Amazon reveals quarter of Kindle ebook sales in US were for indie publishers

Figures from world's biggest bookseller trumpeted as sign of how self-publishing and smaller labels are changing the industry

As many as a quarter of the top 100 Kindle books on Amazon.com are from indie publishers, according to data revealed at a trade presentation by the retailer.

A chart detailing the 25 top-selling indie titles in 2012 was passed on by an audience member via Twitter. Though the term indie is broad, covering everything from self-published authors to publishing houses that fall outside the big six, the news has been interpreted as a victory for the go-it-alone author. However in the US the term has come to mean self-published. A spokeswoman for Amazon.com said: "This figure is referring to Kindle books on Amazon.com in 2012, with 'indie' meaning books self-published via Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). So a quarter of the top 100 bestselling Kindle books on Amazon.com in 2012 were self-published via KDP."

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E-books are changing reading habits

Bob Minzesheimer, USA TODAY

David Delk, 47, remembers "the old days," when his extended family went on vacation carrying three or four bags filled with about 30 books and another 30 magazines.

In a digital age, packing is easier.

Last summer, Delk; his wife, Ruthie; their three children, ages 17 to 22; and nine other relatives went on their annual family vacation equipped with a variety of reading devices.

"There were probably seven Kindles, nine iPads and two other tablets between the 14 of us," says Delk, president of Man in the Mirror, a Christian ministry in Casselberry, Fla.

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Are eBooks Too Cheap?: Indie Authors Question 99 Cent Price

By Melissa Foster for IndieReader

There’s a lot of controversy circulating throughout the publishing industry about the pricing of ebooks, and it’s a significant topic that warrants discussion. Independent authors are rallying around the controversial 99-cent price point. Some authors feel the 99-cent price point devalues their hard work, while others feel that readers will not take a chance on new authors at a higher price point. To further complicate the matter, it’s not just new authors that are using the 99-cent strategy, and the issue doesn’t only affect independent authors, but publishing houses and agents as well.

Readers are scooping up ebooks for 99 cents, that alone speaks of a demand for material at that price point. After all, to some readers, an ebook is seen as nothing more than a download. Many authors spend a year or more writing their books, and 99 cents seems ridiculously low and unfair. At the same time, an ebook for $9.99 seems equally unfair to the reader.

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Pocket Star to Be E-book Only

As e-books continue to capture more readers that had read mass market paperbacks, Simon & Schuster is re-launching its Pocket Star mass market line as an e-book only imprint. According to the company, “Pocket Star will continue to feature bestselling and debut authors in popular genres including women’s fiction, romance, thrillers, urban fantasy, and mystery.” The revised imprint will feature a mix of new and old title,with the majority being new.

Louise Burke, executive v-p and publisher of Pocket, was clear that she expects the e-book Pocket Star imprint to serve in much the same way the mass market version did in the book ecosystem. “Similar to how mass market has served as a platform to develop future hardcover authors, it is our mission to use Pocket Star’s new digital-only format to establish new voices in the marketplace. An eBook imprint is flexible, cost-effective, cutting-edge and makes sense in today’s marketplace. Under the Pocket Star banner we will publish original works including full-length novels and novellas from some of our most popular authors,” Burke said. Price points will vary according to the work.

 

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On my decision to self-publish…

On my decision to self-publish…

On my decision to self-publish… (Jackie Collins)

If you pay attention to book publishing news and blogs, then you probably already know I’ve decided to try my hand at self-publishing by re-writing and releasing a NEW version of my book The Bitch.

Little did I know when I gave an interview to Galleycat in February that the press would pick up the story so quickly! To date, from that one interview, there have been over 120,000 stories and articles posted online about that one decision.

As you might imagine, the buzz has set off a bit of a firestorm of comments, gossip, conspiracy theories and the like about my publishers and me.

• “Did she get in a fight with her publishers?”
• “Did they drop her from their roster?”
• “Is she dropping them from her roster?”
• “Does this mean publishing is dead?”

So I’d like to take a moment to set the record straight.

First, I have fantastic relationships with my two publishers, Simon & Schuster UK and St. Martin’s Press US. No juicy story about a tiff or spat between us—we’re good. I’m currently writing my 29^th book “The Power Trip,” and it will be published by both companies, respectively.
But times are changing, and technology is changing, so I wanted to experiment with this growing trend of self-publishing.

My thoughts on eBooks

Let me say up front that I will personally always love physical books. I love how a new book feels in your hands. I love turning the pages one-by-one as you curl up in a chair and engross yourself in the story.

