Fiona L. Woods's Blog, page 391

A New J.K. Rowling Novel?

Maybe, if I wish hard enough.Panzer stopped in at the New York Daily News site. This is the first time our kitty adventurer has been to this site.

Panzer found a post by Jason Silverstein there about one of his favorite authors, J. K. Rowling. According to Mr. Silverstein, Ms. Rowling tweeted she's starting a new novel. Don't get your hopes up too high. Remember, she did say a while ago that she'd never write another Harry Potter book. But ... you never know.

Panzer says, "Maybe, if I give her a present of a mouse, that might change her mind."

To read the full post, tootle over to J.K. Rowling

Four Canadian Publishers Move Distribution

That was pretty fast.Panzer was traveling around the Catosphere looking for news to report today. He made a quick stop at the Publishers' Weekly site. Our inquisitive kitty reporter found a post there by Laura Godfrey.

Ms. Godfrey's post explains the fallout from HarperCollins Canada's announcement last year that they're closing their distribution site. Publishers Douglas & McIntyre, House of Anansi Press, Greystone Books, and New Society Publishers moved their distribution to the University of Toronto Press (UTP). According to UTP,  they will be hiring more employees to help with the increased workload.

Panzer says, "Didn't take long for the publishers to find a replacement. It just shows nothing is indispensable."

To read the full post, tootle over to Canadian publishers' distribution

3 Comics Legends to Serve as Educators For a MOOC

Graphic novels? It could happen.Panzer stopped in to visit his friends at GalleyCAT today. Our furry, black kitty found a post by Maryann Yin that caught his attention like a mouse scurrying across the kitchen floor.

According to Ms. Yin, Edx will have a new massive open online course (MOOC) about comic superheroes. There'll be three course instructors. These will be comics greats Stan Lee, Michael Uslan and David Uslan.

Never heard of MOOCs? Well, they're courses open worldwide that anyone can attend over the internet. Students interact with each other, do assignments, and learn about all types of topics.

Panzer says, "Who knows. Maybe they'll talk about graphic novels."

Note: There's a link in the post to the original press release.

To read the post, tootle over to 3 Comics Legends to Serve as Educators For a MOOC | GalleyCat

Amazon Has Big Competition In Germany

300,000 ebooks? Let's take a look.Panzer was out taking a leisurely trip around the Catosphere and he happened to stop in at Melville House. Our big bad kitty traveler found a post about a new competitor for Amazon in Germany.

According to a post by Sal Robinson, the players in the new competitor are the German booksellers Thalia, Welbid, Hugendubel, multi-media company Bertelsmann, and the telecom company Deutsche Telekom.  The combine has developed an ebook distribution platform and an e-reader called the Tolino Shine.

Included in the post is a link to the new distribution site, so you can check out the platform and e-reader.

Panzer says, "Watch out Amazon. The new site has twice as many books as Amazon.de."

To read the full post, tootle over to Amazon competitor

A New Panzerism

Panzer on Jokes:

Panzer: Knock, Knock.

Mom: Hmmm?

Panzer: Knock, Knock.

Mom: Hmmm? What?

Panzer: I say, Knock, Knock, and You say, Who's there?

There's a first time for everything.Mom: Okay. Knock, Knock.

Panzer: Who's there?

Mom: It's me, Mom. You've known me your whole life, Panzer.

Panzer: What? Wait! I mean, what? Hey! What happened?

Free Ebooks March 1-7 for Read An Ebook Week

FREE at SmashwordsPanzer wants all his friends to know that starting today (March 1) and through Saturday (March 7) is "Read An Ebook Week." In celebration of that, my big bad kitty has a big good kitty surprise for you. If you go to Smashwords, click the buy button for Cats and Crime, then enter RW100 in the Code box , and then click Apply Code at checkout, the ebook is FREE. Be sure to check the price before you accept the sale to make sure you followed all the steps.

Panzer says, "And, if you don't have a Smashwords account, why not? It's FREE and there are lots of FREE books all this week."

To get your FREE copy, tootle over to Cats and Crime.

As a second kitty gift this week, you can get a FREE copy of Panzer's friend Fiona L. Webber's romance, Love's Decisions too. (You'll need to follow the same steps as above for Cats and Crime and use the same RW100 code.)

Barnes and Noble to Spin-off College Text Books

Saved from the garbage heap.Panzer found some good news for Nook users at the Publishers' Weekly site today. According to a post by Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble will be spinning off the college text book section of their business.

Why is this good news for Nook users?

Because speculation had originally been that B&N would spin off the Nook section as well and no one knew what would happen to Nook on its own. But now B&N will be keeping Nook under their stores umbrella. However, it's not all good news. B&N is keeping Nook because sales are down, making Nook an unattractive spin-off.

But, at least for the short term, Nook is safe.

Panzer says, "Whew! Saved for now."

To read the post, tootle over to college texts

German Publisher Buys eBookstore, Plans Flat-Rate eBook Service

How do I get my ebooks in the service?Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere and stopped in at the Ink, Bits & Pixels site at The Digital Reader.

There he found a post about German publisher Bastel Lubbe. The publisher will be entering into the paid subscription ebook market. There will be two services offered. One is a monthly paid service. The second is an ad-supported service.

Panzer says, "There's a lot of competition in the paid subscription market."

To read the post, tootle over to German Publisher Buys eBookstore, Plans Flat-Rate eBook Service

How Authors Can Use Instagram

Showcase cover art.Panzer stopped in at Joel Friedlandar's The Book Designer site today. Our kitty Catosphere explorer found a post there by Adrienne Erin about how authors can use Instagram.

Instagram isn't a social media site our kitty boy knows much about, so he was particularly interested in reading Ms. Erin's suggested uses.

According to Ms. Erin, there are seven ways authors should use Instagram. Authors can use it for self-promotion, for inspiration, for showcasing cover art, and four more easy ways.

Panzer says, "Hmmm. Instagram for authors? Maybe it's worth checking out."

To read the post, tootle over to authors and Instagram

Game of Thrones May End Before A Song of Ice

Panzer was out in the Catosphere looking for news for today's post. Our kitty reporter stopped in at the GalleyCAT site where he found news about Game of Thrones.

According to Maryann Yin, this season's Game of Thrones won't be based on George R. R. Martin's books.

Why?
NOOOO!
Because last season finished at the end of his books. He hasn't finished and published a new book for this season to be based on.

So, the show's writers met with Mr. Martin and will be writing this season based on what he told them his plans are.

Panzer says, "There are some interesting interviews with the actors at the site."

To read the post and watch the interviews, tootle over to Game of Thrones May End Before A Song of Ice