tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post2548528311547797092..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Are You There, Amazon? It's Me, JAJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-57268856742662254542009-07-18T12:30:30.668-05:002009-07-18T12:30:30.668-05:00Nice to meet you, Andrys!
I do have wi/fi for t...Nice to meet you, Andrys! <br /><br />I do have wi/fi for the internet at home and I love it. I carry my laptop all over the house. <br /><br />I do read ebooks now--on my laptop so I can see where a kindle might one day be something I'd enjoy. We'll see where the pricing goes and where the competition push things. The more competition at this stage the better. It can only improve all the end products and it will also help lower the price!Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-86931258109153746942009-07-11T08:35:14.831-05:002009-07-11T08:35:14.831-05:00Maria, it's sort of nice to meet someone who d...Maria, it's sort of nice to meet someone who doesn't have a cell phone! It took me years before I got one.<br /><br /> Re WiFi, I have Comcast at home, so I got a Netgear router for about $50 and it makes the WiFi network for me, for no more money than that. I've had it for about 4 years now. So I use my laptop and a color printer/scanner via that little router. <br /><br /> As for the Kindle, I hope you do get one someday if you want one - it's like a magic Window to words, for me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-46889219557193458402009-07-10T21:17:24.556-05:002009-07-10T21:17:24.556-05:00Andrys, you're right. I meant 299 (or 300) no...Andrys, you're right. I meant 299 (or 300) not 200. Silly me.<br /><br />:>)<br /><br />Yes the wi/fi is nice, but I don't pay for it now (I don't even own a cell phone.)<br /><br />What I do love is that Kindle is great competition for these other devices out there. And who knows. Someday maybe I'll get one!Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-81391806450628868122009-07-09T22:47:42.127-05:002009-07-09T22:47:42.127-05:00Maria, that may be some wait.
The $299 type of ...Maria, that may be some wait.<br /><br /> The $299 type of pricing does tend to mislead and I guess that's why they continue to do it, but it's actually, then, the "300 dollar people" -- but, again, I feel that if you don't already pay for 24/7 wireless, it is very well worth it to have this available to you almost wherever you are, for free rather than $60/mo as it would cost with netbooks.<br /><br /> By the way Sprint has a deal right now for a 99c notebook with 2 years of wireless (though data per month is capped), for $60/month.<br /><br /> Verizon and AT&T have similar deals but the notebook is $200 in their cases.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12155259301200019692009-07-09T13:51:18.129-05:002009-07-09T13:51:18.129-05:00Well, now the kindle is cheaper. Maybe after all ...Well, now the kindle is cheaper. Maybe after all the 200 dollar people buy it, they'll go for 150?<br /><br />I want a kindle. But yeah, the price is just too high.Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-23018353909930843712009-07-05T21:12:18.033-05:002009-07-05T21:12:18.033-05:00Ha! Jude and I agree on something! I'm marki...Ha! Jude and I agree on something! I'm marking this down. :DZoe Wintershttp://zoewinters.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35483005372247769672009-07-03T23:00:56.000-05:002009-07-03T23:00:56.000-05:00Anon 4.0 back in black!! ;)
I agree, the price is...Anon 4.0 back in black!! ;)<br /><br />I agree, the price is waaayyyy to high. <br /><br />I also wouldn't want it to be the everything machine you propose it should be; having it cluttered with Twitter/Youtube etc etc etc junk is unecessary.<br /><br />But it should be the maximum reading/book experience machine. Make it viable for you to fully enjoy audio books, larger text, etc etc etc. <br /><br />Also, make it backwards compatible for people who are less tech savvy. Let people who already have books on CD be able to play their CD's on the Kindle. This way they have an immediate bond with the machine.<br /><br />But the first hurdle of course is the price of the kindle!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-70830336791378443212009-07-03T22:17:24.584-05:002009-07-03T22:17:24.584-05:00I've got two questions that come to mind as I&...I've got two questions that come to mind as I'm reading your blog this week, JA: what is Mobipocket and do you need to upload your books there if your books are already on Kindle?<br /><br />Also do you know how to upload your books to Borders' eBook store and scribd.com?<br /><br />Is there any value in doing so?<br /><br />Stacey Cochran<br />Bestselling Author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/CLAWS-ebook/dp/B0024NL6QS" rel="nofollow">CLAWS</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Colorado-Sequence-ebook/dp/B002AVVQGE" rel="nofollow">The Colorado Sequence</a>Stacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65207029813114422142009-07-02T21:34:34.997-05:002009-07-02T21:34:34.997-05:00BTW, Joe, have you heard about this site?
