Of Google, Random House and eBook Royalties in the Digital Age

OK, I have to admit it, last week was an amazing week (and not just because of Barak Obama).  I'm talking the book world here, not politics. 

First Google announced that it had finally settled it's lawsuit with the Authors Guild, AAP (American Association of Publishers) et al.  The simple version is that Google won the right to put a lot of copyrighted material online without first seeking rights from each individual owner. In other words, ordinary people will have an unprecedented ability to search (for free) and access (for a fee) books that formerly lived only in university libraries

Under the agreement, unless authors specifically opt out, books that are out-of-print but still copyrighted will be available for "preview" (a few pages) for free.  And to obtain full access there is a a fee. For access to in-print books, "rightsholders"  must opt in, but the basic structure remain:  preview free and access for a fee.

Where it really gets interesting is when you look at the fee structure.  It is fairly long and involved, but basically, Google pays approximately 60% royalties on any money received.  Even better, authors can be paid directly.

Right on the heels of this news, Random House, not to be outdone, also introduced a new royalty structure.  They, too, are going to pay e-book royalties based on the actual net moneys received by the publisher.  Not on as a percentage of list prices as they have always done.  AND they are going to pay the author a whopping 25% royalty from these monies.

Here, quoted directly, is the Random House logic:

1. The new rates are very much in line with the e-book and digital audio rates being offered today by our major competitors.
2. The way the market is developing, the publisher's list price will soon no longer be a relevant basis for calculating royalties in the digital environment.
3. The electronic formats are not as inexpensive to produce and publish as many believe [...] We have made substantial investments, and we will continue to invest, in related digital infrastructure, such as the creation and maintenance of a digital archive, and in the development of the market for electronic formats.
4. The new ebook rate continues to compare favorably to the rates we pay for other formats in which books are made available.

Well, they are right about one thing -- the market is changing. 

The problem for Random House is that they (and their major competitors) don't really understand what the change is or how it is going to affect them. 

Somehow, the fact that Google has defacto set the standard for royalties in the digital age went right over their head! 

Even worse, is the fact that as Google is opening the market and actually compensating authors they are fighting to maintain the their perceived status and the status quo. 

Wanna take a bet on which approach will win?

del.icio.us Tags: ebook,e-book,royalties,google,random house

Discounted eBooks - November 7, 2008

The elections are FINALLY over! But here is one more (and hopefully the last) book about them. Seriously, it is time to get back to real life -- to work or even to do some cooking or baking. If you are looking for fiction, here are two terrific stories -- both highly recommended! Use this weeks coupon code -- DH59Y -- to get your discount on any or all of these great books. Happy reading!

Michelle: A Biography eBook edition by Mundy, Liza She can be funny and sharp-tongued, warm and blunt, empathic and demanding. Who is the woman Barack Obama calls ""the boss""? In Michelle, Washington Post writer Liza Mundy paints a revealing and intimate portrait, taking us inside the marriage of the most dynamic couple in politics today. More Info List Price : $17.99 Your price $13.84 (Using your 10% discount and $ .73 points in eBook Reward points)

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes eBook Edition by Chamberlain, Diane CeeCee Wilkes knows how Genevieve Russell died, because she was there. And she also knows what happened to the missing infant, because two decades ago she made the devastating choice to raise the baby as her own. Now Timothy Gleason is facing the death penalty, and she has another choice to make. Tell the truth, and destroy her family. Or let an innocent man die in order to protect a lifetime of lies… More Info List Price : $12.55 Your price $10.73 (Using your 10% discount and $ .56 iin eBook Reward points)

Dealing With Difficult People eBook edition by Brinkman,Rick / Kirschner, Rick In every workplace there are difficult people who, at best, make life stressful and, at worst, interfere with project and career goals. This book delivers a proven approach to finding common ground and creating a more productive interaction with difficult people. More Info List Price : $12.95 Your price $11.07 (Using your 10% discount and $ .58 in eBook Reward points)

