Giveaway Coming this month: the Happiness Blog Tour

"Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you."
----Hafiz of Persia 

Bryan Cohen is giving away 61 paperback and audio copies of The Post-College Guide to Happiness and a Kindle Fire between now and May 7th, 2012 on The Happiness Blog Tour. All entrants receive a free digital review copy of The Post-College Guide to Happiness. Bryan hopes to give away at least 1,000 copies during the blog tour.

He is HERE at E-volving Books on 29th April! 

Kindle Fire - Launched 15th Nov!

The big giant Amazon has launched the Kindle Fire, a Tablet!
There's been tons of speculation on the divide between the Kindle and a full-throttle tablet - or more commonly, "Kindle vs.iPad".
This isn't a surprise - Barnes & Nobles launched the Nook Color, and the news around the Amazon competitor launch has been all over the place.
Retailing at $199, reviews rave about the reading and store-browsing ease, but say that the browser is laughable.

This ties in with  my experience of the Kindle - works great for reading, but the browser is "experimental" and weak.


MY personal checklist on ebook readers/tablets has to be battery life and overall weight of the device. I'd like to go for days without recharging - hours of reading shouldn't take a toll on my hands or my device.
Sadly, it looks like those two qualities aren't to be found in the Kindle Fire.


Overall, Amazon should be more concerned that they will cannibalize sales of the Kindle Dx - Most customers would pick the iPad/Blackberry Playbook/Samsung Galaxy Tab over the Kindle Fire.

Guest Post: Jeremy Robinson and Kindle Giveaway

Welcome to Jeremy Robinson’s Great Kindle Giveaway and Blog Tour.

“Hurray for free Kindles!” you say, but who the hell is Jeremy Robinson? Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the author of eleven mixed genre novels, published in ten languages, including the popular fantasy YA series, THE LAST HUNTER, and the fast-paced Jack Sigler series (also known as Chess Team—not nearly as nerdy as it sounds), PULSE, INSTINCT and THRESHOLD from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. I’m the co-author of an expanding series  of novellas deemed the Chesspocalypse, which take place in the Chess Team universe. If that doesn’t wet your whistle, I’m also known as Jeremy Bishop, the #1 Amazon.com horror author of THE SENTINEL and the controversial novel, TORMENT. For more about me, or my books, visit www.jeremyrobinsononline.com.

I have watched for years as my fellow authors held online events called blog tours. Some would visit ten blogs. Others, as many as ninety. And every day they would bring something different, waxing eloquent about a multitude of topics. When I finally decided to have a blog tour of my own, and settled on doing each and every weekday in October, my first thought was, “This will be cool,” which was immediately followed up by, “Holy crap, I can’t think of something interesting to say twenty times in one month!” I can barely think of something worthwhile for my own blog just once a month. The solution is what follows; each blog participating in the tour could ask me ANY three questions. That means, if the subject matter bores you, I’m not to blame! Huzzah!

But fear not. There are other rewards for sloughing through the questions and answers. I’ll be giving away two Kindles to two randomly selected readers who sign up for my newsletter. Details on the giveaway can be found below. On to the Q&A!

1. What were your favorite memories of writing your latest book?

The last novel I wrote was THE SENTINEL under the Jeremy Bishop pen name. In general, my favorite moments of any novels are those that get a reaction out of me while I’m writing, whether that be squirming in disgust, feeling angry, crying, or laughing out loud. Those are the scenes I know are going to be good, and they’re usually the ones I hear about. In THE SENTINEL there were a lot of laugh out loud moments because the books was written in first person and the main character, Jane Harper, is sarcastic. But the best moment in the book, for me, made me squirm. I don’t want to give the details of the scene away, but there is a moment when the…loose veil hiding the awful truth is torn away—physically. That’s incredibly vague, but I’d love to hear from readers who think they’ve found it.

2. You took a bold step, going at the entire publishing route on your own - did you have someone who mentored you through this process? Did it feel like a risk?

