Publishers warn of increasing visa trouble for authors - The Bookseller

Today, Panzer made a trip to The Bookseller site. With no digging at all our traveling kitty boy found a post about trouble visiting authors are having getting visas.

Cats don't need visas to go anywhere.

The post by Heloise Wood concerns the problems authors are having getting their visa applications okayed to enter certain countries. Specifically mentioned are India, Gaza and the UK. There are extensive quotes from representatives from Comma Press and Saqi Books concerning the inability of their authors and an illustrator to get visas to enter the UK and India.

Panzer says, "This little kitty wonders what will happen with author visas after Brexit."

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 author visa problems

Man and the Prize: Reactions to the Booker Losing a Sponsor - Publishing Perspectives

Panzer had hardly entered the Catosphere today when the Panzermobile was buffeted and shaken by crying and shouting. Following all the noise took our brave kitty to the Publishing Perspectives site. There he found a post about the Man Booker Prize.

According to the Publishing Perspectives Editor-in-Chief Porter Anderson, there's a lot of consternation caused by the Man Group's withdrawal of their sponsorship of the Man Booker Prize(s). There is speculation about what caused the Man Group to withdraw it's sponsorship. Some believe it was due to opening the Prize to American authors. There is also speculation about who might become a new sponsor and, then, what the new name for the Prize would be. There are several Twitter tweets included in the post.

Bring a sleeping bag too.

Panzer says, "It will be interesting to see who steps in to replace the Man Group."

Note:This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea, a dozen muffins and three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Booker Prize

Wattpad, the Storytelling App, Will Launch a Publishing Division - The New York Times

They pick from Wattpad only.

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping and cheering. Following all the hoopla took our adventuresome kitty boy to The New York Times site. With a little digging in the posts he found one about Wattpad.

According to the post, Wattpad has announced the formation of Wattpad Books. The new publication arm will look to material uploaded to the Wattpad site for possible publication. The company has already chosen 6 uploaded stories for book publication later this year.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The post says the author gets an advance and royalties."

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

To read the post tootle over to Wattpad Books

A New Panzerism

Stay drowsy. Life's better. *

Panzer on the ancient feline art of studying the back side of your eyelids:

Life is what happens when you wake up

and can't go back to sleep ...

It's over-rated.



*From Cat Wisdom for humans

The Writers' Union of Canada Condemns The Internet Archive's Pirate Site, "The Open Library" - The Digital Reader

Panzer's nap this afternoon was interrupted when he was shaken from his kitty bed by crying and howling coming from the Catosphere. Hopping into the Panzermobile, he went to see what all the hullabaloo was about. Following the noise took him to The Digital Reader site where he found a post about the Writers' Union of Canada.

Is there a way to shut these guys down?

Site owner Nate Hoffelder's post says the Writers' Union of Canada has joined the Authors Guild of the U.S. and the Society of Authors of the U.K. in condemning the Internet Archive's "The Open Library" site for its copyright infringement practices. The Internet Archive scans books and uses its "The Open Library" site to dispense those books to readers for free. Neither the Internet Archive nor "The Open Library" are responding to authors' demands to stop dispensing their books and remove them from the sites. There are several links included in the post.

Panzer says, "There are a lot of these pirate sites around. The Internet Archive's "The Open Library" just does it right in front of everybody. They want everybody to know they're pirates, because then the people who want to steal books know where to go."

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 Writers' Union of Canada

To read Panzer's previous post about the Internet Archive's "The Open Library"  tootle over to Authors Guild and Society of Authors

Hallmark to Publish Audiobooks - Publishers Weekly

This little kitty loves audio books.

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. There our traveling kitty boy found a post about Hallmark Publishing.

According to the post by John Maher, Hallmark Publishing has announced the company's entry into audiobook publishing. Hallmark Publishing and Dreamscape Media will work together to produced the audiobooks. A Valentine's Day story is the first audiobook set for release February 12. The post contains quotes from a press release by Hallmark Publishing about the partnership.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The post has a list of four sites to buy the audiobooks. The list includes Audible and three others."

