Digital Lending Skyrockets at Libraries

USA Today reports libraries across the United States are ramping up digital lending in a big way, looking to move more strongly into tablets and smart phones.

Digital lending picked up momentum when Amazon enabled lending for its Kindle at 11,000 local libraries, bringing in a wave of new ebook library users. 

Developers are now working with the libraries to develop an app which allows people to borrow ebooks on their smartphones.

Douglas County Libraries in Colorado - where ebook lending has grown about 1,200 percent since February 2010 - is developing its own app which releases this month. The app is supposed to allow patrons to browse, check out and read books.

 

The ebook lending evolution is hampered by the ongoing concerns of publishers who worry library digital distribution could hurt their bottom line. Ebooks are the fastest-growing segment of their business.

Some major publishers, such as Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Hatchette, refuse to sell ebooks to libraries.

Meanwhile, readers can't get enough of ebook lending. Library Journal reports public libraries increased their offerings by 185 percent this year. 

According to USA Today, the New York Public Library has quadrupled its ebook budget since 2009 and plans to spend $1 million this year, while the Seattle Public Library's ebook circulation grew by 92 percent in 2010.

Amazon Jumps into the Tablet Business

Apple's iPad 2

Look out Apple, Amazon plans to introduce a tablet computer this fall.

The device could challenge the iPad. It is expected to have a nine-inch screen and will run on Google's Android operating system. 

Amazon customers will be able to watch videos, read ebooks and listen to music purchased or rented from Amazon. It is not expected to have a camera.

The new tablet will intensify the competition between Amazon and Apple, both of which are fighting for customers for their own digital books, music and movies.

Amazon is also releasing two new versions of the Kindle. One will have a touch-screen, the other will not. It will be an updated, cheaper version of the current Kindle model.

You can read more about it in this article from The Wall Street Journal.
 

New Nook Outscores Kindle

The Nook Simple Touch, black and white with touch screen

More evidence that Barnes & Noble's Nook is nipping at the heels of industry leader Kindle by Amazon.

Consumer Reports  says the new version of the Nook e-reader, the Simple Touch, has outscored Kindle in its ratings for the first time.

According to Consumer Reports, both e-readers have black-and-white screens, but the Simple Touch also has touch-screen navigation and weighs less than the Kindle.

Amazon's Kindle

You can also borrow ebooks from the public library with the Simple Touch. Kindle is expected to add the library feature sometime later this year.

Consumer Reports also says an e-book reader is still the best way to go - rather than a tablet like the iPad - if reading books is your main use for the device.

The lighter weight makes holding it for long periods of time more comfortable and the screen is easier to read than the text on tablets' LCD screens, especially in bright sunlight.

Sunshine Deals Shake Up Amazon Bestseller List, Avon Cuts Prices

Amazon's experiment with lower priced ebooks is impacting the online retailer's bestseller list and might be influencing Avon's decision to discount about 60 of its titles as well.

Almost one-third of the books in Amazon's top 100 are part of the company's Kindle Sunshine Deals.

According to paidcontent.org, about 80 percent - 24 books - were not Kindle bestsellers before prices were slashed.

The two-week promotion includes lower pricing on about 650 ebooks. The prices range from $0.99 to $2.99. The Sunshine Deals all come from small- to mid-sized publishers like Candlewick, Bloomsbury and Sourcebooks.

The apparent enthusiasm for discounted titles is in keeping with a recent survey which found that the heaviest buyers of ebooks are significantly influenced by low prices.

My critique partner is one of those people. She's purchased so many of the lower-priced ebooks in the last couple of days, that her credit card company's fraud department called to make sure her card hadn't been stolen. I guess they thought they had a bargain book thief on their hands?     

Right now the major publishers set their own prices and pay Amazon a commission. The success of Sunshine Deals could influence them to lower prices. Avon might already be convinced. The publisher tweets that it will slash prices on about 60 of its titles.

On Twitter and Facebook, Avon announced its "Summer Sale," with titles available for $1.99 and $2.99. Sophie Jordan's "Wicked Nights with a Lover," (above right) is one of the reduced titles. It is now $2.99.

