. You don't. I have two e-readers, but I've read many e-books on my computer, including a lot of the books I read as a judge for the Rainbow Awards.
August 3, 2011
Question and Answer...
I receive a lot of questions from new writers and other authors. Once in a while, readers have questions. Sometimes the questions are private and other times they are more generic. I'd never mention any names on this blog. But I've decided to answer a few of the generic questions because I think most people are curious about them.
So many writers seem to be getting into self publishing now. I see all of them on facebook and twitter promoting books of non-fiction and fiction novels. Does this mean it's a waste of time to query agents?
Like most questions about getting a book published, there is no easy answer to this. I wish there were, but there isn't. I can only talk about my own personal experience and how I feel about querying agents.
First, I think it depends on the book you're writing. If you're writing m/m erotic fiction or m/m romance, I don't think querying agents is the best route to go. This is based on my past experience, and someone else might have had a different experience. But I never got anywhere pitching m/m anything to literary agents. In fact, I've had some reply with scathing e-mails, insinuating they are far too grand to represent m/m erotica or romance. Those agents who say they represent "gay/lesbian" authors are usually looking for more literary novels...the arty, sad-sack, novels where gay people are repressed and helpless, where gay people are bullied, kicked, and discriminated against in society. I call them quasi emotional novels, kind of like when you know a popular talk show host on TV is exploiting a serious issue to get ratings. And I don't write novels like that. I don't exploit the gay community ever. I also know one or two agents out there are gay, but not openly gay. Ironically, they represent mostly mainstream straight fiction. I'm not fond of that kind of insincerity either.
But if you're trying to get something more mainstream published (in any genre), I certainly don't think it can hurt to query agents. A good agent will guide you and nurture you, and set you on the right path toward publication. I do think it's important to research each agent you do query to make sure they represent the kind of book you're pitching. I also think it's important to follow each agent's query guidelines to the last letter because it will give you a better shot at getting their attention...and respect. And please be sure you never use the term "fiction novel" like in the question above. They don't like this; they will penalize you for this. And you always want to make a good impression up front with the query letter. These days, there's enough information on the web about most literary agents to get a feel about what they are like. Do the research.
One common factor I've always seen about querying agents is that writers tend to obsess about it a little too much. I've known writers who would spend weeks working on one query letter instead of working on their books. I know it takes time to write a decent query, but if you're spending more time writing the query than you are writing the book, there might be something wrong with the way you are going about things. And the ironic part of it all is that it's really the writing that's going to impress the agent in the end, the query letter is just the vehicle that's going to get you there.
As far as self-publishing goes, I know a lot of authors who are doing it. I haven't, but I've thought about it many times. I do applaud all these authors for taking their own careers into their own hands. The Internet has opened up opportunities for authors in ways that couldn't have been imagined ten years ago. And if you're not taking advantage of all the opportunities out there, it might be time to take a step back and evaluate what you've been doing. Self-publishing used to be what writers did when all else failed. I think that's changed now, and I think self-publishing is something writers do now when they want to empower themselves and control their own careers.
To sum it up, do it all. Query agents, query publishers who take unagented submissions. Contact all the wonderful e-publishers out there. And don't get hung up on rejection for too long. When you hear that publishing is a subjective business, it's not someone being polite.
So many writers seem to be getting into self publishing now. I see all of them on facebook and twitter promoting books of non-fiction and fiction novels. Does this mean it's a waste of time to query agents?
Like most questions about getting a book published, there is no easy answer to this. I wish there were, but there isn't. I can only talk about my own personal experience and how I feel about querying agents.
First, I think it depends on the book you're writing. If you're writing m/m erotic fiction or m/m romance, I don't think querying agents is the best route to go. This is based on my past experience, and someone else might have had a different experience. But I never got anywhere pitching m/m anything to literary agents. In fact, I've had some reply with scathing e-mails, insinuating they are far too grand to represent m/m erotica or romance. Those agents who say they represent "gay/lesbian" authors are usually looking for more literary novels...the arty, sad-sack, novels where gay people are repressed and helpless, where gay people are bullied, kicked, and discriminated against in society. I call them quasi emotional novels, kind of like when you know a popular talk show host on TV is exploiting a serious issue to get ratings. And I don't write novels like that. I don't exploit the gay community ever. I also know one or two agents out there are gay, but not openly gay. Ironically, they represent mostly mainstream straight fiction. I'm not fond of that kind of insincerity either.
