The Open Author

Thursday morning, I attended and presented at UVU’s Book Academy. It was a good day  visiting with friends, talking with other writers, and finding out the state of the publishing industry here in Utah.

After lunch, the authors signed copies of their books for attendees. At one table sat an author I’d never heard of. I spoke with several people who had his books, and they had good things to say about his books.

I was intrigued. I happened to have my Kindle, and so I pulled open the store and searched for his name.

No dice. He books weren’t in the Kindle store.

It suddenly clicked. I realized why studies have shown that people with Kindles tend to read more, as well as buy more books. Had his books been in the store, I would have bought it, right then and there. Instead, think of what I need to do now to buy his book. First, I have to remember his name. It was different, I’m not good with names, and I’ve already forgotten it. So now I must write to one of my friends and ask what it was.

Once I get his name, I could buy the book online, but then I have to pay for shipping (or buy more stuff to get free shipping), and I’m kind of cheap. So instead, I will wait until the next time I go to a book store. I confess, I don’t go to book stores often. I go to the library much more often than I go to the book store.

If the library has the book, instead of purchasing it, I’ll just check it out. Unless the book is really good, I probably won’t buy it after I’ve read it.

The point of all this is that when you have an e-reader, the whole world becomes your end cap. If a friend tells you about a book, you can buy it right there, and be reading in a flash.

And I guess the point of this for authors is that if your books aren’t available in e-book format, they need to be. Really. You’re losing sales.

More e-readers enter the market. Can they topple Kindle, Apple, and the Nook?

Are children more willing/likely to pick up an e-book when compared to their adult counterparts? Looks like that may be the case.

Seems to be conflicting reports. I’ve seen some studies that show those with e-readers buy more books, and that print books are on the rise. But this study seems to suggest that e-books are already cannibalizing print books sales. Can you say panic?

Good review of the current state of the e-book reader market.

Own a Kindle? Chances are you’re older and richer than those young hoodlums who are toting around their iPads, and letting their britches fall below the underwear line.

Amazon put the Kindle on the web. Was that to counter the yet-to-be-released Google Editions? This blog seems to think so.

The Kindle can hold up to 3,000 e-books, but those books might be hard to find. Calibre offers to solve that problem by acting like an iTunes for your e-book reader.

Ten Reasons why e-books keep selling.

Amazon is rolling out an  interesting feature.

It seems like authors and publishers can make a book chapter or section of their work available to be read in a browser. That is nice, and it rounds out all of the other ways we can read Kindle–on our smart phone, on our PC, on our iPad, and I’m missing one…oh yeah, on the Kindle itself.

Now we don’t even have to leave the browser. However, what I’d really like to see is a way for readers/blogger to be able to share not just the sample section that an author or publisher allows, but any part of the book they wish. I can hear authors and publishers everywhere gasping in horror at this, but let me explain.

We already have the right of fair use. I can stand up in a public setting and read sections of a book as part of a talk. I can quote parts and put it in a blog post. There are rules I have to follow, but as long as I follow those rules, I’m good to go.

If I’m reading a good book, why not let me highlight a passage and share it on my blog or on Twitter? It would be very simple to do right from my Kindle or iPad. What a great way to have a conversation around a book with friends who may not have heard about it.

For the author and publisher it would be free advertising. For readers it would be a way to find new and interesting material.

Kindle for the Web is still in Beta. We’ll see how end product functions.  In the mean time, scroll down a bit more to see how it works right now.

I put in the order almost three weeks ago, but last week in the mail my Kindle finally arrived.

What do I think of it? If you want the short review, it’s love at first sight. If you want the long review…well, keep reading.

When I first opened the package, I noticed one of those plastic sheets laid across the front of the screen. On this sheet was printed the start-up instructions. You’ve probably seen plastic sheets on the front of cell phones or other electronic devices made so that it looks like the equipment is on.

I followed the instructions which told me to plug in the Kindle. I decided I didn’t need the sheet, so I pulled it off. I was surprised to discover that the instructions weren’t printed on the sheet, but were instead on the Kindle. This drove home two points that I already knew, but I hadn’t fully appreciated.

First, the resolution is outstanding. I have never seen a generation 1 or 2, but the three blew me away. Here is an image I took of my Kindle with Agatha Christie on the screen. It was the best I could do, but it  still doesn’t do the screen justice.

The second thing I realized with the instructions on the screen is that the Kindle really doesn’t use power once the image is displayed. They sent me the Kindle with the instructions on the screen, and it wasn’t draining the battery. The image linked above will sit on my Kindle until I turn it on.

I’ve got more to say, but it’s getting late. I’ll add a few more thoughts on my Kindle in the next few days. Right now, I’m going to go read my kids a bedtime story. Something from Hans Christian Andersen, I think.

The Kindle is still selling fast. It became available for about 2 days, and is now on back-order again.