Note: This is a short-medium length post. (Or long-short length post, if you prefer.) Bring a cup of tea and half a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Hallmark audiobooks

Barnes & Noble Launches Ad Portal in B&N Press - The Digital Reader

Panzer made a quick trip to The Digital Reader site today. With a little digging in the posts he found one about Barnes and Noble.

Just like Amazon's ads.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, Barnes and Noble has added a self-serve advertising portal to their B and N Press site. Authors/publishers can now buy ads to have their books appear with other books in the same genre using the same keywords. The company has also made improvements to the site's What's New Page. Links are included in the post to these pages on the B and N Press site. There are also quotes from a Barnes and Noble email included in the post.

Panzer says, "The email also says B and N Press accepts Irish authors now."

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

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Authors Guild and Society of Authors Allege Copyright Infringement by the Internet Archive - Publishing Perspectives

Today, Panzer had barely entered the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was shaken and buffeted by yelling and crying. Following all the noise took our brave kitty boy to the Publishing Perspectives site. There he found a post about the Internet Archive.

Never leave anything laying around.

According to Porter Anderson, the Authors Guild and the Society of Authors have issued letters telling the Internet Archive's Open Library to stop scanning and loaning copies of physical books without the copyright owners' permission. Copyright owners receive no payment for the use of their books by the Internet Archive. Both author organizations claim copyright infringement. The Society of Authors has threatened legal action if the Internet Archive's Open Library doesn't stop their practice by February 1.

Panzer says, "There's an old cat saying, 'Humans will steal anything, so always hide your toys.'"

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

To read the post tootle over to Authors Guild and Society of Authors

A New Panzerism

Good isn't my strong suit.

Panzer on wealth:

If I had a dollar for every time What's His Name said , "What a good kitty you are," ...

I'd be a very poor kitty.

The prince of punching up: why Stephen King rules Twitter - The Guardian

Panzer was tootling around in the Panzermobile in the Catosphere when he suddenly heard chuckling and clapped ahead. Following all the noise took our inquisitive kitty to The Guardian site. With no digging at all he discovered a post about Stephen King was causing all the hoopla.

I've been on Twitter longer than he has.

According to Sian Cain, bestselling horror author Stephen King now rules Twitter. He used his over 5 million Twitter followers to save the book review column in the Portland Press Herald (Maine) newspaper. That's not all. He tweets about what he's watching on TV and movies that he likes and what he's reading that he likes. He says he doesn't tweet about what he doesn't like. He does make one exception mentioned in the post, but you'll have to read the post to find out about it.

Panzer says, "Mom and I follow him on Twitter. He's pretty funny sometimes."

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

To read the post tootle over to Stephen King

Barnes & Noble Removes Nook Signage From Stores - The Digital Reader

Mom has the app on her tablet.

Panzer decided to make a quick visit to The Digital Reader site today. There our kitty boy found a post about Barnes and Noble's Nook.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder on a stop at his local Barnes and Noble bookstore he discovered the signs advertising Nooks were removed. The company is still selling the Nook, but there are no signs. The post also makes mention of the fact that according to sales reports Nook sales are down. As an aside it's pointed out that the newer Barnes and Noble bookstores have a smaller footprint too. Be sure to read the Comments section. There are some interesting observation there.

Panzer says, "Umm ... But he didn't ask why they took the advertising down."

Note: This is a long-short length post. Bring a cup of cocoa for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes Noble Nook

Holiday Comps Rose 4.0% at B&N - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer made a trip to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging around our traveling kitty boy found a post about Barnes and Noble's holiday sales figures.

I knew they could do it.

According to Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble CEO Len Riggio reported an increase in holiday sales for the company's stores. Barnes and Noble same store holiday sales comparing 2017 to 2018 rose 4 percent. This was due in part to increased advertising by the company in 2018. The company's order online-pickup in store feature also contributed to the increased sales figures.

