E-books Open Up A Whole New Can of Worms

                                             by       Trina Boice
                                             www.trinaboice.com

Amazon now sells more e-books than regular books!  While publishers, authors, readers, and the electronic companies who put them all together scramble to figure it all out, one thing is clear...the publishing world has changed.
Apple didn’t get to bask in the glory of its new iPad for long. The Justice Department has warned the company—along with five of the biggest U.S. publishers—that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books, sources tell The Wall Street Journal.

The case alleges that just before the release of the first iPad, Apple worked with publishers to adopt a retail model in which the publishers set a price and Apple took a 30 percent cut of sales. The move was a reaction against Amazon, which had frightened publishers by selling e-books at $9.99.
 
After Apple adopted the pricing model, the publishers were able to demand a similar one from Amazon.

Book Autopsies

                                                                          By Trina Boice
                                                                      http://www.boicebox.com/

I just discovered the coolest book art and wanted to share it with you.   Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, Brian Dettmer carves one page at a time.  He's known as "The Book Surgeon",  layering pieces of old, thick books into magical masterpieces.  Nothing is relocated or implanted, only removed to showcase a new "look" at the original book.

Dettmer manipulates the pages and spines to form the shape of his sculptures. He also folds, bends, rolls, and stacks multiple books to create completely original sculptural forms.

"My work is a collaboration with the existing material and its past creators and the completed pieces expose new relationships of the book’s internal elements exactly where they have been since their original conception," he says.

"The richness and depth of the book is universally respected yet often undiscovered as the monopoly of the form and relevance of the information fades over time. The book’s intended function has decreased and the form remains linear in a non-linear world. By altering physical forms of information and shifting preconceived functions, new and unexpected roles emerge."

Dettmer is originally from Chicago, where he studied at Columbia College. He currently lives and works in Atlanta, GA.     To see more of his creative love for books, check out his solo art gallery show at http://packergallery.com/dettmer2/index.php   I don't know about you, but it makes me want to write thicker books.

You Are What You Read

                                                                 By Trina Boice
                                                            www.boicebox.com

Scholastic Books has recently created a fun, new web site entitled www.youarewhatyouread.com  where you can join an online book community that lets you connect with readers around the world through the books that have shaped your life. 

The web site showcases celebrities and other famous people as they reveal which five books most influenced them in their lives.  It's called your "bookprint"...the list of books that leave an indelible mark on our lives, shaping who we are and who we become.

So, is it true that you are what you read?  If so, what are YOU?  What do the books on your bedside table say about you? Which books would you put on your top five?  According to the web site, the most listed books include:
* To Kill a Mockingbird
* The Bible
* Harry Potter Boxed Set
* Pride and Prejudice
* The Catcher in the Rye
* Gone with the Wind
* The Hunger Games
* The Giving Tree
* The Giver
* Charlotte's Web
* The Lord of the Rings

Hmmm....that explains a lot about our society, eh?  A great book stays with you, no matter where it goes.  Even funner is sharing a good book with someone else.  The web site features "Pass It On", where you can select a favorite book, print out a bookplate, and then give it to someone who may not be familiar with that particular book.

Teachers and parents are given tips to help younger readers discover the wonders of reading, and the site boasts a world-wide map that shows favorite book trends across the globe.  "Bookmates", "Book Blurbs" and other fun options allow you to create an interactive profile on their site. 

It's all a lot of fun.  Check it out and if you can't think of your top five books, you could always list one of the ones I wrote...(wink).

Captain Hook

by Tristi Pinkston

I was twenty-four when I wrote my first novel, "Nothing to Regret." It took a little while to go through the publication process, so I was twenty-six when it came out, but still, my age was a curious thing to my readers. My novel was set during World War II, and a question I received often revolved around my young age vs. my interest in history. My age was a novelty (if you'll pardon the pun) and it drew a lot of readers to me.

A few years have gone by since then. I'm now thirty-three and I've even sprouted two white hairs (I yanked those puppies out as fast as they were discovered, believe you me). My age is no longer quite the attention-getter it used to be.

When you're an author, you not only have to come up with a hook for your book - something that will make them want to keep reading - but you need a hook for yourself, telling your readers what makes you special, what makes you unique. For me, it was my age, not that I purposely went out there and said, "Hey! I'm young! Come read my book!" - that just sort of happened on its own. But now I need a new hook because I've lost that age factor. Look for ways to market yourself that are timeless, that won't change in a few years or with the discovery of a little white hair. Create for yourself an image that is based on the essential nature of who you are, and you will draw readers to you because of the strength of your own unique personality.