A New Panzerism

Panzer on sportsmanship:

(Oops. That should be sportskittyship:)

You know, cats believe in fair play.

I'm not sure humans understand this.

But ...

It is true.

For example ...

I race him a lot.

When in a foot race, it's fair to trip an opponent.

What's His Name may not realize it's actually a race ...

But ...

I wouldn't trip him* if it wasn't.



*You know, I don't know why Mom brought What's His Name home. All he does is whine about me.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day

Lee Greenwood God Bless The USA

How to Sell Books That Are Good Enough To Steal - Book Business

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard snickering and giggling in the distance. Following all the low-key noise took our brave kitty to the Book Business site. It didn't take any digging at all to find the post causing all the tee heeing.

In his post Caleb Mason says writers and publishers must produce books that "are good enough to steal." Mr. Mason begins with a story about when he mistakenly left a bench full of books outside his bookstore employer's building all night. What happened? Nothing. Nobody stole any of the books. So, he put up a sign with "Not Good Enough To Steal" and the books started selling. Another time Mr. Mason tried to give away a free book. What happened? Nothing. Nobody would take it. See where all the snickering and giggling was coming from? These personal stories (and others) are Mr. Mason's lead-ins to publishers (and authors) use of DRM for their ebooks. If the publisher/author thinks their book is "good enough to steal" they lock it up with DRM. Mr. Mason includes a lot more information about DRM in his post.

Pffft. I don't steal anything anyway.

Panzer says, "Makes sense to me. I wouldn't steal a book even if it was free. I'd just write a new one I liked better myself."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. You will need two cups of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to books good enough to steal

Simon and Schuster Slapped with eBook Royalty Class Action Lawsuit - Copylaw: Publishing and Entertainment Law

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Copylaw: Publishing and Entertainment Law site. A little digging around there and our inquisitive kitty reporter found a post about Simon and Schuster.

Whoever wins, this will be interesting.

According to the post there, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Simon and Schuster in New York state by Sheldon Blau, MD. The lawsuit against Simon and Schuster says the publisher misclassified "ebook transactions as 'sales' rather than 'licenses.'" The suit alleges that by classifying the transactions sales instead of licenses, Simon and Schuster is underpaying authors. Instead of paying 50 percent for licensing rights for each transaction, they are paying 25 percent for a sale for each transaction.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The lawsuit makes sense to me, but what do I know. I'm just a little black kitty. I don't understand human laws, so don't quote me on anything."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. You'll need two cups of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Simon and Schuster

Waterstones cuts e-book deal with Kobo - The Bookseller

Kobo scores again.

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere enjoying himself today. After reading various blog post headlines, our inquisitive kitty boy found an interesting one at The Bookseller site.

According to the post by Lisa Campbell, the book store chain Waterstones will no longer sell ebooks from their website. Waterstones will, instead, have visitors to their website make their ebook purchases at Kobo. Customers with libraries of already purchased ebooks at Waterstones' site will be able to move them to the Kobo site.

Panzer says, "None of this is surprising to this little kitty. Waterstones' website never generated enough ebook sales to justify maintaining it."

Note: This is a medium post. You'll need a cup of tea and a small muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Kobo

A New Panzerism

Panzer on moral concepts:

Mom said, "Bad Kitty," when I scratched the furniture.

You know ... What's His Name always says she's pretty smart.

So I thought about what Mom said for a long time ...

in between my morning nap and my noon nap.

And ...

This is what I decided:

Sorry ... You're wrong again, Mom.

There are two ways to look at it,

My way ...

And ...

The wrong way.

Goodreads Is Finally Cashing In On Its Devoted Community - Wired

Panzer's trip in the Catosphere today was interrupted by the sounds of wailing and crying. Following all the noise took our fearless kitty pilot to the Wired site. There he found a post about Goodreads that was causing all the book lovers woes.

Come on. You knew they'd do it.

According to the post, Goodreads has started selling ebooks. This week they introduced a program called Goodreads Deals. It's an opt-in program for Goodreads members to receive emails about books going on sale. Readers do have a choice of where to purchase their books. The books are available through Amazon (Goodreads owner), Apple, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, and Kobo.

