Monday, August 31, 2015

A New Panzerism

Panzer on climate change:

Mom says this climate change thing is all about the hot weather we're having.

So, she bought a small air conditioner ...

and it helps a lot.

You know ...

sit in front of it ...
Mom, It's MINE.  Get your own.

fur blowing back in the wind ...

ahhh ... yes ... I am one cool kitty!

I'm thinking, maybe Mom should have bought one for herself, too.


Saturday, August 29, 2015

Stannis Baratheon Is Alive Says George R. R. Martin

Ugh. My head. My tummy.
Panzer is feeling a little better today, so he made a quick trip over to GalleyCAT. Our poor kitty boy found a post about Game of Thrones. You all know how much our kitty boy loves that show.

According to Maryann Yin, George R. R. Martin says bad guy Stannis Baratheon is alive and well in his books. The TV show may have killed him off, but he still lives in GRRM's book pages. There's a link in the post to GRRM's statement in his Not A Blog site Comments section where he confirms Baratheon is still alive.

Panzer says, "I hate it when the TV/movie people kill off characters without bothering to ask the author."

To read the post, tootle over to Stannis Baratheon

Friday, August 28, 2015

Little Kitten Copies Momma Cat Bathing

Panzer is taking the day off.
Enjoy this very short YouTube video.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Microsoft Windows 10 Privacy Settings

A little privacy please.
Panzer woke up from his afternoon nap to all kinds of crying and hissing and booing. Following all the noise, took our brave kitty boy to the New York Times site.

According to a post by J. D. Biersdorfer, Microsoft's new Windows 10 has taken a lot of your privacy away. It will be tracking your keystrokes on your computer keyboard, keeping track of your Contacts list, and keeping track of where your computer is. Why? Remember that little (actually huge) Privacy Terms document you agreed to when you installed Windows 10? Well, you gave Microsoft permission to do all that and more, because the privacy defaults allow this. To opt out now, you'll have to change all of your privacy settings.

Panzer says, "If you don't care that Microsoft knows everything you type in your emails, your work documents, and your private journal, don't change your privacy settings."

To read the post, tootle over to privacy

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

No Awards For Five Hugo Categories

Whew! After all that, I need a nap.
Panzer went to The Bookseller site today. Our big kitty boy was looking for followup information on his April post here at Cats and Crime about Puppygate and the Hugo Awards.

Digging around at The Bookseller, our brave kitty found a post by Charlotte Eyre about the Hugo Awards. According to Ms. Eyre, when the final votes were tallied, there were five categories which had "No Awards" presented.

Wanting more information, our inquisitive kitty decided to see what else he could find in the Catosphere. Traveling over to the Flavorwire site, he found a post by Alison Herman explaining the whole situation from before Puppygate to through the voting and after.  The post includes information about George R. R. Martin's awards ceremony for the "losers." 

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... Do you think the doggies learned anything?"

Note: To read all these posts, you will need a l-a-k-e of tea.

To read the Flavorwire post, tootle over to Hugo Awards battle

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Smashwords: Smashwords and Flipkart to End Distribution Relati...

Whew! Another one gone.
Panzer made a trip over to the Smashwords Blog today. Our telepathic kitty discovered a new post by Mark Coker.

According to Mr. Coker, India's FlipKart ebook sales site is ending their distribution agreement with Smashwords. It appears FlipKart doesn't have a large enough structure yet to accommodate Smashwords distribution needs.

Turns out, when authors joined Amazon's KDP Select program and cancelled their distribution to other e-tailers through Smashwords, FlipKart couldn't remove the ebooks fast enough for Amazon. Authors where finding their ebooks removed from KDP Select and threatened with losing their KDP accounts because their ebooks were still listed for sale on FlipKart in violation of the Amazon exclusivity clause.

This also means authors won't have ebook distribution in India through Smashwords and will have to use Amazon for that.

Panzer says, "Just shows the ripple effect Amazon has on the ebook world."

Note: This is a h-u-g-e post, so you'll need a r-i-v-e-r of tea and a m-o-u-n-t-a-i-n-sized muffin, while you read.

To read the post, tootle over to Smashwords: Smashwords and Flipkart to End Distribution Relati...:

Monday, August 24, 2015

A New Panzerism

Panzer on statistical analysis:

It's pretty easy to tell when information supplied as fact is incorrect.

Now take for example, Mom's statement, "The average cat sheds his body weight in loose hair each month."
Average? You maybe. Not me.

