Happy New Year

Happy New Year

From Panzer, Mom and What's His Name

Happy New Year's Eve

Happy New Year's Eve!

From Panzer, Mom and What's His Name

A New Panzerism

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.

Or ...

Sequential kitty napZZZZZ

Some I suppose may want to sit back and watch.

Or ...

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




From Cat Wisdom for humans

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays    

 

From Panzer, Mom, and What's His Name

A New Panzerism

The dent? The big guy with the reindeer. *

Panzer on the Christmas holiday:

Do I think those look like my paw prints on the hood of the car?

Noooo ...

From here I'd say they're reindeer prints.



* From Cat Wisdom for humans

New column on free and low-cost books: Robert's Roundup of Ebook Deals - TeleRead

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to stop in at the TeleRead site. With just a little digging around our inquisitive kitty found a post about a new place to find links to free or low-cost cost ebooks.

According to Robert Nagle, he's started a new column where he locates free and low-cost ebooks. There seems to be a wide range of fiction and nonfiction ebooks included in his lists. He does admit in the preface that he hasn't read the books on his lists. The post begins with links to his first three columns. There's a lot of good information in the post after the links, so you might want to finish reading the post before you go to the columns.

Christmas is only five days away.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Free ebooks just in time for Christmas."

Note: These are long posts. Bring a thermos (or two) of cocoa and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Robert's Roundup of eBook deals

Bookkeeper Gets Two Year Sentence for Scheme that Destroyed Donadio & Olson - Publishers Weekly

This afternoon Panzer was shaken awake from his nap by the sounds of crying and wailing coming from the Catosphere. Jumping into the Panzermobile, our brave kitty boy followed all the noise to the Publishers Weekly site. There with a little digging he discovered a post about the Donadio and Olson literary agency and the agency's former bookkeeper Darin Webb.

Should have been 20 years instead.

According to Andrew Albanese, Donaldio and Olson's former bookkeeper Darin Webb has been sentenced to 2 years in prison. Mr. Webb was convicted of embezzling $3.8 million from the literary agency. Because of his embezzlement the company was forced into bankruptcy. Several authors also were financially impacted by the crime.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Two years for all that havoc?"

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Donadio and Olson

PSA: eBookMall Has Gone From eBook Retailer to Phishing Site - The Digital Reader

Criminals are everywhere.

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard wailing and crying and gnashing of teeth. Following all the noise took our brave kitty boy to The Digital Reader site. With a little digging in the posts he found one about the eBookMall site.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, on a recent visit to ebook retailer eBookMall(.com) he was denied access to use the site. His security software warned it was preventing him from going to a redirected site. It appears eBookMall is now a phishing site.

Panzer says, "Always obey you security software when it warns you away from a site."

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to eBookMall

A New Panzerism

Panzer on training your human:

What's His Name said I'm a lazy, good for nothing cat,

And ...

The only thing I am good for is ...

Careful. I will give you what you ask for.*

Eating, sleeping and dropping fur.

Well ...

I'll show him.

I'll just have to prove him right.



* From Cat Wisdom for humans

 (We're helping a relative who is recovering from surgery. So, things are all kittywampus for a while longer.)

Amazon sought a permit to open a bookstore in Meridian. Then this happened. - Idaho Statesman

You know Christmas is coming, right?

Today Panzer made a trip to the Idaho Statesman site. With a little digging around our traveling kitty boy found a post about Amazon.

According to John Sowell, in March Amazon applied for a building permit in Meridian, Idaho. According to the permit application Amazon planned to open an Amazon Books store in The Village at Meridian. However, the company hasn't completed the application process and the permit application has expired. Inquiries sent to Amazon representatives and their architect by the city and the Idaho Statesman have gone unanswered. The Village at Meridian confirms Amazon won't be opening a store at that location.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This inquiring kitty wants to know what changed Amazon's mind about opening a store there?"

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon Books store

A New Panzerism

Panzer on sportsmanship:

(Oops. That should be sports-kitty-ship.)

You know, cats believe in fair play.

I'm not sure humans understand this.

But ...

It is true.

For example ...

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

I race him a lot. **

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

 ** I'm still helping a relative recuperating from surgery, so things are still kittywumpus around here.

Judge Questions Parnero's Bid to Dismiss B&N Countersuit - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to stop in at the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging around in the posts there, he found one about former Barnes and Noble CEO Demos Parneros.

