HomeWorker » Self Publishing

New Virgin iPad Mag Demo

Dave Howell — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:33:46 +0000

PROJECT magazine demo – issue 1 from PROJECT on Vimeo.

If you don’t have an iPad yet, and want to see what the fuss is about with Virgin’s new iPad mag Project, this video gives a great insight. I read the mag over the weekend, and have to say it’s great! The use of video and other graphics is innovative. It will be interesting to see how this mag sizes up to Murdocks newspaper when it launches shortly. If you’ve read Project let me know what you think.

Untitled Document

Search Engine Optimisation: A Beginner's Guide

Optimising your website for the world's search engines is essential. Learn how to become a search engine master with our 51 top tips.

Download your free guide!

Seth Godin Abandons Traditional Publishing

Dave Howell — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:24:01 +0000

Amazingly interesting move, reported in the Wall Street Journal:

In a significant defection for the book industry, best-selling marketing author Seth Godin is ditching his traditional publisher, Portfolio, after a string of books and plans to sell his future works directly to his fans. The author of about a dozen books including “Purple Cow” said he now has so many direct customer relationships, largely via his blog, that he no longer needs a traditional publisher. Mr. Godin plans to release subsequent titles himself in electronic books, via print-on-demand or in such formats as audiobooks, apps, small digital files called PDFs and podcasts.

Brush Up Your English

Dave Howell — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:06:32 +0000

100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid

One of the fastest ways to improve your writing skills is to free yourself from the most common English mistakes: things like exchanging less with fewer, misspelling its, or placing commas where they are not supposed to be.

Thinking about this, a couple of months ago I had an idea: what if we could write a book with a compilation of the 100 most common writing mistakes of the English language? A book containing spelling, grammar, usage and punctuation mistakes, which would work as a quick guide for writers in a hurry who want to avoid such mistakes.

I asked Maeve (our editor) what she thought about the idea, and whether or not she would be interested in writing such a book. She liked it and started working on the manuscript immediately. After many rounds of revisions and formatting, we are finally glad to announce that our first book is available!

About The Author

Born in Chicago, Maeve has lived, studied, and taught English in the United States, France, and the U.K. Her educational qualifications include a B.A. (Hons) in English from the University of London, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She is also a published author of both fiction and non-fiction.

Buy Now from Daily Writing Tips.

Untitled Document

Search Engine Optimisation: A Beginner's Guide

Optimising your website for the world's search engines is essential. Learn how to become a search engine master with our 51 top tips.

Download your free guide!

Apple and Amazon Slammed

Dave Howell — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:44:33 +0000

Apple and Amazon are being taken to task by Conneticut’s Attorney General over what he refers to as ‘anti-competitive’ e-book pricing deals with publishers.

Attorney General RichardBlumenthal hasrequested that representatives from Apple and Amazon attend meetings at hisoffice to discuss the e-book pricing issue.

Blumenthalrefers to their deals with major book publishers such as Macmillan and Simon& Schuster.as “most favored nation” arrangements.

New Kindle Coming Soon

Dave Howell — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:47:46 +0000

Kindle’s revolutionary wireless delivery and massive selection of content-now in a 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter design, with 50 percent better contrast, 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life, double the storage, and more-only £149, and still with free 3G wireless

Amazon also introduces new Kindle family member: Kindle Wi-Fi-only £109

Millions of people are already reading on Kindles and Kindle is the #1 bestselling item on Amazon.com for two years running. It’s also the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon.com. Today, Amazon.com is excited to introduce a new generation of Kindle. The all-new Kindle has a new electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, and a 15 percent lighter weight at just 8.7 ounces. The new Kindle also offers 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life, double the storage to 3,500 books, built-in Wi-Fi, a graphite color option and more-all for only $189, and still with free 3G wireless-no monthly bills or annual contracts.

Also today, Amazon introduced a new addition to its family of portable reading devices-Kindle Wi-Fi. Readers who don’t need the convenience of free 3G wireless can now enjoy the new generation Kindle for the lower price of only £109. The all-new Kindle and Kindle Wi-Fi are now available for pre-order at www.amazon.com/kindle3G and www.amazon.com/kindleWi-Fi, and will ship to customers in over 140 countries and 30 territories beginning August 27.

