@AimeeMaroux@bookstodon@smutstodon Directly from the author if at all possible. Avoid Amazon like the plague. I'd rather send the author money and find a pirate edition than give Bezos his pound of flesh.
@AimeeMaroux@bookstodon@smutstodon
An amazing result because overall Amazon has about 90% of the English Language ebook market worldwide.
Smashwords was setup to sell Erotic books that Amazon wouldn't publish but they (now with D2D) do all kinds and redistribute to Apple, Kobo, Barnes&Noble.
Google sells ebooks on the Playstore yet is one of the lowest sales.
@Helen50@bookstodon Pretty much never, TBH. I have several unfinished books and series pending, but it's been a very rare book that I've set down without ever intending to pick it up again.
I recommend purchasing used books from the library, especially if they sell donated books, and not just library discards. I picked up all of these for a cool five bucks. @bookstodon
@bookstodon
I use #Linux as the main OS on my computers, but also use Windows 10 on one.
For the sole reason to download the #ebooks I buy.
I play the occasional Windows-only game as well, but those I can do without.
I can't do without ebooks.
I really, really wish there was an open standard for getting any ebook, with or without #drm, onto any device without having to rely on a single piece of software from one company. #EU, do something! #DailyRant#PetPeeve#ADE#AdobeDigitalEditions
Closed today & tomorrow. Back on Saturday! Here's a bit of what I've been working on...
The "Dangerous Visions" series, created and edited by the late Harlan Ellison, is highly acclaimed in speculative fiction circles and includes short stories by some of the greatest names in fantasy & sci-fi history. The first was published in 1971, "Again..." in 1972, and a third, titled "Last Dangerous Visions" was planned for 1973, but remains unpublished to date, 50 years later.
@peachfront@BonnettsBooks@DarkMatterZine@bookstodon The thing about PKD, I think, is this: It’s fairly easy to find flaws in his work, but he puts so much of his soul and personality into it. Something that can’t be dissected and can never be duplicated.
@TomMarcinko@peachfront@BonnettsBooks@bookstodon He had an extraordinary talent. Like Tolkien, it’s easy to criticise now but both were groundbreaking in their eras, both helped build the foundation for current storytelling.
Do you know there's a #fediverse alternative to Amazon-owned #Goodreads? #BookWyrm is a social network for tracking your reading, writing reviews, and discovering what to read next. You can follow and interact with users on different #BookWyrm instances and on #Mastodon. You can import from a Goodreads CSV export. You can create private shelves and curated lists. Join us at https://ramblingreaders.org or choose one of the other instances available #books#reading#bookstodon@bookstodon
Huh. It just occurred to me that not everyone reads all the time. Like, there’s a bunch of people without books they’re reading right now. That concept is so bizarre to me. I’ve always got several books going. Ebooks, audiobooks and physical copies of books. If you don’t read anymore, when and why did you stop? No judgement. I’m genuinely curious. @bookstodon#bookstodon#books#reading#amreading
@pseudonymsupreme@bookstodon I stopped reading actively for years when my kids were younger and only just started back up in the last year or two. I was honestly just too tired and fried to commit to anything that seemed more active than TV in the evenings, but I listened to a lot of podcasts. Now I’m reading a book or so a week.
Sunday I pulled two books from my shelves that I've been meaning to read forever and set them bedside so they'd be "up next." Now somehow there are six books on the pile. They either breed when I'm not looking, or I am confused by the meaning of "up next" and how many eyes I have. @bookstodon
Just started Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin. Apparently the later books of the #Earthsea cycle are disliked by fans. I am bewildered by that assessment. I can already tell this is an all-time favorite.
Everything from the prose to the characters feels more mature and meditative. Gender is also examined in a much more holistic and painful way. Several passages have already spoken to my soul in such a deep way that I know will remain with me for a long time
@hawksquill@bookstodon I liked it a whole lot. I read it when it came out, and whatever stage I was at, the first three books appealed to me a little bit more. I haven't read it since then, and I should. Maybe I wasn't mature enough.
@hawksquill@bookstodon I liked the earliers well enough, but like others here, the series really came alive to me with Tehanu. And at least one of the pieces to come. You have more to look forward to! The whole is more elevated for these later parts. #AmReading
@CuriousMagpie@lunalein@bookstodon Cool! I was just thinking about that book a few days ago. I should probably hunt down a copy as well. Glad to hear it held up.
Political disintegration is a persistent feature of world history. The Collapse of Complex Societies, though written by an archaeologist, will therefore strike a chord throughout the social sciences. Any explanation of societal collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies, but for the members of all such societies in both the present and future.
@mutinyc Yeah, "More than one kind of Anarchist". The problem with Anarchism is this: Nobody can actually tell you what it is! "Without Leaders" is a wonderful concept, because it means that as nobody makes decisions, nobody is to blame when things go wrong!
Ah well, another Mute. @Grizzlysgrowls@appassionato@bookstodon
Do you judge a book by its cover? I'm thinking of changing the cover of our already-published book!!! 😮
Tell me which cover you would click on: the new one in sunny yellow or the existing cover in sandy beige?
The yellow reflects @TeresaHeartchild's love of life -- and the urgency of getting her freed. It should attract the eye for Amazon clicks.
But the beige may be some book-lover's sophisticated fave. 🤔 What do you think? #design#books#downsyndrome@bookstodon@bookgaga
How does this change for online sales affect your inventory of beige-covered books? And if you change to the yellow cover, will it also be used for offline sales/bookstores, etc.?
If you are changing the cover anyhow (colour + different tagline), might you also consider zooming in on the image/outline of the figure, to show more of the upraised, embracing arms and hands?
@bookgaga
Vicki, Thanks for your feedback on the yellow vs beige covers and the fonts! It's been great to hear everyone's thoughtful reactions. The varied responses have inspired a new idea!
📣 My "Freeing Teresa" dedication says, "FOR THOSE WHO ARE DIFFERENT."
So, our concept is to have a different colour for each format. (The specs and ISBNs are unique for each format: e-book, paperback, hardcover, audiobook.) Here's a mockup that we'll be fine-tuning. @TeresaHeartchild@bookstodon
Language, Thought and Reality
Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf
The pioneering linguist Benjamin Whorf (1897–1941) grasped the relationship between human language and human thinking: how language can shape our innermost thoughts. His basic thesis is that our perception of the world and our ways of thinking about it are deeply influenced by the structure of the languages we speak.
@jk@pneumaculturist@mapto@appassionato@linguistics It's been a while and i might be wrong. My line of thinking was that if you see a color patch, the name for that category activates and naming the category goes faster. If the colour borders two different categories for one speaker, activation for both is weaker, while for a speaker that has another category in that area of the spectrum, the activation for that category is stronger and that leads to quicker reaction times.
@mvilain@paul_e_cooley@tannat@bookstodon@pluralistic@dianeduane@hntdove No, Amazon gives the publisher a choice as to whether or not to enable DRM. AIUI it defaults to "yes" because most publishers want DRM, but if you're a publisher you can set it to "no".
to describe how Audible audiobooks can only be sold on Amazon with DRM turned on. The kindle version of his books is sold with DRM turned on but the DRM free version of the files are on his web site. He hasn't said one way or the other if his publisher is the one controlling the DRM for his books on Amazon.
Diane offers her ebooks through an on-line story in whatever format you want (mobi, pdf, epub) DRM free.
Granted Cory is talking about audiobooks specifically and not his eBooks.