Obviously ...

This is not true.

There is no such thing as an average cat ...

All cats are way, way above average.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Just For Fun Mars Trip

I'm going to Mars!
Well, At least my name is
On the Insight Mars Rover
 
Sign up by September 6 at NASA to send your name to Mars and get your own boarding pass (with Frequent Flyer Miles) by going to Insight.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Setting The Price Of Your Novel

Just resting before my nap.
Panzer was tootling around the Catosphere just enjoying his Saturday afternoon. Our lazy little kitty made a leisurely visit to The Blog at the Huffington Post site.

Doing a little rolling around in the posts there, he found one by author Kristen Houghton about pricing your novel. There's information in her post for Dead Tree book authors as well as ebook authors. Of course, determining the price for a Dead Tree book is more complicated than for an ebook. For example, the printing costs and discounts for volume purchasers must be taken into account for DT books, but not ebooks.

Panzer says, "I'm glad I don't have to worry about all that extra stuff for my ebooks."

To read the post, tootle over to pricing your novel

Friday, August 21, 2015

Simon & Schuster Giving Away Books Thru Hotels.com

I'm going to the vet today.
Today is National Take Your Cat To The Vet Day and Panzer has a vet appointment. So ... our big brave boy made a quick trip to the GalleyCAT site before we leave.

According to a post by Dianna Dilworth, Simon and Schuster will be giving free ebooks to travelers using the Hotels.com service. Travelers will be allowed to download one free ebook from a choice of seven. Authors included are Steven King, James Lee Burke, Philippa Gregory and four other bestselling authors. There will be certain restrictions.

Panzer says, "Do I get a free ebook for traveling to the vet today?"

To read the post, tootle over to Simon Schuster

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Adblockers, Advertisers And The Web

Panzer was out just enjoying himself in the Catosphere today, when he heard a cacophony of loud crying and sniveling. Following all the noise brought our kitty explorer to The New York Times site.

No ads allowed on my computer.
Once there Panzer found a post by Farhad Manjoo about online ads and our use of ad blockers to stop them. According to some of the ad purveyors Mr. Manjoo quotes, the Web as we know it will cease to exist if we don't stop blocking ads. Others say, it's as simple as making the ads less intrusive and smaller and they won't be blocked. One company executive is quoted as saying they're testing a software product that will get around ad blockers for advertisers.

Panzer says, "I admit it. I hate those ads. I use Adblock Plus."

Note: This is a humongous post. You will need a g-a-l-l-o-n of tea and a sandwich for while you read it.

To read the full post, tootle over to ad blockers

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Amazon Workplace Woes

Is the money worth it?
Panzer was awakened from his nap today by the gnashing of teeth and snarling. Following the sound, our big brave boy found himself at the Publishers' Weekly site. It didn't take him long to find out what all the howling was about.

According to a post by Rachel Deahl, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in Congress, paid a visit to Amazon's headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Ms. Pelosi went there in reference to a New York Times article by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld about Amazon's treatment and training of their white collar workers. The NYT article has quotes from employees (both current and former) concerning their employment there.

Panzer says, "Why do you work there if you don't like it?

Note: There are several links included in Ms. Deahl's Publishers' Weekly post so, if you intend to read them all, bring a h-u-g-e cup of tea.

To read the full post, tootle over to Amazon workplace

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath Kindle Unlimited Numbers

I need a snack.
Today Panzer made a trip over to the A Newbie's Guide to Publishing site. It's been a while since our big kitty boy has gone to Joe Konrath's site.

Like a lot of other people right now, Konrath is talking about his Kindle Unlimited sales. He's doing a comparison between the old KU payment system and the new. And ... he's got some pretty impressive dollar amounts from sales to show how the new KU payment system has nearly doubled his income. He's got some interesting loan/borrow/sales figures for his short pieces to compare with his novel length pieces, too. He also briefly gives his take on the KU sales/marketing history with writers and readers.

Panzer says, "It's interesting that he admits he hasn't written anything for a year, but he's making $15,000 - $20,000 a month off his backlist."

Note: As is true with all Konrath's blog posts, this is v-e-r-y l-o-n-g. Bring a h-u-g-e cup of tea and a muffin.

To read the post, tootle over to A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath Kindle Unlimited Numbers:

Monday, August 17, 2015

A New Panzerism

Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day! 


