Ebook news digest September 22, 2016
Best ebook reader apps (Which)
Downloading and reading ebooks on a tablet or on a smartphone is easy once you have discovered the right reading app for your needs. Do you only search for books on the Kindle Store, Apple iBooks, Google Play, or Kobo store? If the answer is yes to any of the previous alternatives, it is best to stick to the store’s own reading application. If you shop around for ebooks, you should also try independent reading apps, such as Bluefire or FBreader.
This Ebook Publisher Doesn’t Have Authors. It Has Writers’ Rooms (Wired)
We have been expecting new business models and innovation to book publishing ever since ebooks started to become popular. Wired magazine introduces an ebook publishing startup ReMade that has drawn inspiration from TV industry. A lead writer writes a pilot book (episode) that defines the style and characters for the series. A group of writers collaborate to write the rest of the books for the whole season after that.
How the startup world is bringing digital nomadism closer to reality (TechCrunch)
Life and work of a digital nomad is not all about song and dance and beautiful tropical beaches, but hard work without a place most people would call home. A digital nomad must trust his or her skills and capability to survive to make the nomad life worthwhile. Fortunately, there are startup businesses that can take some of the load off the shoulders of busy nomads. TechCrunch introduces a few startups that provide services for digital nomads.
Tracy Chevalier: ‘Writing is a magic trick that still surprises me when I perform it’ (The Guardian)
“Research is easy. It’s sitting down to write that’s hard.” This encapsulates the essence of writing: it is pretty hard work. Seasoned author Tracy Chevalier shares her tips for writers. She writes historical novels which means her research is mostly done in libraries, and only occasionally in the field. Travel writers may disagree with her view, though. In the business of travel writing, research tends to be hard, and writing can offer a welcomed period of relaxation and calming down after an exhaustive journey.
Amazon has cornered the future of book publishing (Quartz)
Amazon is the pioneer of online shopping, ebook business, online computing services for enterprises, and many other things. It also happens to be the market leader in the mentioned businesses. Quartz boldly argues that Amazon would already have taken the lead in the whole book publishing business in the US. The reason would be the rapid rise of self-publishing along with ebooks that Amazon has carried over to printed books with its CreateSpace service.
Want to publish a nonfiction ebook that gets distributed via all major sales channels? Read this.