I love Jordan so, of course, I bought it. In fact, I purchased so many books at Avon's summer sale that Amazon had to remind me that I had already purchased one that I tried to buy.

If this trend of reducing ebook prices continues, I foresee big trouble ahead for me!   

Publishers Experiment with Lower Ebook Prices

It looks like publishers want in on all of that ebook action that's allowed little-known and self-published authors to make their mark in digital books.

Amazon has launched Kindle Sunshine Deals - a two-week promotion which includes lower pricing on about 650 ebooks. The prices range from $0.99 to $2.99. The Sunshine deals all come from small- to mid-sized publishers like Candlewick, Bloomsbury and Sourcebooks.

Most titles were published at least a year ago. However, sale-priced pre-orders are available for "The Soldier" by Grace Burrowes and "Wish You Were Here" by Philippa Ashley.

None of the ebooks currently offered at the lower prices appears to be from the six major U.S. publishers. Those publishers use the agency model, which allows them to set their own ebook prices and then pay Amazon a commission. However, although they are not involved, the "Big Six" are paying attention.

Sunshine Deals is “an opportunity for publishers to test compelling pricing coupled with on-site merchandising,” Sarah Gelman, PR Manager at Amazon, told PaidContent.org. “We’re excited about the number of publishers who are participating.”

Does this mean the big publishers might one day adjust their pricing? The recent Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading survey shows the most active ebook buyers are heavily influenced by free samples and low prices.

If Sunshine deals drive sales, it's likely major publishers could soon be looking to offer more discounts on their ebooks...and that's great news for readers!

Amazon Sells More Kindle Books than Hardcover, Paperback

Amazon says it is now selling more ebooks than paperbacks and hardbacks combined.

"Customers are now choosing Kindle books more often than print books. We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly - we've been selling print books for 15 years and Kindle books for less than four years," Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos says in a press release.
 
According to Amazon, they've sold 105 ebooks for every 100 print books. Free Kindle ebooks are not included in that calculation, which would make the number even higher. The online retailer has already sold three times as many ebooks in 2011 as it did during the same period in 2010.

Read the full press release here.

The 'Wild West' World of Self Publishing

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!

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.

FREE E-BOOK TODAY!

"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!

Kindle Lending Club

Now here's an interesting idea - a sort of library for Kindle books.

A small company called Kindle Lending Club is connecting people who are willing to lend e-books to strangers who want to borrow them.

The five-person start-up was founded by a 40-year-old Canadian mother of three. She began with  a Facebook page which proved so popular, that she hired two web developers to expand her idea into a bonafide business. So far, the Kindle Lending Club is said to have facilitated the lending of more than 1,000 books among strangers.

Amazon announced its own Kindle lending program late last year but that seems to facilitate e-book lending only among friends, not on a potentially global scale like the Kindle Lending Club.

I would never want authors to lose out on their just profits. But an e-book library seems like a natural progression. We have libraries for tree-books, why not e-books? If anything, I buy more books from authors whose work I first discovered at the library.

It will be fascinating to see how this concept  progresses.

The Heir: A Regency Delight

In her debut effort, The Heir, author Grace Burrowes showcases a mastery of Regency dialogue that had me sighing with pleasure.

Gayle Windham is heir to the Duke of Moreland, who is obsessed with seeing his son married off. To escape the pressure, Windham decides to spend the summer in London, where his new housekeeper immediately draws his interest.

 Anna Seaton is a gently bred lady with a secret past and the two are soon drawn to each. The result is a lovely romance, which is both tender and starkly sensual. The backdrop is sultry London but that doesn't compare to the heat between this couple.

Burrowes' characters are unique and fully realized - especially Windham. Her descriptive writing engulfs you in London's overwhelming heat and I could almost taste the cold, sweet lemonade our hero is so fond of.

This read is well worth the time and Burrowes has just jumped to my must-read list.

Next up for Burrowes is The Soldier.

I'll be marching right out to pick it up...or to download it onto my Kindle.

However, Burrowes' covers are SO gorgeous I might just want to buy the tree-book simply for the pleasure of gazing at it.


By the way...