Panzer on the use of the proper word:

I was looking at the Kitten Book Mom made when I was born.

It said: Name, Breed, Age, and Microchip Number. All filled out correctly.

Then ...

It said: Owner ... And had Mom's Name.

Owner? Owner!

I was shocked! What an outrage!

You all know, Nobody owns a cat, right?

Owner? Ha! Not of this cat.
I might be willing to accept that Mom is my Feeder.

Sounds regal and appropriate, doesn't it?

That would be okay ...

But owner? No!


Sunday, August 16, 2015

Coolest Cat Toy Computer


Human thumbs are overrated.
Panzer doesn't usually post on Sundays, but he found a new cat toy. Our big bad boy just couldn't resist telling you about a cat toy review by Bonnie Burton at CNET.

It's a kitty laptop computer!

Panzer can hear you say, "Wait a minute. Cats can't use computers. They don't have thumbs, so they can't type."

Well, that's the beauty of this new kitty laptop. It's made of corrugated cardboard. Panzer can sit on it, lay on it, and ... scratch on it.

To read the review, tootle over to cool computer cat toy

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Understand The Kindle Unlimited Payment Model

Help! I'm getting a headache.
Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Romance University site.

Our kitty explorer found a post by Pat Haggerty about the Kindle Unlimited (KU) payment model. This post approaches the KU author payment method from a different direction than author Lynn Messina's August 11 Indie Reader post Panzer told you about.

Pat Haggerty's post includes links to Amazon FAQs, the KDP Select Enrollment site, KDP Unlimited Enrollment site, and the KDP Select Global Fund site. And most important of all, Haggerty explains how Amazon calculates "Pages" and how much an author will be paid based on "Pages" read.

Panzer says, "He says they do a word count for pages! Does that mean ebooks with graphics on each page and only a few words, like Cat Wisdom, won't count each page as a page?"

To read the post, tootle over to Kindle Unlimited Pricing

Friday, August 14, 2015

How To And How Not To Ask A Writer/Blogger For Help

The steps to success.
Panzer was out in the Catosphere today just tootling around and enjoying himself. Our big bad kitty boy decided since he hasn't been there for awhile to stop in at The Write Life site.

After a little digging around, he found a post by Kelly Gurnett about asking your favorite writer and/or blogger to read and comment on your writing. Gurnett includes 10 don'ts and 11 dos in her post. The don'ts include things like don't cc your email to others, don't send an email without proof reading it, don't have a vague subject line, and seven other don'ts. The dos include things like do check the writer/blogger's specialization, do give compliments, do have an intriguing subject line, and eight other dos.

Panzer says, "Listen up, Kittens. There's a lot of work involved in asking a writer to read your work. Maybe you should just skip it and indie pub it."

To read the post, tootle over to 10 major mistakes

Thursday, August 13, 2015

No Harry Potter TV Series According To J. K. Rowling

Stop! I can't take any more.
Panzer brings you sad news for all Harry Potter fans from the GalleyCAT site today.

According to a post by Maryann Yin, J. K. Rowling tweeted on Twitter that there won't be a Harry Potter TV series.

Also ...

There won't be an opera ...

or ...

an ice show.

No Panzer says today. He was laughing so hard he fell off my lap when he was telling me about the opera and the ice show. Now, he's just laying there giggling.

To read the post, tootle over to J.K. Rowling

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Ten Things I Hate About Your Writing Pseudonym - Paperback Writer

Gotta make it home to show Mom.
Panzer made a quick trip to Lynn Viehl's blog Paperback Writer today. Our big bad kitty fell off the pilot's seat in the Panzermobile he was laughing so hard. He was barely able to make it home.

Ms. Viehl's post is about ten no-no's for your pen name.

To see what all the kitty mirth is about, tootle over to Nom Nom Nom Ten

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

KU’s New Payment Terms: An Author Does the Math

I'm not going to worry about it.
When Panzer got up from his nice long after-lunch nap, he went out into the Catosphere today. Our well-rested kitty boy stopped in at the Indie Reader site. After some careful digging around, he found a post by novelist Lynn Messina.

Ms. Messina has an interesting outlook on the Kindle Unlimited (KU) payment terms. She admits she comes from a traditionally published background. There she was making significantly less per book than Amazon was originally offering authors of novels under the KU terms. Under the new pay per page read plan, it appears authors of novels would still fare better as long as their book is read completely. She does admit cookbook authors won't fare as well, since their books aren't read in their entirety.