According to Andrew Albanese, last week Demos Parneros' attorneys were back in court again. This time the attorneys were at a pre-motion hearing to discuss a possible motion to ask Judge John G. Koeltl to dismiss Barnes and Noble's counterclaim against Mr. Parneros. While the judge said the motion could be filed, it would probably be a waste of time. The referenced counterclaim asserts Mr. Parnero undermined the sale of Barnes and Noble to keep his CEO position safe. Mr. Parnero's attorneys also gave notice they will be seeking to have Barnes and Noble pay for Mr. Parnero's attorney fees.

Pay somebody to sue you? It's a joke, right?

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Have Barnes and Noble pay Parnero's attorneys to sue Barnes and Noble? This case just gets crazier and crazier."

Note: This is a medium post. Bring a cup of tea and muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Online Distribution Platform Ganxy to Close - Publishers Weekly

Today Panzer had hardly entered the Catosphere when he heard wailing and crying. Following all the noise took our inquisitive kitty to the Publishers Weekly site. There with no digging at all he found a post about Ganxy.

Nobody can see me here.

According to Jim Milliot at Publishers Weekly, Ganxy is closing its doors the end of December. Ganzy is an online distribution platform. The post includes quotes from a post at the Ganxy site about the closing. The company couldn't compete with Amazon's larger distribution platform. Money will be paid to sellers as it's available.

Panzer says, "The only way to compete with an 800 pound gorilla is to hide."

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Ganxy

Four Free Online Book Formating Tools You'll Love - Book Works

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere was a quick one today. Our busy kitty boy found an interesting post for his indie writer friends. He found a post about book formatting tools at the BookWorks site

Nap time?

In the post Carla King describes four free online book formatting tools. She begins with Canva. Canva has long been the go-to site for simple ebook covers, but can also do simple interiors. She also has three other free simple to use tools for formatting books. She includes descriptions of each tool with instructions for use with screen shots. There's a list of links included, too.

Panzer says, "Who knew you could do all that formatting for free?"

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring half a thermos of tea and three muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to book formatting tools

A New Panzerism

Panzer on hypnotism for weight loss:

Mom said she's worried her little kitty boy is overweight. She said she wants to try hypnotism for the weight problem.

Well ...

Mom, your eyelids are getting heavy.

Okay ...

Mom repeat after me,

I will not worry about the kitty. He's not overweight, he's just big-boned ... I will not worry about the kitty. He's not overweight, he's just big-boned ... *



* From Cat Wisdom for humans

We're still busy taking care of our recovering relative.

Draft2Digital, Baker & Taylor, and OverDrive - Indies Unlimited

Panzer is still helping Mom with her recuperating extended-family relative, so today's trip into the Catosphere was short. On a quick trip to the Indies Unlimited site our speedy kitty found a post about Draft2Digital.

I really need more sleep.

According to Melinda Clayton, Draft2Digital has announced their partnership with Baker and Taylor's 360 Axis 360 ebook distribution to libraries. Authors who use Draft2Digital will now have two platforms for library distribution: OverDrive and Baker and Taylor. The post also includes information about differences between the two platforms and a brief history of a court case between the two. The link to the court case decision includes interesting information about Baker and Taylor. The post quotes extensively from information on The Digital Reader site.

Panzer says, "This little kitty doesn't think he likes Baker and Taylor's business practices."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of cocoa and three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Draft2Digital

Bowker Finally Notifies Users of Hacked Website and Stolen Credit Cards - The Digital Reader

I'm so tired I can hardly move.

This has been a very busy day for Panzer so today's trip into the Catosphere was a short one. Our tired kitty boy made a quick trip to The Digital Reader site. With a little digging he found a post about the RR Bowker hacking.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, RR Bowker has begun notifying authors about the possibility of their credit card information being compromised on their site. Bowker is where publishers and authors can purchase ISBN's for their books. The post quotes extensively from Tweets from an author about her experience with Bowker's notification about the hacking. Panzer reported on November 5 about the hacking.

Panzer says, "Mom never used Bowker because we could get the ISBNs through Create Space, so we're safe."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Bowker

To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to  Bowker hacking

A New Panzerism

Panzer on teaching your human new tricks:

I'm getting really upset with Mom's behavior.

For a long time now I've tried to teach her the basics of catching mice.

