A New Year's Eve Panzerism

(Part 2 of 2)

Panzer on New Year's Eve and Kitty Zen:

This is an amazing point in time.

We are at that precise intersection of history and the future.

And ...

We can embrace it and create a wonderful tomorrow.

Sequential kitty napzzzzzz.

Or ...

Some I suppose may want to sit back and watch.

Or ...

A few may be disposed toward sleeping through it all until next year.

A New Year's Eve Panzerism

(Part 1 of 2 )

Panzer on celebrating New Year's Eve:

Same thing every year.
Skip my late, late nap.

Munch some catnip,

But fun.

pass out,

and ...

spend the rest of the night snorting carpet dust.

Bletch!*


From: Cat Wisdom for humans

How Can Barnes and Noble Avoid Borders' Fate? - Knowledge@Wharton

Panzer made a short trip into the Catosphere. Today our intrepid kitty explorer visited a site he's never been to before called Knowledge@Wharton. Knowledge@Wharton is a business analysis journal. After some digging around there Panzer found a post that analyzes Barnes and Noble's business model.

Whew! Glad I'm not B and N.

The post examines steps Barnes and Noble could (should?) take in order to turn the stores and business around. The post includes interviews from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania professors with suggestions such as adding the store within a store concept similar to the Best Buy stores model which allows other venders to sell their products within the stores. Also proposed is the community center concept in which Barnes and Noble would offer special events and classes so the store would become a destination for their customers. While the ideas included in the post are interesting, it's important to keep in mind that Barnes and Noble did not commission the business analysis and has no involvement in it.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... But ... But ... Would they still sell books?"

Note: This is a h-u-g-e post. You'll need a thermos of milk and two dozen chocolate chip cookies for your reading today.

To read the post, tootle over to Barnes and Noble

A New Panzerism

Panzer on training your human:

Never wake up a cat with a stupid question like "Who's a good kitty?"

This is doubly true in the winter ...

Wake me when spring gets here.

Because we're not sleeping ...

We're hibernating much like bears.

The only difference between them and us is ...

Cats are meaner when you wake us up.

9 Signs Cats Are Plotting World Domination!

They're Planning A Take Over!
Be Prepared!
You Have Been Warned!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays To Everyone!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays From Panzer, Mom and What's His Name

2016 Book Publishing Industry Predictions: Myriad ... - Smashwords

After spending most of the day playing with the Christmas decorations and the presents under the tree, Panzer decided to take a break and make a short trip into the Catosphere. Our tired kitty boy made a stop at the Smashwords blog. There he found Mark Coker's predictions for the publishing environment in 2016.

2016? No! Not yet.

Mr. Coker's ten predictions cover everything from the expansion of indie authors importance in the market to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited increased commoditization of ebooks. After the ten predictions there's an extensive question and answer section.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... I'm not sure if I'm ready for 2016."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. You will need two thermoses of tea, two dozen cookies and a sleeping bag to take a nap part way through your reading.

To read the post, tootle over to Smashwords: 2016 Book Publishing Industry Predictions: Myriad ...:

188 Novels Generated by Computers in NaNoGenMo Contest - GalleyCat

Panzer made a quick trip in the Panzermobile today. As soon as our big brave kitty got into the Catosphere he heard all kinds of laughing and hooting. Following the noise took him to the GalleyCAT site.

Panzer found a post by Dianna Dilworth about the silliest ccontest our kitty pilot has ever read about.  While the contest called NaNoGenMo (National Novel Generation Month) runs at the same time (November) as NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), it has absolutely nothing to do with NaNoWriMo. Even though contestants in NaNoGenMo have to write a 50,000 word novel, the novel generated by the computer can be 50,000 words of gibberish that make no sense.

Meow?  Meow? They stole my words.

Panzer says, "A 50,000 word novel by a computer? Patoohee. I've got better things to read ... Like Mom's grocery list."

Note: A cup of cocoa is all you need for today's reading.

To read the post, tootle over to novels by computers

A New Panzerism

Panzer on the meaning of life:

Mom said something to me a few minutes ago and I wanted to give her a snappy cat response.

Nothing.

I could not think of anything to say that was quick and edifying.

Nothing.

I drew a complete blank.

Nap. Food. Then watch out Mom.

And now I'm examining my entire existence.

If I'm not a smart mouthed kitty, what am I?

I can't go on like this ...

Okay ... Okay ...

I know what will fix me ...

Nap time.

Did Tolkien write juvenile trash? - The Passive Voice

Panzer took a quick trip into the Catosphere today. Our big curious kitty boy decided to stop in at The Passive Voice site since he hasn't been there for a while. It didn't take any digging at all to find an interesting post because there was one right on top of the pile.

