Amazon Publishing Books Faring Better on Amazon's New Bestseller Lists - Publishers Weekly

One of Mom's friends is sick and in the hospital, so Panzer's trip into the Catosphere was short today. Our speedy kitty boy made a quick stop at the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about Amazon's weekly bestseller lists Amazon Charts.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, Amazon published books are placing higher on Amazon Charts than they are on other bestseller lists. It appears this happens because Amazon includes paperback books, hardback books, audio books, and ebooks in its sales totals for Amazon Charts' bestseller list, while the other bestseller lists either don't include ebook sales or only include various combinations of the others.

Amazon books on Amazon Charts?

Panzer says, "When Amazon announced Amazon Charts, this little kitty did tell you that Amazon books/authors would have an advantage."

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

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon books

To read Panzer's original post about Amazon Charts, tootle over to Amazon bestseller lists

Amazon Workplace Woes

Is the money worth it?

Panzer was awakened from his nap today by the gnashing of teeth and snarling. Following the sound, our big brave boy found himself at the Publishers' Weekly site. It didn't take him long to find out what all the howling was about.

According to a post by Rachel Deahl, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in Congress, paid a visit to Amazon's headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Ms. Pelosi went there in reference to a New York Times article by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld about Amazon's treatment and training of their white collar workers. The NYT article has quotes from employees (both current and former) concerning their employment there.

Panzer says, "Why do you work there if you don't like it?

Note: There are several links included in Ms. Deahl's Publishers' Weekly post so, if you intend to read them all, bring a h-u-g-e cup of tea.

To read the full post, tootle over to Amazon workplace

European Commission Investigating Amazon

Hmmmv. Protect your own business.

Panzer hit the Catosphere at Cat Warp Speed today. Our kitty boy stopped at the Publishers' Weekly to dig around at the site looking for news for you.

According to a post by Jim Milliot, Amazon is in the European crosshairs again. The European Commission is investigating if Amazon is preventing competition from European ebook distributors through Amazon's contracts with ebook publishers.

Panzer says, "If it's not Amazon's taxes, it's their publisher contracts. What are they going to investigate next?"

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post, so bring a b-i-g cup of tea.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon Ebook Probe

Bookmate Adds 200,000 English Language Ebooks

200,000 new ebooks!

Panzer was out in the Catosphere today when he found a post at Publishers' Weekly of interest to his friends in Russia and Eastern Europe looking for English language ebooks.

My little sleepy kitty discovered that according to Calvin Reid's post, Russian ebook subscription company Bookmate is adding 200,000 English language ebooks to their service. They signed agreements with two distributors and several publishers. The total number of ebooks available through the company is believed to be 500,000.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... And you won't even need access to Amazon."

To read the post, tootle over to Bookmate

Amazon's Grandinetti Speaks At DBW

I'm above the fray.

Panzer followed some whispering voices through the Catosphere to the Publishers' Weekly site. Our big black kitty reporter found an enlightening post by Calvin Reid there. If you're adept at reading between the lines like our kitty boy is, there's some interesting information in the post.

According to Mr. Reid, Amazon's Russ Grandinetti was at Digital Book World. Mr. Grandinetti was questioned by DBW representatives about the author unhappiness with Kindle Unlimited. Specifically, authors are dismayed by their diminished royalties since joining KU. According to Mr. Grandinetti, changes have been made to address the authors' issues.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... If the issues have been addressed, why are authors still leaving the program?"

Warning: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post and also has information on the Hachette contract, Amazon's size, and other subscription platforms.

To read the post, tootle over to Grandinetti speaks at DBW

Barnes & Noble Buys Nook Stake

I wonder. Will it? or Won't it?

When Panzer went out in the Catosphere today he discovered that while he was buying presents for the holidays, Barnes & Noble was busy buying their own present.

Turns out according to Jim Milliot of Publishers' Weekly, B&N was busy buying Pearson's holdings in Nook Media. B&N now owns 100% of Nook Media. This will allow B&N to spin off the Nook Media portion as a separate entity in the near future.

Panzer says, "Hmmm. I wonder, can Nook survive on its own?"

To read the full post, tootle over to B&N buys Nook stake

Apple E-book Price-fixing Appeal Continues

Just admit it.

Panzer got up from his noon nap today to bright sunshine. My adventuresome kitty hopped into the Panzermobile. Unfortunately, when he got into the Catosphere he ran into a hail of crying and yowling. Following all the noise got him to the Publishers' Weekly site. There he found a post by Andrew Albanese about Apple's upcoming appeal of their loss in their price-fixing case.