I want her to enjoy life like I do.

And ...

Catching mice is the funnest thing in the world.

She just runs away.

But ...

She just refuses to take the mouse from me with her teeth ...

And ...

Toss it into the air so I can catch it again.

I won't give up. She'll learn sooner or later.



* From Cat Wisdom for humans

Due to a family illness, things will be a little upset here at Cats and Crime.

B&N Cuts Q2 Losses as Comp Sales Improve - Publishers Weekly

I love Thanksgiving.

Panzer is still recovering from Thanksgiving dinner; so, today's trip into the Catosphere was a quick one to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging around in the posts our waddling kitty boy found one about Barnes and Noble.

According to Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble announced the company's sales figures for the second quarter. Compared to the same time frame in 2017 book sales declined by 3 percent, but toys, games and cafe sales increased by 1.9 percent. The company was also able to cut its operating loss nearly in half from $52.2 million to $26.8 million.

Panzer says, "Let's see how they do in the holiday season."

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving    

From Panzer, Mom and What's His Name

Vacation Day and New eBook: Laugh Don't Cry

Panzer is taking the day off. This week is crazy-busy because of the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow here in the U.S., but he did want to let you know about Mom's latest nonfiction ebook, Laugh Don't Cry, Life Is A Joke. She published it the end of September, but between getting ready for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and Thanksgiving, we forgot to tell you.

So, here goes.

If you ever wondered how Mom and Panzer met or how What's His Name joined the family or who Mom's friends and other family members are, you'll learn the answers in these short essays. These personal stories are funny and engaging and help explain where our quirky sense of humor comes from. It's a small taste of what Mom's life is like.

Available at all the online retailers for $0.99, but we only had time to look up these four.

Available at  Amazon

Available at Smashwords

Available at Kobo

Available at Walmart

US Beta for 'Wattpad Next': Centgage Subscription for Missouri - Publishing Perspectives

Today, Panzer made a quick trip to the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging our inquisitive kitty traveler found a post about Wattpad.

Thanksgiving is coming. I can see it!

According to Porter Anderson,Toronto, Canada, Wattpad has introduced it's new author payment system Wattpad Next in the U.S. Wattpad users pay an author to read their story. Wattpad Next has already been available in Canada, the U.K., Mexico, and the Philippines. There are several links included in the post. There is a second section to the post which is about the Centgage Subscription service for college students and isn't part of Wattpad, so you can skip it if you want.

Panzer says, "Only certain authors are available through the program."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a thermos of hot cocoa and half a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Wattpad

A New Panzerism

Panzer on home improvements:

What's his name has been shirking his duties ...

And ...

The flies are taking over my litter box ...

So ...

He's whining to Mom again.

I fixed the problem ...

I moved Mom's bug zapper into my litter box.

Works great.

I got What's His Name three times before he found it.

Smashwords Unveils New Book Discovery Interface - Smashwords

Panzer was cleaning out the Panzermobile when he found something wadded up under the pilot's seat. Smoothing it out our fastidious kitty boy discovered it was a post from the Smashwords blog.

According to Smashwords founder Mark Corker, Smashwords has a new feature called the New Book Discovery Interface. The company has added "book shelves" to the Smashwords Bookstore. There are nine different themes for the shelves, including Featured New Releases, Trending Now, Bestselling Books and six more. The post begins with the news Smashwords has published 500,000 ebooks. While ebook sales at other ebook retailers are down, Smashwords sales are up. The company decided it was time to make it easier for readers to find the ebooks they wanted faster and the New Book Discovery Interface was born.

Time to get back to cleaning.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... We've been looking for a place to put one of the stories from Cats and Crime up for free. Maybe it's time to put the story up at Smashwords for free."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea and six muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Smashwords

Barnes & Noble's first prototype store in NJ opening in Hackensack - northjersey.com

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today when he decided to stop in at the northjersey.com site. There our adventuresome kitty boy found a post about Barnes and Noble.

Looks like a good place for a cat nap.

According to Melanie Anzidei, Barnes and Noble has opened a new bricks and mortar prototype bookstore in Hackensack, New Jersey. The new store is located in The Shops at Riverside mall. The prototype store has downsized the music department to make room for a larger children's story time area, a Lego table, and a reading area. The store also has a cafe. The post includes a video at the beginning which shows various features of the new store.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The company does say children's books are making a comeback."

