No Post Today

 Panzer here. No post today.

 

Mom and What's His Name are busy watching the news. The guy on the news said that virus thingy got into some White House place and got the people there sick.

Authors & Zoom - Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris

It's been a while since Panzer has been at Anne R. Allen's Blog, so he decided to stop there today. Boy is he glad he did. At the blog he found a post about doing livestream author presentations.

It's not easy being on camera.

According to the post by Nate Hoffelder from The Digital Reader, authors need to be prepared to do online author events. With the continuation of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in-person events are no longer advisable. To fill the void authors are doing livestream events using Zoom (Tm). In the post Hoffelder covers how to be a guest or the host of the event. Also included are tips on using slides, on preparation for the author, the moderator and/or the assistant. There are also links to other posts by Hoffelder about doing podcasts which are similar to author livestream events.

Panzer says, "Be sure to read the Comments after the post. There's some interesting information there."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a large glass of lemonade and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, bring a thermos of iced tea and six muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Zoom

Trade-Published Romance Sees a Coronavirus Boost in the States - Publishing Perspectives

As Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today, he heard kissy, smoochy noises coming from outside. Following all the lovey dovey noises took him to the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging in the posts he found one about the current state of the romance market in the U.S. during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

According to the post by Porter Anderson, romance has been on everyone's mind since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first five months of 2020 romance ebook sales increased 17 percent for trade book publishers. This was during the time the coronavirus was first detected in the U.S. and then as it began ramping up and states began lockdowns. Not only did romance ebook sales increase, but romance print book sales did as well. The post includes the top trade published romance books in both ebook and print formats. There are several links to more information about ebook and print book sales during the pandemic.

I prefer to look outside for love.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Apparently humans were looking for love in safe places."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a thermos of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow all the links in the post, bring three thermoses of tea, two dozen muffins and your dinner.

To read the post tootle over to Romance publishing sales

Eason to close its seven Northern Ireland stores - The Bookseller

Panzer hasn't been to The Bookseller site for a while, so he decided to make a quick stop there today. With no digging at all our adventuresome kitty found a post about the Eason bookstore chain.

I hate it.

According to Mark Chandler's post, Eason is closing all seven of its Northern Ireland bookstores. The stores have been closed since March because of Covid-19 and will not re-open. The company blames sagging store sales worsened by the coronavirus (Covid-19) for the closures. Eason's 53 bookstores in Ireland have already re-opened and won't be affected by the Northern Ireland closures.

Panzer says, "That virus thingy is still causing trouble."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Eason Northern Ireland bookstores

Seattle-area booksellers, moved by community support During coronovirus shutdown, say 'indie bookstores will thrive again' - The Seattle Times

Today Panzer decided to make his trip in the Catosphere closer to home (he lives in Washington state), so he stopped in at The Seattle Times Newspaper site. (The city of Seattle is located in Washington state.) With just a little digging in the posts, our inquisitive kitty boy found one about how indie bookstores are doing in the Seattle-area (Washington) with the coronavirus pandemic state-ordered shutdown.

According to the post by Moira Macdonald, Seattle-area (Seattle, Redmond and Mercer Island) independent bookstores are finding creative ways to continue to sell books. Bookstores are adding shopping carts to their websites so buyers can order their books online. Books are then either mailed to the buyer or can be picked up curbside outside the bookstore.  People are also calling in their book orders for mail or pickup. Book buyers are buying from their neighborhood indie bookstores to help keep them from closing permanently.

Don't worry. They'll be open soon.

Panzer says, "The neighborhood bookstore is where humans can go and hold a book in their hands. That's important to a lot of humans."

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 Seattle-area bookstores

Booksellers Face Difficult Decisions When Reopening Stores - Publishers Weekly

Today Panzer decided to make a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all in the posts our brave kitty boy found a post about bookstores reopening.

Workers are paid to stay home now.

The post by Ed Nawotka is about what will happen as states relax the stay at home rules for the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and bookstores begin to reopen.  The post quotes extensively from bookstore owner Donna Paz about what she believes will be the extent of decisions owner will need to make before the reopen. Owners will need to decide how many hours to operate, how many and which employees to hire back, and how to have employees interact with customers. She also addresses if employees will even be ready to return to work and interact with customers. Also, customers may not be ready to shop in stores as they did before the pandemic.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Workers may not want to come back to work until they're sure this virus thingy is gone."

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

To read the post tootle over to bookstores

Coronavirus Update: The UK Scraps Its 20-percent VAT on Digital Books - Publishing Perspectives

Panzer was taking a well-deserved nap, when he was shaken from his kitty bed by clapping and cheering. Hopping in the Panzermobile, our intrepid traveling kitty headed into the Catosphere. Following all the jocularity took him to the Publishing Perspectives site. There with no digging at all he discovered a post about the UK's (United Kingdom) VAT was causing all the noise.

Woo Hoo! The tax is gone!

According to Porter Anderson's post, as of today (May 1) the UK's VAT (value added tax) on digital products is gone. This means ebooks, e-journals and e-newspapers are no longer subject to the 20 percent VAT. This is a windfall for the UK's citizens who are stuck at home because of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and reading ebooks and e-newspapers is one of their only entertainments.

Panzer says, "Finally. Something good came out of this virus thingy."

