Fiona L. Woods's Blog, page 395

Amazon's Grandinetti Speaks At DBW

I'm above the fray.Panzer followed some whispering voices through the Catosphere to the Publishers' Weekly site. Our big black kitty reporter found an enlightening post by Calvin Reid there. If you're adept at reading between the lines like our kitty boy is, there's some interesting information in the post.

According to Mr. Reid, Amazon's Russ Grandinetti was at Digital Book World. Mr. Grandinetti was questioned by DBW representatives about the author unhappiness with Kindle Unlimited. Specifically, authors are dismayed by their diminished royalties since joining KU. According to Mr. Grandinetti, changes have been made to address the authors' issues.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... If the issues have been addressed, why are authors still leaving the program?"

Warning: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post and also has information on the Hachette contract, Amazon's size, and other subscription platforms.

To read the post, tootle over to Grandinetti speaks at DBW

Ray Bradbury's Home Razed

Not my house too?Panzer was out in the Catosphere today and nearly lost control of the Panzermobile. Our intrepid kitty explorer couldn't believe the news he read at John King Tarpinian's File 770 site. The home where bestselling writer Ray Bradbury wrote some of his most memorable science fiction stories has been torn down.

Have you ever wondered where the Panzermobile came from? When Panzer was just a kitten (and before his mystery solving days), he developed a love of science fiction stories. One of his favorite SF writers was Ray Bradbury. When our little black kitty learned Mr. Bradbury had advised NASA, that generated an interest in space travel and hence the Panzermobile.

Panzer says, "First the shock of Mr. Bradbury's demise and now this. Humans have no concept of the importance of history."

Warning: This post is long and includes several photos of the building's destruction.

To read the full post, tootle over to Ray Bradbury

Amazon Sued By Durst Organization

Which is better 310,000 or 500,000?Panzer is feeling much better today. So, when he got up from his morning nap, he hopped into the Panzermobile and headed straight out into the Catosphere.

My big black kitty went to visit one of his favorite sites for business news, Forbes. He found an interesting post by Ryan Mac about Amazon there. According to Mr. Mac, Amazon is being sued by the real estate company Durst Organization for $25 million dollars. The Durst Organization says they have a letter of intent from Amazon to lease 310,000 square feet of space in one of their New York office buildings. But, instead, Amazon leased 500,000 square feet of space in an office building from Vornado Realty.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... 310,000 square feet compared to 500,000 square feet. Sounds like maybe your building didn't have enough space."

To read the whole post, tootle over to New York builder sues Amazon

A New Panzerism

Did you pay that bill yet?Panzer on the look of innocence:

Oh, your credit card bill came today?

Who joined The Catnip of the Month Club?

Hmmm ...

How would I know?

The Tree Of Knowledge Video

Interesting.Panzer was over at his friend Lynn Viehl's Paperback Writer blog today.

My big bad boy's friend has a great video by Joshua Stocker posted there. The video is for book lovers and is called The Tree of Knowledge.

Panzer says, "Don't worry. It's really short. You'll want to adjust the volume, though."

To watch it tootle over to paperback writer.

Barnes and Noble Sales Up at Stores Down at Nook

Really. I feel a little better. Cough.Panzer is feeling a little better today. He headed out into the Catosphere to visit GalleyCAT.

My poor little bedraggled kitty found a post by Dianna Dilworth about Barnes and Noble and Nook sales for the holiday season. While Barnes and Noble stores, both online and stationery brick and mortar, had a combined increase in holiday sales. The Nook division, however, had 55.4% less sales than last year.

Panzer says, "Hmmm. Let's see. You're spinning off Nook. Nobody knows if it will still be around next Christmas. Why would I want to buy a Nook? Or even an ebook to read on my Nook?"

Note: Be sure to check out the links at the end of Ms. Dilworth's post, too.

To read the post, tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Free SF and Fantasy Ebook From Tor.com

Warm milk, please. Cough!Panzer is still feeling a little sick, so his trip into the Catosphere was quick today.

My big bad sick boy followed a trail of kitty treats over to the Tor.com site. He discovered they have a FREE ebook anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories available now. The book contains twenty-six short stories and novellas that include works by Ellen Datlow, Peter Joseph and Paul Stevens and many others. You can read the stories at the site or follow the links to Amazon, Nook, etc. to get your own copy.

Panzer says, "FREE is always good. (Cough! Cough!)"

To read the post, tootle over to free download

(A dip of the fedora to Bill Crider for the link.)

Amazon's Kindle Unlimited and Authors

12,000 words?Panzer has been feeling a little sick for the past week. Today he felt well enough to take a short trip into the Catosphere.

My big bad kitty pilot stopped the Panzermobile in at the Bits blog at the New York Times site. In a post by David Streitfeld my poor boy learned a lot about the Kindle Unlimited program that he didn't want to know.

Mr. Streitfeld tells the experiences of novelist Kathryn Le Veque with the new Kindle Unlimited (KU) program. Ms. Le Veque has 50 novels up at Amazon some on KU, some on Amazon. Even with that many novels uploaded, Ms. Le Veque continues her writing output. Sometimes now, she will write and 18 hour day and turn out 12,000 words. Why? To keep her income up. But, Ms. Le Veque does say she doesn't mind working that hard.

Panzer says, "My paws hurt just thinking about 12,000 words a day!"

Warning! This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g p-o-s-t. You'll need a very b-i-g c-u-p of t-e-a and a v-e-r-y b-i-g c-o-o-k-i-e.

To read the full post, tootle over to publish or perish

A New Panzerism

Round and round it goes.Panzer on Cleanliness:

Mom's toothbrush floats very well.

Five flushes ...

and it still didn't go down in that whirlpool.

I don't understand why she's so upset I washed it, though.

I put it back where I found it.

Happy New Year!

From All Of Us
To All Of You
Have A Happy New Year!