But I also know that to stay successful, you’ve always got to be thinking two steps ahead of the game. And by all counts, the book industry is going the way of the CD industry. Almost nobody buys CDs anymore; we get our music fix on iTunes.

And more and more people are opting for eBooks over paper. For example, with Goddess of Vengeance, I think we sold an equal amount of hard covers and eBooks.

And in England, they just bought the digital rights to all my books and Lethal Seduction immediately jumped to #2 on the bestseller’s list. That’s a book that’s 10-years-old! I was quite impressed with that.

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The E-Book Expo At The 2012 Booklovers Convention Exposed!

The E-Book Expo At The 2012 Booklovers Convention Exposed!
BY RT BOOK REVIEWS, APRIL 13, 2012

When it comes to e-book publishing, there’s no denying that change is the name of the game. Digital formats allow authors to push boundaries and write between genres, creating truly unusual characters and scenarios. At yesterday's fifth annual E-Book, Indie Publisher And Graphic Novel Expo, we chatted with some of our favorite e-book authors to find out the trends they are noticing in e-books and what type of story elements they would love to see taken to the extreme in upcoming digital releases.

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Want more from e-book authors? Be sure to check back soon for video interviews from several writers who publish digital first (and digital only) works in the coming weeks on the RT website. And you can always check out what’s going on in the digital world on RT’s Everything E-Books Page.

Apple iBookstore Expands Smashwords Ebook Distribution to 26 New Countries

Apple this week dramatically expanded the international reach of Smashwords ebooks by distributing our catalog to 26 new iBookstores across Europe and Scandinavia.

Prior to this week, over 50,000 Smashwords ebook titles were available in Apple iBookstores in the US, Canada, U.K., Germany, France and Australia.

All Smashwords authors, publishers and agents enjoy immediate access to this expanded distribution.
See the list of new iBookstore countries now reachable through Smashwords.

Bargain Books features 2 titles by Kristie Leigh Maguire!

Bargain Books features 2 titles by author Kristie Leigh Maguire: Second Chances and Emails from the Edge: Memoirs of an Expat Wife.

Read the story.

Rebecca Forster reading at The Spinning Wheel today.

Author Rebecca Forster is reading from 2 of her books at The Spinning Wheel today. Come join us. Plenty of virtual coffee and sweets for everyone.

Rebecca Forster:
As an advertising executive I marketed a world-class spa when it was still called a gym, did business in China before there were western toilettes and mucked around with sheep to find out how my client's fine wool was made. Then I wrote my first book. . .

On a crazy dare, I tackled a project that would prove to be my passion. Though I had never written before, I was lucky enough to sell my first novel. Many books later - including the bestselling legal thrillers, the Witness Series, and the USA Today top seller Keeping Counsel - writing is still the most exciting thing I have ever done.


 

Kindle Authors Group

Kindle Authors Group is a group for authors who publish books to be read on the Kindle, Amazon's amazing ebook reader. It is a wonderful place for people who own Kindles and are looking for books to download to their Kindle to find new authors and their books.

If you have ever wanted to attend a booksigning and meet an author but just weren't in the right place at the right time, then this is your chance to interact with the authors online and in the comfort of your own home.

Readers and authors alike are invited to come join us at Kindle Authors Group.

If you like reading contemporary romance with a cowboy/western theme, my latest release, Second Chances, might be of interest you. 

One reader posted a review to Amazon for Second Chances and called it "A Great Redemption Story." She stated:

 Most of the characters in this book were really flawed, and I have to tell you that half way through the read I couldn't imagine how this would work out. But this is one skilled author and this was a really satisfying book. She really explores the characters motivations and leads everyone on quite a journey! I particularly enjoyed the character of Sammy Jo, it would have been so easy to turn her into a paper cut villan but I felt sympathetic towards her, which made the relationship between Mike and Jane all the more interesting. I can't wait to read more books by this talented author.

Christi Barth and her debut novel "Carolina Heat"

Author Christi Barth says, "Romance - Passion - Happily Ever After. What more could you want in a book?" You can find out in her debut novel Carolina Heat!

From Christi's website:

Christi Barth spent years performing in musicals, singing about love and giving people a happy ending in every performance. Then as a wedding planner she spent every day immersed in romance. Now - she writes it!

After winning 1st place in the 2008 Heart to Heart contest, and 1st place in the 2009 Emily contest, she is thrilled to be able to share CAROLINA HEAT with the world. She lives in Maryland with the absolutely best husband in the world (sorry ladies, its true!).