Bones: An Alex Delaware Novel eBook edition by Kellerman, Jonathan The anonymous caller has an ominous tone and an unnerving message about something "real dead . . . buried in your marsh." The eco-volunteer on the other end of the phone thinks it's a prank, but when a young woman's body turns up in L.A's Bird Marsh preserve no one is laughing. More Info List Price : $18.00 Your price $13.85 (Using your 10% discount and $ .73 in eBook Reward points)

Buttercup Bakes at Home: More Than 75 New Recipes from Manhattan's Premier Bake Shop for Tempting Homemade Sweets eBook edition by Appel, Jennifer Jennifer Appel, cookbook author and owner of the world-famous Buttercup Bake Shop, shares more of her popular recipes in Buttercup Bakes at Home, a collection of more than 75 new and tempting treats from the much-loved bakery and her own kitchen, for home cooks to enjoy More Info List Price : $17.99 Your price $15.38 (Using your 10% discount and $ .81 in eBook Reward points)

Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us

The Audacity of Hope eBook edition

It is eerily fitting that the author of The Audacity of Hope was written by a man who had the audacity to run for President of the United States of America. One look at the portrait on the cover told you that his chance to be President was roughly equivalent to the proverbial snowball in hell.

And yet somehow we woke up this morning with "a skinny black kid with a funny name" as the next President of the USA. Unbelievable from where I sit!

It wasn't that long ago (70 years) that the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow a "colored" woman to give a concert in their hall. As a side note -- I always find this story the ultimate irony! Women who's ancestors fought and died for freedom actually denying Marian Anderson access to a building! But I digress.

I am old enough to remember Selma and Montgomery and the passage of the Voting Rights Act. I am old enough to have heard Martin Luther King voice his dream.

In those dark days it seemed an impossible dream! Just the idea that his "children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" was unfathomable. And yet this morning those children will wake up to a country where their Dad's dream has come true!

My Dad used to say that "we are saved by hope." As a teenager I thought it was perhaps the corniest thing I had ever hears. And yet this morning I can't help but think that he was on to something.

After all. what keeps us going in the face of incredible odds? It is sometimes simply the belief in a positive outcome; the feeling we can get what we want or that at the very least everything will turn out for the best.

Hope brings out the best in all of us. Hope is the sometimes the only thing that gets us out of bed in the morning. Hope is the bedrock of the American Dream. And at least for this moment in time, hope reigns in America.

If you haven't done so yet, do yourself a favor and read Barak Obama's message of hope:

In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called “the audacity of hope.”

Now, in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics–a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the “endless clash of armies” we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces–from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media–that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.

At the heart of this book is Senator Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats–from terrorism to pandemic–that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy–where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.

A senator and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature, Senator Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes–“waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them.”

del.icio.us Tags: ebook,e-book,obama,hope,the audacity of hope,ebooks about people,new york times best sellers

eBook Stats - Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

I don't know about you, but these days I am looking for any good news I can find!  Last week I found some:  the IDPF (International Digital Publishing Foundation) says that eBook sales for August of this year are up 83% over August of last year.  And year to date, sales have grown 53%.

I am so impressed that I have actually printed the latest IDPF graph and posted it on my bulletin board:

The idea that anything is growing in this economy is novel enough.  But the idea of publishing as a growth industry makes me laugh out loud.  This is my own personal version of change I want to believe in.

Remember, the IDPF numbers are very conservative and quite limited in scope.  Their website notes these caveats:

• The data represent United States revenues only
• The data represent only trade eBook sales via wholesale channels
•   Retail numbers may be as much as double due to industry wholesale discounts.
• The data represent only data submitted from approx. 12 to 15 trade publishers
• The data does not include library, educational or professional electronic sales
• The numbers reflect the wholesale revenues of publishers
• The definition used for reporting electronic book sales is "All books delivered electronically over the Internet OR to hand-held reading devices"

Presumably the Amazon Kindle numbers are buried in these statistics.  Add to that the factiods that the biggest retail distributor of books, other than Amazon is Ingram Digital (ID). Last month ID reported that they "enjoyed record third quarter growth with downloads more than double the same quarter last year".

