Archive for December, 2011
Kindles have best holiday season ever no comments
In a statement today Amazon said that it sold well over 1 million Kindle devices each week in December. Amazon does not disclose actual Kindle sales figures, but says that millions of Kindle Fires and millions of the e-ink based Kindle ereaders have been sold since the introduction of the new devices. The Kindle Fire has been selling best, followed by the Kindle Touch and the basic Kindle. The three devices occupy the top three positions on Amazon.com’s best seller charts. The basic Kindle is also the best selling product at Amazon’s European websites, where it is currently the only one of the new Kindle ereaders available.
The success of the Kindle and other ereaders can also translate into success for self-published authors. The #5 best-selling Kindle book in December, Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee was published using the Kindle Direct Publishing platform. Another author publishing with KDP and CreateSpace, CJ Lyons,
The overall best-selling book at Amazon in 2011 was Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Amazon says that it sold enough copies of the Jobs biography over the holidays to create a stack higher than Mt Everest. Bossypants by Tina Fey and A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard were Amazon’s second and third overall best selling books.
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Free ebooks for Kindle & other ebooks – 12/28/2011 no comments
As is usual of late, there are a number of the Prime Eligible Kindle Books
The following are not part of the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, but are currently being promoted by being offered for free:
Medical Error by Richard Mabry (3 stars/107 reviews) Medical thriller from a faith-based publisher. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
One Imperfect Christmas by Myra Johnson (3 1/2 stars/39 reviews) Contemporary fiction from a faith-based publisher. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
A Simple Amish Christmas by Vannetta Chapman (4 1/2 stars/101 reviews) Religious fiction. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
One Year Alone with God: 366 Devotions on the Names of God by Ava Pennington (5 stars/11 reviews) Religion.
The Rules of Life, Expanded Edition: A Personal Code for Living a Better, Happier, More Successful Life (Richard Templar’s Rules) by Richard Templar (4 stars/31 reviews) Self-Help. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Curious Folks Ask: 162 Real Answers on Amazing Inventions, Fascinating Products, and Medical Mysteries (FT Press Science) by Sherry Seethaler (4 stars/63 reviews). Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Beer Is Proof God Loves Us: Reaching for the Soul of Beer and Brewing (FT Press Science) by Charles W. Bamforth (3 1/2 stars/68 reviews) History of brewing. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
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Kobohas a sale on several hundred ebooks that are priced at $0.99 to $4.99 this week.
Barnes & Noble is selling the Nook Color for $179 with free shipping from its eBay store. These are new ereaders, not refurbs.
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Free ebooks for Kindle & other ereaders – 12/25/2011 no comments
Some free ebooks to fill that new ereader up with. There are a number of titles from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library that are free briefly for everyone, including non-Prime members. There are too many of these for me to list here and many seem to be reunited with their price tags after only a very brief period of freedom, but you can check the list of Prime Eligible Kindle books
The List by J.A. Konrath (4 stars/173 reviews) Thriller.
Swallow by Tonya Plank (4 stars/47 reviews) Legal thriller.
Napoleon’s Pyramids by William Dietrich (4 stars/58 reviews) Historical thriller. Also free at Kobo.
The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna (4 1/2 stars/38 reviews) Supernatural thriller. Also free at Kobo.
Dimension Shifter (Dimensions Saga) by T.M. Nielsen (4 stars/5 reviews) Fantasy. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Justice Incarnate (Shadows of Justice) by Regan Black (5 stars/12 reviews) Paranormal thriller. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Blue Ink: A Short Story by Nancy Fulda (4 stars/5 reviews) Science fiction. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Eleven Twenty-Three by Jason S. Hornsby (4 stars/11 reviews) Sci-Fi. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Twice Dead by Kalayna Price (4 1/2 stars/33 reviews) Vampires & Shifters. Also free at Kobo.
Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder (Vampire Apocalypse Book 1) by Derek Gunn (4 stars/9 reviews) Vampires. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Blood Rock by Anthony Francis (4 1/2 stars/22 reviews) Vampires.
