Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

Welcome to this week’s news post and we have a pretty jam-packed issue! The mystery of Pottermore has been unveiled (most guesses were correct!), book news and another YA kerfuffle.

Well, most people suspected that J.K Rowling’s new mysterious site, was an online game/interactive site and is described to be ‘an online reading experience’. The interactive service will follow along the plot of the first Harry Potter book, with the 2nd book adventure sometime in the new year. The site will also host a store that will also sell audiobooks and ebooks that will be DRM free, from the Harry Potter series. There is also promise that it will also offer new content. Pottermore will go live on the 31st of July. [source:Publisher’s Weekly]

Publisher’s Weekly have reported that Mass Market Paperbacks took a huge dive in …

Guestpost: Lessons Learned by Jocelynn Drake

Hello out there! I hope you’re enjoying your Thursday so far. Today we are very excited to have Jocelynn Drake author of the Dark Days series here to tell us about some of the lessons she has learned since becoming a published author. 

Ms. Drake the stage is yours…

I’ve been a “professional writer” (defined here as having a paid contract with a publishing house) for approximately four years, and by many accounts I am still a newbie, a little wet behind my ears as I stumbled over various learning blocks in my path. I have had six books and one novella published, while being contracted for three more short stories and two books in a new series. At first glance, I struggle to believe that the “newbie” title still fits, but I’m still learning many things about the publishing industry …

Review: Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep

Format read: eARC provided by authorNumber of pages: 395 pages Publisher: Pocket BooksFormats available: paperback, ebookRelease Date: 26 January 2010 Purchasing Info: Goodreads, href=”http://www.jenniferestep.com/”>Author’s Website, Amazon, Kindle store, Book Depository

Blurb:

My name is Gin, and I kill people.

They call me the Spider. I’m the most feared assassin in the South — when I’m not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don’t use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.

Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, …

Around the Bookish World: News Week-in-Review

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter/Passover break! This week has been an interesting one for WTFERY and developments.

An interesting report from the US has found that ibooks store is not the success that Apple aims it to be, this is partly due to the fact that people who have ipads aren’t using it to primarily read ebooks and that only 40 percent of ipad users have read a book. Another 45 percent has stated they would prefer reading an ebook on their macs or PCs.

Agents are now stipulating that price escalators for ebook royalties should be implemented more widely, due to the rise of ebooks, especially when they have overtaken Mass Market print books earlier this year. 

Self Published author Stephanie Mcafee has joined the ranks of Amanda Hocking into mainstream traditional publishing as she scored …

Review: This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Format Read: Paperback

Number of Pages: 357
Release Date: 22 February 2011
Publisher: Avon
Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon

Blurb:

DANGER WAITS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE GRAVE.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they’ve triumphed over the latest battle, Cat’s new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance…

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumours abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and …

Interview: Author J.N. Duncan + Giveaway

We are very happy to welcome debut author J. N. Duncan here at Book Lovers Inc today. His first novel, Deadworld will be released tomorrow and he’s here to tell us a bit about his book, his world and what makes worth reading. Please give him a warm welcome and be sure to stay tuned till the end for your chance to win the book. 

BLI: Jim can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Jim: Well, I’m a 40-something father of four, or eight if you include the pets in the house. I’m an aspiring middle school math teacher. I’m something of a fantasy gamer geek (yes, I play WoW), love astronomy, and generally I think you could call me something of a nerd. Hopefully in a good way. I’ve been writing since I was about 14, thanks …

Interview: Author Jill Sorenson + Giveaway

Photo by Ann Collins

We are very happy to welcome Jill Sorenson here at Book Lovers Inc today. A few weeks ago the wonderful Carolyn Crane wrote a post about how much she loves Jill’s writing so I thought I have to give her books a try and wow I was blown away. So I immediately grabbed my chance and asked her to come over. Jill has actually 2 new releases: Stranded with her Ex was just released and The Edge of Night will be released next week. Please give her a warm welcome and stay tuned for your chance to win. 

The Geeky Lover: Jill can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Jill: I write romantic suspense for Harlequin and Bantam Dell.

The Geeky Lover: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Jill: I …

My Wishlist: Samhain Edition

Hey All! Happy Thursday!! Here’s what’s on my “Take Home Thursday” post.

Today I choosing these new titles for my take home and enjoy Thursday. . . .Well, they are new to me. *wink*

Here are my top few choices for this week:

Run, Wolf by Keith Melton
Samhain Publishing
April 25th 2009
Book info and purchase links available here at:
Samhain Publishing, Amazon, B&N
Book Blurb:

One choice means heartbreak. The other, death.

Nightfall Wolf Clans, Book 1

Leah Kendrick is guilty of only one crime: loving her human mate, Tom, enough to give him the gift of The Bite. The Pack council is merciless, and the punishment swift. In an instant everything she’s ever known is ripped away, and they’re turned out into the long winter with nothing. No money, no car, and …

The Good, the Bad and the Are-You-Kidding-Me?

Today we want to talk about a topic that irks the hell out of us. We are sure you noticed this too but we finally couldn’t hold back any longer. Changing the cover model in the middle of the series seems to be a bigger habit than we thought so we tried to come up with a few examples to show you how it’s well and not so well done. Here’s what we found. Let us know what you think about our selection.

Susi: Our first example is probably also the one where this whole different cover model problem is handled best. You can’t really see her face on Alpha so it’s harder to noticed that it’s not the same girl. I actually really like how they …

Short Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith

Format read: paperback from publisher for reviewNumber of pages: 320 pagesRelease Date: April 2009Publisher: Quirk PublishingFormats available: ebook, paperbackPurchasing Info:Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, Goodreads

Book Blurb:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the …