Tag Archives: Amazon

Amazon Launches Fan Fiction Platform | PopWatch | EW.com

Posted on by

Amazon is readying the launch of a new publishing platform called Kindle Worlds where writers will be able to publish and earn royalties from their fanfiction.

For now, fanfic writers are limited to submitting stories about only three TV shows: ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars, the CW’s Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl, which aired its series finale on the CW last December. Amazon Publishing has secured licenses for those three properties (all owned by Warner Bros.), though it expects to announce more licenses soon.

Most stories on the publishing platform will be priced between $0.99 and $3.99. More details about submission rules and royalty rates are on Amazon.com. Via ‘Vampire Diaries’ among shows licensed for Amazon fan fic platform | PopWatch | EW.com.

Amazon Cloud Drive Reaches Canada | Engadget

Posted on by

While Amazon Cloud Drive has been on quite the world tour as of late, Canadians have had to watch as seemingly everyone else gets the storage service first. Thankfully, Canucks can now do more than just twiddle their thumbs now that Cloud Drive has gone live in their country. Pricing is virtually on par with what Americans know, with a 5GB free tier and multiple paid tiers that start at $10 per year for 20GB. All the Cloud Drive-focused desktop and mobile apps are now available as well. Via Amazon Cloud Drive Reaches Canada | Engadget.

You may also like:

Dropbox vs. Google Drive vs. Amazon vs. Skydrive: Which One Is Fastest? | ReadWrite

Updated: Varying Perspectives on Amazon GoodReads Acquisition

Posted on by

First Amazon acquires a partial stake in LibraryThing, then acquires Shelfari and now GoodReads. I wonder if the future will hold Amazon buying libraries and turning them into distribution centers…

You may also like:

Piggyback Technology | American Libraries Magazine
“With an increasing emphasis on ebooks, the issues around discovery, and other emerging topics, modern publishing is rapidly turning into a technology industry.”

Need a Book Recommendation? Ask One of these Sites | Information Space

Collection of Links: eBooks

Posted on by

I find it challenging to keep up with eBook news and resources, since it seems there are updates on an almost daily basis. I have provided links to the most informative and newsworthy below.

eBooks & Publishing

eBooks, Libraries & Publishers

Book publishers blast Amazon’s plan to control domain names | Internet & Media – CNET News

Posted on by

“Two industry groups argue that the retailer’s plan to control several generic top-level domains, including .book, .author, and .read, would be anti-competitive.”

via Book publishers blast Amazon’s plan to control domain names | Internet & Media – CNET News.

Used Ebooks, the Ridiculous Idea that Could Also Destroy the Publishing Industry | Motherboard

Posted on by

Great opinion article. Calling Amazon’s used ebook patent filing for what it is…another manoeuvre in the goal to make the traditional publishing industry obsolete.

Used Ebooks, the Ridiculous Idea that Could Also Destroy the Publishing Industry | Motherboard.

NYTimes.com – A Casualty on the Battlefield of Amazon’s Partisan Book Reviews

Posted on by

The following editorial is a great case study of trolls (a fan base in this instance) using the Amazon reviewing system to suppress the popularity of a publication, when in the past the problem has been over inflated reviews. No longer is it only governments and other political groups trying to suppress intellectual freedom.

A Casualty on the Battlefield of Amazon’s Partisan Book Reviews – NYTimes.com

Quotable: “In the biggest, most overt and most successful of these campaigns, a group of Michael Jackson fans used Facebook and Twitter to solicit negative reviews of a new biography of the singer. They bombarded Amazon with dozens of one-star takedowns, succeeded in getting several favorable notices erased and even took credit for Amazon’s briefly removing the book from sale.”

The Nation — Ten Reasons to Avoid Doing Business With Amazon.com

Posted on by

Ten Reasons to Avoid Doing Business With Amazon.com | The Nation.

GTA Technology Tips & Tricks: Commentary on Intellectual Freedom and the Amazon and Overdrive Deal with Libraries

Posted on by

This week my Tip &Tricks email is a bit different but still relates to technology. Intellectual freedom and privacy are fundamental values in our profession and according to Sarah Houghton (Librarian in Black) the new Amazon/Overdrive deal with libraries pushes the boundaries of these values.
 
I encourage you all to watch the video at the link below/attached and then forward on. I have also included links to less biased commentary – the announcement from Overdrive and a Library Journal article.
 
Fair warning…there is some swearing. Librarian in Black is really pissed!