Juvenile, huh? Yes, you are.

Panzer couldn't pass up a post about one of his favorite fantasy authors of all time, J.R.R. Tolkien. After all ... our kitty boy cut his feline canine teeth on The Lord of the Rings. But ... the title of the post, "Did Tolkien write juvenile trash?" got his fur all bushed out. It turns out, when The Lord of the Rings was first published, the critics hated it. The critics called it trash. Not the readers though. They're still reading it even today. The post is a series of quotes from the BBC Culture site. There's a link to the BBC Culture site at the end of The Passive Voice post. The BBC site is an extract from Dominic Sandbrook's book The Great British Dream Factory about J.R.R. Tolkien.

Panzer says, "Nobody better say anything bad about J.R.R. Tolkien or The Lord of the Rings to this kitty or they'll be sorry."

Note: For today's reading at The Passive Voice site, you'll need a glass of milk and two cookies or, if you plan to follow the link to the BBC site after you read that, you'll need to add a thermos of tea and two muffins.

To read the post at The Passive Voice, tootle over to Did Tolkien write juvenile trash?

Your Writing Business and Power of Attorney - Indies Unlimited

Just enjoying the sun today.

After a week of rain, today has been a sunny day in Panzerville. Panzer got up from his afternoon nap, took a leisurely stretch and casually strolled over to the Panzermobile. After our happy kitty boy tootled around in the Catosphere for a while, he decided to stop in at the Indies Unlimited blog. There he found an interesting post by Melinda Clayton.

Ms. Clayton's post concerns the issue of the handling of a writer's financial affairs if he or she becomes incapacitated. She decided to look into this after she had to have surgery. (Ms. Clayton gives the usual legal disclaimer material: "I am not an attorney, etc.") She explains the information she learned about a Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Management. If a writer becomes unable to handle their financial affairs, the DPA for Financial Management gives the appointed "agent" the right to collect the writer's royalties, make tax payments, make decisions about property, etc. All writers should at least consider investigating this option in case of an accident or surgery.

Panzer says, "You can always change your mind or change your appointed "agent" or cancel your document if you want."

Note: You'll want a cup of tea and muffin for your reading today.

To read the post, tootle over to your writing business

Ingram Buys Direct Sales Company Aer-io - PW

Interesting.

Panzer made a quick trip into the Catosphere today. Our intrepid kitty news hunter made a stop at the Publishers' Weekly site. Digging around, it didn't take him long to find some interesting information about Ingram.

According to a post by Jim Milliot, Ingram has bought Aer-io. Aer-io is a company that lets publishers, retailers and authors sell their books from their own online/media sites to readers. After buying Aer-io, Ingram will begin selling their entire 250,000 CoreSource Plus titles using the company.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Will the contracts Aer-io already has with publishers be renewed? Or will Ingram be the only one selling from Aer-io when the contracts expire?"

Note: One cup of tea will do it for today's post reading.

To read the post, tootle over to Aer-io

A New Panzerism

Panzer on What's His Name's new friend:

What's His Name has a new friend named Jim.

In fact, he's such an important friend to What's His Name that he calls him The Jim.

I don't know what they do when What's His Name goes to visit The Jim ...

but ...

when he comes back, boy do his clothes stink.

So ...

he can't blame me that he left his clothes on the floor ...

and ...

the light was off ...

It's your fault. You left them there.

and ...

it was dark ...

and ...

it did smell like my litter box.

Smashwords Expands Global Ebook Distribution with ...

Panzer is feeling much better today. Our big kitty boy hopped into the Panzermobile and went out for a nice relaxing trip in the Catosphere. After a few quiet minutes tootling around he stopped in at the Smashwords Blog site.

Happy Cat Dance time!

At Smashwords he found an announcement made by founder Mark Coker about the addition of three new partners for the distribution of ebooks. The new partners added are Odilo, Tolino and Yuzu. Odilo handles distribution to libraries. Tolino handles German retail stores sales. Yuzu is the Barnes and Noble College bookstores. These new distribution outlets will begin in January 2016.

Panzer says, "MeWoW! Expanded distribution for our Smashwords ebooks!"

Note: You'll need a glass of milk and six or seven cookies for your reading today.

To read the post, tootle over to Smashwords: Smashwords Expands Global Ebook Distribution with ...:

Apple Taxes Authors' Patience - Huff Post The Blog

Mom say's I'll feel better tomorrow.