Learning how to self-publish, and self-publish right has been a long learning process. But it’s not unfamiliar to me. I first self-published in 2005, before e-books were on anyone’s radar. That first book sold very well and I started a small press, Breakneck Books, which has morphed into Breakneck Media. I changed the name because I now produce print books, e-books, audiobooks, iPhone apps and iPhone games. I became a “mainstream author” in 2009 when I signed a three book deal with Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, and have since signed on for another two books. So I’ve got my greedy hands in both cookie jars right now, having one hardcover novel published every year and putting out a slew of self-published books as well.

As for the learning process, it’s trial and error. My first cover was good, but not great. My first books were riddled with typos. I now hire an editor. I’ve learned to keep my standards really high to ensure that the books I’m producing are indistinguishable from the big publishers. But the publishing landscape is changing fast and I’m finding myself having to adapt constantly. I’m never not learning something new, whether it is cover design techniques (I do most of my covers), e-book format, online marketing and even storytelling. So, I really went it alone. And I actually recommend that. What works for one author might not work for another. Each author has to discover their own techniques, their own niche, audience and voice. Experience trumps “schooling” any day.

***

Hope that was as good for you as it was for me. Now how about that kindle giveaway?

Here’s the deal: to be entered to win one of two free kindles all you have to do is visit my website—www.jeremyrobinsononline.com—and sign up for the newsletter. That’s it. The first kindle will go to a randomly chosen newsletter signup on October 31. For the second kindle, there’s a catch. The second giveaway will only be triggered if one of my kindle books hits the Amazon.com bestseller list (top 100). So pick up some books (most are just $2.99 a pop) and spread the word! If one of the books squeaks up to #100 for just a single hour, the second kindle will be given away to another randomly chosen newsletter sign up on October 31.

*When you sign up for the newsletter, be sure to include the name of the blog that referred you in the field provided. I’ll be giving away two $50 Amazon.com gift certificates to the blog that refers the most sign-ups and another to the blog who referred the first kindle winner.

** I will announce winners via Twitter, Facebook, my blog, and newsletter (which you will be signed up for!) but I’ll also e-mail the winners directly—I’ll need to know where to ship those kindles!

Thanks for spending some time with me today. Hope you enjoyed the Q&A, and good luck with the kindle giveaway!

-- Jeremy Robinson

When does amazon deliver?

Today is the 31st of May, and I was expecting Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews to turn up in my Kindle this morning. Having charged, wifi-d and readied the Kindle, needless to say it didn't come. Maybe that is 'cause my Kindle is registered in the US?
So I waited.
It is now 30 min past 12 AM EST, shouldn't the book turn up soon?
*fervently hopes*
I can only imagine that the Amazon folks are making this hard on purpose.
When I buy from www.baen.com they are awesome and email all the requested formats to my mail id as many times as I want.
Interestingly, this is my first Amazon pre-order. I usually just buy from my Kindle once the book is released, and the book downloads that very minute. It is all very exciting to see, I assure you *grins*.
Dear Gods of Amazon, Send me the book already.
Thanks much,
Dee

The new Kindle with ads

The latest version of the Kindle has been available for a month now, cheaper than ever. The caveat? It comes with ads.
I've spoken about this earlier here, but I wanted to check if there is a blog reader who has tried the new Kindle out. Is the $20 price cut worth it?
I know the ads are only when WiFi is on, and probably related to what an ebook reader would want to see.
Is this an acceptable trade off - what say You?

Blogger Spotlight #7 - Lindsay Cox from The Violet Hour

We took a break from the Blogger Spotlight, but its BACK!
Introducing *drumroll, please* Lindsay Cox from www.violethourbr.com

***

Give us an idea of who you are: I'm 26, and have been married for almost 7 years. I'm a hair stylist, and my husband and I live in a small town in West Virginia.
We are both crazy bookworms, and had accumulated so many books (lost count at around 300) that we've had to downsize our "bookstore", and keep/buy only books we love. With the eReader, we don't have to worry about books taking up so much space!

E-Reader: Kindle (3rd Generation)
A Recent Read: The Iron Daughter by Julia Kagawa. It was FANTASTIC. Meet my reading buddy, Stella!
About your blog: I borrowed the name from a song that had been stuck in my head for a few weeks, The Violet Hour by Sea Wolf.
I've read paranormal/horror books since I was a kid. (Goosebumps and Fear Street, anyone?) None of my friends read very much, and if they do, it's not 'my genre', so blogging about what I'm reading is my outlet to talk about books.

