Publishers Puzzled, Frustrated by Parneros Lawsuit - Publishers Weekly

There must be an answer here somewhere.

Today, Panzer's trip into the Catosphere took him to the Publishers Weekly site. There our adventuresome kitty boy found a post with followup information about the Demos Parneros lawsuit against Barnes and Noble he told you about earlier this week.

According to Jim Milliot, publishers are beginning to have reactions to the lawsuit. The reactions range from puzzlement to frustration. Mr. Parneros' statement about the failed company sale has lead some publishers to puzzlement and uncertainty about the company's future; while the company's inability to find a continuing CEO leads other publishers to frustration. The post includes suggestions for the company's improvement offered by the publishers interviewed.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Either Mr. Parneros didn't have a confidentiality clause in his contract or he forgot about it when he told about the failed sale of the company."

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 Barnes and Noble

To read Panzer's earlier post about the Parneros lawsuit tootle over to Parneros lawsuit

Will Walmart's eBook Gift Card Effort Succeed? - Bookworks

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Bookworks site. There our speedy kitty pilot found a post about the new Walmart ebook gift cards. Panzer told you about Walmart and Kobo's recent partnership to sell ebooks and ereaders at Walmart stores and at the new online store.

Maybe it will work this time.

Nate Hoffelder's Bookworks post examines Walmart's newest entry into the ebook gift card arena. The post includes a brief history of the ebook gift card. Turns out according to the history that this isn't Walmart's first time selling ebook gift cards. The company first jumped into the market in 2014 in Canadian Walmart stores and continued selling the gift cards into 2017. The history section includes several links to sites for more information about ebook gift cards. The gift cards available in the new U.S. Walmart stores are carried in a special section of the store. Each ebook gift card can only be used for a specific book. The post also includes photos of the store shelves to show how the cards are displayed.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty isn't sure if the ebook gift cards will work except for birthdays and Christmas gifts."

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

To read the post tootle over to Walmart

To read the post about the Walmart and Kobo eBookstore partnership tootle over to Walmart eBookstore

Parneros Sues B&N for Defamation of Character - Publishers Weekly (PW)

As Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today he decided to make a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all our inquisitive kitty discovered a post about Barnes and Noble's former CEO.

According to Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble's former CEO Demos Parneros has sued the company. Panzer told you about the termination of CEO Parneros when it happened in July.  Mr. Parneros states in his lawsuit that the company fired him without caused and defamed his character. It's also stated that Barnes and Noble was going to be sold; but, when the offer was withdrawn, he was fired so Len Riggio could take over the company again. Mr. Parneros also denies any sexual harassment claims. In rebuttal the Barnes and Noble Board of Directors states, Mr. Demos was fired on advise of legal counsel after an internal investigation showed behavior that violated company policy.

But ... You're the one who told everybody.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This is an interesting court case because this kitty hadn't heard anything about sexual harassment until Mr. Parneros brought it up in court."

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

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble Lawsuit

To read the post about Demos Parneros' termination from Barnes and Noble tootle over to Barnes and Noble CEO Termination

Create Space to be Phased Out - Indies Unlimited

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by crying and wailing. Following all the noise took our brave kitty boy to the Indies Unlimited site. There he found a post about Create Space.

I knew it was coming, but I don't like it.

According to the post by K.S. Brooks, Amazon announced today that Create Space is being merged into KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). The email quoted in the post states that Create Space's publishing facilities and employees will still be used, so there should be no change in quality of service. However, a second email quoted in an update at the end of the post states there is an increase in printing costs for shorter UK and EU books. There are links included in the post for more information.

Panzer says, "This little kitty doesn't think Barnes and Noble will be getting his books from Amazon KDP like they have from Create Space to sell in their stores and online. ... So ... He (and you) better learn how to use Ingram to publish and distribute his (your) paperbacks."

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. Oh, and you better bring a tissue to dry your tears at the demise of Create Space.

To read the post tootle over to Createspace

A New Panzerism

Panzer on things are not always what they seem:

I had an accident today.

No, not like a puppy that forgets his responsibilities accident.

No. I was looking in the mirror.

And ...

It was terrible.

There was no cat reflection there. None.

 Instead ...

Big Deal. It's a very small window sill.

I looked like a dog. A dog sniffing at gross stuff on the ground.

It was frightening ... Horrible ... Awful ...

Okay ... Okay ...

So I fell off the window sill.