Panzer took an extra long after lunch nap today because he's still recovering from his annual vaccinations at the vet yesterday. So, our sleepy kitty pilot made a short trip to the Huff Post The Blog site. He found a post there by Janet Tavakoli about a problem for authors signing directly with Apple's iTunes Connect.

According to Ms. Tavakoli, Apple has a problem with their iTunes Connect tax software. It seems when an author who is an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) tries to fill out the required tax form, the information is entered wrong by the software. The only way the author can get the information corrected is to write to the tax department. Apple has known about the problem for three years, but failed to correct it.

Panzer says, "But ... But ... I'm already an LLC (Lots and Lots of Cat)."

Note: This is a short post so one cup of tea will be enough today.

To read the post, tootle over to Apple

No Post Today

Panzer is going to the vet today for his annual exam. He'll post tomorrow.

Business Musings: Gamblers and Artists

There was no post yesterday due to the wind storm that took out our power for a few hours, but it's back on now.

Today, after Panzer got the Panzermobile fueled up and the battery charged, he headed out into the Catosphere. Our big bad kitty stopped in at Kristine Kathryn Rusch's blog. It didn't take any digging at all to find an interesting post about writing.

Ms. Rusch's post is in response to some comments left on her blog (and other places) in regards to other posts she's written recently. In her post she addresses whether writing equates to gambling. Is writing a game of chance? Is it a crap shoot? Or a poker game?  A game where the winner takes all the chips with their mega-bucks bestseller and the rest of us lose? According to Ms. Rusch, the answer is "No." She provides examples from her own writing past to show it's not a matter of luck. She gives quotes from Stephen King to show it's a matter of studying to perfect your writing craft.  And it's a matter of work.

Gamble? No pockets for my winnings.

Panzer says, "I knew writing wasn't gambling. Cats don't gamble. Silly waste of time and money. Mom sits in her chair at the laptop and I dictate my adventures to her every day. That's it."

Note: This is a very l-o-n-g post with examples and quotes, but well worth your time. Bring a h-u-g-e glass of milk and about a dozen cookies.

To read the post, tootle over to gamblers and artists

Sales at BN.com Fell 22% - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer took a trip into the Catosphere today. The trip was cut short by wailing and crying. Our intrepid kitty pilot hates these emotional breakdowns humans have and feels compelled to track down the sources of the troubles. Stopping at the Publishers' Weekly site, it didn't any digging at all to discover a new post about Barnes and Noble by Jim Milliot.

Adult coloring books again?

BN.com, Barnes and Noble's online arm, announced their sales fell 22 percent for the second quarter compared to the same period last year. Barnes and Noble blames the low sales figures on the problems they encountered with their new rollout in July.  As Panzer told you last week all of Barnes and Noble's sales are down across the board except for their adult coloring books.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... It seems as long as there are human adults there will be large sales of coloring books to keep the book stores in business."

Note: One cup of tea is all you need for your reading today.

To read today's post about BN.com, tootle over to BN.com
To read last week's Barnes and Noble post, tootle over to Barnes and Noble

A New Panzerism

Panzer on winter fun:

Winter has a special place in my heart.

Every year, to protect his Koi What's His Name goes outside to check the ice thickness on the fish pond.

He's always worried about those expensive fish of his.

He gets so impatient ...

checks it ...

and ...

Those fish don't even taste good.

next thing he knows ...

ice breaks ...

and ... he's knee deep in water.

That's just good wholesome family entertainment.

B&N Reports Disappointing Second Quarter

Panzer had an unhappy experience in the Catosphere today. Our big bad kitty boy was just traveling around enjoying himself when he heard moaning and crying. Following the sounds took him to the Publishers' Weekly site. There he found a sad post by Jim Milliot about Barnes and Noble's sales figures.

According to Mr. Milliot's post, Barnes and Noble reported their second quarter sales are down a total of 4.5 percent over last year's second quarter. Bricks and mortar stores' sales are down as are online sales. Part of Barnes and Noble's lower sales stems from problems with their online site. The only bright spot in the sales report seems to be that games and toys sales had an increase of 14.9 percent.

Toys? You're kidding right?

Panzer says, "Games and toys sales are up? But ... But ... They're supposed to be a bookstore chain."

Note: Getting tired of tea? A glass of milk and a cookie should do it today.

To read the post, tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Smashwords: 2015 Smashwords Survey Reveals Insights to Help Au...

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard a bunch of ooohing and aaahing. Our brave kitty pilot followed the sound to the Smashword blog. There he discovered Smashwords founder Mark Coker had posted the results of the 2015 Smashwords Survey.

Interesting.