Meet Stella, Lindsay's reading buddy!

Did you consider other readers in the market? Why did you pick the Kindle 3
My main two focuses were the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes&Noble Nook. Both sound great, and have a lot of the same features.
I based my decision on a few things:

• price ($139)
• physicality of the device (Kindle is 7.5″ x 4.8″ x 0.335" and weighs 8.7 ounces. Nook is much heavier at 12.1 ounces.)
• screen contrast and glare (reported 30%-35% less glare than Nook)
• battery life (The Kindles battery lasts up to a month before needing recharged, with wireless off or minimally used.)
• cheaper, wider range of books
• eInk technology and faster page turns

At the time, the Kindle 3 was the newer of the two eReaders. The color and touchscreen are big selling points with people for the Nook, but I wanted something that felt, as much as possible, like I was reading an actual book. I like simple.

What's the top thing you like about it?
I love how thin and light my Kindle is! Even though I carry a huge purse, a bulky hardcover took up too much room and was very awkward to haul around all the time. Especially on vacation when we'd have 5 or 6 books each!

When do you read a paper book and when do you pick up an ebook?
I read it at work in between appointments, while traveling, pretty much any chance I get. I normally save the paper books for when I'm at home simply because of the size and weight of the book. If it's a really good story, though, it goes in my purse along with the Kindle lol.

Have you transformed your reading style or frequency?
I don't think my reading style has changed, but frequency has increased. The Kindle also offers text-to-speech, so I can listen to my book while I'm cooking or cleaning. The 'voice' is a little funny sometimes, but not that big of a bother to me.

***

Meet and greet Lindsay over at www.violethourbr.com

Lendle - Why not?

The latest development on the Kindle i.e. Amazon Kindle now to Lend books (I wrote that back in Oct '10), has of course, resulted in a host of new business models and opportunities.
This site seems an all-round best in class:

Lendle. The easiest, fastest, fairest, and best way to lend and borrow Kindle™ books.

http://lendle.me/
You can log in, and you get two initial borrows. The more books you lend, the more you can borrow. I ran through their book list, and it is pretty great.
My only thought is - why didn't I think of this first?

Blogger Spotlight #5: Tiffany!

Introducing *drum-roll please*: Tiffany from A Cozy Reader's Corner Reviews

Tiffany's ereader: I actually got a Kindle for Christmas. 

A recent read: A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods

Who I am: I am a stay at home mom by day. My typical day is filled with the duties of mommyhood including bringing my oldest to school and back. When I am not taking care of things around the honest, or ignoring them... I am reading! If the book isn't great my house is cleaned faster!! At night I work for a call center as a member of our Work Force Management team. My job consist of making sure all calls are routed and being answered by agents promptly. We also make the schedules and do many reports on each of the agents. My job pays attention to detail and troubleshoots quickly and efficiently. Attached is a photo of my most recent Library Book Sale treasure!

Did you consider other readers in the market? 

I did. I looked at all readers, for me it came down to the Kindle because I feel it is simply the best and most widely accepted reader. I like the design and attributes it offers.


What's the top thing you like about it? 
 The price in comparison with what it offers. I like that everyone knows the kindle. Every book is made to work with the kindle.

Blogger Spotlight #4 - Karen @ The Slowest Bookworm

WELCOME TO BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT!
Featuring Karen - The Slowest Bookworm


My eReader:  Ooh yes.  I have a Kindle (pic attached)
I'm reading now:
The Riddlers Gift by Greg Hamerton
A Typical Day
My day usually starts with me having an argument with my alarm clock at somewhere between 6 and 6.30am.  Sadly, the alarm clock always wins and I drag myself out of bed and get ready for work.  I work for the local council in an admin post and start at 7.30am.  I enjoy my work and have great colleagues, but I’m always glad when home time comes around at 4pm as it means I get to spend some time with my 4 year old son who has just started school and is learning to read :-)  After we’ve eaten our evening meal and the young one is bathed and tucked up in bed, usually get a bit of housework done and my lunch ready for the day after, then I get to settle down on the sofa with my cat and a good book/my Kindle and RELAX until hot chocolate and bedtime.  