Panzer says, "This little kitty knew the order online-pickup in store feature would help sales because it's faster (just search the website) and less expensive (no shipping charges)."

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 sales

A New Panzerism

Panzer on reconciling your human to their place in the cat universe:

One thing I know for sure ...

When Mom says something ...

I believe it.

Because she says it's true ...

And ... She actually thinks I'll do it. *

And ...

She says she's always right.

Then ...

I do whatever I want.



* From Cat Wisdom for humans

PublishDrive Launches an eBook Production Tool - The Digital Reader

Convert a file? Easy peasy.

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to The Digital Reader site. With a little digging in the posts our inquisitive kitty found a post about PublishDrive.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, PublishDrive has announced a new converter for use converting docx files to epub and mobi files. You don't need to be a registered PublishDrive user to use the converter. The original press release is included in the post as well as a link to the converter page.

Panzer says, "This little kitty will be using this converter."

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

To read the post tootle over to PublishDrive

What I Learned from Visiting B&N Stores - Publishers Weekly

Panzer made a quick trip into the Catosphere today. Our speedy kitty's travels took him to the Publishers Weekly site. There with a little digging around he found a post about Barnes and Noble.

We all want to help Barnes and Noble.

According to author Robin Barone, she visited 100 Barnes and Noble stores. In her visits she identified things she believes could  help the company increase book sales. The post is divided into five sections. Each section contains a suggestion of how to improve customer service. The customer service suggestions range from knowledgeable and likable sales people to making customers aware of the order online and pickup in store feature. The post has some interesting observations about her experiences visiting all those stores.

Panzer says, "This little kitty already told you about the order online and pickup in the store feature."

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

To read the post tandootle over to Barnes and Noble

Top Ten Publishing Industry Trends Every Author Needs To Know in 2019 - Written Word Media

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Written Word Media site. With just a little digging around in the posts our inquisitive kitty boy found one about publishing trends for 2019.

I'll one busy kitty this year.

Written Word Media founder Ricci Wolman has posted about 2019's publishing industry trends.  With information gained from surveying readers, writers and publishers she has put together a list of trends indie authors/publishers need to take advantage of in the coming year. The list begins with an examination of the Amazon Marketing Service (AMS). The need for good editing and audio books are also examined as well as seven other trends.

Panzer says, "Yesterday we looked at Mark Coker's predictions for 2019 and today we look at Ricci Wolman's trends for 2019. Put the two together and you've got a head on your plan for the year."

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

To read the post tootle over to publishing industry trends

2019 Book Industry Predictions: The Butterflies Will Flap Their Wings - Smashwords Blog

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere he decided to make a stop at the Smashwords Blog. With no digging at all our traveling kitty found a post about Mark Coker's book publishing predictions for 2019.

He says Amazon is really bad for authors.

Smashwords founder Mark Coker begins the post with information about indie authors, the glut of ebooks on the market and Amazon's author business practices. Most of the information about Amazon concerns the company's perceived exploitation of indie authors and their ebooks. The section makes up approximately half the post. This is followed by a section of Mark Coker's annual predictions for ebook publishing in 2019. There are nine divisions in this section beginning with the need for authors to join the audio book market and ending with the effect of a possible recession on the sale of indie ebooks.

Panzer says, "There's a lot of interesting information in the predictions."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea and a thermos of cocoa and two dozen muffins and a dozen chocolate chip cookies (biscuits). Be sure to bring a sleeping bag for a nap in the middle of today's reading selection. 

To read the post tootle over to  Smashwords 2019 Book Industry Predictions:

A New Panzerism

Panzer on the stupid gene:

What's His Name told Mom he was tired of me scratching up the corner of the living room carpet.

So ...

He bought a scratching post at the pet store.

And ...

Like I always say, "Stupid is as Stupid does."

He setup the scratching post in the corner of the living room carpet.

Now, I ask you ...

Which does he expect me to use?