In the post Mr. Coker discusses the results of the sales figures from all the ebook platforms Smashwords distributes to and the conclusions that can be drawn from them. There's a Slide Share presentation included to demonstrate the results. Below the slide show is a compilation of ten things learned from the survey. They include the fact pre-order books are more successful than non pre-order, series that use a free ebook as a lead-in are more successful, free is still a good avenue to readers, longer books sell better than shorter ones, and five more useful facts for authors are included from the sales data.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... I wish I knew all this before I published Cat Wisdom for humans. I would have done some things differently."

Note: You'll need two cups of tea and two muffins to read the post and view the slides.

To read the post, tootle over to Smashwords: 2015 Smashwords Survey Reveals Insights to Help Au...:

In Amicus Brief, Authors Guild, ABA, B&N Back Apple - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer got up from his afternoon nap today to take a trip to the Publishers' Weekly site. After a little digging around there our big bad kitty boy found a new post about Apple's price-fixing case.

You humans are too confusing for me.

Last week Panzer told you about the Supreme Court's agreement to an extension in Apple's petition to the Court to consider overturning their price-fixing conviction. According to today's Publishers' Weekly post by Andrew Richard Albanese, the Authors' Guild, American Booksellers Association, and B and N have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Apple's petition. The groups are asking the Supreme Court to overturn the finding of the lower court because they say it will stifle future competition if the Court doesn't. The group also brings Amazon into their brief as the dominant player in the ebook market and the reason Apple had to work with publishers to establish book prices. The post includes a link to the amicus brief the group gave to the Supreme Court.

Panzer says, "Whew. More attorney fees for everybody. I need an attorney just to explain to me what Apple and their friends and their attorneys are doing."

Note: This is a two thermos and a dozen muffins read if you follow the links here and in the posts.

To read the Publishers' Weekly post about the amicus brief, tootle over to amicus brief
To read Panzer's post about Apple's petition to the Supreme Court, tootle over to DOJ gets extension

Amazon's mega warehouse gridlocks traffic in N.J. towns - nj.com

Panzer planned to take a leisurely trip around in the Catosphere today. However, our intrepid kitty explorer had barely hit the Catophere when he heard all kinds of horns honking and shouting and general noisiness. Following all the ruckus took him to the nj.com site.

Cristina Rojas stated in the post, Amazon is in danger of being sued by Mayor David Fried of Robbinsville, New Jersey.

Why?

Because Amazon has too many warehouse workers there.

There are 4,000 warehouse workers (and an unspecified number of  holiday season workers) at the 1.2 million square foot warehouse.  An Amazon warehouse worker works four 10 hour shifts per week. That means at shift start and end half the workers are coming to the warehouse and half are leaving the warehouse. This is causing traffic problems in the surrounding areas as workers drive to and from freeway entrances. If an answer to the traffic can't be found, the mayor will sue to close the warehouse.

I'll help. I've got extra room and the Panzermobile is quiet..

Panzer says, "I wonder if they could put an airport runway on the roof of the warehouse. Then, they could use airplanes to fly out the workers 300 - 400 at a time. Oh ... Wait ... That wouldn't work ... Too much noise. Sorry. Can't help."

Note: A cup of tea and two muffins should be enough for your read today. If you want to follow the link inside the post to another post about the mayor's threat to sue, you'll need another cup of tea.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon warehouse

Anne R. Allen's Blog: Disappearing Amazon Reviews: The Facts Behind Amaz...

Panzer is still getting caught up on the news and posts from when he was sick. Today, he stopped in at Anne R. Allen's Blog site. It only took a little digging by our kitty explorer to find an interesting post about Amazon's review policy.

According to the post, Amazon is removing reviews from ebooks again. The post opens with several quotes from writers about problems they're having with Amazon's review policies. Then comes a section on what constitutes a "Paid Review." This is followed by a section on what constitutes "knowing the author." Next is a section on Amazon's enforcement policy of their rules. Then comes a section about "proper" review policies. These sections are followed by information about Amazon's lack of addressing the troll/hate/political non-review reviews. There is a lot of good information included in this post about the Amazon "don't do this" policy for authors working to get reviews for their books.

I want my kitty treats back!

Panzer says, "Hmm ... So, according to Amazon, all those followers Mom has on Twitter know her. I didn't realize she had so many friends. Mom showed me that little birdie thing there and she's always talking about tweeting and peeps. I just thought she was collecting birds for my kitty treats."

Note: You'll need a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for your reading this time. (Before the body of the post is information about the blog's move to Wordpress. The part about "lost reviews" begins after that.)

To read the post, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: Disappearing Amazon Reviews: The Facts Behind Amaz...