Did I consider other readers?
Yes and No.  I shop quite a bit on Amazon.co.uk and every time I opened the home page there it was, The Kindle, shouting at me to buy it.  I did do just a tiny bit of research (for about 10 minutes), but I’d got my heart so set on a Kindle that it won hands down.

The thing I like most about it?
I love all the features on my Kindle, but the top thing, which is why I wanted one in the first place, is the ability to increase/decrease the size of the font.  As I’ve got older my eyesight has gone from near perfect to well, not so perfect and I’m not impressed!  The Kindle helps me forget I’m not a teenager anymore!  I also love that I can make the line spacing bigger.  I find I'm not reading the same line over and over again now - I know, I'm getting OLD!

Black Friday Sale Roundup: Gone in 60 seconds

How many of you are getting/giving ereaders for Christmas or other occassions?

The Black Friday Sale on Amazon listed the older, Amazon Kindle 2 (for $89 ) - and sold out within Seconds!

Barnes & Noble had a similar sale on the Nook - the refurbished Wi-Fi Nooks were listed on eBay for $79, and later $99. The sale also included the refurbished 3G models for $119. The sale ended after a couple of days, having sold 6,777 Nooks in total.

Some reasons for the difference in the speed of sales (seconds vs. days) was the Amazon Kindle 2 Sale was on Black Friday, when buyers are madly refreshing their browsers for deals!
Still, gone in seconds?? My theories why -

• It was hugely publicized, and word spread via facebook, twitter, before blogs and newsfeeds could pick it up.

• The estimate is that half a million folks saw the update through these sites.

Let me mention here that we tried to buy a $139 WiFi Kindle for a friend 2 weeks ago, and Best Buy was out of stock, both the times we went. 

Tuesday (November 23rd) Amazon reported on their Facebook wall: “We had our biggest sales day ever for Kindle devices yesterday. Thank you, customers!”

What I want to know now is:  
How many readers are gifting/getting ereaders this season?

More info:
Kindle sale results in the news

Book Blogger Hop #11 - Nov 12-14th

This is a weekly PARTY hosted by Jen at Crazy For Books. It's a chance to discover new blogs and to garner new readers for your blog as well. 

Thanks for visiting!

This time, I'm doing the Hop a little differently (possibly my lack of sleep has messed with my mind). Instead of commenting here, please check out any posts you like and comment there? 

I will read all comments, and reply to each one on your blog. Post a link!

ANNOUNCEMENT: E-Volving Books is launching the Blogger Spotlight here Today, showcasing a new blogger and their ereaders every two weeks! 

We begin with Charlotte at Lit Addicted Brit in the post below.

Oh, and don't forget to enter below for a chance at winning a Kindle DX!
E-volution? By Author Scott Nicholson & Kindle Giveaway

E-volution? By Author Scott Nicholson & Kindle Giveaway

By Scott Nicholson
http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/

Maybe we should just hold the phone.

I mean, here we are blindly calling this e-thing “progress,” heralding a New Age where every child in the land will have unlimited access to all the words ever written and everything being written as we speak. Plus all the stuff they’ll be writing on their own Kindle/tablet/pad/phone thingy.

Too much information.

Yeah, maybe. And it’s going to be cheap, it’s going to be everywhere,it’s going to be free, it’s going to be worthless, it’s going to create more books than we have time to read. They say the average American reads two books a year. Average out the cost of the typical device and it will take about five years to break even, and that assumes they buy hardcovers.

Even authors can’t make sense of it. While my friend John Everson was hitting #30 on the Nook charts with a 99 cent e-book version of Covenant, he was tweeting about how ebooks are lacking some essential element that prevents them from being a book. I mean, dude! You just got the biggest audience you could expect in your lifetime and you’re seeing a downside?

But maybe he’s right. Maybe all us people who fancy ourselves “real authors” are soon going to be snowed under by people dumping their three-page high-school term papers on the Internet, giving them covers and product pages, and by all appearances providing the same content as a “real author.” After all, besides the sample. all you get is a stamp-sized picture and a description that any decent con artist could polish up.