But if you're trying to get something more mainstream published (in any genre), I certainly don't think it can hurt to query agents. A good agent will guide you and nurture you, and set you on the right path toward publication. I do think it's important to research each agent you do query to make sure they represent the kind of book you're pitching. I also think it's important to follow each agent's query guidelines to the last letter because it will give you a better shot at getting their attention...and respect. And please be sure you never use the term "fiction novel" like in the question above. They don't like this; they will penalize you for this. And you always want to make a good impression up front with the query letter. These days, there's enough information on the web about most literary agents to get a feel about what they are like. Do the research.
One common factor I've always seen about querying agents is that writers tend to obsess about it a little too much. I've known writers who would spend weeks working on one query letter instead of working on their books. I know it takes time to write a decent query, but if you're spending more time writing the query than you are writing the book, there might be something wrong with the way you are going about things. And the ironic part of it all is that it's really the writing that's going to impress the agent in the end, the query letter is just the vehicle that's going to get you there.
As far as self-publishing goes, I know a lot of authors who are doing it. I haven't, but I've thought about it many times. I do applaud all these authors for taking their own careers into their own hands. The Internet has opened up opportunities for authors in ways that couldn't have been imagined ten years ago. And if you're not taking advantage of all the opportunities out there, it might be time to take a step back and evaluate what you've been doing. Self-publishing used to be what writers did when all else failed. I think that's changed now, and I think self-publishing is something writers do now when they want to empower themselves and control their own careers.
To sum it up, do it all. Query agents, query publishers who take unagented submissions. Contact all the wonderful e-publishers out there. And don't get hung up on rejection for too long. When you hear that publishing is a subjective business, it's not someone being polite.
August 2, 2011
Finns Point...Historical Romance
There's a place in southern New Jersey that most people wouldn't recognize as New Jersey. I have family there; a few famous people have come from that area, like Bruce Willis and John Forsythe. It's not the New Jersey most people would imagine, with smoke stakes, traffic jams, and densely populated urban areas. This part of New Jersey, Salem County, is rich with American history. It hasn't changed much since the l950's, and it resembles a southern area more than a northern area.
The terrain is flat; the summer climate, because it's below sea level in some parts, resembles New Orleans. And the reason I'm posting about it is because I'm finishing up a new historical romance set there during the civil war. When I lived in Salem County, there was a park where I used jog called Fortt Mott. Not far from Fort Mott is a place called Finns Point. The most significant historical fact about Finns Point is that there's a cemetery where unknown confederate soliders were buried. And though I literally walked and jogged this park for years, I wanted to know more about the historical facts.
So here are a few of the basics. I'll post more as I approach the release date. I'm shooting for Setepmber right now. This book has gone through hundreds of edits and revises since it began. I don't normally write historical romance, especially pg rated historical romance, and I wanted everything to be as close to perfect as possible. I'm also well aware of the fact that the historical police will be watching, and I want to give them something to research they've most likely never heard about before.
Originally purchased by the federal government to build a battery to protect the port of Philadelphia, the land became a cemetery by 1863 for Confederate prisoners of war who died while in captivity at Fort Delaware. One hundred and thirty five Union soldiers who died while serving as guards at the prison camp are also buried here. The death toll among prisoners of war and the guards was high, especially in the latter part of 1863 and throughout 1864. By July 1863, there were 12,595 prisoners on the island at nearby Fort Delaware which was only about 75 acres (30 ha) in size. Disease was rampant and nearly 2,700 prisoners died from malnutrition or neglect. Confederate prisoner interred at the cemetery totaled 2,436 and all are in general unmarked graves.
Officially made a National Cemetery on October 3, 1875 by request of Virginia Governor James L. Kemper, who criticized the poor maintenance of the Confederate grave site.
Finn's Point National Cemetery is south of Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge near Fort Mott State Park, in Pennsville. The cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Andrew Cunanan committed one of his murders at the cemetery on May 9, 1997, killing cemetery caretaker William Reese and stealing his truck.
The terrain is flat; the summer climate, because it's below sea level in some parts, resembles New Orleans. And the reason I'm posting about it is because I'm finishing up a new historical romance set there during the civil war. When I lived in Salem County, there was a park where I used jog called Fortt Mott. Not far from Fort Mott is a place called Finns Point. The most significant historical fact about Finns Point is that there's a cemetery where unknown confederate soliders were buried. And though I literally walked and jogged this park for years, I wanted to know more about the historical facts.
