Fiona L. Woods's Blog, page 406

A New Panzerism

Thanks Mom. I needed a good laugh.Panzer on a balanced diet:

You're kidding, right?

You Are Now Buried Under 3.4 Million E-books And Counting

I feel so bad.Panzer isn't happy about the post he found over at Claude Nougat's blog. In fact, my bad boy is downright disheartened.

According to Mr. Nougat, there were 3.4 million ebooks available in the Kindle Store the day he wrote the post. And he also discovered that 12 new ebooks are added to the store every hour. That means the competition is getting stronger every five minutes.

Mr. Nougat even checked into the rankings of past top-selling authors Amanda Hocking and John Locke.

Guess what.

They're not number one in sales any more.

So, things are getting tough all over.

What chance does a poor little kitty have to sell his books?

Panzer says, "Mr. Nougat does point out Amazon now gives indies access to a pre-order button, so at least we have something."

A warning: this is a very, very long post with screen shots and information, so bring a big, big cup of tea.

To read the full post, tootle over to buried under 3-4 million e-books

12 Tips On How To Promote Your Book

Watch out. He uses bad words.We made a stop at Chuck Wendig's Terrible Minds blog today. Panzer found a post on promoting your book.

Mr. Wendig offers twelve tips for promoting yourself and your books on social media. These tips are to show how to promote without being "spammy." That means no "Me ... Me ... Me" posts. Now that doesn't mean you can't talk about yourself, because you should. What it does mean is you should be funny, tell jokes, be helpful. Not just "Buy My Book!" "Buy My Book!" And that's just one tip. There are eleven more for you.

Panzer says, "I don't go to Mr. Wendig's blog very often because he uses bad words. So, be warned!"

To read Chuck Wendig's tips for book promotion, tootle over to promote your books

Smashwords: Inc. Magazine Names Smashwords to Inc. 5000 List o...

$22 million!Over at the Smashwords blog, Panzer found a post announcing the company's inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list. According to owner Mark Coker, Smashwords is #122 in the top 5000 and the #1 fastest growing media company on Inc.'s list.

My bad boy wasn't surprised that Mr. Coker said Smashwords made $22 million in revenue in 2013. There are over 100,000 authors and small publishers who use Smashwords services. That's a lot of books.

Panzer found the last few paragraphs of the post the most interesting. In that section Mr. Coker asks the question, Where is Smashwords as a company going in the future? And, Where are indie authors going in the future?

Panzer says, "I know where I'll be. It's nap time right now."

To read the full post, tootle over to :

Barnes & Noble Teams With Samsung on New Galaxy Tab Nook - GalleyCat

Let's take a look at this new Tablet.Today, WE visited GalleyCAT. Panzer found a post by Dianna Dilworth about the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.

My bad boy told you this new co-branded Nook was in the works back in June, so it's no surprise it's here. The surprise is the price: only $179 and you get $200 worth of ebooks and TV shows to go with it. You can order it online or in the Barnes and Noble stores.

Panzer says, "I want to try out this new tablet. How about you?"

To read the full post, tootle over to Barnes & Noble Teams With Samsung on New Galaxy Tab Nook - GalleyCat

More E-Book Price-Fixing Fallout

I promise. Not again.Okay, Panzer did it again. He promised me he'd stay away from the Publishers Weekly site.

But ...

being a bad boy, he just had to break his promise.

So ...

He found a post there by Andrew Albanese that brings up another court case involving Apple and the big five publishers involved in the original price-fixing case (yes, Hachette Book Group is one of the big five). This case was brought by DNAML, Diesel eBook Store and BooksOnBoard. All three companies are no longer viable and are now suing for compensation.

Judge Denise Cote has ordered the three e-retailers, Apple and the big five publishers into mediation.

(Now, I have the keys to the Panzermobile, so my bad boy isn't going anywhere without me for a week.)

To read more about the latest in the price-fixing game, tootle over to mediation

A New Panzerism

Love conquers all ... including curtains.Panzer on True Love:

The only thing between me and true love is your window curtains.

And ...

No ...

I don't know why they're on the floor.

Today Is My Day!

HappyBlack CatAppreciationDayTO ME!


(That's in the U.S. today. Maybe, we can make it worldwide next year?)

Thoughts in Progress: Three Fun Elements to Add to Your Mystery {+ Givea...

I never thought of that.Panzer stopped in at Mason Canyon's Thoughts in Progress blog to visit his friend Traveler (Cat in Residence). After the two bad boys got finished discussing their respective pet humans, Panzer read a guest post by Elizabeth Craig.

Ms. Craig discusses three fun things you can incorporate into your mysteries to add a little humor. Each time you add something new to your mysteries you're opening the door to new readers and a new market.

To see what things might entice new readers to your novels, tootle over to Thoughts in Progress: Three Fun Elements to Add to Your Mystery {+ Givea...:

Orwell Estate Joins The Amazon-Hachette Fray

I give up. This joke will never end.Panzer found an interesting post by Alison Flood over at The Guardian today.

Bill Hamilton,the George Orwell Estate executor, says Amazon misquoted Mr. Orwell in the letter the retailer sent to readers and authors.

If you want to read the latest in this ongoing, never-ending soap opera, tootle over to another Amazon problem