Author Archives: Ficbot

I am always fascinated to speak with people who notice my readers when I’m out ‘in the wild’ with them. I feel like sometimes I am a little too ‘expert’ for my own good—I’ve tried many devices, read hundreds of books this way, I blog, and so on—that I wonder if the ‘average’ newbie coming [...] Continue reading →

Competition is a good thing. Lately, I have found that between Fictionwise, Sony, Amazon, and Kobo there is always a promo code or coupon out there somewhere. It used to be that I would only buy from Fictionwise; I got very attached to their reward system and would buy new releases at high prices because [...] Continue reading →

Here’s a use for ebook readers you may not have thought of: to use as a handbook in case of emergency. I found myself in a situation yesterday where I had two children in my charge, and their parent arrived to get them feeling very ill and not in a condition to be driving. I [...] Continue reading →

So, it’s now been a month since I got my Kindle. Was it a worthwhile upgrade for me? Which features am I using and which am I finding lacking? Do I see myself buying another reader anytime soon?
MY TWO REASONS FOR UPGRADING
First, I must admit, I am really loving my Kindle. I use it daily [...] Continue reading →

Fictionwise sent me a promo for ‘The Lovely Bones’ and some other movie books. I had already read ‘The Lovely Bones’ and thought I might enjoy a re-read. But it’s hard to swallow a $14.44 price ($16.99 if you aren’t a club member) when the mass-market paperback retails on Amazon for $7.99! The non-club [...] Continue reading →

I am blown away by the responses to the articles Chris Meadows and I posted over the past week. I am dismayed that in some reader’s minds, I came off as anti-author—if that were so, I would be downloading off the darknet right now instead of blogging to you—but I am delighted that the issues [...] Continue reading →

Notice anything missing in the publisher press releases about their ‘victory’ in the Amazon/Macmillan battle?
John Scalzi writes to other authors. John Sargent is writing to ‘authors, illustrators and literary agents.’ Rupert Murdoch is speaking directly about his own bottom line.
What all of these seeming insiders are forgetting though is that without the paying [...] Continue reading →

So, who lost the weekend’s ebook war, Amazon or Macmillan? Neither, actually. Amazon gets to raise its prices, make more money and come off looking like the good guy. Macmillan proves yet again that Big Publishing doesn’t get it (did you see even a single mention of book-buying customers in their open letter) and who [...] Continue reading →

In previous articles, I have speculated on the future of ebook hardware and on the future of the bookstore . But how about the publishers and content providers? What will their role be?
I think the role of the publishing house, certainly when viewed from the standpoint of being a content gatekeeper authors must pass [...] Continue reading →

With all the new ‘convergence’ devices coming out these days—cell phone/media/gaming all in one—is there still going to be a demand for dedicated ebook readers? Would anyone buy a Kindle or a Sony or a Whatever when they could just read a book on their cell phone or magical tablet?
Yes. There IS still a demand [...] Continue reading →