So here are a few of the basics. I'll post more as I approach the release date. I'm shooting for Setepmber right now. This book has gone through hundreds of edits and revises since it began. I don't normally write historical romance, especially pg rated historical romance, and I wanted everything to be as close to perfect as possible. I'm also well aware of the fact that the historical police will be watching, and I want to give them something to research they've most likely never heard about before.
Originally purchased by the federal government to build a battery to protect the port of Philadelphia, the land became a cemetery by 1863 for Confederate prisoners of war who died while in captivity at Fort Delaware. One hundred and thirty five Union soldiers who died while serving as guards at the prison camp are also buried here. The death toll among prisoners of war and the guards was high, especially in the latter part of 1863 and throughout 1864. By July 1863, there were 12,595 prisoners on the island at nearby Fort Delaware which was only about 75 acres (30 ha) in size. Disease was rampant and nearly 2,700 prisoners died from malnutrition or neglect. Confederate prisoner interred at the cemetery totaled 2,436 and all are in general unmarked graves.
Officially made a National Cemetery on October 3, 1875 by request of Virginia Governor James L. Kemper, who criticized the poor maintenance of the Confederate grave site.
Finn's Point National Cemetery is south of Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge near Fort Mott State Park, in Pennsville. The cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Andrew Cunanan committed one of his murders at the cemetery on May 9, 1997, killing cemetery caretaker William Reese and stealing his truck.
August 1, 2011
Jeff Schroeder's Idiot Comment About Dumbledore
I've been a fan of the reality show Big Brother since it started. I don't know why, not exactly. But I think it has to do with observing the relationships between total strangers who are locked up, without outside communication, for a length of time. Also, watching their reactions to certain situations, especially while they are under stress.
Over the years, I've seen smart players (Dr. Will)come and go. And I've seen more idiots on that show than I care to remember. But one of the biggest idiots, so far, is Jeff Schroeder. He made a comment this season about kids books and gay characters in kids books that was probably the dumbest thing I've heard on television in years. In this case, he was talking about a character in Harry Potter, Dumbledore.
Here's the link. I've never read anything in the Harry Potter series, so I'm not familiar with the characters at all. But you don't have to be familiar in order to get the gist of what the Big Brother idiot of all time, Jeff Schroeder, was saying. Thankfully, one smart contestant, Kalia Booker, went after him for it, which you can see in a clip if you follow the links on the piece I just linked to.
Big Brother's Jeff Schroeder Goes on a Homophobic Rant Against Dumbledore21comments By Seth Abramovitch July 13, 2011
If you're one of those Big Brother freaks who spends every summer locked inside a command center, pounding 5-Hour Energy drinks and scanning a wall of monitors in the hopes that one of the 15 feeds you subscribe to will turn up something worthwhile—well, last night was your lucky night. Contestant Jeff Schroeder, who first appeared on Big Brother 11, got into a heated debate with housemate Kalia Booker over the rumored sexual preference of a fictional character: Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of novels. (Kalia is right, by the way. While nothing in the books explicitly proves it, Rowling told a crowd at Carnegie Hall in 2007, "I always thought of Dumbledore as gay." It was a revelation which made perfect sense somehow, but, predictably, set off a tidal wave of gay wizard jokes.)
To say this news took Jeff by surprise would be an understatement. Noting at first that Dumbledore "doesn't have any gay tendencies," Jeff grew increasingly agitated and irate. "He's in school with little kids!" he shouted. "You don't want to make that guy gay!" Asked to expound, Jeff explained, "It isn't right to have it in a little kid's book, and have the head master locked away in this magical land, be gay. That isn't the right kind of writing to do." He never actually said it, but it was pretty clear what he was getting at: that Dumbledore's sexuality would automatically predispose him to being a pedophile and sex predator. He was suggesting that Dumbledore would molest boy wizards! That attitude—that gays can't be around children because they'd rape them—is a hugely bigoted and hopelessly outdated argument, traditionally used by homophobes to perpetuate hate crimes against gay people and deny them basic rights. It makes Jeff look really, really bad. And the fact that he argued so passionately for it over a completely fictional character in a children's book makes him look even worse. Idiot.
