Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

Well after last week’s bonanza of news – things are pretty quiet this week, but I have some fantastic books/covers to watch out for and a few tidbits that will please a few people.

We have a bit of an update of Trisha Telep and the Wicked Pretty Things anthology.More authors have pulled out , Brenna Yovanoff, Seanan McGuire , along with Karen Mahoney and Lesley Livingston, Lisa Mantchev and Jessica Verdey. While Melissa Marr has announced she does not want her name to be associated with this anthology in any manner to recommend it. But that is not all, authors Ann Aguirre and Saundra Mitchell have also pulled out in a different anthology again edited by Telep. I definitely think now, Wicked Pretty Things anthology wont go ahead with its current form with only 7 of …

Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

Wow this week has been choc-a-bloc with news, Google book developments and even a WTFERY or two. We also had major announcements from a popular author going indie/self pubbed route while an indie self pubbed author has recently sold a 4 book series in a MAJOR deal to big publisher plus a lot more!

The major news that broke this week was Google Books settlement has been rejected due to a class action suit about the scanning books and the automatic opt in issue with orphaned works. Dear Author covers the ruling comprehensively and lays out why it was deemed illegal in a great summary here.

This wont be the end of the matter but it has probably thrown a spanner in the works for their plans of scanning books especially with the matter of orphaned works.

I find this …

Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

Welcome to this week’s news post which I almost forgot to write, because for me it has totally zoomed past for me. This week its been pretty quiet although last weekend was pretty eventful with a new brouhaha online about authors and reviewing again and a mysterious non existent YA Mafia group. This has reignited the debate again about who can and shouldn’t review books and I suspect this issue will arise again and again in a different way and in a different genre – although it could be Ninja mystery writers lurking in the wings when the next hoopla happens. But for a good summary and insights, check out Dear Author’s post as well as Katiebabs and Smexybooks write ups.

This actually links up to Goodreads implementing a new rule about authors responding to negative …

Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

Wow this week we have had major news shaking up publishing and ebooks, so it is a bit jam packed issue in today’s news post.
The biggest and most contraversial announcement though has to be HarperCollins’ announcement that their ebooks would be restricted with a 26 borrowed limit. As you can imagine this has ignited the ire of many librarians and their patrons about this because the limit is set at such a low level.

HarperCollins have responded in an open letter to libraries and library users to explain this new measure by saying this would be a way to protect ebook growth and market. Below is an extract of an open letter explaining this and click here for the full statement:

We have serious concerns that our previous e-book policy, selling e-books to libraries in perpetuity, if left unchanged, would undermine …

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Format Read: E-ARC provided by NetgalleyNumber of Pages: 435Release Date:  January 4th  2011Publisher: Harper TeenFormats Available: Paperback, EbookPurchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon

Blurb:

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she’s part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn’t easy.Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there’s another …

Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

This week has been pretty interesting with some surprising and not so surprising news!

Barnes and Noble has announced their recent profits from the last 3rd quarter, although there was losses compared to the previous year, growth of their ebooks sales have risen that they have claimed that they are now selling more in that format than in print. In fact they have also claimed that they are selling twice as many ebooks in any print format in their site. So according to their press release this means they have cornered 25 percent of online sales of ebooks? Because like Amazon who have claimed they have 70/80 percent of market shares of the market, although both have not offered hard data/figures to corroborate this claim. But it does seem that Barnes and Noble will be hopefully …

Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

Welcome back to the first News Post after our Big Birthday Bonanza! Hope y’all enjoyed it!
Well this week we have had some interesting developments in the world of ebooks and Agency Pricing and we have some great upcoming books and covers that was unveilled!

Agency pricing seems to be heading into some rough territory this week especially in the UK. The Office of Fair Trading will be investigating the legality of this move after receiving complaints. I am not an expert but in the early 1990s the Net Book Agreement (NBA) which disallowed any kind of discounting on print books was deemed illegal and uncompetitive and was replaced with Recommended Retail Price which allowed retailers to discount books from their recommended price. A lot of people in the industry feel that Agency pricing is very similar and may …

Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

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 …

Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

According to Publishers weekly over 20 percent of readers, now own an ereading device and buying more books due to this. In a few years from now this figure will almost double and just adds credence that ebooks will be a popular format, compared to print books.

The Bad Sex Awards winner was announced, and Rowan Somerville has won the dreaded award for describing a nipple a ‘nose of the loveliest nocturnal animal, sniffing in the night.’ – From his book The Shape of Her. Somerville personally accepted the award, and stated – 

“There is nothing more English than bad sex, so on behalf of the entire nation I would like to thank you.”

Past winners include, Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer. I do find it interesting and ironic the majority of winners have been men and …

Review: Heart of Stone by Denysé Bridger

Format Read: eBook received from the publisher through The Review DepotNumber of Pages:64Release Date: March 3rd, 2009Publisher: Solstice PublishingFormats Available: Ebook, PaperbackPurchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon

Book Blurb:

Randall Stone is the stuff of heroes, a mercenary given a discharge from the army he has served with his life. But the government is still interested in using the skills they’ve taught Major Rand Stone, and he continues to work with his hand-picked team. Into his shadowy world a light has come, and in her love, Stone discovers unhoped for joy, and, perhaps, unbearable sorrow?

My Thoughts:

I had high hopes with this novella because the summary and premise looked very similar to the books by Lisa Marie Rice and Shannon McKenna who write sexually intense romantic suspense. But after a few pages in with this novella, I …