Kindle offers the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read. The U.S. Kindle Store now has more than 630,000 books, including New Releases and 109 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 510,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 80 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read on Kindle. Kindle lets you buy your books once and read them everywhere-on Kindle, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, and Android-based devices. Amazon’s Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.

More than 235,000 books have been added to the Kindle Store in just the last six months, including New York Times Best Sellers “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and “The Passage.” The Kindle Store also recently added 20 contemporary classics from the Wylie Agency’s new “Odyssey Editions” imprint that are available for the first time as e-books and exclusively in the Kindle Store, including John Updike’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit series, Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” Norman Mailer’s “The Naked and the Dead,” Philip Roth’s “Portnoy’s Complaint” and Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man.”

“Kindle is the best-selling product on Amazon for two years running. We lowered the price to £149 and sales growth tripled. Now, we are excited to introduce a new generation Kindle that is smaller, lighter, and faster, with 50 percent better contrast. Readers are going to do a double take when they see Kindle’s bright new screen and feel how remarkably light the smaller 8.7 ounce design feels in one hand,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder & CEO. “If you don’t need the convenience of 3G wireless, we have an incredible new price point-$139 for Kindle Wi-Fi. Kindle Wi-Fi has all the same features, same bookstore, same high-contrast electronic paper display, and it’s even a tiny bit lighter at 8.5 ounces. At this price point, many people are going to buy multiple units for the home and family.”

All New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen, Read in Bright Sunlight: The new Kindle uses Amazon’s all-new electronic ink display with 50 percent better contrast for the clearest text and sharpest images. No other e-reader has this screen or this level of contrast. Unlike LCD screens, Kindle’s paper-like display looks and reads like real paper, with no glare, even in bright sunlight.

New Proprietary Screen Technology-Faster Page Turns, New and Improved Fonts: Kindle’s all-new, high-contrast electronic ink display is further optimized with Amazon’s proprietary waveform and font technology to make pages turn faster and fonts sharper. Waveform is a series of electronic pulses that move black and white electronic ink particles to achieve a final gray level for an image or text. Amazon tuned the new Kindle’s waveform and controller mechanism to make page turning 20 percent faster. In addition, this waveform tuning combined with new hand-built, custom fonts and font-hinting make words and letters more crisp, clear, and natural-looking. Font hints are instructions, written as code, that control points on a font character’s line and improve legibility at small font sizes where few pixels are available. Hinting is a mix of aesthetic judgments and complicated technical strategies. Amazon designed its proprietary font-hinting to optimize specifically for the special characteristics of electronic ink.

New Sleek Design, Lighter Than a Paperback: The new Kindle has a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area. At only 8.7 ounces, the new Kindle is 15 percent lighter and still 1/3 of an inch thin, making it lighter than a paperback and thinner than a magazine. With Kindle you can read comfortably and naturally with just one hand for hours. The new Kindle Wi-Fi is even lighter at just 8.5 ounces.

Double the Storage, Holds 3,500 Books: The new Kindle has double the storage so you can carry up to 3,500 books.
Up To One Month of Battery Life: The new Kindle has up to one month of battery life with wireless off. Keep wireless on and your Kindle will have battery life of up to 10 days.

Free 3G Wireless: Kindle offers free 3G wireless, which means no annual contracts and no monthly fees. Global Wireless Coverage: Kindle is the only e-reader that lets you travel the globe and still get books in under 60 seconds with wireless coverage in over 100 countries and territories.

New Built-In Wi-Fi: In addition to free 3G wireless, Kindle now has built-in Wi-Fi support. Kindle owners will now be able to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots at home or on the road. Readers who don’t need the convenience of free 3G wireless can purchase the new Kindle Wi-Fi for only $139 and download content over Wi-Fi. Amazon is offering free Wi-Fi access at AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots across the U.S. for shopping and downloading Kindle content-no AT&T registration, sign-in, or password required.

Quieter Page Turn Buttons: Quieter page turns means you can read all night without disturbing your partner.

Share Meaningful Passages: Share meaningful passages with friends and family with built-in Twitter and Facebook integration.

Watch the Engadget video:

More information from the Kindle store.

Untitled Document

Search Engine Optimisation: A Beginner's Guide

Optimising your website for the world's search engines is essential. Learn how to become a search engine master with our 51 top tips.

Download your free guide!