Watch the video of Schroeder's tirade at TMZ.
July 31, 2011
UNBALANCED by Kate Douglas; Beyond the Book
As I said in this post, I bought UNBALANCED by Kate Douglas yesterday and read it in one sitting last night.
The main reason I bought the book was because I'd been reading so much about the publisher, Beyond the Book. And a lot of what I was reading was negative. But, as always, the negative posts are always the loudest. And, none of the negative posts I did read were based on anything I thought was solid criticism. Reasonable people, those who act on the information given to them instead of emotion, know and understand that it's really too soon to tell what's going to happen with Beyond the Book...or any brand new publisher...especially these days when everything's so new. The old rules simply do not apply anymore.
For me, all publishing issues aside, it's always more about the book and the readers who will be buying the book. And I found UNBALANCED to be a nice surprise. And this isn't even my favorite genre, yet this book kept my interest because the writing is solid, the character development is strong, and the amount of dialogue is just right. And the dialogue was written well. No said bookisms where they didn't belong...nothing amateur.
And nothing was overwritten. To be honest, I was a little afraid before I bought the book, because so many books nowadays...in all genres...are terribly overwritten. And a lot of them receive great reviews, too. But UNBALANCED had a nice pace and an even rhythm, and the storyline constantly moved forward.
The sex scenes weren't as detailed as I would have liked in a book like this. But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong. They worked and I didn't have a problem with them. And even though it's not easy to capture emotion with a story like this, I think Kate managed to do that as the characters grew to know each other and become more comfortable with their situation. I even liked the little twist between Jett and Locan. No spoilers. But what I was hoping would happen, did happen. Nice touch and well done.
If UNBALANCED is any indication of what Beyond the Book's other publications are like, it proves they are working hard to put out quality books at a good price. I know how hard we work at ravenous romance to do this, and at Loveyoudivine. And did I mention I only paid .99 for UNBALANCED? And that it was much longer than I'd expected? From a product standpoint, I felt as though I got my money's worth and then some...including some bonuses at the end.
So I can't recommend this book enough. I'm glad I took the time to read it, and to find out what kind of books Beyond the Book is publishing. My next purchase from this publisher is going to be a non-fiction book about card games and rules for card games. I can't think of the title right now, but I saw it on their list and it looked interesting.
The one side note, which has nothing to do with the book or the publisher, is that I do think that UNBALANCED wasn't described well enough on Kobo. As I said, I was thinking I'd be reading a short story. It was much longer that I expected, which is a good thing. And I think retail web sites like Kobo need to start giving out better product descriptions so readers know exactly what they are buying. And authors, this is why it's just as important to get your product details out on your blogs and web sites as it is to get your storylines out.
The main reason I bought the book was because I'd been reading so much about the publisher, Beyond the Book. And a lot of what I was reading was negative. But, as always, the negative posts are always the loudest. And, none of the negative posts I did read were based on anything I thought was solid criticism. Reasonable people, those who act on the information given to them instead of emotion, know and understand that it's really too soon to tell what's going to happen with Beyond the Book...or any brand new publisher...especially these days when everything's so new. The old rules simply do not apply anymore.
For me, all publishing issues aside, it's always more about the book and the readers who will be buying the book. And I found UNBALANCED to be a nice surprise. And this isn't even my favorite genre, yet this book kept my interest because the writing is solid, the character development is strong, and the amount of dialogue is just right. And the dialogue was written well. No said bookisms where they didn't belong...nothing amateur.
And nothing was overwritten. To be honest, I was a little afraid before I bought the book, because so many books nowadays...in all genres...are terribly overwritten. And a lot of them receive great reviews, too. But UNBALANCED had a nice pace and an even rhythm, and the storyline constantly moved forward.
The sex scenes weren't as detailed as I would have liked in a book like this. But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong. They worked and I didn't have a problem with them. And even though it's not easy to capture emotion with a story like this, I think Kate managed to do that as the characters grew to know each other and become more comfortable with their situation. I even liked the little twist between Jett and Locan. No spoilers. But what I was hoping would happen, did happen. Nice touch and well done.
If UNBALANCED is any indication of what Beyond the Book's other publications are like, it proves they are working hard to put out quality books at a good price. I know how hard we work at ravenous romance to do this, and at Loveyoudivine. And did I mention I only paid .99 for UNBALANCED? And that it was much longer than I'd expected? From a product standpoint, I felt as though I got my money's worth and then some...including some bonuses at the end.