Panzer says, "We knew it was going to happen. With 50 million book hungry readers, Goodreads is a cash cow for all the ebook sellers."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. You'll need two cups of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Goodreads

New Report Shows Inportance of Digital to Canadian Pubs - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer was digging around at the Publishers' Weekly online site today. There our big bad kitty boy found an interesting post about Canadian publishers and digital books.

According to the post by Laura Godfrey, quoting from BookNet Canada's 2016 annual report, "State of Digital Publishing in Canada," digital books (ebooks) are becoming an important (albeit small) revenue stream for Canadian publishers. In 2015, 69 percent of publishers said 1 percent to 10 percent of their income was from ebooks. While sales were reportedly low for some publishers' ebooks, this was attributed to the fact they were digitally publishing older books that didn't have a market to begin with or ebooks that were done in a format readers didn't want.

A nap. That's a good use of my time.

Panzer says, "Why would you publish something nobody wants? That's just a waste of my time and yours."

Note: This a short post. A cup of tea should do it for today's reading session.

To read the post, tootle over to importance of digital

Bezos Confirms Plans for More Amazon Stores - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer was jolted from his after dinner nap by the sounds of clapping hands coming from the Catosphere. Our sleepy kitty pilot pulled himself into the pilot's seat in the Panzermobile. Following all the noise took him to the Publishers' Weekly site.

According to a post there by Jim Milliot, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has confirmed the rumors that Amazon will be opening more brick and mortar stores. Mr. Bezoa did not, however, say how many new stores or where they'll be located. He made the announcement at Amazon's annual shareholders meeting. The post includes a link to a post at The Seattle Times newspaper site where you'll find more news from the annual meeting.

Back to sleep for me now.

Panzer says, "Sales at the Seattle store must be good, if he's planning more stores than just the new one in California."

Note: This is a short post, but The Seattle Times post is long. You'll only need a cup of tea, if you only plan to read the Publishers' Weekly post; however, if you plan to read The Seattle Times post as well, you'll need to add another cup of tea and a muffin.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon stores

Whatever next? How plot grips us, from Dickens to Line of Duty - The Guardian

Since Camp NaNoWriMo is coming up soon and Panzer plans to participate this year, he's still searching for help with his mystery writing. Our inquisitive kitty's trip into the Catosphere today sent him in search of plotting information. His travels took him to The Guardian site and a post by John Mullan.

Plotting isn't as easy as it looks.

Mr. Mullan's post begins with an examination of British television mysteries. He then moves to novels. While the novels are categorized as "literary," there are some mystery genre novels included. He then begins doing comparisons of novels and their plots to television adaptions and their adherence to, or not of, the novel's plot. In some cases, the television adaption changes or even improves the author's plot.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... It turns out, plot is one of the most important tools a mystery writer has."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. You'll need two cups of tea and two muffins today.

To read the post, tootle over to plot

The Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways Not to Write a Mystery Novel - Anne R. Allen's Blog

On Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today he was looking for information on mystery writing. His search took him to Anne R. Allen's Blog. Our big bad kitty pilot found a guest post there by Jacqueline Diamond with information about what he was looking for. Jacqueline Diamond is the author of 101 novels published in several genres including mystery, so he couldn't wait to read what she wrote about mystery novel writing.

Plot is important.

According to the post, while researching for her newest mystery Ms. Diamond read several cozy mysteries. She discovered twelve do not do's in some of them. When writing a mystery novel these twelve were definite turn-offs for her as a reader. These do not do's run the gambit from do not have incompetent police to do not under plot to do not over plot. There are nine more she found in her research and they're all important do not do's for as writers to learn.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Pay attention ... Plotting seems to be a frequent problem in cozy mysteries."

Note: This is a long post, but worth your time. You'll need a cup of tea, a muffin, and a doughnut for today's selection.

To read the post, tootle over to mystery

A New Panzerism

Panzer on friendship:

What's His Name wanted to do head-butting with me to show Mom what good friends we are.