Amazon to launch in Columbia with customer service center in Bogota - the city paper

It might be fun to take a trip to Columbia.

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the city paper site. With a little digging around our adventuresome kitty boy found a post about Amazon.

According to the post by Jacqueline de Klerk, Amazon is opening a new customer service center in Columbia. The new center will open in Bogota in October. The company plans to hire 600 employees. The post says some employees will have the option to work from home.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Amazon really is a global company."

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 Amazon

Walmart's eBookstore is Launching Today - The Digital Reader

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping and cheering outside. Following all the jocularity took our traveling kitty pilot to The Digital Reader site. With no digging at all he discovered a post about the Walmart and Kobo ebookstore partnership he told you about last month.

Will this one succeed?

According to site owner Nate Hoffelder, Walmart's partnership with Kobo begins today with the opening of the new Walmart eBookstore. The ebookstore will be available from Walmart's website and from Kobo's website. The regular Walmart stores will have a special section to sell Kobo's Aura ereader and gift cards to be used to buy ebooks, audiobooks and subscriptions. Kobo will manage the ebookstore for Walmart. There are several links in the post including two to reports of past failures by others of similar sites.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty is wondering who decides which ebooks get sold in the ebookstore."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you decide to follow all the links, bring two extra cups of tea and half a dozen muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Walmart ebookstore

To read Panzer's earlier post tootle over to Walmart and Kobo

Amazon Damaging Sales of Small Press Books - Lucy A. Snyder Blog

Panzer had hardly made it into the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was shaken and shoved about by growling and hissing. Following all the caterwauling took our brave kitty to Lucy A. Snyder's blog. With no digging at all he discovered a post about an Amazon author crackdown was causing all the trouble.

I'm confused.

According to Lucy A. Snyder's post on her blog, her most recent book has been caught up in the Amazon "Not Available" black hole. Amazon has been cracking down on scamming authors, but, unfortunately, some innocent indie authors and publishers are also being caught in their net as well. Included in the post are quotes from an editor and others who believe Amazon is purposely targeting and punishing them by removing their pre-order sales and making their books "Not Available."

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks this is part of Amazon's rule changes and crackdown on scammers he told you about July."

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 Amazon

To read Panzer's earlier post (that also includes a link to an even earlier post) tootle over to Amazon new rules

A New Panzerism

Panzer on maintaining your dignity:

What's His Name said I need to get glasses.

Have you ever seen a cat in glasses?

Of course not.

Cats look ridiculous in glasses.

Now ...

I do admit ...

I was blowing kisses at that lady raccoon across the street ...

She did have really cute eyes.

But ...

Mom did leave the drawer open where she keeps the catnip.

Black Cat Appreciation Day

Happy   
Black Cat Appreciation Day  
From Panzer the Cat

Amazon to Open Two Bookstores in Denver, Could Buy a Movie Theater Chain - The Digital Reader

Two bookstores in one city.

Panzer had hardly gotten into the Catosphere today when the Panzermobile was buffeted and shaken by the sounds of clapping and cheering. Following all the noise took our brave kitty to The Digital Reader site. With no digging at all he found the post causing all the excitement was about Amazon Books bookstores.

In the post by site owner Nate Hoffelder Panzer learned Amazon is apparently opening two new bookstores in Denver, Colorado. According to the post, one will be in the Parks Meadow mall and one in Cherry Creek. These will be bricks and mortar Amazon Books bookstores. That means the stores will probably follow the other Amazon Books bookstores' layout of bestselling and most popular reader-favorite books and e-devices only.  Also included in the post is information about Amazon's possible acquisition of the Landmark Theaters chain. There are links to the posts where the information about the new bookstores and the movie theater acquisition information came from.

Panzer says, "Movie theaters? ... Hmm ... Maybe Amazon will start a movie production company. ... And I know exactly where they could get some stories about the adventures of a cute little crime-solving kitty."

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

To read the post tootle over to Amazon

'Doesn't believe in contracts': Literary agent sues bestselling author - The Sydney Herald

Today, Panzer took a long leisurely trip in the Catosphere. When he started looking for a place to land the Panzermobile he chose The Sydney Herald site. There our traveling kitty pilot found a post about bestselling Australian author Kate Morton.