So I can't recommend this book enough. I'm glad I took the time to read it, and to find out what kind of books Beyond the Book is publishing. My next purchase from this publisher is going to be a non-fiction book about card games and rules for card games. I can't think of the title right now, but I saw it on their list and it looked interesting.
The one side note, which has nothing to do with the book or the publisher, is that I do think that UNBALANCED wasn't described well enough on Kobo. As I said, I was thinking I'd be reading a short story. It was much longer that I expected, which is a good thing. And I think retail web sites like Kobo need to start giving out better product descriptions so readers know exactly what they are buying. And authors, this is why it's just as important to get your product details out on your blogs and web sites as it is to get your storylines out.
July 30, 2011
Beyond the Book Publishing: Unbalanced by Kate Douglas
I've been reading bits and pieces all over the web about a new publishing service, Beyond the Book.
And when I read things like this, my initial author instincts kick in and I'm curious, and then my next instinct is to buy one of the books Beyond the Book is publishing and see what it's like.
So as soon as I finish this blog post, I'm ordering "Unbalanced," by Kate Douglas over at Kobo. (I still haven't had time to figure out that "dropbox" thing I posted about earlier this week, and don't see much free time in the future, so for now it's push a button and order from Kobo.) Unbalanced is a .99 e-book and you can't go wrong there. (I love .99 e-books more than I love the new Baccarat lamp I just ordered from my brother...at a discount...because he's a designer in New York.)And from what I've read, Kate Douglas has a long list of excellent publishing credits. I've read her thoughts on various comment threads, and she sounds like a nice person, too.
I'll post more about the book when I finish it. I don't give actual reviews here on this blog, but I don't have any problem commenting on whether or not I like a book...in a general sense...or leaving ratings on goodreads and amazon.
And frankly, after reading so much about Beyond the Book and the publishing services it offers, I'm curious to see exactly what kind of book they are putting out.
July 29, 2011
Do We Agree With Boy George?
I was skipping around the web and found this below. I personally don't agree. I was around in the eighties and I don't remember any huge "sense that things were changing, and becoming more open-minded," as Boy George points out. I was in my teens and although things were changing, most of what I remember had to do with being terrified of AIDS because there wasn't much information out back then.
I love Boy George, but I honestly just think gay men are like everyone else. They are all individuals and they want to do their own thing. If that means putting on a pink feather boa, lipstick, and earrings, they should feel free to do so. But if they want to put on a Hawaiian shirt, drink beer, and spit on the sidewalk like Linda Warnke pointed out on a comment thread here last week, they should be able to do that, too.
Do Most Gay Men Just Want To Fit In These Days? Boy George Thinks So.
Written by Jonathan Higbee | Monday, 11 April 2011
Tags: what's your instinct, boy george, gay culture, individuality, quotes, interviews, philip sallon, hate crimes, attacks, heterosexist
A week after the tragic beating (and suspected hate crime) of his good friend and activist Philip Sallon, Boy George has given an interview to claim that gay men no longer want to live outwardly-fabulous lives.
"These things go in circles," Boy George said to the Guardian.
"In the early 80s there was this sense that things were changing, and becoming more open-minded. But we don't have that sort of gorgeous youth culture any more, the glam rockers, the New Romantics. People aren't so individual any more. There is this sense of why would you want to stand out and make a show of yourself?"
"You can find that sort of attitude in the gay community too. That if you are an exhibitionist you are somehow spoiling the big assimilation. Most gay men go out of their way to look normal and fit in, but Philip is not of that breed."
Do you agree with Boy George? Is the current trend in gay culture that of "blending in" with heteronormative society and rejecting individuality?
July 28, 2011
In Case You're Wondering About the Poor Grammar in Some Books...
Frankly, I have been wondering about grammatical errors in books for a while now. On this blog, I'm not all that careful about grammar. This is a relaxed place to come, and I don't think all blog posts have to be written with a red pen. I write these posts fast, hoping I get it right. And some of my favorite personal blogs are so far off when it comes to grammar it makes them special.
But I do feel differently about the grammar published books. I don't want to read "myself," when it should be "me." And I don't want to read "Me and my sister went to the store," instead of "My sister and I went to the store." I can get that just by watching the people on Judge Judy.