Carolina Heat was released December 7th from Eternal Press. It is available in ebook format from Eternal Press and in paperback from Amazon.com.

Blurb:
Put a workaholic Yankee together with an amiable Southerner and watch the sparks fly! Annabelle travels to Charleston, where she stumbles across the trail of a long-buried Civil War mystery. Along the way she finds steamy passion, steadfast friends, mortal danger, and the love of her life.


Well-known journalist Annabelle Carlyle is stunned by the personal twist of her latest assignment: her best friend Vanessa is missing. Annabelle goes undercover in the Old South to search for answers. Full of thick accents and a way of life rooted in the past, Charleston is as foreign and strange a place as any Annabelle's visited. And before she finds a single clue, she runs into a sexy man she can't shake.

Tall, dark and charming, Mark Dering is happy to show the gorgeous Yankee his hometown. He's captivated by the quick witted, quick tempered redhead. But when they're shot at, he realizes she's far more than just another tourist. Soon they're knee deep in a mystery that goes all the way back to the Civil War. For once Annabelle is in over her head. Desperate to find Vanessa, she reluctantly accepts Mark's help. It isn't long before romance blooms right alongside the magnolias.

The stakes grow higher when a body is discovered. Someone is willing to kill to keep a century old Confederate secret hidden. With her best friend missing and a killer on the loose, it's the worst possible moment for Mark to try and unlock Annabelle's heart. Or is love exactly what her life's been missing?

**********
If you would like to read a steamy book by another romance writer named Kristie (with a different spelling than the Christi I am featuring at Sizzling Hot Romance today) my books are available as paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com and as an ebook at Fictionwise. I can guarantee you that they will put the sizzle back into your love life! I have a male fan who says, "Who needs Viagra when you have a Kristie Leigh Maguire novel to read?"

Amazon to Release Kindle for PC Application

By Calvin Reid -- Publishers Weekly, 10/22/2009 1:49:00 PM

Beginning in November, Amazon will begin offering free downloads of Kindle for PC, an e-reading application that will allow consumers to download Kindle edition e-books to any PC running Windows 7, Windows XP or Windows Vista and read them on the PC. While the new application will allow Kindle owners to read their previously purchased Kindle titles on their PCs, it will also allow anyone with a PC to buy and download Kindle e-books directly to their PCs.

 Read the complete article.

ABA Asks for Government Investigation of Price Wars

By Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 10/22/2009 4:30:00 PM

In a letter sent to the antitrust division of the Department of Justice Thursday, the board of directors of the American Booksellers Association requested that the government begin an investigation into what the organization believes is the illegal predatory pricing policies being carried out by Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target in selling 10 hardcover titles for as low as $8.98. The ABA requested a meeting with officials as soon as possible, arguing that left unchecked, the predatory pricing policies “will devastate not only the book industry, but our collective ability to remain a society where the widest range of ideas are always made available to the public.”

Read the complete article.

Need more books?

Here is a great site that I ran across. It's called Suvudu Free Book Library. You can download FREE full length ebooks in multiple formats, including Kindle format. I just happen to love free ... AND good books ... and I bet you do too!

Here is what Suvudu has to say:

Welcome to the Suvudu Free Book Library. We know it can be hard to navigate the countless fantasy and science fiction series out there and figure out which ones are right for you. Well, we're here to make those tough decisions a bit easier on you. With the Suvudu Free Book Library, you can read the first book in some of our most acclaimed series absolutely free! We're kicking off the library with five full-length novels for you to sample, but we'll be adding new titles on a regular basis, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you're the first to find out what our newest free offerings are!

Enough of the intro -- start downloading, and start reading!

Barnes & Noble Launches e-Book Store

By Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly,07/20/2009

Barnes & Noble made its long awaited entrance into the e-book market with an announcement late Monday afternoon of the launch of the Barnes & Noble eBookstore (www.bn.com/ebooks). In direct contrast to the closed Kindle system from Amazon, B&N’s e-bookstore will carry e-books that can be read on a wide variety of platforms. B&N will offer 700,000 titles at launch, with “many” new releases and bestsellers priced at $9.99, according to William Lynch, president of BN.com. The total includes 500,000 public domain titles from Google which can be downloaded for free. B&N added that it expects to have more than 1 million titles available within the next year, “inclusive of every available eBook from every book publisher and every available eBook original.”

Read the complete article at PW Daily.

So far 3 of my 4 ebook titles are showing up at the new B&N ebook store.