The Nook goes on

Barnes and Noble are not giving up.  They are now due to add Argos, Blackwells and Foyles to their English distributors; John Lewis was first.

Discoverability and Paid Reviews

Digital self-publishing has many benefits I am sure, though I am not completely certain what they are.  I like books.  Among the disadvantages of self-publishing, with the needed discoverability, is the trend of paid reviews, paying to have something written about your book.  This is an issue.  How do we discover what is good?

Author ego to save publishers

Rob Eagar has fun with the author ego, including his own.  There is also a serious point.  Can writers and writing survive without publishers and publishing?

New Developments in e-books

The luddite in me might be forced to concede after all.  The Nook has found a distributor in the UK; and confident figures being boasted by Harper Collins and Amazon.

Wot'd you say? A pedant is a teacher.

Word of the day.  I like this one, the notion of a teacher being precise and building learning by working on the basics.  Of course, the term has acquired some negative connotations over the years.  What I didn't know until this morning was that a pedagogue was a slave, or attendant who accompanied a child to school.

E-books on demand in Canadian Libraries

The statistics speak for themselves.  Have a look.  Having said that it's been years since I borrowed a book from a library; I like to own mine.

Oxford Dictionary update

Chris Taylor discusses some of the new words in the Oxford Dictionary online.  I like words; and I think it is important to play with them.  Some of the inclusions do not convince me, however.

The Political Role of Social Media

An interesting discussion of the limitations of social media, considered in the light of the Presidential Elections in the US.  The point surely, like specialist TV channels, is that such media choice does not encourage you to learn something new; it rather serves to confirm what you already know.  The question then is how can we get people to challenge the views that they already hold; such learning, evolving or changing opinions, seems essential to me.

More signs from the Business World that e-books are on the increase. It's not all plain sailing though.

Digital Book World reports on the rise of entrants into the e-book market.  Read here.  My preference for books on shelves remains, however; they are substantial and lasting.  I take some luddite hope then from the fact that it is not all plain sailing for e-books.  Publishers are still finding their feet.

Barnes and Noble: E-books to watch, or not

Barnes and Noble are looking to break into the UK market.  They come with significant financial backing; but their competitors are already ahead of them.  For more read Jeremy Greenfield.

Wot'd you say? Lady comes from 'bread-maker'

Word of the day.  I owe this to a friend.  What I like is the contrast with the more idle version of lady, as in a titled Lady, or ladies at lunch and ladies of leisure.  To be precise Lady comes from anglo-saxon, a combination of two words.  The first part 'la' is from hlaf or loaf; the second part 'dy' is from dige or make.  Hence a lady is a bread-maker.

Multi-platform fiction - making the most of social media

This is an interesting account of a performance that began as a Facebook fiction.  Well worth a read, though the possibilities of such work might be limited.  Have a look.

Literary Festival Dates

A list of Literary Festival Dates in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.  For more information follow this link.

Erotic Scenes to Order

I find this article most encouraging.  It reminds me that the one thing a formula can't produce is an authentic, original voice.  The content, if you are interested, is a website that produces erotic scenes to order, deriving its purpose from Fifty Shades of Grey.  Have a look.

India book-fair suggests e-book dominance

I am not a great fan, though my wife, an avid reader, loves e-books.  The focus in India on e-books suggests that they are indeed gaining ground.  Click here.

Wot'd you say? Myth means Word

Word of the day.  I have known this for years, one of those things that are read, judged profound and then filed among interesting, little known facts.  The relevance, however, struck me again as I composed my own myth, a story.  Words can unveil or create the truth, what is believed.  What is believed, mythology, arises through either process.

Reading for Pleasure

The National Literacy Trust offers useful advice on using football to encourage reading.  Click here.

Wot'd you say? Porsche means Pig

Word of the day: There are different explanations on offer for the name Porsche.  As a ex-Latin student, one who never paid much attention, I fancied it would mean beautiful, or something like that - offering is also given as an origin.  It would seem, however, that it is a variation of Portia, from Porcus, meaning Pig.  Have a look.

The future is digital, if you have discoverability

An encouraging, yet realistic discussion of the pros and cons of digital publishing.  The author has more freedom, a greater percentage of the profits, and the very difficult task of getting noticed.  For more click here.

Literature from a teacher's perspective. Inspiring.

An inspiring story for any lover of literature - wanting to show children the effects of great literature.  For more, click here.