IT'S DOWN TO THE WIRE IN RT/KENSINGTON BRAVA'S WRITING WITH THE STARS CONTEST.

MY ENTRY, SEDUCING CHARLOTTE, IS ONE OF FOUR REMAINING FINALISTS IN THE ONLINE VOTING COMPETITION. THE PERSON WHO WINS THE MOST VOTES RECEIVES A BOOK CONTRACT.

PLEASE CONSIDER TAKING A MOMENT TO CHECK IT OUT BEFORE VOTING ENDS TOMORROW, SUNDAY JAN. 30.  I SURE WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR VOTE! 

CLICK HERE NOW TO VOTE

    

Kindle Books Outsell Paperbacks

Amazon reports it's now selling more Kindle e-books than paperbacks. The online retailer says that milestone came sooner than its executives had expected.

According to Amazon, it sold 115 Kindle books for every 100 paperback books since the start of the year.

Does this signal the death of "real" books?

Nope. Because even though Kindle books are going gangbusters, it turns out that paperback and hardcover sales are still rising over at Amazon as well.

BY THE WAY...this is the LAST weekend to vote in Kensington Brava's Writing with the Stars contest. I'm one of four remaining finalists in the online voting competition. I'd really appreciate it if you'd pop over and give it a look. I sure would appreciate your vote!

Nora Roberts Joins the Million Kindle Club

Nora Roberts

Amazon announced last week that Nora Roberts has sold more than one million Kindle books to become only the third member of the "Kindle Million Club."

Roberts has sold 1,170,539 Kindle books under her name and her pseudonym, J.D. Robb. The Kindle Million Club recognizes authors whose books have sold over 1 million paid copies in the Kindle Store. 

Other members of the elite club include the late Stieg Larsson, author of the Millennium Trilogy, (The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) who was the first author to hit the million mark. James Patterson  was the second author to join the Kindle Million Club.

Roberts was the first author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. The New Yorker recently called her "America's favorite novelist."

And don't forget...

Voting continues in the Writing with the Stars contest.

I am one of FOUR remaining finalists in Kensington/RT's contest. The person who wins the most online votes is awarded a book contract. Please take a moment to check it out HERE.

I'd appreciate your vote!  

Getting Frozen Out By My Kindle

I hate to say it, but my new Kindle has been letting me down lately. In the last week, it has frozen three times. Yep. It just sits there and won't respond. Sometimes I'm treated to a blank page, on other occasions the screen saver stares back at me. This is especially frustrating when I am at a good point in the book and the darn page won't turn.

I googled the problem and it seems as though I am not the only reader who has been frozen out by my Kindle. One of Amazon's suggestions is to plug it into its charger for a moment. That won't do me much good when I am on the bus with a frozen Kindle - looking forward to an hour's ride home with nothing to read.

Other advice is to depress the <ALT>, <Shift>, and <R> at the same time. This worked great the first time, although the second two times it took several minutes for the Kindle to reboot. There's also a hard restart that involves removing the back cover and pushing the restart button.

Reading has always been one of life's simple pleasures. I love being transported into another world. But it's hard to leave reality behind when you are constantly wondering whether you'll be able to turn the page. That latent anxiety takes some of the magic out of reading.

And it's not as though Kindles and e-books are inexpensive.

Sure, I still love my Kindle. It's still a cool way to read. But I have to say tree-books never let me down this way.

Happy 2011!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2011 is a positive and fruitful year for you.

When it comes to writing, 2010 was an amazing year for me. One of the top highlights was finalling in BRAVA/RT's Writing with the Stars contest. Kensington editors Alicia Condon and Megan Records selected the 10 finalists for the online voting contest. To have an editor at a publishing house select my work out of all the entries was great validation.

The contest is ongoing. Today, Sunday, Jan. 2, is the last day to vote in Round 3. I hope you'll take a moment to check it out and will consider voting for my entry, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution. 



Me with Madeline Hunter at the NJ PYHIAB conference 

 I also attended my first writers' conference in 2010. Seducing Charlotte placed first in the New Jersey Romance Writers Put Your Heart in a Book contest.