Back on December 2 my kitty reporter told you about Apple's appeal. The appeal will be heard before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on December 15. In his post Mr. Albanese addresses the issues Apple's attorneys will argue to convince the court to overturn Judge Denise Cote's verdict in the original case. Then he addresses the Department of Justice's rebuttal to those issues.

Panzer says, "Just take the money you're giving your attorneys and pay it to the ebook buyers. It would save you a lot of money in the long run."

Warning: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post and you'll need more than one cup of tea to read the whole thing.

To read the post, tootle over to Apple E-book Appeal

Barnes & Noble and Microsoft Agree To Divorce

Being good is really, really hard.

Panzer took a trip to the Publishers' Weekly site to check out a whispered rumor he heard today.

According to a post by Jim Milliot my big good black kitty found there, Barnes & Noble and Microsoft have agreed to an amicable divorce. Mr. Milliot says B&N will buy out Microsoft's investment in Nook Media. B&N will then be free to divest itself of Nook Media. Nook Media owns Nook and the college book stores section of B&N.

Panzer says, "Can Nook survive as a standalone?"

To read the full post, tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Apple December E-book Appeal

Panzer took some time off from his Christmas shopping to stop in at the Publishers' Weekly site. He found a post there by Andrew Albanese about Apple's appeal of their price-fixing case.

Making a list; checking it twice ...

Apple lost the price-fixing case back in 2013. At that time Judge Denise Cote ruled for the Department of Justice that Apple had participated in price-fixing of ebooks. Apple's appeal is based on what they say was circumstantial evidence used by Judge Cote in making her decision. The appeal will be heard on December 15.

Panzer says, "Boy, Apple's attorneys are making a litter box full of money on this case. It's been dragging on for years."

Be warned: There are several links included in the PW post, so you better have a b-i-g cup of tea.

To read the post, tootle over to Apple Ebook Appeal

Past NaNoWriMo Participants Give Tips

I'll never catch up on my naps.

Panzer has been busy working on this year's NaNoWriMo novel. My bad boy thought you all might be interested in reading Daniel Leffert's Publishers' Weekly post. Mr. Leffert has interviews with Jason M. Hough, Hugh Howey, Marissa Meyer, Karen Harrington, and Gennifer Albin. All are former NaNoWriMo participants who went on to publish novels.

Panzer says, "34,000 words done. Only 16,000 words left before November 30. Me-OW-OW-OW!"

To read the full post, tootle over to NaNoWriMo

Samsun Galaxy Tab 4 Nook (Part 2)

Do I want one or not?

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today looking for interesting news to tell you about.

My big bad black kitty boy told you earlier this week about the new large screen Nook. Well, today he found a post by Clare Swanson at the Publishers' Weekly site about the reviews of the new Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. In her post, Ms. Swanson has a roundup of the reviews by CNet, ZDNet, Tech Radar and Good EReader.

The general consensus seems to be that the new Galaxy is basically no different than the Android tablet. The only two differences are the $200 worth of Barnes and Noble content available with the new Galaxy and the customer support available at their bookstores.

Panzer says, "There is a link to each of the review sites included, so you can make up your own mind if it's worth the $300 price tag."

To read the post, tootle over to Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook

Apple Asks Court For Reversal

Finally! Maybe I can get a nap now.

Yaay! Panzer can hardly believe his luck. He was digging around at Publisher's Weekly today and found something besides the Amazon-Hachette dispute in the news there.

According to a post by Andrew Albanese, Apple has asked the Second Circuit Court to reverse the decision of Apple's price-fixing conviction by Judge Cote. Apple argues that the Department of Justice (DoJ) got their information all wrong and Judge Cote made the wrong decision.

Panzer says, "Hmmm. So everybody is wrong except Apple. Interesting defense."

If you want to read Apple's argument to the court, tootle over to Apple pleads for reversal

Hachette Turns Down Amazon's Author Offer

Will it ever end?

Panzer followed the Amazon-Hachette yowling again today and wound up at Publisher's Weekly's blog.

Now the dispute is whether or not Amazon and Hachette should give author's 100 percent of the royalties from ebook sales while the big boys are fighting in the sandbox. After you read Publisher's Weekly's post, read the arguing going on in the comments section.

To read the newest in the Amazon-Hachette contract dispute, tootle over to Amazon's latest proposal

Barnes and Noble To Spin-Off Nook

What's next?