But if you've been wondering why a lot of books these days have grammatical errors, check out this comment, where a guy actually defends not only his lack of knowledge with regard to grammar, but also his disregard for grammar in a general sense. He thinks creativity is more important than "grammer," and he's proud of himself.
Seems typical of the way things are going these days. Why should grammar matter anymore in published books? But then why the hell am I paying ten grand a year in property taxes? Grammar shouldn't be learned on a college level. It should be nailed in Grammar School.
But I do feel differently about the grammar published books. I don't want to read "myself," when it should be "me." And I don't want to read "Me and my sister went to the store," instead of "My sister and I went to the store." I can get that just by watching the people on Judge Judy.
But if you've been wondering why a lot of books these days have grammatical errors, check out this comment, where a guy actually defends not only his lack of knowledge with regard to grammar, but also his disregard for grammar in a general sense. He thinks creativity is more important than "grammer," and he's proud of himself.
Seems typical of the way things are going these days. Why should grammar matter anymore in published books? But then why the hell am I paying ten grand a year in property taxes? Grammar shouldn't be learned on a college level. It should be nailed in Grammar School.
July 27, 2011
For Those Who Don't Have E-Readers Yet
One of the things I've learned in publishing is to never assume anything. I check out blogs and comment threads all over the web to see what's happening and to see what readers think and what they want.
From what I'm gathering, even though so many on the web already know about and own e-readers, there are still many who don't. Not only don't they own them, they are intimidated by them. I understand this because I was just as intimidated for a long time. I started reading e-books by downloading them to my computer. I got that. I knew how to do it. But e-readers really freaked me out.
And let's face it, a lot of the blog posts on the web about e-readers are written by techies and experts who take for granted everyone knows what they are talking about. I'm still learning about DRM...I think that's what it's called...and I'm still learning how to download digital books to my kobo e-readers without going through the Kobo store.
So you're not alone out there. Not everyone is a digital expert, including authors who write digital books. And I think it's important when it comes to things like this to think about what your needs are when it comes to reading e-books, and make it as simple as possible. In my case, I love my Kobo e-readers. For me, the process is basic and all I have to do is push a few buttons and I have a book. As I said, I'm still learning. But for now I'm so happy with my e-readers and my e-books, I can't imagine ever going back to print books.
Here's a blog post I think is helpful about e-readers if you in the market to buy one.
Like a digital music player, an e-reader is useless unless you can easily get e-books onto it.
Let's get one misconception out of the way: e-book formats are superfluous because Kindle, Nook and Kobo e-readers are closed systems.
In other words, if you decide a few years from now to switch from, say, Nook to Kobo, or from Kobo to Kindle, or from Kindle to Nook, or whatever, books you've already purchased will be stuck on your old device. They cannot be transformed to your new, different e-reader, regardless of format.
Hence the reason to choose wisely, hence these thorough examinations.
Amazon v. the world
I raise the format issue because one of the knocks on the Kindle is that Amazon uses a proprietary e-book format called AZW (indicated by the file name suffix .azw; for free books, Kindles use a format called Mobipocket, .mobi).
The rest of the industry uses the open EPUB (short for Electronic PUBlication), which includes the more than 11,000 libraries that lend e-books.
This mean that Kindle can't be used to borrow EPUB books from public libraries, just from other Kindle owners.
However, three months ago Amazon announced Kindles will be able to borrow EPUB library books sometime this fall.
Kindle's pending library compatibility removes any real difference between Amazon's proprietary e-book format and EPUB, at least as far as purchased e-books are concerned.
Both Barnes & Noble and Kobo use EPUB as their e-book formats, but then add their own copy protection scheme (referred to as DRM, digital rights management) to stop you from sending that file to someone else on a different e-reader for free, and makes these e-books incompatible with any other e-reader. (All three let you "lend" a limited number of e-books to other Nook or Kobo users.)
Therefore, e-book formats, open or not, are an insignificant consideration. You'll be trapped regardless of whether you choose Kindle, Nook or Kobo.
Free books, however, are DRM-free and are usually available in both .mobi and EPUB formats. (For more information on how to get free e-books, see my "How To Get Free E-Books.")
Actual shopping
To make a long-story short, for the moment Kindle presents the best buying experience for one reason: Amazon let's you skip a sync step. A second minor Kindle superiority: longer free samples. All three e-readers let you download free samples, but with Kindle you usually get more to read before you buy.