I was thrilled that one of my favorite authors, Madeline Hunter, was among the judges. I met Ms. Hunter at the conference and she was lovely - amazingly generous. I ran into her in the lobby and she spent a good 45 minutes discussing my writing with me. I learned so much about plot, conflict and layering from both our discussion and the workshop she presented at the conference. As a result of that discussion, I've gone back and started revamping the first manuscript I ever wrote, Compromising Willa, which placed 2nd in the PYHIAB contest. It's already a much better manuscript.

If you're an aspiring writer, I strongly suggest you try to make it to one of the chapter conferences. They are well worth it.     


I got this saucy apple green cover with my Kindle.


I also became a Kindle-ista in 2010. I received a Kindle for my birthday and never looked back. I wavered on whether I wanted the e-reader - it made me feel a little unfaithful to traditional books. But now I enjoy both e-books and tree books. I still haven't discovered how to lend an e-book to a friend but I hope to figure it out in 2011.   

I actually launched this blog in 2010 - as a result of the Writing with the Stars contest. It's been a lot of fun. I've tried to provide interesting information about publishing, the romance industry and just reading in general.

I plan to continue blogging away into 2011. Happy New Year and I hope you'll be back to visit often! 

Crazy for the Kindle - Amazon Sells Millions

Kindle sales are skyrocketing, according to the latest word from Amazon.

In a letter to Kindle customers posted on its discussion boards, Amazon reports it has sold more of the newest version of the e-reader in the last 73 days than in all of 2009.

While not releasing exact numbers, Amazon also reports that the Kindle is far and away its bestselling gift item.

I'm one of those people who purchased a Kindle in the last couple of months. (OK, technically my husband bought it - for my birthday last month.)

I am a fan although I don't think I will ever completely give up "real" books. Instead of replacing the paper books, I see the Kindle as a nice complement to them.

For one thing, I am a little put off by the price of ebooks. They cost about the same price as paper books. As I've noted before, it has got to be cheaper to produce ebooks, doesn' it? I can't bring myself to pay full price for an ebook. If I am going to pay $7 or $8 for a new release, I'll still buy the paper version - at least for now.

The Kindle store is great for buying older books - especially ones you can't find in the bookstores - which often cost about $4 or less. All of the classics are free, so that's nice.

There are sometimes excellent deals on ebooks from debut authors. I just purchased Grace Burrowes new release The Heir  for $2.39. For those of who follow RWA chapter contests, Burrowes finaled in a ton of contests under the name Patricia Patton. It's exciting to see that she is now being published. I look forward to reading her debut novel!

Writing With the Stars

Round Three of the Kensington Brava/RT Writing with the Stars contest is going on right now.

I am one of six remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner of the online voting contest will be published. But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers.

For this challenge, I had to write a back-of-the-book blurb. Agent Kristin Nelson does an indepth critique of each entry that you might find interesting.

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

Joining the Kindle Wave

It's official. I'm a Kindle-ista. I received the latest generation of the e-reader for my birthday.

I'm still navigating my way through it. Initially, I was surprised to find the Kindle does not have a touch screen. However, my early impressions are definitely on the positive side.

It's easy to use and does feel like you're reading a regular book...only in a much cooler way! While it is strange not to have page numbers, there is a little bar at the bottom that tells me how far along I am in the book.  

I also got the saucy apple green leather cover with built-in book light, which works beautifully. I used it on the bus this morning and the entire "page" was nicely illuminated. (Yes, my commute starts so early even the sun hasn't stirred yet.)  

I have to say the ebook prices are a surprise. I've just started shopping in the Kindle store but I can't help wondering why the latest ebooks are about the same price as the paperbacks I usually pick up in the grocery store. It has got to be cheaper to sell books in e form -  without all the paper, printing and shipping costs.

But what do I know?

Prices on the older books aren't bad, though. I just purchased Mary Jo Putney's Carousel of Hearts in ebook form for just $4!

And a reminder...

Voting continues in the Kensington Brava/RT Writing With the Stars contest. I am one of eight remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner will be published...who knows...maybe in ebook form!

But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers. (Hopefully, one day we'll all be published!)

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!