Fiona L. Woods's Blog, page 388

Indie ReCon Global Online Conference

Hurry! We don't want to be late!Panzer found a super FREE treat for you today.

Our big bad kitty investigated the Indie ReCon Global Online Conference for you. It turns out the conference is online so there's no travel costs. There's no cost to register. So it really is FREE. This is a conference for indie authors presented by indie authors. Speakers will include Bella Andre, Mark Dawson, Joanna Penn, CJ Lyons and others. The conference runs from April 15-17.

Panzer says, "Hurry up and register so you don't miss out!"

To read about the conference and to register, tootle over to Indie Recon

The Digital Age And Business Models

It's been a long day.Panzer has been flying around the Catosphere today looking for news for you. Our kitty pilot of the Panzermobile found an interesting post at the Publishers' Weekly site.

According to a post by Andrew Albanese, you can now obtain an English language version of Dosdoce.com's New Business Models in the Digital Age report. What business models have evolved in the digital age? And where are they going? While the report was prepared for industry professionals, it is worth reading by writers to see what the future might hold. Mr. Albanese's post contains a link to the site to download the report in various formats.

Panzer says, "Mom is going to read it to me after my nap. It looks pretty long, so I need an energy refill."

To read the post, tootle over to Report

Oyster To Jump Into Ebook Sales

You're making a big mistake.Panzer found some more big news for you in the Catosphere. Yesterday our big bad news reporter told you about Kobo's  entrance into the ereader market. Today he discovered Oyster is jumping into the ebook retail market. So, yesterday Kobo announced Amazon competition and today Oyster announces Amazon competition.

According to a post by Calvin Reid at the Publishers' Weekly site, Oyster announced they'll be adding an ebook retail store to their subscription service. The store will carry ebooks from the big five publishers. While Oyster's services are only available in the U.S. now, there are plans to expand internationally this year.

Panzer says, "I think they're making a big mistake. It doesn't look like there's any place in the plan for indie authors. Smashwords has had an agreement with Oyster since the beginning and contributed a lot to their size."

Note: this is a l-o-n-g post, so bring a b-i-g cup of tea.

To read the full post, tootle over to Oyster

Kobo Takes On Amazon In Ereader World

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard laughing and hand clapping and backslapping. He followed all the noise to the GalleyCAT site.

It's coming! I can see it!Our big kitty boy discovered the cause of all the frivolity. According to a post by Dianna Dilworth, Kobo has entered the ereader market ... and ... their ereader is in direct competition with Amazon's Kindle Voyage. And the price? It's $70 less than the Voyage. Included in the post is a link to Kobo's site with their original post.

Panzer says, "Happy Cat Dance! Happy Cat Dance!"

To read the post, tootle over to http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/kobo-takes-on-amazon-with-new-ereader/101705

A New Panzerism

Panzer on cat inventiveness:

Do you wonder what I see when I'm staring at the space over your shoulder

and ...

you turn around and don't see anything?

Do you wonder what I see when I'm staring at the floor
Gotcha! Made you look.
and ...

you look and squint and don't see anything?

Actually ...

That's because there's nothing there.

Lucky Breaks For Writers

It feels so good between my toes.Panzer was out in the Catosphere feeling lucky today.

Why?

Because our big bad kitty stopped in at the Huffington Post site. There he found a post by Holly Robinson about lucky breaks for writers. Ms. Robinson has seven tips for finding your lucky breaks. She starts off with the usual write a lot, enter contests, and then moves on to attending conferences and associating with professionals. She has four more lucky breaks for you to try. According to Ms. Robinson, each lucky break you take advantage of will help you in the long run.

Panzer says, "I feel like I'm running through a patch of four leaf clovers!"

To read the post, tootle over to 7 tips for writers

Dear Kitten YouTube Video

Words of Wisdom
From An Older Friend

Amazon and HarperCollins Contract Negotiations

What do you see there?Panzer just can't get a nap this week. Today our poor sleepy boy got woken up when he fell off the windowsill because of all the noise from the Catosphere. After he washed off his fur, he skedaddled out in the Panzermobile to find out what all the yowling was about.

According to a post by Jim Milliot at the Publishers' Weekly site, Amazon and HarperCollins are having problems with their contract negotiations. Apparently, the contract with HC contains the same terms as recent contracts with other publishers.  Mr. Milliot points out in his post that the source of the information about the contract negotiation problems is the Business Insider which counts Amazon's Jeff Bezo as an investor. There's a link in Mr. Milliot's post to the Business Insider post so you can read it too.

Panzer says, "Hmmm. Better check your sources."

To read the full post, tootle over to Amazon and HarperCollins

Smashwords: New Amazon Service Eliminates the Need for Authors...

Nope. Didn't scare me.Panzer was over at the Smashwords blog today. Our poor kitty was such a scaredy cat he came right home. After I read Mark Coker's blog post all the way through to him and explained what day this is (in the USA), he was laughing so hard he fell off my lap.

Panzer says, "Guffaw ... Snort ... Cawff ... You've got to read this."

 Note: This is a very, very, very long post ... but don't bring a cup of tea to read it. Your keyboard will be all wet when you figure out what's going on.

To read the post, tootle over to Smashwords: New Amazon Service Eliminates the Need for Authors...: The publishing industry is reeling today after news broke this morning about Kindle Author , Amazon

Purdue Sued Over Amazon Textbook Contract

Amazon trade secrets?Panzer was enjoying himself in the Catosphere today.

And, then ... his solitude was interrupted by a bunch of hissing and growling.

Following all the noise, our big brave kitty boy landed at the Purdue University site of The Exponent. According to a post by Jake Schmidt, Campus Editor, Purdue is being sued by the National Association of College Stores.

The NACS wants access to a contract the university signed with Amazon for student textbooks. Purdue already provided a redacted copy to the NACS, but they are demanding the full contract. The contract itself contains a statement that it includes "trade secrets." Therefore, Purdue is withholding full disclosure.

Panzer says, "Hmmm. Why do you want to see the full contract? Amazon's trade secrets maybe?"

To read the full post, tootle over to Purdue and Amazon