This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Attorneys for Parneros, Barnes & Noble Meet in Court - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about Barnes and Noble.

Court case merry-go-round?

According to Publishers Weekly's Andrew Albanese, attorneys for Barnes and Noble and attorneys for Demos Parneros were in court on November 13 to get their discovery schedules approved. The discovery period will close on June 14, 2019. The judge also said he would like the two sides to have a settlement conference to try to avoid a trial. He gave both sides until December 3 to let him know if they would agree to the conference. The court cases are convoluted. Demos Parneros was fired in July from his position as CEO at Barnes and Noble for undisclosed reasons. However, after he brought suit against Barnes and Noble for his firing, the company disclosed he was fired for sexual harassment. Mr. Parneros' suit against the company includes defamation of character. Barnes and Noble then brought suit for sabotaging their company's sale and the sexual harassment allegations.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks, if they can't come to a settlement agreement, this might get nasty."

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

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Amazon Is Inexplicably Destroying Indie Author Careers By Randomly Removing eBooks From the Kindle Store - The Digital Reader

How long before somebody noticed?

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to The Digital Reader site. With just a little digging in the posts our traveling kitty found one about Amazon and the Kindle Store.

According to the post at The Digital Reader by site owner Nate Hoffelder, for unknown reasons Amazon has been removing indie authors' ebooks from the Kindle Store. Apparently, this has been happening for the past two weeks. The post includes quotes from affected authors in both the U.S. and Canada. Also included is an Amazon post quoted from KDP support forums which states the company is aware of the problem and working on solving it. There are links included to a previous post about the problem and to the KDP support forums.

Panzer says, "Guess this little kitty better go check our books in the Kindle store."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon Kindle Store

Amazon Picks NYC, Arlington, Va., as New HQ Sites - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was shaken from his morning nap by clapping and cheering and crying and moaning. Following all the confusing noises took our sleepy kitty to the Publishers Weekly site. There the top post about Amazon explained all the frenzy.

You already knew it, right?

According to Jim Milliot,  Amazon announced the choice of location(s) for their second headquarters (HQ2). Not surprisingly since there have been rumors flying for weeks, there will actually be two parts to the new HQ2. Half will be built in Long Island City, NY, with 25,000 employees there and half will be built in Arlington, VA, with 25,000 employees there. In addition, Amazon will have a smaller location in Nashville, TN, with 5,000 employees for their operations business center. Why two locations for HQ2? Because each location will give the company large tax incentives to build there.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... All that wait time for what was one of the worst kept secrets ever ... You know, by now it's not even news."

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

To read the post tootle over to Amazon HQ2

A New Panzerism

Panzer on origins:

I heard Mom and What's His Name talking.

Mom said she wanted to go shopping.

When ...

What's His Name said he was pooped and didn't want to go ...

That explains a lot.

I was shocked ...

I thought she got him at the Husband Store ...

Not ...

My litter box.

Veterans Day

From Panzer, Mom and What's His Name

PRH takes Majority Stake in Brazil's Grupo Companhia das Letras - Publishing Perspectives

Today, Panzer decided to make a stop at the Publishing Perspectives site. Digging around in the posts our adventuresome kitty found one about Penguin Random House.

According to Porter Anderson, Penguin Random House (PRH) CEO Markus Dohle announced the company's new majority ownership in Brazil's Grupo Companhia das Letras. With this majority ownership PRH has gained an increased foothold in the South American and Portuguese-language book marketplace. According to both companies there won't be any management or business changes. There are links to other information about both companies at both the beginning and the end of the post.

Inquiring cats want to know.

Panzer says, "This little kitty wonders which PRH English-language authors will be translated for the South American market."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links to the other posts, bring half a thermos of tea and four muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Penguin Random House

After Protest, Booksellers Are Victorious Against Amazon Subsidiary - The New York Times

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere just minding his own cat business when he heard clapping and cheering. Following the all the hoopla took our inquisitive kitty boy to The New York Times site. It didn't take any time at all to find the post about Amazon's AbeBooks causing all the happiness.

How did they do that without my help?

