Smashwords Partnering with CA Libraries, the Google Tablet, and Richard Russo Says No To E-books

Some really big news came out yesterday!

This from Paid Content:

The largest network of libraries in California is close to striking an E-book deal with Smashwords. They want to purchase the top 10,000 titles and make them available in their 220 libraries.

“Smashwords and Califa will collaborate to create local library publishing portals that will allow patrons to publish and distribute ebooks through Smashwords for acquisition and listing by their local library.”

While distribution to online bookstores is easy for small publishers and self-publishers, library distribution is not. This would make a huge impact on those companies and individuals. Hopefully other states would follow suit.

This from Economic Times:

Google Inc. will soon unveil a tablet designed to compete with Amazon. It’s been rumored that Google was creating one to compete with the iPad, but an unnamed executive said the device would target the Kindle Fire audience instead. 

And this from BBC:

Author Richard Russo, a Pulitzer Prize winner, refuses to allow his next book to be sold as an E-book. He claims “Interventions” is a tribute to the printed book.

“’Readers can't survive on e-books alone,’ he told the Associated Press.

‘The rapid rise of e-books and online sales of printed books pose threats to bookstores, the book publishing industry and the rise of new authors,’ he continued.”

Some interesting developments!

Will you benefit from the California library deal with Smashwords?

Do you think the Google tablet can compete with the Kindle Fire? (Which currently has 4% of the tablet market share.)

Do you agree with Russo that the rise of E-books poses a threat to the rise of new authors?

And since I forgot an image on Monday, you get two today:

Painted Faerie Moth

Attack of the Butterfly

Conflict and Drive

Every book needs conflict and something to drive the story forward.

Often this is found within our characters. Their past haunts them. They suffer from shortcomings. They struggle to achieve a dream. All of these things not only add depth to a story, they can be the core plotline. Internal conflict is my favorite and I’ve used it in all five of my books:

Book I - Lori dreams of winning an Olympic Gold Medal in swimming and is driven by this goal.

Book II - Sarah suffers from a poor self-image and struggles to find her value and place in life.

Book III - James is haunted by a past of abuse and fights to rise above the damage and be a better person.

Book IV - Mike is consumed by guilt over two incidents and strains to learn to forgive himself.

Book V - Heather battles a selfish attitude, floundering in her attempts to form meaningful relationships.

What internal conflicts do your characters face?

The Joy of Teaching Others.

Thursday I was at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC, doing my Publishing 101 seminar. It was a full house (50 people signed up and 50 people attended - what are the odds?) which mean a lot of energy and writers eager to learn.

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. No matter how many times I do this seminar, I always gain new insight through the questions asked by attendees. While I can’t begin to answer every question, often it gives me insight as to the direction and interests of writers today. They often ask about things I haven’t even considered. That makes me want to go find the answers. And I learn even more.

They say to truly learn something, you need to teach it.

Now I am really excited to finish up my publishing and promoting book! Does anyone else get this excited when you teach someone else?

And your photo of the day:

 Now that would be a great haunted house!

Nook Overtakes Fire and a Breakthrough

The Nook Tablet surpasses the Kindle Fire in web traffic:

According to the Chitika report, which is based on as impressions, Barnes & Noble’s Nook tablet overtook the Kindle Fire for the first time ever the first half of June.

Of course, to put this in perspective, Nook users accounted for 0.85%, Fire’s users 0.71%, and iPad users 91.7%.

It’s all relative!

Read the full article at Computerworld

Fellow author and friend, Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs is celebrating with a party today - and the gift is for YOU. Monday and Tuesday only, June 18th & 19th, you can get his first book, Breakthrough, for free at Amazon.

Good luck, Stephen!

And your photo of the day...

"Noir"