Maybe this isn’t the beginning of a shiny new era of communication, a time when anyone with a dream can find an audience. Maybe these devices that intimately connect us are really tools of the devil, and our heads are going to explode. Maybe the Illuminati are just waiting to secretly gain control of the publishing industry and print only material that furthers their goals and builds their cover stories. Maybe writers have no chance at making a real go of this business, and all those indie success stories like Karen McQuestion, J.A. Konrath, and David Dalglish will be blips on the radar of publishing history.

Maybe that was as good as it got, and it’s all downhill from here. Quick, all you writers, get back in line in New York. Go sign a publishing contract. Give up control of your content and put yourself at a competitive disadvantage. Hurry, while the indie fad has everyone’s attention and agents actually have time to read your emails. Ignore us idiots who are going to keep on giving our readers cheap, convenient content.

Hee hee.

-------------

My new crime thriller Disintegration is a Kindle bestseller, and paranormal mystery As I Die Lying just launched, both for 99 cents for a limited time.

Scott Nicholson is author of 12 novels, including the thrillers Drummer Boy, Forever Never Ends, The Skull Ring, Burial to Follow ,and October Girls. His revised novels for the U.K. Kindle are Creative Spirit, Troubled, The Gorge, and Solom. He’s also written four comic series, six screenplays, and more than 60 short stories. His story collections include Ashes, The First, Murdermouth: Zombie Bits, and Flowers. His web site is www.hauntedcomputer.com.

To be eligible for the Kindle DX, simply post a comment below with contact info. Feel free to debate and discuss the topic, but you will only be entered once per blog. Visit all the blogs on the tour and increase your odds. I’m also giving away a Kindle 3 through the tour newsletter and a Pandora’s Box of free e-books to a follower of “hauntedcomputer” on Twitter. Thanks for playing. Complete details at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/blogtour.htm

Author Scott Nicholson HERE Tomorrow - Win a Kindle Tour

The post tomorrow is courtesy of Scott Nicholson, author of 12 novels, including the thrillers Drummer Boy, Forever Never Ends, The Skull Ring, Burial to Follow ,and October Girls. His revised novels for the U.K. Kindle are Creative Spirit, Troubled, The Gorge, and Solom. He’s also written four comic series, six screenplays, and more than 60 short stories. His story collections include Ashes, The First, Murdermouth: Zombie Bits, and Flowers. His web site is:

http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/

What do you Win? 

Ans: A Kindle! 

Just come back tomorrow and comment on Scott's post to enter into a draw for the Kindle

Amazon Kindle now to Lend Books!

The wait is over - Amazon announced on Friday that the Kindle will finally allow lending books out to friends.

This feature is set to be in shape by the year end, and will bring the Kindle on par with what the Barnes and Noble Nook already does!

• The books can be on loan for a two week period, but the owner will not be able to read the book for that time (rather like a real book, no?)
• Not for all books, that depends on author/publisher
• Kindle Apps will support this as well

In a year where the Amazon sales of books on the Kindle has so far already been 3x what they were last year, this is going to help people begin to bridge the gap between paper and ebooks. I have heard some comments on this blog, saying that people would miss lending books to friends if they shifted to ebooks.

Well done, Amazon - Better late than never!

New Feature: Readers with e-readers

I love getting to know all you bloggers and visitors better, and I thought others might as well!

Hence, this blogger spotlight will feature folks with ereaders of any kind.

Here are some sample questions below - I'd like to end up with a few really interesting, funny questions, and will need Your help with those!

*****

Give us an idea of who you are:

Describe a typical day or send me a Photo of the region u live/your bookshelf/whatever. You can do both - photos are better! 

• What e-reader do you own and how did you get it?
• Did you consider other readers in the market? Why did you pick this one?
• What's the top thing you like about it?
• What is your favourite recent read?
• When do you read a paper book and when do you pick up an ebook?
• Where do you like to read? Did that change with an e-reader?
• Have you transformed your reading style or frequency?
• If your e-reader could have one magic feature, what would it be? (Top of Wishlist, really)

Now it is your turn!! Leave a comment if you would like to be a "Readers with e-reader" spotlit blogger.

And don't forget to help me with the questions - I need your suggestions!