And ...

To make Mom happy, I let him do it.

Then ...

He wanted to do it again.

So ...

I just turned around and let him head-butt my other end.

Mom is still laughing.

He wasn't happy about that ...

But ...

Mom sure was.

You know, What's His Name did call it head-butting.

Harper Collins Is Sponsoring Shelfie Contest

We're having computer problems so Panzer's trip into the Catosphere was short today. Our intrepid kitty pilot found a post at the HarperCollins Publishers site.

Let's look into this.

According to the post, the book publisher is sponsoring a shelfie contest. They want entrants to make a video of their bookshelf and explain why they like books. The winner will get ... books of course. The post contains all the rules (be sure to read them) and how to submit your video.

Panzer says, "Mom doesn't just have one bookshelf, she has bookshelves everywhere. There's a bookcase in the living room. There are two bookshelves in the bedroom. There are bookshelves on two walls in her office. It would be really hard to choose which shelf to use in the video."

Note: This is a short post. You'll need one cup of tea for your reading session today.

To read the post, tootle over to shelfie contest

Amazon Brings Feature For Bllind Readers to Kindle - GalleyCat

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he stopped in at the GalleyCAT site. There he found an interesting post about Amazon.

The post by Dianna Dilworth is about a recent press release from Amazon. According to the announcement, Amazon has added VoiceView to the Kindle Paperwhite. The text-to-speech program VoiceView will read the ebooks on the Paperwhite to visually impaired Kindle owners. There's a link to the original press release included in the post.

Took them long enough.

Panzer says, "It's about time. It's been on the tablets for a while now."

Note: This is a short post. A cup of tea should be enough for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon

Excerpt From The Winds Of Winter

Okay ... I'm finished for the night.

Panzer was awakened from his late afternoon nap by cheering and clapping coming from the Catosphere. Hopping into the Panzermobile our sleepy kitty followed the buffeting winds of joy to George R.R. Martin's site. Stepping out of his craft he saw what all the elation was about. Mr. Martin posted a chapter from The Winds of Winter titled "Arianne."

Panzer says, "Enjoy!"

Note: This is a regular length chapter. You'll need a cup of tea and two muffins for your reading session.

To read the post, tootle over to The Winds of Winter

What the Inventor of the World Wide Web Sees for the Future of Ebooks - Book Business

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard ooohhing and aaawwing. Following the sounds took our big bad kitty boy to the Book Business site.

It didn't take any digging at all to find the cause of all the noise. It was a post about Sir Tim Berners-Lee. In 1989 Sir Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. His WWW made it possible for computers to obtain information world wide with the help of computer code and a keyboard.  Consequently, when he speaks, everyone listens.

Makes sense to me. How about you?

According to the post by Ellen Harvey, in his keynote speech  at IDPF DigiCon 2016 Sir Berners-Lee has a similar vision for ebooks. He believes HTML 5 should be the standard format for ebooks. Using HTML 5 would mean an ebook could be read on any device, just as WWW is available on any computer. Also included in the post are four of the attributes he believes ebooks would have if the standard were adopted.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... If all the ebooks and all the e-readers used HTML 5, you would buy the e-reader for its extra features; like lighted screen, enlarged print, graphics capabilities. Sounds good to me."

Note: This is a medium-long post. You'll need a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to future of ebooks

Recorded Books Acquires christianaudio - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

A cat's work is never done.

Panzer made a quick trip into the Catosphere today. Our kitty pilot stopped to see what his friends at the Publishers' Weekly site were doing. There he discovered a post about Recorded Books and christianaudio.

According to a post by Emma Koonse, Recorded Books has announced their acquisition of christianaudio. Recorded Books is an indie audio book publisher of Christian fiction and clean romances. Christianaudio is an audio book publisher of fiction and nonfiction. Consequently, the acquisition of christianaudio will help Recorded Books in these markets.

Panzer says, "This seems like a niche market with a lot of potential and very little competition."

Note: This is a short post. You'll only need a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Recorded Books

A New Panzerism

Panzer on giving to charity for the greater good:

Mom told me she and What's His Name are going to a charity auction tonight. She said all the money raised will go to take care of retired greyhounds.