According to David Streittfeld, it's being reported that Amazon subsidiary AbeBooks has caved under the protest begun day before yesterday by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and other antiquarian bookseller groups against them. The booksellers banded together and took a "vacation" from AbeBooks by making their books temporarily unavailable at the site. According to ILAB president Sally Burdon it appears AbeBooks is backtracking on their plans to remove some booksellers from AbeBooks. There's still no explanation about the exact reason(s) why the booksellers in Hungary, South Korea, Russia, the Czech Republic and Poland were being removed.There are links included to other posts about the protest.

Panzer says, "That has to be one of the shortest successful protests in human history."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring half a thermos of tea and four muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links included in the post and read the posts at other sites bring another half a thermos of tea and four more muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon's AbeBooks

To read yesterday's post about the protest tootle over to  AbeBooks booksellers

Booksellers unite in protest as Amazon's AbeBooks withdraws from several countries - The Guardian

Panzer was eating his lunch when his tender ears were assailed by the sound of crying and shouting coming from the Catosphere. Not even finishing his lunch our brave kitty hopped in the Panzermobile to go investigate. Following all the noise took him to The Guardian site. With no digging at all he found a post about Amazon's AbeBooks.

According to The Guardian's Alison Flood, members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and other organizations have joined together to protest Amazon's AbeBooks. The company sent notices to secondhand bookstores in South Korea, Russia, Hungary and the Czech Republic that AbeBooks is closing the bookstores' sales channels through the company. In protest 460 booksellers are taking a "vacation" from AbeBooks and will not have their books available there. AbeBooks says the company is changing their third party payment service. While not explained in the post, it appears that for whatever reason the bookstores specified aren't compatible with the new payment service.

Now for my lunch.

Panzer says, "This kitty is confused. Is it a software problem between the new payment system and the secondhand bookstores' system?"

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

To read the post tootle over to Amazon AbeBooks

Hear All About It: Introducing the Amazon Book Review Podcast - Omnivoracious

Amazon Book Review Podcast. Interesting.

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a quick stop at the Omnivoracious site. With a little digging our inquisitive kitty found a post about Amazon.

According to Adrian Liang, Amazon has started a new podcast. Called the Amazon Book Review Podcast it's available on iTunes and TuneIn. Each podcast will open with a discussion followed by an author(s) interview. Three podcasts were already uploaded on October 31.

Panzer says, "There's a link at the bottom of the post to signup for the podcasts."

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon Book Review Podcast

Bowker Investigating Breach of ISBN Site - Publishers Weekly **

Panzer was shaken from his nap on the bed by crying and screaming coming from the Catosphere. Hopping into the Panzermobile our brave kitty followed  all the noise to the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about a break-in at the Bowker site.

Bad humans will steal anything.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, RR Bowker announced their myidentifiers.com site had been breached and  code added to their checkout page. This code enables unauthorized charges to credit cards used at the site. The site is used by authors and publishers to purchase ISBNs for their books. Authors cannot use this site to purchase ISBNs until further notice; instead there are links to other avenues for purchase. There are links in the post to the Bowker post and site.

Panzer says, "There are bad guys everywhere in the Catosphere."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, bring a muffin too.

To read the post tootle over to Bowker


** This is an important post for authors and publishers. Today's Panzerism will be here later.

Amazon Building Collapse: 2 Reported Dead, Officials Say - Balitmore Patch

Panzer was cleaning out the Panzermobile when he heard yelling and crying coming from the Catosphere. Hopping into the pilot's seat, our brave kitty boy headed out. Following the noise took him to the Baltimore Patch site. There he discovered a post about an accident at an Amazon building in Baltimore, Maryland.

I hate storms with the wind and rain.

According to the Baltimore Patch's Elizabeth Janney, during a severe store in Baltimore last night an Amazon fulfillment center suffered significant damage. The wind and rain in the storm caused a wall in the fulfillment center to collapse. Two sub-contract workers were killed. Due to the rain and debris numerous packages were destroyed. There are photos in the post of the storm damage. The post also includes information about other businesses impacted by the storm.

Panzer says, "Of course, the fulfillment center is closed."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon

Amazon Opens the Second "Shit People Like to Buy" Store in Denver - The Digital Reader

Sorry about the bad word. He wrote it.

Today Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a quick stop at The Digital Reader site. With a little digging around he found a post about Amazon's newest store.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, Amazon is opening a new bricks and mortar store in Denver, Colorado. This will be an Amazon 4-star store. This is the second Amazon 4-star store opened this year. The first was opened in New York City. The 4-star stores sell merchandise shoppers have reviewed with at least a 4 star rating. The post quotes extensively from a BusinessDen post.