Save the Date! Advance Buzz for Scott Nicholson Blog Tour

Scott Nicholson Kindle Giveaway Blog Tour

 Author Scott Nicholson and Amazon are giving away two Kindles as part of his fall book blog tour from September through November, including a stop here at e-Volving Books on Nov 11th. A Kindle DX will be given away through the participating blogs, and a Kindle 3 will be given away through the tour newsletter. A Pandora's Box of free ebooks will be given away through Nicholson's "hauntedcomputer" Twitter account.

"The digital era coincides with Act II of my career," Nicholson said. "The Kindle has broadened many people's horizons and given readers more power than ever, and this is an opportunity to celebrate them and the book bloggers who spread the word."

Nicholson is author of 12 novels and five story collections, as well as four comics series and six screenplays. His paranormal thrillers The Red Church, Drummer Boy and Speed Dating with the Dead have all hit #1 in the Kindle "Ghosts" category, and his new releases are the sci-fi thriller Forever Never Ends and the multiple-personality romp As I Die Lying.

As a bonus, if Nicholson hits the Top 100 in the U.S. or U.K. Kindle Store during the tour between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, he will give away an extra Kindle 3 through the blogs. Sign up for the newsletter at scottsinnercircle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to get daily links to the participating blogs. Winners will be selected at the Watauga County (NC) Public Library in December. No purchase necessary, and the contest is international. Co-sponsored by Kindle Nation Daily and Dellaster Design. 

Details at www.hauntedcomputer.com.

Skins for your ebook reader - style over substance

Those of you who know me might also know that I am an apple fangirl. I also have a gelaskin on my mac to make it stand out.
Imagine my delight when I discovered that the creative folks and artists at www.Gelaskin.com have designs for ebook Readers!
For the Kindle, for the iPad, for the Nook, even for the Kobo!

Gelaskin Main Store

 Click the link below to get to the store or enter into your browser window. There is no referral involved. Pure fun!
http://www.gelaskins.com/store/skins/ipad_and_ereaders
Still here? Check out a few images of my favorites:

Graphic meme compares ALL Tablets

I 've never seen this before!

Ima gonna keep looking for one that compares just ebook readers.

Credit:  - Kudos to Jamais Cascio for being a gizmo lover and I found it over at http://9gag.com/gag/20938/ i.e my addiction for the week.

Make sure you hover your mouse over the photo, each device has a label with its name, and the year the product was released.

Posted via email from readseverything's posterous

Amazon's Kindle patent, a competition killer?

This week, the U.S. Patent office finally granted Amazon's ebook reader patent from 2006. While this might not in itself seem like news, what is surprising is that the patent granted is far more over-reaching than everyone had assumed. They also seem to have enough legal basis to sue the Barnes & Nobles Nook if they wanted to.

You can read a very detailed and encompassing analysis of the patent via Crunchgear.

What interested me here is that Amazon's patent covers the LCD being touch-sensitive as well. This pretty much hits most of their competition. So far, the war between the ebook readers has remained a price war. Will it turn into legal battles? What do you think?

Readability - The battle of the Kindle vs. Paper vs. iPad

Jakob Nielson, the guru of internet usability, published a research paper on reading and usability a few days ago.

They did some very interesting comparisions, on metrics I had been wondering about for a while (if you follow this blog, you know that I bring up e-book readers every couple of weeks). My reading style and methods have shifted drastically with the Kindle, as have that of other bookworms.You might be trying out a reader, or just want to know more about the future of reading and publishing; read on.

Jakob posits some remarkable results - after evaluating readers on the Kindle 2, PC, Kindle, and of course, printed book. The main question he attempts to answer is if ebook readers solve the long-standing issues of reading from PC monitors. The researchers decided to check only the iBook app, and no newspaper or website reading, just a story by Hemmingway.

The Usability results:

"iPad, Kindle, and the printed book all scored fairly high at 5.8, 5.7, and 5.6, respectively. The PC, however, scored an abysmal 3.6."

Wow! The kindle scored better than the actual book? Though user comments did say that the most comfortable to read was the actual book. I would have to agree - I do find myself hunting out the occasional paper book if it is a very large one.

This is good news for the trees, though I noticed a few improvements could be made in the study: Bigger test group size, different ebook readers, the Kindle Dx (known to have better contrast than the Kindle 2) or different aspects of reading. 

For those readers who are still reading on the PC, this should be a clear nudge to get an ebook reader. They are worth it!