According to the post by Angus Thompson, bestselling Australian author Kate Morton is being sued for breach of contract by her former Australian agent. Although they worked together starting in 1999, Kate Morton and the agent, Selwa Anthony, didn't have a signed contract until 2005 when her first novel sold. Their author-agent relationship continued until 2015 when Selwa Anthony was fired. Since Kate Morton now lives in England she has an agent there. Ms. Anthony says she should be receiving a 15 percent commission on royalties from any books she sold for Ms. Morton for as long as the books are on the market. Ms. Morton says she did not understand the contract she signed that way and thought the 15 percent commission was only for her advances on the books. This is a complicated case. Kate Morton has filed a counter-suit which adds to the complications.

My head hurts after reading all that.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty says an author should never, never sign any contract they don't understand and it should be re-examined periodically. Also, an author should get an attorney to explain it to them. Don't ask the agent who wants you to sign it to explain it to you."

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 bestselling author Kate Morton

BenBella Partners with Bestselling Author on E-series - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping and cheering. Following all the jocularity took our inquisitive kitty to the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all he found a post about Homer the blind cat.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, bestselling author Gwen Cooper has entered into an agreement with BenBella Books.  Gwen Cooper, author of Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat, is starting a short story subscription service called Curl Up With a Cat Tale. The service will provide a series of short stories. Six of those stories plus two new ones will be gathered together and published in hardback. There's also an audio book planned.

A service for cat stories? Mom, I want one.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Subscription Service. Short stories. Ebooks. Hardback. Audio book. That's an interesting idea."

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 Gwen Cooper

Reverberations Continue in Donadio & Olson Embezzlement Scandal - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging around in the posts our intrepid kitty reporter found a post about the Donadio and Olson literary agency bookkeeper scandal.

He did it for seven years?

According to Rachel Deahl, the Donadio and Olson literary agency's bookkeeper was just convicted of embezzling from the agency and it's authors. Darrin Webb, the bookkeeper, pleaded guilty to embezzling $3.3 million over seven years. The bookkeeper did this by altering authors' royalty statements and not sending checks based on those statements or altering the statements to show lesser amounts owed and then sending checks for the lesser amount or by not sending royalty statements or checks at all. Apparently, the bookkeeper was able to do this because no one was checking his work. A lawyer is now involved on behave on some of the authors to try to determine what the authors' options are. Included in the post are some things authors who use literary agencies can do to protect themselves from fraud.

Panzer says, "This little kitty would never trust anyone else to be in charge of his finances."

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

To read the post tootle over to Donadio embezzlement

A New Panzerism

Panzer on cat superiority:

One of Mom's friends brought over her new baby today.

Mom and her friend were making all kinds of disgusting noises at the baby.

Then they put the baby on the couch and took this thingie called a diaper off it.

Mom's friend said she couldn't wait to potty train the baby so it could use the toilet.

That got me thinking.

I've seen lots of kittens in my life ...

But ...

Kitten. Diaper. That would be a sight to see.

I've never seen one in a diaper or on a potty seat.

No training needed.

Kittens go straight to the litter box.

 Yet more proof we're just born superior.

Pirating on CreateSpace - Publishers Weekly (PW)

There's all kinds of ways to scam authors.

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. With a little digging around our persistent kitty found a post about CreateSpace.

According to Kenny Brechner, book pirates have been using CreateSpace to print and distribute their stolen books. Mr. Brechner owns a bookstore in Maine and learned about the scam from an author who came into his bookstore. The author's book had been scanned and then printed and distributed through CreateSpace. Upon investigation Mr. Brechner found examples of other stolen books. All the books listed the same pirate named Cecil Eckar as the author. The post includes screen shots showing examples of the pirated books.

Panzer says, "Amazon needs to have better screening for copyright infringement in place at CreateSpace."

Note: Because of the screenshots illustrating the post, 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 Create Space

Indie Authors' Audiobooks Are/Were Getting Dragooned Into Kindle Unlimited Without Permission or Payment - The Digital Reader

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to The Digital Reader site. There our traveling kitty pilot found a post about audio books on Kindle Unlimited.

How do suppose that happened?

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, indie authors have been finding their Audible audio books on Kindle Unlimited (KU). The audio books were included in KU without the authors' permission or knowledge. It also turns out KU has no way to track audio books to pay the authors. Indie authors have been contacting Amazon for three months. Finally, Amazon says it was a glitch that's now been resolved; however, there doesn't appear to be any mention of the money indie authors would be owed for the use of audio books while in KU.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... What computer decided to put audio books into KU without permission?"