Panzer says, "Be sure and read the Comments section. This little kitty totally agrees with the Indigo Books and Music comment."

Note: This is a short post. Bring half a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon

In Counterclaim, B&N Says Former CEO 'Sabotaged' Sale; Sexually Harassed Multiple Women - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging around our fearless kitty discovered a post about Barnes and Noble.

It's enough to give me a headache.

The post by Andrew Albanese states, Barnes and Noble has filed a counter claim against former CEO Demos Parneros. In the counter claim Barnes and Noble asserts Mr. Parneros deliberately sabotaged a due diligence process meeting called by an unnamed book retailer interested in acquiring the company. Also, included in the counter claim is the fact that in addition to the original complaint by a female employee of sexual harassment, others have now come forward. There are other details of the counter claim included in the post.

Panzer says, "This little kitty thinks this is just getting messier and messier."

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of apple cider and some leftover Halloween candy for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

October 31 - Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

From Panzer, Mom and What's His Name

Medallion Press Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was traveling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by crying and wailing. Following all the noise took our brave kitty to the Publishers Weekly site. There with no digging at all he discovered news about Medallion Press.

According to Jim Milliot, Medallion Press has filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. The company's assets will now be sold to pay its creditors. Medallion Press was started in 2003 as a fiction publisher. The post has more information about the company's beginnings and recent business failings.

Author contracts are an asset, right?

Panzer says, "Hmm ... If you've published anything with Medallion Press, you better get your rights back before they get sold in the bankruptcy."

Note: This is a medium-length post. Bring a cup of hot chocolate and and a blueberry muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Medallion Press

A New Panerism

In honor of National Black Day and Halloween


Panzer on human superstitions:

Mom says humans think black cats and Friday the 13th are bad luck.

Where did she get that idea?

Oh ...

Wait ...

There was that time I left that present in What's His Name's shoe ...

and ...

Cause and effect maybe?

Mom's credit card and The Catnip of the Month Club ...

and ... and ...

Hmm ... Maybe she is right. *






* From Cat Wisdom for humans

National Black Cat Day

Happy National Black Cat Day *

From Panzer,** Mom and What's His Name


* Not to be confused with International Black Cat Day, Black Cat Appreciation Day or International Black Cat World Domination Day

** Panzer says, "Today would be a good day to buy a copy of Cat Wisdom for humans, so you can learn your proper place in the Black Cat Universe."

HarperCollins Launches YA Novel on Snapchat - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging around our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about HarperCollins and Snapchat.

According to Emma Kantor, HarperCollins and Snapchap have joined forces on a new project under Snap Originals. The first book in the new endeavor is the YA novel The Dead Girls Detective Agency. The novel will be delivered to phones during fifteen episodes. Each episode will be 5 minutes long. In the fifteen episodes heroine Charlotte Feldman must find her murderer. Plans are for more Snapchat projects. The post includes a link to Snap Originals.

It's a small screen, but I can see it.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... A whole novel on a phone screen?"

Note: This is a medium-length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Harper Collins and Snapchat

Fantasy Author Brandan Barr

 Panzer and I got some bad news today.

We received fantasy author Brandan Barr email newsletter this morning. The leukemia he has been fighting for the past few years has returned. His doctors have informed him there is no further treatment available and he only has a few weeks to a couple of months left to live.

Over the last few years even while battling cancer and the effects of his treatments Brandon continued to write his novels. Author friends have now stepped in to help him finish the last two novels in his series which were already outlined and begun. Another of his novels is being fast-tracked so he can see it come out in November.

Brandon is married and has three young children.  A GoFundMe page with more information about Brandon and his family has been setup for his wife and children.

If you would like to help them, go to the Brandon Barr Family GoFundMe

Stephen King sold the rights to one of his stories to some teenage film students for just $1 - Av News

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping and shouting and cheering. Following all the jocularity took our kitty traveler to the AV News site. With no digging at all he discovered a post about Stephen King.

According to Sam Barsanti, Stephen King sold the rights to one of his stories for $1. Stephen King has a program called Dollar Babies which allows film school students to buy the movies rights to one of a list of  stories for $1. The "Dollar Baby" that just sold is "Stationary Bike" bought by students at the U.K. Blaenau Gwent Film Academy. The post includes links to the original post about the sale and one to the Dollar Babies site.