Acer Enters eReader Market

Dave Howell — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:28:20 +0000

We are experiencing a content revolution. Internet has made readily accessible to everyone a growing amount of content. Now users are looking for devices through which they can take advantage of this sea of contents.

eBooks are one of the ways Internet has made content available to users and, with hundreds of new titles coming out every day, they are having a growing success.

Acer has picked up this user trend and developed the LumiRead, a device that while offering users an excellent reading experience it seamlessly integrates in the Acer clear.fi solution to let people live through a 360° Acer experience. In fact the Acer LumiRead is DLNA compliant, therefore capable to access Acer clear.fi and share contents like eBooks and audio-books.

Light, compact and easy to use, the Acer LumiRead is the ultimate travel companion. No need to choose which books you want to carry with you, you will always have your entire library at your disposal, on the beach or on top of a mountain. Intuitive navigation and comfortable layout of content offer an excellent reading experience no matter where you are. And, should you run out of books to read, you can connect wirelessly or via 3G module to download the latest bestseller!

Acer has already signed agreements with Barnes&Nobles, a leading US company offering over 1 million titles in its eBooks store, Libri.de, a Germany’s leading Internet book retailer offering over 4 Million titles, which also distributes to book retailers through the wholesaler Libri GmbH, Founder, one of China’s most innovative and influential high-tech companies, to provide localized contents in English, Chinese and German. But also French and Italian readers will be able shortly to read books in their languages, thanks to other agreements that are almost ready to be formalized.

Acer LumiRead comes with 6-inch display, it’s only few millimeters thick and permits to carry an entire library of up to 1,500 books in just a handful of grams. With non-glare, no backlit e-Ink display, it delivers a paper-like reading experience, even under bright sunlight.

Equipped with 2GB flash memory, it can hold more than a thousand of books and its capacity can be easily expanded just by adding a MicroSD card. An innovative ISBN scanner allows to scan ISBN codes so you can create your own wish-list and search on supported online libraries and book stores.

Acer LumiRead is rich of cool features designed to offer a better experience. The QWERTY keyboard makes it easy to browse the web and find and share information on books. The auto-layout automatically adjusts the content to offer the best reading experience according to the format. It supports various formats, multiplying users choices, and most popular DRM (Adobe and OMA2.0).

You can easily browse through you entire collection of books thanks to the simple and intuitive user interface, that let you also visualize book categories for better management of your library.
Acer LumiRead features a built-in Internet Browser, and the unique “Smart Download” saves website content for reading anytime, everywhere!

Untitled Document

Search Engine Optimisation: A Beginner's Guide

Optimising your website for the world's search engines is essential. Learn how to become a search engine master with our 51 top tips.

Download your free guide!

New Colour eReader

Dave Howell — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:26:46 +0000

Pandigital Novel eReader Premieres; First Model Sports 7-inch Color Multimedia Display

Integrated Barnes & Noble eBookstore gives customers access to shop and enjoy eBooks, magazines and newspapers conveniently and instantly;

Touch-screen design, built-in Wi-Fi provide on-the-go enjoyment

Dublin, Calif., May 24, 2010 – Pandigital, the U.S. leader in digital photo frames, today enters the eReader market with its first offering: the Pandigital Novel, a 7-inch eReader with integrated Barnes & Noble eBookstore, full color touch-screen display, Wi-Fi connectivity, and multimedia capabilities that make it the ideal travel companion.

Pandigital has partnered with Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, to power the eBookstore on the Pandigital Novel eReader. Pandigital Novel customers will have easy access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive eBookstore catalog of more than one million eBooks, newspapers and magazines, a wide variety of free eBooks and more than half a million free classics. Seamlessly integrated into the Pandigital Novel interface, users will find that it is incredibly convenient and simple to browse, sample, buy, download in seconds and access digital content from the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, as well as from their personal Barnes & Noble digital library. Pandigital Novel customers will also be able to take advantage of advanced features including Barnes & Noble’s breakthrough LendMe™ technology which allows users to share many eBooks with friends and family for 14 days.

The Pandigital Novel 7-inch Color Multimedia eReader has a vibrant full color TFT LCD display that lets reading enthusiasts enjoy books and periodicals displayed in personalized bookshelves with full-color book covers and original color photos. The full-color 800 x 600 resolution and edge-to-edge glass screen also lets Pandigital customers thoroughly enjoy their digital photos in a virtual album as well as watch video on the go. The responsive touch-screen paired with an intuitive user interface is easy to navigate and control, so moving through applications, finding great digital content in the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, and browsing the web are all incredibly straightforward.