I just ...BTW, Joe, have you heard about <a href="http://www.bookglutton.com/_blank" rel="nofollow">this site?</a><br /><br />I just heard about it today, so I haven't really investigated it yet, but it's sort of an online book club where you can discuss books that you're reading with others who are reading the same thing. You can even write in the margins and compare notes etc. An application like that might be a strong selling point for e-readers.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-19497314881941265462009-07-02T20:48:18.572-05:002009-07-02T20:48:18.572-05:00I would love to read the first draft of some of my...<i>I would love to read the first draft of some of my favorite novels, to see what changes were made.</i><br /><br />That might be interesting and amusing once or twice, Joe. For writers, that is. For non-writers? Forget about it. I think the novelty would wear thin rather quickly. At any rate, I don't think it would be much of a selling point for ebooks. Stephen King showed some of a first draft and then the edits he made in <i>On Writing</i>, and to me it was the most boring part of the book. You can't really look at edits like that and say <i>Oh, yeah, that's how you do it</i> because everyone's process is so different.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-20482841775522863192009-07-02T13:27:39.320-05:002009-07-02T13:27:39.320-05:00I also would never release early drafts of anythin...<i>I also would never release early drafts of anything as an add on. </i><br /><br />I would love to read the first draft of some of my favorite novels, to see what changes were made. It would get me to re-buy these novels as ebooks.<br /><br />I'd also get a kick out of getting a chapter a month from an author I like, as Stephen King did with The Green Mile. I foresee these chapters would be polished, not crap, and would take ebooks in the same direction podcasters have been doing for years.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-30730531084960019092009-07-02T12:59:20.819-05:002009-07-02T12:59:20.819-05:00Oh, I also would never release early drafts of any...<i>Oh, I also would never release early drafts of anything as an add on. I'm sorry but the crap draft is a private thing, even if I was rich and famous I wouldn't release first drafts. I don't know that I'd release deleted scenes either. Deleted scenes are deleted for a reason.</i><br /><br />I totally agree, Zoe.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-16693948008181343622009-07-02T08:02:09.986-05:002009-07-02T08:02:09.986-05:00The kindle has a built-in dictionary that will aut...The kindle has a built-in dictionary that will automatically give you a definition when you highlight a particular word in a novel. It's a great feature (which doesn't require that the wireless connection be turned on) and I use it all the time.Joe Mentahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07082831708335979746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-36216138478297078992009-07-02T05:43:22.766-05:002009-07-02T05:43:22.766-05:00Oh, I also would never release early drafts of any...Oh, I also would never release early drafts of anything as an add on. I'm sorry but the crap draft is a private thing, even if I was rich and famous I wouldn't release first drafts. I don't know that I'd release deleted scenes either. Deleted scenes are deleted for a reason.Zoe Wintershttp://zoewinters.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-48089156095007024672009-07-02T05:40:08.201-05:002009-07-02T05:40:08.201-05:00I think these are all good suggestions and would m...I think these are all good suggestions and would move even me in the direction of buying a Kindle, even as much as I love my paper books and "not interacting with technology when I read fiction" I can still see its uses in many situations, such as travel.<br /><br />One thing I don't think is a great feature though is an ability for authors to sign the ebook like a credit card machine.<br /><br />When I pick up a signed book on my shelf that's a tangible thing. An author, even a famous author's signature on an ebook is still an intangible and impersonal thing. What makes an author signed book great is how "personal" the item feels. Especially if you stood in line yourself to get it autographed or a writer friend sent you an autographed copy of their book. A signature on a screen is just meaningless to me, and probably most other fans of books.<br /><br />I'm also leery about a lot of the ebook 2.0 stuff which would require authors to become multi-faceted entertainers and do many other things besides "just" writing books. Authors are already paid crap enough, to add to their workload to try to sell something which SHOULD stand on it's own (a good story) seems like a bit much.<br /><br />Though I think podcasting is a great opportunity to market and build a fanbase, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little resentful of the fact that it makes an author have to become a verbal performer as well as a written one. And creates a whole NEW thing with all the production values one has to worry about.<br /><br />Seems to me that all this just creates WAY more work for the author. Plus, with how much publishing companies already pressure authors to put out a book or more a year, we already have a level of "ugh" to the quality of many books put out just based on the "authors as machines who can produce on command" mentality.<br /><br />Rather than following the rule of only saying something if you have something to say, authors are encouraged to say something to fulfill their three book contracts. Ugh. Loading an author down with even more busy work that takes away from the time spent writing and the quality of that writing, is bad for literature overall. We may as well give it up and just watch movies. (Most of which is also dumbed down crap.)Zoe Wintershttp://zoewinters.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-26455187684876477622009-07-02T01:49:36.914-05:002009-07-02T01:49:36.914-05:00ben,