Panzer says, "But what about a cat like me who has a collection of short stories? Or a collection of cat witticisms? They're short. Not enough pages to make it worth putting in KU."

To read the full post, tootle over to KU’s New Payment Terms: An Author Does the Math

Monday, August 10, 2015

A New Panzerism

You expected something different?
Panzer on a canine's true value:

Let sleeping dogs lie ...

After all, they're dogs ...

That's all they're good for.

Friday, August 7, 2015

European Right To Be Forgotten Online In America?

Hmmm ... What have I done lately?
Panzer found an interesting post at The New York Times site today. While the post our investigative kitty found doesn't have anything to do with publishing or writing, it piqued his interest.

According to a post by Farhad Manjoo, there has been a recent development in the European Right to be Forgotten rule. It's been a year since the European Court of Justice gave Europeans the right to be forgotten online. That is, the right of an individual to ask search engines to remove information that a person feels misrepresents them or their current situation. Apparently, things have been going well so far. But now a change is in the making. Recently, "a French regulator's order that all of Google's sites, including American versions should grant the right to be forgotten ..." has caused Google to refuse to follow the order saying their American business is not covered by European rulings.

Panzer says, "Mom says, everybody has things they don't want their neighbors to know, so those things need to be forgotten online. I say, if you want to know what I've done, just read this blog."

Note: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g p-o-s-t, so bring a h-u-g-e cup of tea.

To read the post, tootle over to right to be forgotten online

Thursday, August 6, 2015

YouTube Game of Thrones Video at GalleyCAT

They travel in packs like dogs.
Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today. Our big bad kitty decided to stop in at GalleyCAT.

You all know how much he loves Game of Thrones. Well, he found a post by Maryann Yin with a YouTube video embedded in it. The video celebrates some of your favorite characters who've been "removed" from the show.

Panzer says, "I didn't know so many humans have been "removed" on Game of Thrones."

To watch the video, tootle over to Game of Thrones video

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Projected Ebook Sales For 2015

Look at that.
Panzer stopped in at the Business Insider site today. Our furry feline friend found an interesting post by Matt Rosoff about the projected sales of ebooks in 2015.

According to Mr. Rosoff, Japanese readers are projected to buy the most ebooks of any other country in the world in 2015. Second place will be held by the United Kingdom. There's a graph included which lists the ten countries projected to have the largest ebook sales for the year. There's also a link to Statistica, the company that put the graph together.

Panzer says, "Who knew the United States, the home of the Kindle, was in the middle instead of the top of sales?"

Note: This is a v-e-r-y short post, you don't even need a sip of water.

To read the post, tootle over to electronic books

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Hugh Howey on the Lazy Writer Myth

Read and learn.
Panzer was out in the Catosphere searching for some news for you today. Our big busy kitty stopped in at the Book Life site to see what he could find. It took a bit of digging for him to find what he was looking for.

Guess what?

Your wait was worth it.

Panzer boy found a post by Hugh Howey dispelling The Myth of the Lazy Writer. According to Mr. Howey, being a successful writer is hard work. Success doesn't get handed to you. You have to earn it. Whether you're an indie author or a traditionally published author, you have to do the work. You need to write the novel beginning to end. Then do the work to get it published. He says he spent 20 years writing his first novel. So ... it's not easy and it's not fast ... and it's not for the lazy.

Panzer says, "He means, you have to put in the hours and pay your dues before you get your kitty treats."

To read the post, tootle over to the lazy writer

Monday, August 3, 2015

A New Panzerism

Stay drowsy. Life's better.
Panzer on the ancient feline art of studying the back side of your eyelids:

Life is what happens when you wake up

and can't go back to sleep ...

It's over-rated.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Credits From Big 5 Settlement Being Dispensed

Finally. I almost gave up.
Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, when he heard some cheering and clapping. Our big inquisitive kitty followed all the noise to the GalleyCAT site. There he found a post by Dianna Dilworth that explains all the celebration.

As part of the U.S. federal court ebook price-fixing case settlement in 2013, the Big 5 traditional publishers (Hachette, HarperCollins Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster) agreed to make "credit" payments to purchasers of their ebooks. According to the post by Ms. Dilworth, these payments are now being dispensed to Amazon customers' accounts.

Panzer says, "It's about time."

Note: The post includes a link to the original Amazon post.

To read the post, tootle over to credits begin

ShareThis