“First and foremost, the Pandigital Novel eReader was designed to deliver a world-class e-reading experience,” said Dean Finnegan, CEO and founder, Pandigital. “By focusing on delivering superior content from Barnes & Noble, an easy-to-use design and an excellent customer experience, Pandigital is delivering a value proposition not currently available in the eReader category. With its many additional features, Pandigital Novel customers will be able to read what they want and do more of what they want on the go with an affordable product that is simple and fun to use.”

“We’re proud to offer Pandigital Novel customers simple and integrated access to our vast Barnes & Noble eBookstore to help them discover and enjoy a wide array of eBooks and periodicals,” said Chris Peifer, Vice President of Business Development, Barnes & Noble.com. “Pandigital Novel users can easily access their existing Barnes & Noble digital content and enjoy sharing a wide variety of eBooks with friends through innovative LendMe technology – whether or not those friends have a dedicated eBook reader.”

Reading – Just More Fun

Designed with convenience features that help reading enthusiasts get the most out of their eBooks and periodicals, the Pandigital Novel lets customers, with a simple touch of the screen, search for word meanings using the built-in dictionary, review past references with word searches, and make notes with the virtual keyboard. In addition, customers can highlight important text, create multiple bookmarks, and change the font size for optimum viewing.

The Pandigital Novel 7-inch Color Multimedia eReader was designed to be enjoyed on the go; it features a compact, sleek design that measures 5.5″ (w) x 7.5″ (h) x 0.5″ (d) and weighs only 16 ounces. Saving, storing, and transferring unlimited eBooks (as well as music, video, or image files) is easy with the full 1GB of memory that can house hundreds of books, as well as expandable storage provided by its SD/MMC memory card slot (supporting up to 32GB cards). Also, the Pandigital Novel provides a long battery life of up to six hours in reading mode thanks to its rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Other usability features make it more convenient for reading in a range of environments. For example, the orientation sensor automatically adjusts between portrait and landscape mode when the device is tilted, while night-read mode inverts the text and background colors for more discrete viewing. Plus, the Pandigital Novel looks great in the home and on the go; it has a white chassis with a white stand for secure placement on a desk or table.

The new Pandigital Novel eReader supports a number of eBook formats including PDF, EPUB, and HTML, so customers that already have their own personal collection can still enjoy them. The built-in mini-USB port provides another option for easy transfer of files between the device and a computer (Mac and PC compatible).

Incredibly Useful All-in-One Device for Fun & Connectivity

The Pandigital Novel 7-inch Color Multimedia eReader lets consumers enjoy their favorite music, photos, and video wherever they go. When connected to the Internet utilizing the built-in Wi-Fi module and any home or public Wi-Fi hotspot, the Pandigital Novel also lets customers run a variety of connected applications. Using the powerful and flexible combination of the Android operating system and an ARM 11 Mobile processor, this Pandigital Novel has a built-in, full web browser so users can quickly go online to update social media sites and check out recent news, events and weather. The built-in email application lets customers conveniently stay in touch. Photo and video files are rich in color and detail, while the built-in audio player lets consumers enjoy their music from virtually anywhere. The Pandigital Novel 7-inch Color Multimedia eReader also has additional convenience features including a built-in appointment calendar and alarm clock.

Availability, Price and Warranty

The Pandigital Novel 7-inch Color Multimedia eReader (model number PRD07T10WWH7) is affordably priced at a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $199.99 and is backed by a one year limited warranty. It will be available at several national retailers beginning in June.

Untitled Document

Search Engine Optimisation: A Beginner's Guide

Optimising your website for the world's search engines is essential. Learn how to become a search engine master with our 51 top tips.

Download your free guide!