I could use Mom's cellphone camera.

Panzer says, "A Stephen King story's movie rights for $1? Makes this little kitty want to go to film-making school."

This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Stephen King

2019 Panzer the Cat Calendar Ready for Halloween

Panzer's second favorite holiday of the year Halloween is only one week away. Halloween is one of the two holidays that recognize black cats for the imperial figures they are. To celebrate the holiday, Panzer has lowered the price of his new 2019 Panzer the Cat Calendar to $20.00. Click the link below Panzer to see the calendar. At the store look on the left below the calendar cover and you can click through the interior photos.

Hurry, if you plan to order at this special price, the day after Halloween the price returns to normal.

Click here to tootle over to the Panzer the Cat Calendar *
* This is the calendar with the U.S. holidays in it

Click here to tootle over to the Panzer the Cat Calendar (No Holidays)
This is the calendar with no holidays version

A New Panzerism

Save your money. Read the list.

Panzer on the Kitty Toy Hall of Fame:

1. Wadded up ball of paper
2. Paper bag (Tied for Second Place)
2. Cardboard box (Tied for Second Place)
3. Shadows on the wall
4. Grape
5. Fly *



* From Cat Wisdom for humans

Scribd, 'New York Times' Team to Offer Joint Subscription - Publishers Weekly

Panzer decided to make a short trip to the Publishers Weekly site. Digging around in the posts our energetic kitty found one about Scribd and The New York Times newspaper.

According to Calvin Reid, Scribd and The New York Times are forming a subscription service. Scribd is a  subscription service with ebooks, audio books and periodicals. Scribd will now offer access to The New York Times (NYT.com) and NYT.com will offer access to Scribd's ebooks, audio books and periodicals. The joint subscription service will cost $12.99. For regular Scribd subscribers who don't want access to The New York Time the cost will stay at $8.99.

Guess they just don't like black cats.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Scribd is one of the places Smashwords distributes my ebooks to, but I've never had any readers there."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Scribd

The Random House and Crown Publishing Groups Merge - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was shaken from his nap by the sound of shouting and yelling coming from the Catosphere. Jumping into the Panzermobile our brave kitty boy followed all the noise to the Publishers Weekly site. There he discovered a post about the merger of the Random House Publishing Group and Crown Publishing Group are merging.

According to John Maher, in a letter to employees US CEO Madeline McIntosh announced the merger of Random House Publishing Group and Crown Publishing Group. The merger will create one super-sized publishing group. For now Random House Publishing Group and Crown Publishing Group will each keep their name.

Back to something important. A nap.

Panzer says, "Is there such a thing as too big in publishing?"

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Random House and Crown merger

New waterproof Kindle Paperwhite with brighter six-inch screen: You can pre-order today - TeleRead

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by cheering and clapping. Following all the hullabaloo took our inquisitive kitty boy to the TeleRead site. With no digging at all he discovered a post about Amazon's newest Kindle Paperwhite was causing all the noise.

Dead battery? Makes a good doorstop.

According to David Rothman, Amazon has announced their new Kindle Paperwhite is available for pre-order. The new Paperwhite will start shipping on November 7. Prices range from $129.99 for the basic model to $249.99 for the top of the line model. The new Paperwhite has a six-inch scratch resistant screen and is waterproof. The post includes a link to the Amazon store for more information and to place a pre-order.

Panzer says, "Umm ... The charger is an extra $20.00? What good is it without the charger?"

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and half a muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the link in the post, bring an extra half a muffin.

To read the post tootle over to Kindle Paperwhite

B&N Press Now Offers Print Pre-Order, ARC Sales - The Digital Reader

On today's trip into the Catosphere Panzer decided to stop in at The Digital Reader site. With a little digging around in the posts there our inquisitive kitty boy found one about the new features at Barnes and Noble's  B&N Press.

This needs looking into.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, Barnes and Noble has added some new features to their publishing arm. Authors can now offer their print books for pre-order, order advance copies and have one free correction for their print book files. The post quotes an email sent to users who publish their print books through Barnes and Noble Press. The post includes a link to the original email.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks it sounds like Barnes and Noble is making some needed changes to their publishing operations to be more in line with Amazon's KDP."

Note: This is a short post. Bring half a cup of tea for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the link in the post, bring the other half cup of tea.

To read the post tootle over to B and N Press