Maybe a statistician could figure out the impact of Kindle on these numbers.  I can't.  All I know is that after years of believing that eBooks would eventually catch on; it looks like it is finally happening.  And that, folks, is economic news that makes me happy!

del.icio.us Tags: ebook,e-books,ebook statistics,publishing industry

eBook Discounts - Regular Discount Page on hold this week. A different kind of eBook discount. . .

This picture represents the current state of my hand.  Am doing all typing -- hunt and peck with my left hand. . . .not very efficient! 

So this week, as my body is healing we are offering a 20% discount on every book in the Mind Body section that at $9.95 or more.

Use discount code GigiHand4 to get your discount.  The more you buy the more you save. 

del.icio.us Tags: ebooks,e-books,mind body ebooks,ebook discounts

Author Tony Hillerman - RIP

Last year it was Kurt Vonnegut; this year it is Tony Hillerman. Two of my my favorite storytellers have written their final chapters. I suppose it says something about their ability to weave a good tale that neither one of them wrote in my favorite genres,

Tony Hillerman's eighteen mysteries about the Navajo Tribal Police are not just great stories, they are also filled with Native American lore, rituals and taboos.

Lovely Leaphorn (Lt Joe Leaphorn) is one of my all time favorite characters: Lightly cynical, always logical, forever slightly removed. He is a character to study and respect.

At one my point in my life I lived (briefly) in Flagstaff, Arizona. I had a teacher friend who introduced me to life on the reservation. He lived there and taught in one of the "mission schools". That was the beginning of a fascination with Indian culture and lore.

During that time I also spent some time in Tuba City. Oh yeah . . .

In fact, it was my teacher friend who sent me a beat up copy of Hillerman's first novel: The Blessing Way. And I was hooked. I have waited for each and every title and devoured them in a day.

Above and beyond the exploration of "white" vs "Navajo" culture; Hillerman is a master of describing social strata and class in America. Wealth and privilege are starkly drawn as are poverty and helplessness.

Monday morning I read a number of obituaries and storied about Hillerman. This may be my favorite:

Hillerman was one of the nicest authors we ever met, and he was so obliging in signing copies of his books that one bookseller joked that a rarity in the Southwest was an unsigned Hillerman mystery.

The New York Times piece about Hillerman is worth reading.

If aren't acquainted with Hillerman's work; do you self a big favor and start reading his series today. Here is a list of the titles in the series in order of publication:

1. The Blessing Way (1970)
2. Dance Hall of the Dead (1973)
3. Listening Woman (1978)
4. People Of Darkness (1980)
5. The Dark Wind (1982)
6. The Ghostway (1984)
7. Skinwalkers (1986)
8. A Thief of Time (1988)
9. Talking God (1989)
10. Coyote Waits (1990)
11. Sacred Clowns (1993)
12. The Fallen Man (1996)
13. The First Eagle (1998)
14. Hunting Badger (1999)
15. The Wailing Wind (2002)
16. The Sinister Pig (2003)
17. Skeleton Man (2004)
18. The Shape Shifter (2006)

To start reading: Just follow this link!

del.icio.us Tags: Hillerman,ebooks,e-books,Tony Hillerman,ebooks about fictions,ebooks about mystery

eBooks, Amazon and Oprah

It's been quite a week for Amazon. On Thursday they announced a revised projection for 4th quarter sales: somewhere between $6 and $7 billion. I don't care who you are; that is a LOT of money!

Before you start feeling sorry for them; consider that on Friday Oprah endorsed the Kindle. Called it a "life changing" product, no less! She says it changed her life and even says "It's absolutely my new favorite favorite thing in the world."

Oprah is, of course, a marketing machine and this endorsement is sure to help Amazon's bottom line. And you can be sure that publishers are hoping it helps them as well.

The thing that really strikes me is that when it comes to eBooks, Amazon has fixed it so that they realize revenue off of almost every eBook sold for portable devices. Take a look at the chart listing the various popular reading devices and the reading software that they use to read DRM protected eBooks.

	Adobe	eReader	Mobi	MS Reader	Propr- ietary	Palm
BeBook			X
Cybook			X
iPhone		X
Illiad			X
Kindle					X
Nokia Phones			X
Palm			X			X
PocketPC			X	X
SonyPRC	X				X

Almost all of them use Mobipocket as the reader of choice. And just guess who owns Mobipocket. Amazon, or course. So, as long as publishers insist on using DRM on their titles, Amazon wins big!