Self-Publishing Portal Coming to B&N

Dave Howell — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:39:11 +0000

Barnes & Noble Announces PubIt!(TM), An Easy-to-Use Digital Publishing and Distribution Platform for Independent and Self-Publishers

PubIt! Enables Independent Publishers and Self-Published Authors Access to Sell eBooks and Content to Millions of Readers on Barnes & Noble’s Online and Digital Platforms

NEW YORK, May 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Barnes & Noble, Inc. the world’s largest bookseller, is extending its deep and longstanding tradition of supporting authors and publishers with PubIt! by Barnes & Noble, an easy and lucrative way for independent publishers and self-publishing writers to distribute their works digitally through Barnes & Noble.com and the Barnes & Noble eBookstore. The easy-to-use publishing and distribution platform offers qualified independent publishers and authors of self-published works expanded distribution, visibility and protection that only Barnes & Noble can offer.

The announcement marks Barnes & Noble’s latest move to continue to build one of the world’s largest digital catalogs, spanning eBooks, journals, periodicals and other types of reading material. PubIt! titles will be distributed through BN.COM and Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore, which currently offers more than one million digital titles to millions of dedicated customers in-store and online.

Independent publishers and writers will appreciate PubIt!’s simple and competitive royalty model and compensation process, the details of which will be available in the coming weeks. Content owners’ intellectual property will be well-protected with Barnes & Noble’s best-in-class digital rights management technology and offered in the industry standard ePub format that allows publishers’ works to be enjoyed by millions of Barnes & Noble customers on hundreds of the most popular computing, mobile and eBook reading devices.

“As a company that has achieved much of its success by building mutually beneficial relationships with publishers and authors, Barnes & Noble’s new PubIt! service represents an exciting evolution and significant opportunity in the digital content arena,” said Theresa Horner, director, Digital Products, Barnes & Noble. “Barnes & Noble is uniquely positioned to support writers and publishers and bring their exciting digital works to the broadest audience of readers anywhere.”

Whether online or on-the-go, Barnes & Noble customers will have access to PubIt! titles with the opportunity to browse, sample, buy and download the digital content in seconds to their devices with free BN reader software. Using Barnes & Noble’s breakthrough Read In Store(TM) technology, NOOK(TM) customers can also browse the complete contents of PubIt! titles while in Barnes & Noble stores.

PubIt! is a convenient one-stop-shop, allowing publishers to get their content in front of consumers for purchase and reading on the most widely adopted mobile devices and software platforms. By following simple steps to upload their content in an industry standard format for electronic titles, content creators can reach consumers on hundreds of devices including: NOOK by Barnes & Noble, PC, Mac(R), iPad(TM), iPhone(R), BlackBerry(R) and others. For more information on free BN eReader software and apps, please visit www.bn.com/ebooks/download-reader.asp.

More information on PubIt!, which will be available this summer, and the benefits of joining Barnes & Noble’s expansive and trusted digital content catalog can be found at www.bn.com/pubit.

Untitled Document

Search Engine Optimisation: A Beginner's Guide

Optimising your website for the world's search engines is essential. Learn how to become a search engine master with our 51 top tips.

Download your free guide!

JooJoo Beats Apple to Market

Dave Howell — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:23:24 +0000

The JooJoo tablet is now shipping! After a few false starts, all those fortunate enough to have pre-ordered and didn’t cancel after the delays will have their shiny new device in their hands shortly. At $499 it’s keenly priced for a device in this new market. No word about UK pricing or availability yet, but we’ll keep you posted. With a much larger screen than the iPad and Flash support, could this be the iPad killer?

Untitled Document

Search Engine Optimisation: A Beginner's Guide

Optimising your website for the world's search engines is essential. Learn how to become a search engine master with our 51 top tips.

Download your free guide!

Cheapest eReader yet?

Dave Howell — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:21:38 +0000

The Kobo eReader is like reading a traditional book. E Ink technology makes it look just like print on paper. You can adjust the type to five different sizes and two different styles. The screen is sharp and glare free, making reading easy on the eyes. Want to Expand Your Library? Just add a SD memory card (up to 4GB) to increase your storage to as many as 4,000 books.

Kobo eReader’s compact size makes it an easy fit for nearly all your pouches, purses, and packs. Weighing just more than an average book, it won’t weigh you down when you’re on the go. Can’t wait to start reading? Kobo eReader comes pre-loaded with 100 free eBooks. It’s Kobo’s way of saying “Welcome”.

Untitled Document

Search Engine Optimisation: A Beginner's Guide

Optimising your website for the world's search engines is essential. Learn how to become a search engine master with our 51 top tips.

Download your free guide!