I can’t help passing this post on. The nice think about J. A. Konrath is that he’s not polarizing.

Is the iPad coming out with a new bookstore service? This site seems to think so, and they think Apple will  dominate the market.

Lot of discussion around the price of e-books this week. J. A. Konrath kicked it off with this post. Moses Siregar does a great job of summarizing the buzz around the web.

One poll reports 1 in 10 now use an e-reader.

Can’t do that with a Kindle? Well, check this list first. Maybe you can.

Another Kindle ad that doesn’t take pot shots at Apple (at least not quite as directly).

It’s now officially Fall, and still no Google Books. What’s the hold up?

Looks like e-reader owners read more. Now the real question–causation or correlation?

You’ve probably heard this story but in case you haven’t, don’t read your Kindle while driving. It could get you fired. Oh yeah, and it could get you killed.

Kindle has apps. It’s only fitting that the first paid app is Scrabble.

Okay, maybe vindication is too strong of a word. How about, “Hey, Stephen King agrees with me.”

I’ve said it before on this blog; a book is just the medium for a storyteller to reach their audience.

The book is not the important part. The book is the delivery system. The important part is the story.

Jennie Hansen has an article over at Meridian Magazine that does a good job of summarizing where LDS fiction is today, and where it’s headed in the future.

I did a book signing once with Jennie at BYU Education Week. I remember sitting there with my 15 copies of Chickens in the Headlights while Jennie sat next to me with what seemed like a mountain of titles. I think at the time she had over a dozen different titles. She was kind and considerate to me as a new author. She is a prolific writer, reader, and reviewer.

With an introduction like that, you know I’m going to take issue with something from her article. But it’s a minor point, really. :) From her article:

Two factors have given rise to speculation concerning the future of LDS fiction.  One is the explosive impact of electronics on the world of the printed word.  The other is the reality of today’s economic climate.

Even though today’s technology makes desk top publishing easier, cheaper, and faster than going the traditional route through a publisher, it is producing a poorer quality product that can only hurt the overall market.  Some writers and publishers seem to be trimming costs by trusting electronic editing instead of using a qualified copy editor with the result of ridiculous errors that interrupt the flow of the story.  We’re seeing not only there and their used interchangeably, but we have characters eating deserts, detectives perusing villains, amorphous lovers, and the road less travailed.

This concern is not limited to LDS fiction, I’ve seen similar sentiments echoed elsewhere around the publishing world. But it always confuses me. I don’t understand why poorly written bookshurts the overall market. How exactly does that work?

For example, if we use this same line of reasoning in other art forms, shouldn’t we discourage piano recitals and high school band concerts? If I hear little Jimmy slaughter Beethoven on the piano, might that not discourage me from purchasing classical music the next time I’m shopping on iTunes? 

What about independent bands who pump out their own CDs? Or independent film makers who burn their own DVDs? If I see a poorly filmed movie, will that keep me away from the theaters?

Of course not. In other types of art we see these kinds of activity as possible stepping stones to the ‘next level’.  So why can’t we see it this way when it comes to writing? Why isn’t it natural for a person to say, “Yeah, I wrote and self-published three books before I landed my first contract.

I don’t judge other LDS authors by a poorly written book. If I read a bad book from a self-published author, that in no way hinders me from my next purchase at Deseret Book.

I think we only need to look at the Internet and blogs to see this idea in action. Many of the blogs are polished and professional. Other blogs could use some editing help (this one included). And then there are blogs that are of poor to extremely poor quality. But the fact that those poor blogs exist doesn’t keep me from finding and enjoying the good ones out there.

And of course we haven’t even talked about the benefits that come from self-publishing. When it’s easier to self-publish, there is a wider variety of material to choose from. Yes, we may need to wade through some poor quality material, but that doesn’t dim our enjoyment when we find a gem–a gem that may not have made its way into the light of day were it not for the self-publishing route.

Google Editions coming to Japan in 2011.

Kindle takes a jab at the iPad in a new television spot.

But as this site points out, it’s not really a fair comparison. The Kindle reads better in sunlight, but what about in the dark? Is this a case of apples and oranges?

A Florida school is handing out Kindles instead of textbooks. No word on if this move is to save money, or just to save students having to lug around books.

When the iPad first came out, many people said it would be the salvation of the newspaper industry. But now that newspapers have seen what that salvation will cost, they’re not too happy.

I don’t have an exact article I’m linking to, but there seems to be a lot more buzz around about Google Editions. Maybe an announcement is coming soon?

I’ve been a fan of Stephen Fry since A Bit of Fry & Laurie. He’s written a biography, and his publisher, Penguin, has decided to “go to town” on it. They’ve added some digital bits that enhance the book. Readers can now watch videos, view slideshows, and click on links.

Personally when I’m reading I want to be reading. I think videos and links would take me out of the story. The price of the book is 12.99 British Pound Sterling, which is like $583.23 US dollars. Or something like that.