Among the Living by Timothy W. Long (3 1/2 stars/48 reviews) Zombies. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Down the Road: The Fall of Austin by Bowie Ibarra (3 1/2 stars/15 reviews) Zombies.
Blue Valley (A World War 2 Fantasy) (The Elementals) by Christine Rice (4 1/2 stars/7 reviews) Fantasy. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Too Close For Comfort by Eve Gaddy (4 stars/1 review) Romantic suspense.
To Love Anew (Sydney Cove Series #1) by Bonnie Leon (4 1/2 stars/10 reviews) Historical romance from a faith-based publisher. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Beyond The Misty Shore by Vicki Hinze (4 1/2 stars/2 reviews) Contemporary romance. Also free at Kobo.
Always by Carol Rose (3 stars/11 reviews) Contemporary romance. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Planned by Gabrielle Moon (5 stars/6 reviews) Contemporary romance.
Forgotten Father by Carol Rose (3 1/2 stars/15 reviews) Contemporary romance. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Faith (Brides of the West #1) (HeartQuest) by Lori Copeland (4 stars/25 reviews) Historical romance from a faith-based publisher. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Call Home the Heart by Shannon Farrell (4 1/2 stars/5 reviews) Historical romance.
My Lady Gisborne: A Love Story (The Gisbornes, Book 2) by Charlotte Hawkins (4 1/2 stars/12 reviews) Historical romance. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Only Us: A Fool’s Gold Holiday by Susan Mallery (3 1/2 stars/25 reviews) Contemporary romance. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Winning the Wallflower by Eloisa James (4 1/2 stars/29 reviews) Romance, novella. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Mile High Guy (Irish Romantic Comedy) by Marisa Mackle (4 stars/16 reviews).
In His Own Defense (Lawyers in Love, Book One) by Ann Jacobs (4 stars/2 reviews). Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Imagine by Jill Barnett (4 1/2 stars/15 reviews) Historical romance. Also free at Kobo.
Dark Prelude by Andrea Parnell (5 stars/2 reviews) Historical romance, novella. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life by Kristen McGuiness (3 1/2 stars/22 reviews) Memoir.
Radiance: A Novel by Louis B. Jones (5 stars/8 reviews) Contemporary fiction.
Frequent Traveller by Pandora Poikilos (5 stars/3 reviews) Contemporary fiction.
The Great Frustration: Stories by Seth Fried (5 stars/9 reviews) Short stories; literary fiction.
The Secret Keeper by Julie Thomas (5 stars/4 reviews) Fiction. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Holiness Day by Day: Transformational Thoughts for Your Spiritual Journey Devotional by Gerald Bridges and Jerry Bridges (5 stars/4 reviews) Religion. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
The Message Solo New Testament by Eugene Peterson (4 1/2 stars/8 reviews) Religion.
The Rules of Management, Expanded Edition: A Definitive Code for Managerial Success (Richard Templar’s Rules) by Richard Templar (4 1/2 stars/23 reviews) Business. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
25 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living: A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life by Richard W. Paul and Linda Elder (4 1/2 stars/6 reviews) Self-Help. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
World’s best stress-busting tips by Elisabeth Wilson (4 1/2 stars/3 reviews) Self-Help.
Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace, and Fulfillment at Work by Alan Lurie (4 1/2 stars/11 reviews) Motivational. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Winners Never Cheat: Even in Difficult Times, New and Expanded Edition by Jon M. Huntsman and Glenn Beck (4 1/2 stars/41 reviews) Ethics. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
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Featured at the Kindle Daily Deal
- Bring Me Home for Christmas (Virgin River) by Robyn Carr
- That Holiday Feeling by Robyn Carr
- Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
- Holiday in Stone Creek: A Stone Creek Christmas\At Home in Stone Creek (Hqn) by Linda Lael Miller
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Lakeshore Christmas (The Lakeshore Chronicles) by Susan Wiggs
Amazon also is having a sale
Best Buy currently has the Kobo Vox on sale for $179.99, a $20 discount from the regular price.
