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Royal Wedding Inspires Romance Writers

Friday, April 29, 2011

The royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton has inspired several new novellas.

Six of the stories revolve around William's forebears from the 12th to 19th centuries. Harlequin commissioned the novellas for its "Royal Weddings" ebook collection. Each costs $1.99.

And Avon Impulse has released an ebook anthology called Royal Weddings by Stephanie Laurens, Gaelen Foley and Loretta Chase. It also costs $1.99 and features three fictional love stories set against real-life British royal weddings.

Read the full USA Today article here.

The 'Wild West' World of Self Publishing

Friday, April 22, 2011


Self-published ebooks are continuing to shake up the publishing world.

I first ventured into the world of ebooks after getting a Kindle for my birthday last November.

Although I did buy some ebooks in the $6.99 to $8.99 range, I soon realized I could still purchase my favorite authors' new paperback releases at Target or other discount stores for a 25 percent discount. I'm still buying from the big publishers, where I can be assured of a certain quality and high standard, but I go where I can find the best price - whether it's digital or paper.

However, when it comes to my Kindle, I've quickly fallen into a pattern of giving less expensive ebooks a second (and third) look. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, I am not alone.

Reporter Jeffrey Trachtenberg reports that a recent Amazon top 50 ebook best-seller list featured 15 books priced at $5 or less. One part-time thriller writer who sells his titles for 99 cents had seven spots on the best-seller list. The self e-published author, John Locke, he says he made $126,000 from his Amazon sales in March alone.

The country's six largest publishers set the retail prices of their ebooks. Amazon reports it sees a higher rate of growth on titles it can discount. I still look for ebook deals from the established authors and publishers. Honestly, I have never bought a 99-cent ebook but apparently there are plenty of readers out there who have.

It all goes to show it is still a crazy world of the unknown when it comes to ebooks and self-epublishing.

Or as literary agent Jane Dystel says in the article,  "This is a Wild West of a world."

Get Library Books on Your Kindle!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Fantastic news for Kindle users. Amazon announced Wednesday that you will soon be able to borrow books from public libraries. Amazon is working with OverDrive, which manages ebook lending for most public libraries. The deal means Kindle users will soon have access to thousands of ebooks thanks to OverDrive’s 11,000 public library partners.

For me as a Kindle user, the inability to check out library books on my device has been a real drag. Especially since library ebook loans have been available for the Sony Reader, Nook,  iPad and smartphones. So kudos to Amazon for making this invaluable public resource available to Kindle users.

According to Amazon, library ebooks will be available for all generations of Kindle devices. The ebook's soaring popularity is evident at the library. Overdrive reports a 200 percent jump in library ebook checkouts over 2009.

Amazon says the Kindle Lending Library will launch later this year but has not released an exact date. I can't wait!

Read the full Publishers Weekly article here.



"Great Gatsby" House Demolished

A piece of literary history is no more. The iconic New York mansion that some say inspired "The Great Gatsby" is being razed to make way for a subdivision.



Razing of the mansion known as Land's End began last weekend. The 13-acre property facing the Long Island Sound will be replaced by five $10 million houses. The local newspaper reports that Winston Churchill, the Marx Brothers and Ethel Barrymore attended parties there in the 1920s and 1930s.

The house - which featured marble, parquet floors, Palladian windows and hand-painted wallpaper - had fallen into disrepair. The developer who bought it several years ago said he could no longer keep up with repairs.

Local lore says F. Scott Fitzgerald would watch the grand parties at Land's End from a property across the water - and that may have inspired "The Great Gatsby."

CBS Sunday Morning recently ran a piece about the mansion and filmed its demolition. Check out the video here.

Ebooks, Pricing & Discovering a New Author

Monday, April 18, 2011

I recently discovered a new author whose work I absolutely love. Of course, that's nothing new, we've all done that before. It is how I discovered Margaret Mallory that is new in this evolving ebook universe.

In February, I saw it posted somewhere online that the first book in her All the King's Men series was being offered for $1.99. I was not familiar with Mallory but - since I can't resist a good deal - I went straight to Amazon and downloaded Knight of Desire.

It was a thoroughly entertaining read - fast paced, well written, passionate and sexy with very appealing lead and secondary characters. I finished it quickly and was anxious to read the two remaining books in the series. But I was busy at work and with the kids and had plenty of other unread books on my nightside table so I put any new purchases out of my mind for the moment.

This month Mallory tweeted that the second book in the series, Knight of Pleasure, was now $1.99. I jumped on it and devoured the second book quickly. It was possibly even better than the first.

Now the third book in the series is calling my name. It is still listed at regular price - but what can I say - I'm hooked! Even if Knight of Passion (I do love the titles in this trilogy) never goes on sale, I know I am going to pony up and pay full price.  

