Fiona L. Woods's Blog, page 399

A New Panzerism

A little back scratch would be nice, too.Panzer on Tools:

Mom, what do you mean cats can't use tools?

Not true.

I think of you as my PTU.

That's Personal Transportation Unit.

Now, pick me up and carry me to the window while you're petting my head, you silly tool.

Past NaNoWriMo Participants Give Tips

I'll never catch up on my naps.Panzer has been busy working on this year's NaNoWriMo novel. My bad boy thought you all might be interested in reading Daniel Leffert's Publishers' Weekly post. Mr. Leffert has interviews with Jason M. Hough, Hugh Howey, Marissa Meyer, Karen Harrington, and Gennifer Albin. All are former NaNoWriMo participants who went on to publish novels.

Panzer says, "34,000 words done. Only 16,000 words left before November 30. Me-OW-OW-OW!"

To read the full post, tootle over to NaNoWriMo

Smashwords: Ebook Publishing Gets More Difficult from Here - H...

I need a nap.There was so much yowling and caterwauling today that Panzer couldn't get his noon nap. He staggered out to the Panzermobile and hit the Catosphere to chase down all the noise. It turns out, all the yowling was about a new post at the Smashwords blog.

According to Mark Coker's post the future of indie authors is about to change. There are so many indie authors that readers are getting buried under all the ebooks. On top of all those ebooks, there are literally thousands of free ebooks for readers to chose from.

What's an indie author to do to rise above that pile of ebooks?

Mr. Coker has twenty things (although there are actually more buried in these twenty) an indie author can do.

Of course there's the old standby of write more ebooks.  And use professional services. And do series. And more. And more. This is a marketing plan in a blog post.

Panzer says, "Bookmark Mr. Coker's post. You'll use it again and again."

To read the whole post, tootle over to Smashwords: Ebook Publishing Gets More Difficult from Here - H...:

Barnes and Noble Re-enters Audiobook Market

Again?Panzer heard some mewling today and he headed out to see where it was coming from. According to Calvin Reid over at the Publisher's Weekly site, Barnes and Noble is getting into the audiobook market.

What?

Yes, all of you who are my bad boy's friends do remember right. He did tell you back in June that Barnes and Noble was leaving the audiobook market. At that time B&N announced their customers needed to backup their audiobooks before the audio files turned into random ions in the Catosphere.

Now, they've announced they've come out with a new app for Android devices. You can download the app in the Google Play store. According to Mr. Reid's post, Barnes and Noble will carry 50,000 audiobooks. The post also includes a link to Nook's site to download the app.

Panzer says, "Hmmm. I wonder how long they'll stay in the market this time?"

To read the full post, tootle over to Nook audiobooks app

Amazon-Hachette Settlement Benefits Publishers and Authors

I believe it.Panzer was over at The New Yorker site today. My bad boy reporter found a post by Vauhini Vara about the Amazon vs Hachette settlement.

Ms. Vara believes the new contract between Amazon and Hachette will prove beneficial to both writers and publishers.

How can that be, you ask?

Well, Ms. Vara says the new contract will give publishers more money which they can use for more and bigger advances for writers.

Panzer says, "Hmmm. Hachette sure is big-hearted to give all that money to authors."

Be warned: You'll need a big cup of tea because this is a very long post.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon vs Hachette

A New Panzerism

How fast can a can run?Panzer says:

Some of my favorite memories from kittenhood go back to those times when Mom and What's His Name would come back from the hunt.

They'd bring in cans of food for me and other stuff for them.

Then we'd all sit around by the glow of the TV

and ...

Mom would recount how much the food was on sale.

Whatever that means.

I'm not really sure, but I think sale means how fast the prey runs.

Smashwords: The Amazon Hachette Dispute Comes to a Pyrrhic End...

I'm back!Did you miss Panzer this week? There was rain and wind and ice and downed trees. That meant my bad boy couldn't get to the Catosphere.

But ...

Now he's back!

My big black kitty found a post over at the Smashwords blog about the results of the end of the Hachette vs Amazon dispute. Mark Coker has some interesting ideas about who won and who lost in the settlement.

Panzer says, "I can't believe Amazon lost the battle."

To read the entire post tootle over to Smashwords: The Amazon Hachette Dispute Comes to a Pyrrhic End...: 

A New Panzerism

I'm ready.
Panzer says:

Mom told me old cats sleep 20 % more than kittens.

Getting old sounds pretty good to me.

What Is Amazon's Impact On Publishing?

Back to work.Panzer is still behind in his daily NaNoWriMo word count. My speedy little black kitty made a short trip to Book Life today.

Panzer found a post about a panel discussion arranged by the New American Foundation about Amazon's impact on publishing. Panel participants were bestselling indie author Hugh Howey, book store owner Sarah McNally, and National Public Radio host Manousch Zomorodi.

Panzer says, "Of course Amazon has an impact on publishing."

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon

Goodreads Choice Awards Are Open For Voting

This way to vote.Panzer stopped in at Goodreads today.

You've heard of Goodreads, right? It's a place where readers talk about (and review) the books they're reading. It's also a place where authors can interact with their readers, have giveaway contests, and join discussion groups.

Each year Goodreads gives out the Goodreads Choice Awards. Members get to vote for their favorite books. Well, the polls are open and it's time to vote.

Panzer says, "Did I forget to mention Amazon owns Goodreads?"

To vote or to join, tootle over to best books of 2014