Panzer was out in the Catosphere today to see what all the latest yowling was about. He followed all the noise to the Publisher's Weekly site. All the caterwauling is about the newest announcement from Barnes and Noble and their Nook plans.

Barnes and Noble's Board of Directors has decided to split the company into two companies. The retail bookstores will be one company and the Nook and college text books will become a separate company. The announcement of the split came with the release of the year-end sales figures that showed a 6.7% decline.

This spinoff of the Nook shouldn't really be a surprise to Panzer's friends here. It comes on top of Barnes and Noble's previous announcements of the deal with Samsung to co-brand a tablet and that they were leaving the audiobook market. Panzer told you about these two announcements earlier this month. And back in March he told you about their cuts to the Nook division.

Panzer says, "Are they trying to kill the Nook with a slow and painful death?"

If you want to read what Barnes and Noble's latest move for the Nook is, tootle over to Nook news

From Wattpad to Simon and Schuster: A Novel's Success Story

That will buy a lot of kitty treats.

Panzer was out in the Catosphere today and stopped in at Publishers Weekly.

Our bad cat boy reporter (try saying that fast!) found a success story that novelists who use Wattpad, or are thinking about using it, need to read.

Anna Todd uploaded her three volume novel to Wattpad last year and has now gathered 800 million reads. Yes, you read that right. 800 million! The novel(s) were put out for auction and Simon and Schuster won with a six figure bid.

Panzer says, "You should consider uploading your work to Wattpad.  Your FREE work could make you a lot of money."

If you want to read the post, tootle over to Anna Todd Wattpad novels

3 Steps To Indie Publishing Success

It's magic!

Panzer found a great indie publishing success story over at the Publishers Weekly site, The post is about how Jen McLaughlin reached indie success and the New York Times E-Book Bestseller List with her romance Out of Line.

According to Ms. McLaughlin, she followed three steps to her success.

The steps were:
1. Hire an Editor
2. Hire a Designer
3. Hire a Publicist

Those three steps are ones we can all put to work for us.

If you want the full details about the three magic steps to indie success, tootle over to indie success story

Diesel eBooks Closing

Is Amazon winning?

Panzer was over at Publisher's Weekly today and found a disturbing post.

PW reports that Diesel eBooks Store is closing its virtual doors on March 31. All customers are being notified to download their ebooks from their libraries by then.

Panzer say, "I'm sorry to see another store close, so soon after the Sony closures. Maybe Amazon is winning."

The post at PW has a link to the original Diesel announcement.

If you want to read PW's post, tootle over to Diesel eBooks

Microsoft Consumer Reader Coming?

What is Microsoft Consumer Reader?

Panzer was out looking for updates on Barnes and Noble's Nook today. Instead he found a post at Publishers Weekly about Barnes and Noble and Microsoft's contract changes. One of the changes will release Barnes and Noble from the need to develop Nook Windows apps.  And ... one ... of the changes will allow Microsoft to sell Nook content on their Consumer Reader.

Panzer says, "Now the big question is: What is the Microsoft Consumer Reader? An app? An e-reader? What?"

To read the full post, tootle over to Microsoft Consumer Reader?

Hugh Howey and the Indie Revolt

Can't a cat get some sleep?

Panzer got pulled of out his nap by CATerwauling in the Catosphere this morning. My bad boy gets really irritable if he doesn't get his sleep!

So ... he went out in the Panzermobile to see what was going on this time.

It turns out the Ebook Earnings Report post by Hugh Howey has been causing big discussions (arguments) out in the Catosphere. Publishers' Weekly got into it by having Mark Coker of Smashwords write a post for them.

Panzer says, "Mark has a very common sense approach to all the hoopla. It's well worth the read, but v-e-r-y l-o-n-g."

If you want to read Mark Coker's take on Indie and Traditional Publishing, tootle over to Indie vs. Traditional.

MWA Edgar Nominees Announced

No indies?

Panzer was out in the Catosphere today and found some Happy Cat news at the Publishers Weekly site.

He wants everyone to know this years' MWA nominees for the Edgar novel category.

Best Novel

Sandrine’s Case by Thomas H. Cook (Grove Atlantic – The Mysterious Press)

The Humans by Matt Haig (Simon & Schuster)

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (Simon & Schuster – Atria Books)

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)

Standing in Another Man’s Grave by Ian Rankin (Hachette Book Group – Reagan Arthur Books)

Until She Comes Home by Lori Roy (Penguin Group USA – Dutton Books)

If you're interested in the nominees in all categories, tootle over to 2014 Edgar Nominees Announced