She said it's a good cause ...

And ...

That humans always support good causes.

So ...

After thinking about it for a while ...

I want to start a charity for retired cats.

I'll be waiting at the mailbox.

You humans won't even have to leave home.

Just mail me your check, cash, or catnip.

On second thought ...

Just send the catnip.

Google's AI engine is reading romance novels to be more conversational - The Verge

Panzer had barely entered the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by guffawing and laughing. Following all the frivolity took our inquisitive kitty to The Verge site.

It didn't take any digging at all to find what all the merriment was about. According to a post by Lindsey J. Smith, Google's artificial intelligence engine is "reading" romance novels. By the time the project is finished 2,865 novels will have been input into the AI engine. Google's AI engine is able to learn from the novels and will improve its interaction with humans. The engine is what runs Google app and Smart Reply.  Apparently, the human's at Google want the engine to be friendlier. The post includes a link to Buzz Feed for more information and samples from the novels.

Steamy, bodice rippers. Really?

Panzer says, "The post does say these are steamy, bodice ripper, romance novels ... so ... you may not get the kind of answers you expect to your questions to Google."

Note: This is a short-medium post. With the information contained in this post (and the Buzz Feed link), you might want to skip the tea and muffin today. You don't want to spit tea on your laptop or smartphone when you start laughing.

To read the post, tootle over to Google

Goodreads Debuts Kindle E-book Giveaways - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard the sound of tentative clapping. Following the noise took him to the Publishers' Weekly site. There our brave kitty found a post about Amazon's Goodreads.

According to the post by Calvin Reid, Goodreads is adding Kindle ebook giveaways to the site. Until now authors and publishers could only hold giveaways for print books. As soon as testing is finished, any author or publisher who sells ebooks at the Amazon Kindle Store will be able to sign up for a giveaway. While the print book giveaways have always been free (and will remain so), the ebook giveaways will have a $119 fee. Goodreads will handle most of the details associated with the ebook giveaway including picking the winners. There is a 100 ebook limit on the giveaway, although no mention is made if this is a one time limit or if you could do multiple 100 ebook giveaways.

What took you so long?

Panzer says, "This kitty knew Kindle ebook giveaways were coming as soon as Amazon took over Goodreads."

Note: This is a short-medium length post. You'll need a cup of tea and half a muffin for today's reading.

To read the post, tootle over to Goodreads

What the Heck is Amazon up to Now? - the Scholarly Kitchen

I need a rest. That's a long post.

Panzer had to go to the vet yesterday for his annual check-up; but, now, he's out tootling around in the Catosphere again. Today our intrepid traveling kitty stopped in at an interesting site called the Scholarly Kitchen.

There he found a post about Amazon by Joseph Esposito. The post tries to deconstruct Amazon to determine its purpose of existence. There are some interesting theories about Amazon and its growth over the years from "just a bookstore" to today's mega retailer. The true purpose behind Amazon's affiliates program to the gatthering of consumer/shopper information are explored. There is a lot of information about Amazon, the company's history and competitors.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... You might not understand or like Amazon's business practices, but the company does do some good which isn't mentioned in the post. Amazon recently gave an apartment building they own to an organization for the homeless for one year rent-free. The organization will now be able to provide housing for homeless people."

Note: This is a h-u-g-e post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading session.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon

A New Panzerism

Panzer on Spring love:

It's Spring time. When a  boy kitty's thoughts turn to girl kitties.

There I was last night, sitting on the back fence ...

Singing that I was looking for love.

Then I saw her ... an answer to my kitty serenade.

The most beautiful girl kitty ...

Long shiny gorgeous calico fur ...unbelievably cute ears.

I asked her for a date.

She looked at me with those golden eyes ... then shook her head.

I asked for her phone number so I could call her.

She gave it to me with no hesitation.

But ...

She'll be back. Girls can't resist me.

When I called it today, some guy answered and said, "Animal Control Service, Cat Neutering Division."

Darn claws. I must have dialed wrong.