But first let's quickly address the varying differences between Amazon, Nook and Kobo e-book selection and prices before we get to the skipped sync step.
In practical terms, there aren't any differences in selection and price in the competing e-book catalogs. All three have all the best sellers and popular older books from the so-called Big Six publishers, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House and Simon & Schuster and a mix of smaller houses as well as periodicals. Each e-book store offers around 2 million e-book titles, which means you'll usually be able to find what you're looking for as far as new e-books are concerned.
And the publishers don't exactly encourage e-book price competition, so pricing differences among the three e-book stores are minimal, if non-existent where best sellers are concerned.
From store to e-reader
Kindle, Nook and Kobo e-readers let you buy e-books right from the device, as long as your e-reader is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
The differences in how each online e-reader store is set up don't make one superior to the other. You can search for a title, browse categories, check out best-seller lists, and download samples (which we'll get to in a second) on all three.
The speed at which whole books and samples get downloaded to your e-reader once purchased depend on the speed of your Internet connection, but figure around a minute from clicking the "buy" button to actually reading your new e-book.
You also can shop for e-books from the Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Kobo Web sites from a PC, smart phone or tablet (although, as I mentioned in Monday's Part I, you can no longer shop for e-books from within the updated iPhone Kindle, Nook or Kobo apps; if you want to continue ordering e-books from within these apps, don't update them), as well as from Kobo's standalone Mac or PC application.
But if you buy an e-book from the Web or a smart phone/tablet app, you now have to get it to your e-reader, which means syncing via Wi-Fi.
Nook and Kobo syncing is simple. Go to the Kobo's home screen or the Library screen on the Nook, and simply tap the sync icon (a pair of arced arrows completing a circle). You purchases will then be transferred to your e-reader lickety-split.
Easy – but Kindle let's you skip this step entirely. When you are ready to buy an e-book from the Amazon Web site or smart phone app, you can choose to transmit it directly to your Kindle. No syncing step necessary.
Recommendations
As noted, Amazon's skipped sync step is convenient, especially for the tech-phobic, and the longer sample chapters also are nice. So, right now, Kindle gets the edge in e-book shopping.
Two things, though.
First, nothing stops Barnes & Noble or Nook from upgrading their shopping to accomplish the same direct-to-e-reader capability at some point.
Second, Nook has a singular shopping advantage over both Kindle and Kobo: the 40,000 Barnes & Noble real-world retail locations.
Not only can you get Nook hardware help from living, breathing sales people, but your Nook will automatically connect to the store's Wi-Fi, and you can download and read any e-book in Barnes & Noble's catalog for up to an hour a day.
If you live near a Barnes & Noble bookstore – and with 40,000 stores, who doesn't? – you may find being that close to flesh-and-blood help and access to free e-reading a real shopping advantage.
From what I'm gathering, even though so many on the web already know about and own e-readers, there are still many who don't. Not only don't they own them, they are intimidated by them. I understand this because I was just as intimidated for a long time. I started reading e-books by downloading them to my computer. I got that. I knew how to do it. But e-readers really freaked me out.
And let's face it, a lot of the blog posts on the web about e-readers are written by techies and experts who take for granted everyone knows what they are talking about. I'm still learning about DRM...I think that's what it's called...and I'm still learning how to download digital books to my kobo e-readers without going through the Kobo store.
So you're not alone out there. Not everyone is a digital expert, including authors who write digital books. And I think it's important when it comes to things like this to think about what your needs are when it comes to reading e-books, and make it as simple as possible. In my case, I love my Kobo e-readers. For me, the process is basic and all I have to do is push a few buttons and I have a book. As I said, I'm still learning. But for now I'm so happy with my e-readers and my e-books, I can't imagine ever going back to print books.
Here's a blog post I think is helpful about e-readers if you in the market to buy one.
Like a digital music player, an e-reader is useless unless you can easily get e-books onto it.
Let's get one misconception out of the way: e-book formats are superfluous because Kindle, Nook and Kobo e-readers are closed systems.
In other words, if you decide a few years from now to switch from, say, Nook to Kobo, or from Kobo to Kindle, or from Kindle to Nook, or whatever, books you've already purchased will be stuck on your old device. They cannot be transformed to your new, different e-reader, regardless of format.
Hence the reason to choose wisely, hence these thorough examinations.