It might be inaccurate to say that Jeff Bezos has bet the farm on digital reading, but however you look at it, he has certainly hedged his bets!

This is very good for Jeff and Amazon, I am not so sure that it that good for authors, publishers or even readers. Amazon is in the extraordinary position of control both access to the market (authors and publishers) and product placement in the market (readers). It always makes me nervous when any company has that much control (or even influence) in a particular market.

del.icio.us Tags: ebooks,e-books,digital reading,amazon,oprah,kindle,eReading,eBook hardware

eBook Discounts for October 24, 2008

Turn the clock back, get in to your PJs, light a fire and grab a book. And if you need to get out of the house -- go to the movies and see The Secret Life of Bees. Use coupon code at check out and be prepared to enjoy!C3KL9

Speaking for Myself eBook edition by Blair, Cherie Even if she hadn't married Tony Blair, Cherie's story would have been amazing. . .Here she reveals for the first time what it was like to combine life as a working mother with life married to the prime minister. She writes about her encounters with scores of foreign leaders and her friendships with Presidents Clinton and Bush, as well as with Hillary and Laura. And she offers inside details of her relationships with the royals, including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana. More Info List Price : $21.99 Your price $16.92 (Using your 10% discount and $.89 in eBook Reward points)

A Most Wanted Man eBook Edition by le Carre, John New spies with new loyalties, old spies with old ones; terror as the new mantra; decent people wanting to do good but caught in the moral maze; all the sound, rational reasons for doing the inhuman thing; the recognition that we cannot safely love or pity and remain good ""patriots"" -- this is the fabric of John le Carré's fiercely compelling and current novel A Most Wanted Man. More Info List Price : $17.99 Your price $13.84 (Using your 10% discount and $ .73 in eBook Reward points)

My Stroke of Insight eBook edition by Taylor, Ph.D., Jill Bolte A brain scientist's journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its possibilities. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time. More Info List Price : $24.95 Your price $19.20 (Using your 10% discount and $1.01 in eBook Reward points)

The Secret Life of Bees eBook edition by: Monk, Sue Tthe story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town's fiercest racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina¿a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. More Info List Price : $14.00 Your price $10.77 (Using your 10% discount and $ .57 in eBook Reward points)

Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana (ILLU (Microsoft Reader Desktop) eBook edition by Vatsyayana, Mallanaga This edition of the "Kama Sutra" is based on the outstanding (and heavily annotated) 1883 translation by Sir Richard F. Burton, the famous British explorer, linguist, ethnologist and sexologist. This edition has significantly improved upon Burton's edition (such as fixing numerous textual errors and reorganizing several chapters for logical consistency), it is otherwise a complete, faithful, unexpurgated and high-quality reproduction, completely preserving the overall flavor of the Burton edition. More Info List Price : $11.95 Your price $10.22 (Using your 10% discount and $ .54 in eBook Reward points)

Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us

Heat Lightning by John Sandford eBook edition

There are two things that I always enjoy about the writing of John Sandford:

• His characters all seem to have some likable characteristics, even the bad guys.
• His plots are based not so much on the hidden denouement as on the ending that satisfies the need for the good guys to win.

 Heat Lightning is no exception.

I won’t tell you the story, the book is worth reading., You should buy it if you want to spend a day with people you will probably like more than most of the people in the real world. And if you ever spent any time in Minnesota you will especially like Sandford’s brightly drawn word pictures of the lakes and woods that dominate the scenery there.

Let it suffice to say that the book’s ending is as satisfying as its beginning and the parts in between are fun and engaging. Sandford is developing a character in Virgil Flowers that wears well. His highly developed world of laid back Minnesota natives and scenic beauty has the underlying themes of greed, stupidity, vengeance and political ambition that make this novel interesting as a mystery.

Beyond that he seems to be exploring the prospects of literary advancement from the bounds of a strictly genre writer in this new series. His characters are taking on more form and substance and his comments on and allusions to the uber society outside of Minnesota are growing sharper and more defined.