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 Kindle Unlimited

Investments Led to Higher Loss at Indigo - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard crying and wailing. Following all the noise took our brave kitty to the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about Indigo Books and Music.

It's just a little loss.

According to Jim Milliot, Indigo Books and Music has announced their quarterly sales and revenue figures. While Indigo's same store sales for the quarter were up over last year, revenue was down. The revenue loss was due to store closures and renovation of others. Indigo expects revenue to increase going forward.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Closing the under performing stores makes sense to this little kitty."

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

To read the post tootle over to Indigo

Happy International Cat Day

Happy International Cat Day!

Or As Panzer Likes To Say

World (Domination) Cat Day

Cities' Offers for Amazon Base Are Secrets to Many City Leaders - The New York Times

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the The New York Times site. There our kitty pilot found a post about Amazon's Headquarters 2 search.

According to the post by Julie Creswell, the search for a location for Amazon's Headquarters 2 (HQ2) is draped in more secrecy than suspected. There are 20 cities in the running for HQ2's location. It turns out, however, that 18 of those 20 city councils and city leadership have no idea what is being offered to get the HQ2. The project bids were put together by groups which aren't required to make the terms available to the public. So, the tax payers in the city which wins the HQ2 bid won't know what it will cost them until they win. Several quotes from different cities' leaders about housing, employees as well as costs are included in the post.

Just reading all that makes me want a nap.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... It's kind of like buying ocean front property in Arizona without ever seeing it."

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

To read the post tootle over to Amazon HQ2

A New Panzerism

Panzer on the mysterious power of cats:

Cats are magical beings.

We spread a warm sense of well-being to those who pet us.

Humans are transformed by us.

When we purr they have to touch us.

They're humans. What do you expect?

It's like pixie dust on them.

Pixie dust ...

Cat dandruff ...

They don't know the difference.

Canadian Sales Stable So Far in 2018 - Publishers Weekly (PW)

Two percent is a lot.

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took our traveling kitty pilot to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There he found a post about Canadian books sales.

According to Ed Nawolka, Canadian book sales numbers have been released for the first half of 2018. Turns out there's been very little change over the same time period in 2017. Minor changes occurred in ebooks which were down 2 percent and audio books which were up 1 percent.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Only a minor change that ebook sales were down 2 percent?"

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 Canadian sales

Author Rachel Ann Nunes Wins Her Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against An Amazon Scammer - Writer Beware

Panzer's didn't even get a chance to rest before he heard clapping and cheering coming from the Catosphere. Hopping in the Panzermobile our speedy kitty followed all the jocularity to the Writer Beware site. With no digging at all he discovered the source of all the noise was the resolution of Rachel Ann Nunes' copyright infringement case.

According to the post at Writer Beware by Victoria Strauss, Rachel Ann Nunes was made aware someone else had uploaded one of her novels to Amazon. This person changed the title and a couple of other small details, but aside from that it was Nunes novel. Nunes went to court and sued for copyright infringement and just won her lawsuit.

Please, no more news. I really need a nap.

Panzer says, "The Writer Beware site is a good source of news about scammers and criminals who target writers."

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

To read the post tootle over to copyright

HMH Trade Sales Down 15% in Q2 - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging in the pile of posts there he discovered one about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH).

Don't sugar-coat it. Just tell the truth.

According to Jim Milliot, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) reported the company's 2018 second quarter trade sales were down 15 percent compared to the same time period in 2017. The company attributed the downturn to lower backlist, ebook and frontlist sales.

Panzer says,  "Hmm ... Lower backlist, ebook and frontlist sales? ... Why don't they just say all our sales were down?"

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

To read the post tootle over to HMH trade sales

Draft2Digital Partners with bibliotheca - Indies Unlimited

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to stop in at the Indies Unlimited site. With a little digging around in the posts there, he found one about Draft2Digital and bibliotheca.

Exactly why are you changing the royalties?

According to the post by Melinda Clayton, Draft2Digital (D2D) and bibliotheca have partnered. D2D already works with Overdrive to distribute their authors' ebooks to libraries. The partnership will allow D2D to offer a better checkout experience for readers. There's also a change to the royalties for library purchases authors will want to read. The post has information about opting into or out of the new programs. There are two links included in the post. One is for information about bibliotheca and the second is for information about D2D's new library pricing page.

Panzer says, "Why do humans have to make things so complicated?"

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and one and half muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, bring two extra muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Draft2Digital