USA Today reports that its bestselling list will begin to feature ebooks this week and notes that since the holidays which many people have been gifted with an ereader for Christmas. That the top six books on the list, the ebook versions outsold their print counterparts while in the top 50, nineteen books sold more ebooks than print. Whether this trend will grow or remain static remains to be seen but it does lead credence that Ebooks are becoming the new Mass Market as the print sales for that format has fallen in recent months.

A few weeks ago an author claimed and wrote a book that there was a way to manipulate Amazon Kindle charts, however this would involve buying your own book everyday as well as posting reviews and voting for them. I personally didn’t think it would have worked anyway but Amazon have pulled the book for breaking their terms.

Christmas hasn’t been great one for Waterstones in the UK and its parent company HMV. With the recent bad weather and falling sales, HMV ,have reported disappointing figures and will now be restructuring their businesses and approaches, which includes up to twenty Waterstones stores will be closing in the near future.

Another struggling major store, Borders looks like their future is very shakey right now. Employees have been told that they better look for alternative jobs very soon. Borders have also met up with several of the major publishers to discuss problems with payments, and according to a report from Publishers Weekly the meetings haven’t been that successful which is not a good sign of health for Borders future.

Author Brian Keene has reported that ex editor for Dorchester/Leisure books Don D’Auria has

found a new post at Samhain for their new Horror line.

I have this book on my radar and have already preordered it but if anyone fancies what The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney is like, then the first few chapters and synopsis is up at Figment.com. I love the cover!

Talking about chapter excerpts – Charlaine Harris has posted chapter one of Dead Reckoning which is out in May in the US and June in the UK.

James Dashner’s fantasy tale, The Maze Runner, the first YA book of a trilogy that focuses on a group of kids trying to escape a dangerous maze in an alternative universe has been picked up to get the movie treatment. Catherine Hardwicke who directed the first Twilight movie will helm the movie.

Leanna Renee Hieber has unveiled the cover and synopsis of her next book, The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess. This will be a prequel and is set 20 years before the events in the Percy Parker books and is slated to be out in May and in print!!!

Orbit UK have released the cover for the UK edition for Patricia Briggs’ River Marked (raise your hands if y’all lusting for this book?)

Patricia has also confirmed the dates and places for the US book signing tour for River Marked in March. Details are listed below but dates and places might still change so please double check at her site!

March 1-8, 2011: River Marked Signing Tour

• Richland, WA: Hastings. March 1, 2011
• Oakbrook/Chicago IL: Borders. March 2, 2011
• Bailey’s Crossing/DC: Borders. March 3, 2011
• Roseville, MN: Barnes and Nobel. March 4, 2011
• Houston, TX: Murder By The Book. This will be a joint signing with Kim Harrison! March 5, 2011
• San Diego, CA: Mysterious Galaxy March 6, 2011
• Seattle, WA: University Bookstore March 7, 2011
• Portland, OR: Powells March 8, 2011

We discovered this week that there is a bi weekly Book Blogger Get Together Chat at Hale & Salvatore Supernatural Must Reads. What is their chat about? Let’s quote what they say about it:

The Book Blogger Get Together lets book bloggers interact with each other & share their interests in books ect.
This is a great new way to get to make new friends & keep in contact.
Everyone is allowed to invite their book blogger buds or a blogger that you think could use some followers.

Tracey O’Hara