The thing is I probably would not have even sampled Margaret Mallory's work at all if it had not been for the great deals which enticed me to give her novels a try. Now I'll probably read everything she writes.

Thanks to savvy ebook pricing and marketing, social networking and captivating storytelling, everybody wins.

And it's not only Knight of Passion that I've got my eye on. Mallory has a new book, The Guardian, coming out on May 1. There is no doubt that I will read it.

The only question is whether or not I'll pre-order it.

February E-book Sales Skyrocket

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Publisher's Weekly reports that ebook sales increased at a higher rate in February than they did in January. 

According to the American Associate of Publishers (AAP), ebook sales increased 202 percent, raking in $90 million. 

February wasn't so good to other forms of books, which all saw declines. Adult hardcover fell 43 percent to $46 million and mass market paperback plunged 41.5 percent to $29 million.

The AAP believes the ebook gains are the result of people loading ebooks onto the e-readers they received for the holidays.

Whatever the reason, according to Publishers Weekly, ebook sales for the first two months of 2011  equalled sales of trade paperbacks for that period.

Free Eloisa James Novella!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Eloisa James' ebook novella, A Fool Again, is now being offered for free. You can order the novella now but it won't be available until April 26th.

Here are the links for Kindle and Nook. You'll notice the two different covers. The one on the right is from Amazon. The Barnes & Noble Nookbook cover is below.   Interesting how the two covers set entirely different moods.

Here's the Synopsis:

 

A Fool Again is the story of Genevieve, who once made a dash to Gretna Greene to marry, but was caught by her father. 

Now, a few years later, she attends the funeral of her elderly husband (not the man she ran away to marry) and who does she see but The One Who Got Away! 

Can they make their love work this time around or will Genevieve be A Fool Again?

E-Book Deal: 2010 Rita Nominated 'Knight of Pleasure' for $1.99

Friday, April 8, 2011



Margaret Mallory's Knight of Pleasure, a 2010 Rita finalist, is now just $1.99 on Kindle and Nook. It's the second book in the talented author's All the King's Men trilogy.

Here's the link for Kindle. Here it is for Nook.

I recently read the first book in the series, Knight of Desire, and am looking forward to reading Knight of Pleasure


There is no telling how long this deal will last. Just to be safe it is already on my Kindle. I love a good deal!  

Here's a preview of the story from Mallory's Website:



THE GREATEST PASSION
Lady Isobel Hume is an expert swordswoman who knows how to choose her battles. When the king asks her to wed a French nobleman to form a political alliance, she agrees. But that's before the devilishly charming Sir Stephen Carleton captures her heart-and tempts her to betray her betrothed, her king, and her country.

IS WORTH THE GREATEST PERIL
Sir Stephen Carleton enjoys his many female admirers-until he dedicates himself to winning the lovely Isobel. When a threat against the king leads Isobel into mortal danger, Stephen must prove that he is more than a knight of pleasure ... and that love can conquer all.

Enjoy! I plan to.

Random House Partners with Video Game Maker

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Random House is expanding its interest in the videogame business by partnering with game producer THQ.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the collaboration tests the idea of "transmedia" - original storytelling that spreads across a variety of formats.

The Wall Street Journal reports "The two companies said they intend to create a wide spectrum of original works that include novels, graphic novels and digital books, as wells as online, console and mobile-phone games. Hollywood may participate as well."

The ideal scenario would have Random House publishing a blockbuster book which lends itself to a Hollywood movie, videogame and toys.

It would probably be 18 months before any joint Random House-THQ venture hits the market. 

Read the full article HERE.

FREE E-BOOK TODAY!

Friday, April 1, 2011

"The Pursuit of Pleasure," by Elizabeth Essex, is now free for Kindle or Nook.

I don't know how long the promotion will last but I've already got it on my Kindle.

Here's the book synopsis:

Lizzie Paxton's dream in life is to be a widow—if only she could skip the wedding and the husband. When her childhood friend Captain James Marlowe proposes a marriage in name only, she accepts, knowing she'll have the independence she craves once he sets sail. Though James is the only man Lizzie trusts, she doesn't trust the scintillating desire he evokes in her.

James knows he shouldn't get involved with anyone, especially with his uncertain future. But he just can't help himself when he overhears Lizzie's declaration. Though he's promised her a marriage of convenience, he wastes no time in seducing her and taking her over the precipice of desire. Yet not even his beautiful wife can deter him from his cause.

But when Lizzie discovers her husband has deceived her, James must choose between devotion to duty and loyalty to the woman he cannot live without. .


Here's the link for Kindle. Here it is for Nook.

Enjoy!