I can heartily recommend this book to any of you who like characters that live lives we can all imagine but seldom experience. I can also recommend his prior works as worthy of reading for those of you who might not have discovered him as yet. His name is among the top ten in my pantheon of writers that have never failed to fulfill my burst of happiness when I find a new title written by them.

Here's the official stuff:

Fresh from his "spectacular" (Cleveland Plain Dealer) debut in Dark of the Moon, investigator Virgil Flowers takes on a puzzling-and most alarming-case, in the new book from the #1 bestselling author.

John Sandford's introduction of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers was an immediate critical and popular success: "laser-sharp characters and a plot that's fast and surprising" (Cleveland Plain Dealer); "an idiosyncratic, thoroughly ingratiating hero" (Booklist).

Flowers is only in his late thirties, but he's been around the block a few times, and he doesn't think much can surprise him anymore. He's wrong. It's a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, and Flowers is in bed with one of his ex-wives (the second one, if you're keeping count), when the phone rings. It's Lucas Davenport. There's a body in Stillwater-two shots to the head, found near a veteran's memorial. And the victim has a lemon in his mouth. Exactly like the body they found last week.

The more Flowers works the murders, the more convinced he is that someone's keeping a list, and that the list could have a lot more names on it. If he could only find out what connects them all . . . and then he does, and he's almost sorry he did. Because if it's true, then this whole thing leads down a lot more trails than he thought-and every one of them is booby-trapped.

Filled with the audacious plotting, rich characters, and brilliant suspense that have always made his books "compulsively readable" (Los Angeles Times), this is vintage Sandford.

 

del.icio.us Tags: ebooks,e-books,John Sanford,Sanford,Heat Lightning,Virgil Flowers,Minnesota

The Shrinking Library and eBooks

We have a lot of books! Since we are contemplating a move after many years in our home the issue of what to do with our books has arisen once again. I am seriously and surprisingly moved by my attachment to these things that seldom leave the shelves after we read their final pages.

Admittedly once in a while I have to use some of the more factual books to look up something I vaguely remember that I once knew. Rarely do I disturb these denizens of our library room otherwise. I can trace my progression of interests by simply looking at the titles on a few shelves. The book collection is as eclectic as our lives have been; a montage of experiences with a range and breadth that we both cherish.

The current debate is whether or not to sell this house and simply move on in our lives. It makes little economic sense to hold onto either the books or the house.  On the other hand a lot of memories live in both.

If we sell the house the books will go. We have both agreed that getting rid of the books is the best solution to the problem of owning a ton or two of printed matter that really don’t matter anymore. Our lives have moved on to digital books and that library is a little lighter and easier to carry.

Books have been such a huge piece of both our lives that just contemplating dismantling our library slows us down. It is a room with all of the walls lined with Red Oak shelves around every wall from floor to ceiling. Of course there are books in every room in our house but this room was given over to its main function years ago.

The idea that it is possible to carry a whole collection of books, (a collection bigger than the one in this room,) around on a key chain hasn’t really sunk in to Henri's consciousness.  The idea that I can access more information than exists in the Library of Congress by just hooking up to the Internet still boggles the mind.

We are not hoarders -- have never found acquiring things to be particularly satisfying. Tools for Henri, shoes for Gigi and books are the only weak points in our armor against consumerism.

The tools and the shoes are already leaving for our daughters homes. Their husbands will find use for them, or not. The girls will wear the shoes.   But the books, our precious books, are hard to part with and even harder to leave behind.

I guess what it comes down to is the the emotionally wrenching choice that getting older brings to everyone. How do you give up your past one piece at a time?

We need a microchip for our memories. I am told that too will come eventually. See that book over there written by Ray Kurzweil. It talks about that very thing. Meanwhile we are agonizing over the options for the only room we both have ever truly loved and may just simply dismantle soon.

It is not nearly as pleasant as I would like it to be, but then change is sometimes the only option even if it is not at all comforting.

del.icio.us Tags: ebooks,e-books,ebook library,library,electronic reading