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Kobo Touch update no comments
Kobo has a new software update for the Kobo Touch eReader. The new software version brings several improvements to the homescreen as well as faster page turns and search function. Text should be sharper as well.
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Today’s free Android App at Amazon no comments
The free app today at Amazon’s Appstore for Android is A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Based on the original Peanuts classic by Charles M. Schulz, this interactive version of A Charlie Brown Christmas
features music, animation and narration by Peter Robbins, who does the voice of Charlie Brown in the original TV production.
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Kobo Vox gets software update no comments
Kobo has released a new software update for the Kobo Vox tablet. The update includes some bug fixes including:
- Fixed battery level misreporting.
- Improved Wi-Fi connectivity.
- Improved video streaming.
- Improved stability of device when waking from standby.
The reading app has also been improved:
- Reading menu has been improved.
- Built-in dictionary added.
- New background color – sepia.
- New font – Times New Roman.
Additionally, to help prevent accidental powering on of the Vox, the power button will now need to be depressed for 2.5 seconds to turn the tablet on.
The Vox will issue a notification when the software update is ready or you can check for it manually by going to the tablet’s Settings > About Kobo eReader > System Update.
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High Heels Mysteries 1-5 $1.99 today only for Kindle no comments
The Kindle Daily Deal
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Kindle Fire update v6.2.1 no comments
Amazon has released a software update (v6.2.1) for the Kindle Fire that is meant to address some of the more common complaints about Amazon’s tablet:
- Enhanced fluidity and performance.
- improved touchscreen navigation responsiveness .
- User choice of which items are displayed on the carousel.
- Password lock can be applied to the Wi-Fi connection.
The update will be delivered OTA or you can download and install it manually.
After the update, tapping and holding an item on the carousel brings up an option to remove it from the carousel. Well and good, but the next time you use that app, visit a webpage or whatever, it will show up on the carousel again. You have to manually remove each item you don’t want to show up after you use it each time. Obviously this is not going to quite the carousel complaints. Amazon should allow users to specify classes of items that should not be displayed on the carousel. For example, I would choose to not have webpages, music and apps displayed on it.
The carousel does seem much easier to use after the update. It now pauses better at the top item so it is much easier to tap on what you want to open without having to do finger gymnastics.
Another common complaint about the Fire is the power button, which is very easy to inadvertently bump and turn the device turn off when you are in the middle of something. This button makes a very good argument in favor of using sliders instead of push buttons. Or better yet have the buttons inset and level with the surface of the case as the Nook Tablet does. A cover will probably help to shield the power button, but some users might also appreciate a shut down confirmation pop-up when the power button is pressed, though that might present problems if the Fire freezes up and needs to be reset.
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Trade in a 1st gen Nook ereader & get $50 gift card at B&N no comments
Barnes & Noble is offering owners of the original Nook ereader a $50 B&N gift card if they trade it in for one of the newer B&N ereaders. This offer is good in stores only through Dec 24 and applies to purchases of the Nook Simple Touch e-ink based ereader, Nook Tablet and Nook Color.
B&N has also finally enabled the gifting of Nook Books and apps. Ebooks at the Nook Book store now have a ‘Buy as Gift’ button under the ‘Buy Now’ button. A notification and personalized message are sent to the recipient’s email address instantly. Amazongive one the option to choose a specific delivery date for gifted ebooks — Barnes & Nobel is not quite there yet.
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VIZ digital manga debut exclusively at Nook Comics Store for Nook Tablet and Nook Color no comments
Digital manga from VIZ Media, the largest distributer and publisher of anime and manga in North America, are now available exclusively at the Nook Comics Store for the Nook Color and Nook Tablet.
At launch the collection will include 18 series comprised of 107 volumes. Initial titles will include Shojo Beat, Shonen Sunday and the VIZ Signature imports. New issues will be available weekly.
Pinch to zoom is supported and to maintain authenticity the manga are formatted to be read from right to left. Pricing is $4.99 – $9.99.
