This tech blog has always been skeptical of digital e-book readers. Maybe because we think the feeling of a stiff hardback or welted paperback book is timeless. Or maybe it was because major e-book vendors such as Sony and Amazon.com never released how many units of the devices they actually sold. A typical ebook reader This week, though, Sony for the first time disclosed that it sold 300,000 units of its Reader Digital Book globally since the device launched in October 2006. Steve Haber, senior vice president of personal mobile and imaging division for Sony, says the unit growth is...
A few days ago we asked via Twitter what was the last business or sales book our followers had read. We got a ton of responses and have found a bunch of great books we hadn’t heard of before. We’ll distill those down into their own post soon, but one of the most popular responses we received was “Getting Real,” the game changing business book from software developer 37signals. The book, which was self-published in 2006 and initially sold as a downloadable e-book, outlines the business and software development philosophies of the Chicago-based company, including agile development, boot strapping, using...
Well gang, after much, much, much labor, data gathering, and reading the most awful documentation ever produced by mankind - from the US government - my new eBook, the 2009-2010 FAFSA Guide, is now published. It’s 47 pages of financial aid stuff about how to fill out the FAFSA, landmines to avoid, and tips especially for families pinched by the economy. Grab a copy for yourself and share it around. Did you enjoy this blog post? If so, please consider subscribing for free! Get this and other great articles from the source at www.ChristopherSPenn.com...
The benefits of free shipping offers are well documented; it simplifies the charges in the customers mind, and is a proven sales driver. Luke Knowles from freeshipping.org has put together a free e-book (pdf) with some case studies and stats on free delivery. Here's a few of his tips on different types of free delivery / shipping offers......
It’s my birthday today, and I’m giving you the gift. Leave a comment and guess how old young I am to win a free electronic copy of my book 10 Ways to Make It Great! HINT: I am older than 3 Birthday cake photo credit to D’Arcy Norman PS If you don’t tell anyone, you don’t really have to guess. You can just download a copy of my ebook here (for a yet to be determined time). I’d love it if you did guess though! Share This...
It’s hard work to set up and supervise a teleworking team for some projects. In the web content service I run, I need to gather work-from-home writers together and help them work as a team. This is especially important for projects that require group cooperation and interaction, such as an ebook or a multi-authored blog. One of the advantages of teleworking is that there’s less opportunities for workplace gossip and personality clashes. Most teams approach their communications very matter-of-factly. But I find that this isn’t always the case, especially when members each have very different working styles. When managing a...
Amazon is promoting the heck out of its Kindle digital reader on its front page and across the e-commerce site but won't be shipping any until well into Q109. The current wait time: 11-13 weeks. Dan Frommer confirmed with the company that it has sold out of the devices. There's also this note on the site: "Due to heavy customer demand, Kindle is sold out. Please ORDER KINDLE NOW to reserve your place in line. We prioritize orders on a first come, first served basis. This item will arrive after December 24." Dan's take: anyone placing an order now will...
This is a concept we’d really like to see realized. It looks amazing. The basic idea is that a baton contains two roll out and flexible screens. The OLED screens roll up in the baton for easy transport. When they are pulled out an electrical charge is sent down the screen, making them rigid and usable as a laptop screen and keyboard that we all know so well. Just want to use an eBook? Then just roll out one screen. If you want to work from a desk you can just leave the screens rolled up and dock the baton...
Top publishers are revving up their libraries of digital books to capitalize on the presumed success and hype of the Amazon Kindle — actual sales are still based on speculation — but one big name is putting its money on a device that has proven its popularity: the iPhone. “We’re very bullish on that as a platform. We think it’s gonna be a great competitor to Amazon,” said David Langevin, VP and director of electronic markets for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. The publisher recently partnered with a design and development company called ScrollMotion to launch a series of...
I am an evangelist for this fact: The TRUE professional blogger needs to know how to market things – and do so – in order to make money. As I’ve said before, it is one thing to write quality blog posts and hit the Publish button. That is the core of blogging, of course. But, you’re simply not going to make very much money at that. MARKETING is the key. You have to not only know how to market your own blog so as to get traffic to it, but you need to know how to market products in...
Photo via Robert Nelson Looking for something to put on your e-reader? Random House recognizes the expanding e-book market and is digitizing thousands of books. The move helps minimize the use of paper, ink, transportation emissions and all the other elements of the heavy carbon footprint associated with printing. And it also means a far larger selection of titles for e-readers, which means a bigger incentive for people to look into get......