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 UK digital books VAT

Coronavirus: Germay Is To Follow Italy in Potential Bookstore Openings - Publishing Perspectives

What do you think? Too soon? Just right?

Today, Panzer made a quick stop at the Publishing Perspective site. There with some digging in the posts he found one about the limited re-opening of Germany's bookstores.

According to a post by Porter Anderson, Germany is easing coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions by allowing small bookstores to open again. There are some restrictions on the bookstore patrons, such as social distancing will still be in place in the store. Germany is following Italy's relaxing of restrictions on bookstores.

Panzer says, "This is also a report about Covid-19 in Europe; so other news continues after the German bookstore announcement."

Note: This is a very long post. If you plan to only read about German bookstores, bring a cup of tea and a muffin. If, however, you plan to read the whole post, bring a quart of tea and four muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Germany's bookstores

B&N Temporarily Closes 400 Outlets - Publishers Weekly

Mom. Can I come out now.

Panzer decided to make a quick trip to the Publishers Weekly site today. With no digging at all our resourceful kitty found a post about how Barnes and Noble bookstores are responding to the Coronavirus (Covid-19).

According to the post by Jim Milliot, due to the Coronavirus pandemic 400 Barnes and Noble bookstores have closed to foot traffic. This means shoppers are no longer allowed in the stores. Some Barnes and Noble bookstores, however, now have curbside pickup available. This allows shoppers who order their books online to then pick them up at a local Barnes and Noble bookstore.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... That means a lot of bookstore workers lost their jobs. ... Wait! ... Amazon is hiring warehouse people!"

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 Barnes and Noble bookstores

Industry Resource Lists: Publishers' Response Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic - Publishing Perspectives

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the quiet of the Catosphere, he decided to make a stop at the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging in the posts he found one about publishers response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

There's no place to get away.

According to Porter Anderson's post, to address the impact of Covid-19 on the publishing and bookselling industries the Publishers Association (PA) of British publishers and the Association of American Publishers (AAP) of American publishers have stepped forward. Both organizations have created pages on their site making information available to and about publishers and booksellers. The Publishers Association page even lists agencies and locations where publishers, booksellers and individuals can access funding for businesses impacted by Covid-19. The Association of American Publishers page lists the help publishers are making available to schools, teachers and students impacted by Covid-19. The post includes links to both organizations' pages.

Panzer says, "That virus thingy is really causing trouble everywhere."

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 publishers resource pages

Book distributer Ingram continues to operate during coronavirus shutdowns ... but should it? - TeleRead

Panzer decided to make a quick stop at the TeleRead site today. With no digging at all out brave kitty boy found a post about Ingram Content Group continuing operations during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Of course books are essential.

According to TeleRead's Chris Meadows, Ingram Content Group has been designated an essential business and allowed to remain in operation during the Covid-19 outbreak. Ingram is a major book distributor in the U.S. In the post Chris Meadows discusses the pros and cons of the essential business designation for book distribution. He quotes extensively from a Publishers Weekly post about Ingram Content Group and the designation. By the end of the post it appears he agrees with the decision book distribution is an essential part of the supply chain. There's a link to the Publishers Weekly site included in the post.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The only humans who don't think books are essential are the ones who don't know how to read."

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

To read the post tootle over to Ingram

Free Audible Audiobooks During Covid-19 Outbreak

They can read a story to me.

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping and cheering outside the Panzermobile. It's been a while since he's heard anything happy so he decided to follow the jocularity. Our inquisitive kitty boy discovered it was at the Audible site.

Audible is making some children's, young adult and classic audio books available for free. The audio stories will be free as long as schools are closed due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. The audios are available in six languages, including English, French, German, Italian and two more. There's no signup needed. Just find an audio book you like, click on it and click to listen. So, if you're looking for entertainment for your children or yourself (if you like the classics), here's your chance.

To listen to the Audible audio books tootle over to Free Audible

Strange Days - George R.R. Martin

Today Panzer decided to check in at fantasy author George R.R. Martin's site Not A Blog. If you're a fantasy fan you'll know he's the author behind the TV series Game of Thrones.

It's not allowed in my yard.

According to his post, fantasy author Martin has gone into self-isolation because of the coronavirus (Covid-19). He's doing fine, but is in the high risk group based on his age and preexisting health issues. He's spending his time writing. He has closed his theater and classes, but his bookstore is still open both physically and online. There's even a link to the bookstore included in the post.

Panzer says, "When What's His Name was whining about being bored, I heard Mom tell him, 'We all have to do what we have to do to stay safe.'"

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

To read the post tootle over to Strange Days

All the Free Livestream Concerts to Watch While Stuck at Home - sheknows

The future does look brighter.

Panzer was in the Catosphere today and he found the sheknows site. There he discovered the concerts musicians livestreamed a couple of days ago for people who are stuck at home because of the cornoravirus (Covid-19)..

Concerts at the site are performed by Keith Urban, John Legend, Pink and others. Some are only one song, but others are half an hour long concerts.

Panzer says, "Here in Washington state where we live, the governor said to work from home and not go out unless necessary. So, Mom and What's His Name need stuff to do."

To watch and listen to the music tootle over to Keith Urban, John Legend and more livestream