Amazon v. the world
I raise the format issue because one of the knocks on the Kindle is that Amazon uses a proprietary e-book format called AZW (indicated by the file name suffix .azw; for free books, Kindles use a format called Mobipocket, .mobi).
The rest of the industry uses the open EPUB (short for Electronic PUBlication), which includes the more than 11,000 libraries that lend e-books.
This mean that Kindle can't be used to borrow EPUB books from public libraries, just from other Kindle owners.
However, three months ago Amazon announced Kindles will be able to borrow EPUB library books sometime this fall.
Kindle's pending library compatibility removes any real difference between Amazon's proprietary e-book format and EPUB, at least as far as purchased e-books are concerned.
Both Barnes & Noble and Kobo use EPUB as their e-book formats, but then add their own copy protection scheme (referred to as DRM, digital rights management) to stop you from sending that file to someone else on a different e-reader for free, and makes these e-books incompatible with any other e-reader. (All three let you "lend" a limited number of e-books to other Nook or Kobo users.)
Therefore, e-book formats, open or not, are an insignificant consideration. You'll be trapped regardless of whether you choose Kindle, Nook or Kobo.
Free books, however, are DRM-free and are usually available in both .mobi and EPUB formats. (For more information on how to get free e-books, see my "How To Get Free E-Books.")
Actual shopping
To make a long-story short, for the moment Kindle presents the best buying experience for one reason: Amazon let's you skip a sync step. A second minor Kindle superiority: longer free samples. All three e-readers let you download free samples, but with Kindle you usually get more to read before you buy.
But first let's quickly address the varying differences between Amazon, Nook and Kobo e-book selection and prices before we get to the skipped sync step.
In practical terms, there aren't any differences in selection and price in the competing e-book catalogs. All three have all the best sellers and popular older books from the so-called Big Six publishers, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House and Simon & Schuster and a mix of smaller houses as well as periodicals. Each e-book store offers around 2 million e-book titles, which means you'll usually be able to find what you're looking for as far as new e-books are concerned.
And the publishers don't exactly encourage e-book price competition, so pricing differences among the three e-book stores are minimal, if non-existent where best sellers are concerned.
From store to e-reader
Kindle, Nook and Kobo e-readers let you buy e-books right from the device, as long as your e-reader is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
The differences in how each online e-reader store is set up don't make one superior to the other. You can search for a title, browse categories, check out best-seller lists, and download samples (which we'll get to in a second) on all three.
The speed at which whole books and samples get downloaded to your e-reader once purchased depend on the speed of your Internet connection, but figure around a minute from clicking the "buy" button to actually reading your new e-book.
You also can shop for e-books from the Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Kobo Web sites from a PC, smart phone or tablet (although, as I mentioned in Monday's Part I, you can no longer shop for e-books from within the updated iPhone Kindle, Nook or Kobo apps; if you want to continue ordering e-books from within these apps, don't update them), as well as from Kobo's standalone Mac or PC application.
But if you buy an e-book from the Web or a smart phone/tablet app, you now have to get it to your e-reader, which means syncing via Wi-Fi.
Nook and Kobo syncing is simple. Go to the Kobo's home screen or the Library screen on the Nook, and simply tap the sync icon (a pair of arced arrows completing a circle). You purchases will then be transferred to your e-reader lickety-split.
Easy – but Kindle let's you skip this step entirely. When you are ready to buy an e-book from the Amazon Web site or smart phone app, you can choose to transmit it directly to your Kindle. No syncing step necessary.
Recommendations
As noted, Amazon's skipped sync step is convenient, especially for the tech-phobic, and the longer sample chapters also are nice. So, right now, Kindle gets the edge in e-book shopping.
Two things, though.
First, nothing stops Barnes & Noble or Nook from upgrading their shopping to accomplish the same direct-to-e-reader capability at some point.
Second, Nook has a singular shopping advantage over both Kindle and Kobo: the 40,000 Barnes & Noble real-world retail locations.
Not only can you get Nook hardware help from living, breathing sales people, but your Nook will automatically connect to the store's Wi-Fi, and you can download and read any e-book in Barnes & Noble's catalog for up to an hour a day.
If you live near a Barnes & Noble bookstore – and with 40,000 stores, who doesn't? – you may find being that close to flesh-and-blood help and access to free e-reading a real shopping advantage.
