Harper Collins Digital Books

Are they reading my blog?

Panzer was still looking around over at Publisher's Weekly today and came across an announcement from publisher Harper Collins. They're making their second foray into digital publishing. They'll be adding a digital mystery line to their already established digital romance line. They'll be pricing their books between $ .99 and $2.99.

Uhmmm ... and how much does Panzer's ebook Cats and Crime cost? Hmmm ... $ .99.

Panzer says, "Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

At least Harper Collins sees that digital publishing is gaining a reputation with readers.

If you want to read the whole article, tootle over to Publisher's Weekly.

The New Nook Press

No more Pubit?

Panzer was out in the Catosphere this weekend and found this post at Publisher's Weekly about the new Nook Press. The Nook Press will replace the old Pubit. So now we indie authors have a new and improved option for our publishing adventure.

To see what's going on at Nook tootle on over to  Nook Press.

Formatting For Createspace

Createspace is next for me.

Panzer has been wondering how to format his new book for Createspace.  So he went on a search out in the Catosphere.

And guess what?

He found the answer at India Drummond's blog. There's a video tutorial that shows in easy steps how to do the formatting.

So, if you've wondered how to get your  book up at Createspace, tootle on over to Formatting for Createspace.

The Elements Of A Good Mystery

Fictorians!

Panzer found a new blog he'll be visiting every week from now on. It's the Fictorians blog. (You all know how much Panzer just loves blogs where they/we make up their/our own words!)

There's an information loaded post there by mystery author Gail Bowen. Gail explains how to write a mystery using her five elements. Panzer wishes somebody had told him about these a long time ago. They make mystery writing so much easier!

To find out what can help your mystery writing, tootle on over to  Elements of a good mystery.

A New Panzerism

Panzer says:

I must be a dinosaur because I live in a 3G world.

I love my 3G world!

G#1: Grrrr
G#2: Get Down
G#3: Good Kitty

E-readers and Mystery Books

Dead tree books?

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere and found the Poe's Deadly Daughters blog.

Sandra Parshall has an interesting post about e-readers and today's mystery market. She quotes statistics that show while ebook sales for mystery books have increased those for tradition (dead tree) books have declined. So ... the question is: Are ebooks killing dead tree books?

If you want to know about the state of the current mystery market (and what are you doing at Cats and Crime if you don't?), tootle over and read The Smoking E-book

Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries and More: Kitty Kindle Skin

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Panzer is wild about book reviewer Melissa at Melissa's Mochas.

To see why tootle over to  Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries and More: Kitty Kindle Skin: I've never had a skin for any of my gadgets. My Kindles were protected with covers and that seemed sufficient. Then one day I was browsi...

Problems with Whispersync and Audio Books

This is not good.

One of Panzer's favorite places to get publishing news is at The Passive Voice blog.

Since my bad boy has been looking into Audible.com or ACX for an audio book deal, he was pretty upset to see this post about Josh Lanyon's audio books experiences with Amazon and Whispersync.

See why we're re-thinking our audio book idea by reading the post at  Problems with Whispersync and Audio Books

Cozy Chicks: My Little Fighter

It makes my tummy hurt when my friend is sick.

One of Panzer's friends over at Cozy Chicks is sick. Leann Sweeney says fur baby Marlow is sick with an unknown illness.

To read the story and see photos of Marlow go to Cozy Chicks: My Little Fighter: by Leann I truly believe everything happens for a reason. My kitten Marlowe, whom I have talked about so much on Facebook, has proven this...

How Self-Pubing made Hugh Howey $100,000 per Month

$100,000 a month?!?!?

Panzer found this podcast interview at Wired by Geeks Guide To The Galaxy with best selling author Hugh Howey. Hugh made $100,000 per month selling his book Wool at Amazon.

Panzer had me read Wool to him a few weeks ago when he first started hearing mewlings about it in the Catosphere. While it's very dark view of the future takes some getting used to, the novel itself is well plotted and written and my bad boy liked it.

This is more than a one cup of tea podcast! At nearly two hours long get a whole pot of tea made before you sit down to listen to it.

To find out how Hugh became a best selling superstar, tootle over to A $100,000 A Month Self-publishing Superstar.

The New World of Publishing: The Assumption of Agents

Agent? What agent?

Panzer likes to check out Dean Wesley Smith's blog every once in awhile. This time Smith has a post about whether an author really needs an agent. In his usual straightforward manner, he asks the question, "In today's publishing arena is there even a place for an agent?"

If you want to know Smith's answer to the question, tootle over to The New World of Publishing: The Assumption of Agents

What My Cat Has Taught Me About Writing

Mine

Panzer is adding this blog to his weekly check-in in the Catosphere!

Who would have thought a blog with a name like Kill Zone would offer a home to a cat lover?

Well, Jordan Dane has cat attitude down to a science in her post What My Cat Has Taught Me About Writing. She has ten excellent things she's learned from her cat that helps her writing.

There's a reason why every writer should be owned by a cat!

Panzer says, "There's nothing new in Jordan's post. Every cat knows exactly what she put in her post."

To see how many of Jordan's 10 things a cat can teach a writer you know, tootle over to What My Cat Has Taught Me About Writing

Iain Banks - It's extremely unlikely I'll live beyond a year

Panzer read some sad news at the UK Telegraph's website today.

Author Iain Banks announced on his website he has late stage gall bladder cancer and is not expected to live beyond a year.

Read the whole announcement at Iain Banks at Telegraph UK.

Karen Woodward: 6 Ways To Get Rid Of Infodumps At The Beginning Of...

Infodump. Infodunp. Te he he he!

Panzer loves Karen Woodward's blog! She always has such informative posts. And he also loves the titles for her posts ... infodumps ... infodumps ... infodumps.

Panzer and I have to confess we're guilty of the infodump in our first drafts. But, if we take Karen's advice and follow her six steps, maybe we won't have to spend so much time rewriting!

So ... if you too are guilty of the beginning infodump and want to know how to avoid it, tootle on over to Karen Woodward: 6 Ways To Get Rid Of Infodumps At The Beginning Of...: There are two entrenched ways of thinking about story openings. Folks either think a story needs to open with setting and a detailed in...

Authors and Domain Names: Claiming Rights to Names and Titles

Nobody messes with me!

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today and found a post on claiming your domain name and what to do if somebody claims it before you.

Now my bad boy doesn't worry too much about his domain rights. He is a cat and nobody sets foot in his domain without his permission. (Besides, he already owns the Cats and Crime domain name. And you see that ISSN number on his face up above? This is a copyrighted periodical.)

Panzer wants to save you, his friends, a lot of trouble when you become famous. So ... he wants you to tootle over to Authors and Domain Names: Claiming Rights to Names and Titles  and get your own domain in order.