Don't know what happened with that url....ben,<br /> Don't know what happened with that url. Here's one using another shortener:<br /><br /> http://xrl.us/kindlebooksitesAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3024751791607481312009-07-02T00:05:56.249-05:002009-07-02T00:05:56.249-05:00Here's an Amazon forum thread in which custome...<i>Here's an Amazon forum thread in which customers tell one another about the almost million non-Amazon books available that can be put on the Kindle (mostly free or at low cost) and how to find them and get them on their Kindles.<br />http://tinyurl.com/kindlebooksites</i><br /><br />I would like to see this site, but can't get the link to work. Anyone have a different link?PokerBenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01861605814143830904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-60488151692210595542009-07-01T21:49:14.270-05:002009-07-01T21:49:14.270-05:00You mentioned the ability to sign e-books. Were yo...You mentioned the ability to sign e-books. Were you aware of the patent Amazon just got on the Kindle Pen? You can read about it at http://tinyurl.com/mlqudmDebbihttp://midlistlife.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-25945718539197861802009-07-01T20:36:53.607-05:002009-07-01T20:36:53.607-05:00"Under $150, and available at retail outlets ..."Under $150, and available at retail outlets like Wal-mart and Best Buy."<br /><br />Bah, they'd have to get it down to under $50 for me to get one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-75993876962755556952009-07-01T17:34:17.958-05:002009-07-01T17:34:17.958-05:00I would add: why would I pay Kindle for delivery o...I would add: why would I pay Kindle for delivery of NYT or other magazines or newspapers when I can read them for FREE via their apps on my iphone or computer...and they're in color!!!!!!!<br /><br />I think you're right, ASUS or Apple or someone like them is going to come up with a Kindle competitor in the near future.suzanneelizabeths.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14304462740451230118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-15515309721322180582009-07-01T16:09:51.621-05:002009-07-01T16:09:51.621-05:00Wouldn't it be awesome?
Thing is, it will hap...Wouldn't it be awesome? <br />Thing is, it will happen. It's just whether Amazon is the one to do it all.amberargylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058327741777322247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65688358643077394432009-07-01T15:52:54.785-05:002009-07-01T15:52:54.785-05:00Nadine, interesting article.
I left a comment t...Nadine, interesting article.<br /><br /> I left a comment there that the Plastic Logic won't fill the bill either, as he has said, but for other reasons as well. Here's info I collected to try to figure out what the focus of the company is with that device:<br /><br /> http://xrl.us/plogic609<br /><br /> The Kindle or any other e-reader device won't be what most people need. But it seems there's quite a lot of $interest in it at least currently.<br /><br /> Adrian, I use the wireless only when away from my home because I have WiFi here. In the Silicon Valley in general, you would probably get pretty good reception.<br /><br /> But you're not in the target crowd for that because you prefer the library or cheaper books. Books that were popular a few years ago are generally $2.50 to $7 so that's out of your range.<br /><br /> However, a friend who is in a similar position to yours wound up getting one anyway and shocking me, and I rarely hear from him now because he's a voracious reader and is just into free books and there are tons of them for the Kindle though they're not among the bestsellers. He likes the classics though.<br /><br /> If you prefer paper books and want to read newer books, there is nothing like a good used bookstore and the library.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78479555713082900032009-07-01T14:52:35.178-05:002009-07-01T14:52:35.178-05:00You guys were right--the Ipod uses WiFi.You guys were right--the Ipod uses WiFi.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-77931847330270791992009-07-01T14:42:07.537-05:002009-07-01T14:42:07.537-05:00The Kindle blockers for me are:
1. DRM. I want ...The Kindle blockers for me are:<br /><br />1. DRM. I want to be able to loan, give, borrow, resell, donate, and bequeath my books.<br /><br />2. Cell network. This is a deal breaker for me since cell phone coverage is so spotty. Only one of the big three providers gets any signal at our house--and it isn't Sprint. (I live in a suburb of the Silicon Valley.)<br /><br />3. Book prices. I'd have no problem with $300 for the device if the books were less than the price of a paperback. I read about 20 books a year. My wife reads almost 100, most of which she borrows from the library. If books were $2-$5 each, we'd probably buy them all out of convenience.Adriannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45869133609485170212009-07-01T14:41:52.516-05:002009-07-01T14:41:52.516-05:00Have you been reading this? http://www.thebigmoney...Have you been reading this? http://www.thebigmoney.com/features/kindle-chroniclesNadinehttp://www.nadinedajani.comnoreply@blogger.com