Audiobook Pros Confirm the Customer is Always Right - Publishers Weekly

A lot of changes since AI came on the scene.

Panzer found this post about audiobooks on the Publishers Weekly site. The post is about the Parix Audio Day held in February.

 

Christopher Kenneally's post contains quotes from several of the attendees. Subjects cover the future of subscription services, transparency in the AI narration arena, and the acceptance by different age and gender groups of audiobooks delivery systems. Included in the post are links to other information.

 

 Panzer says, "Audiobooks are really getting complicated."

 

Note: This is a very long post. You'll need to decide what to bring to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to Audiobooks 

Amazon named among the world's most admired companies for the eighth year in a row by 'Fortune' magazine - About Amazon News

I'm ready for this month to be over.

Now, Panzer will be reporting today's news.

 

Amazon is again in the top three most admired companies in the world ranking. In an Amazon staff written post at the Amazon site it's explained that parts of the basis for this ranking are the  company's increase in employee pay and benefits, its involvement in affordable housing and easier pathways to home ownership, and improvements to customer shopping using AI. The post also includes links to information about the criteria.

Panzer says, "Most admired in the whole world?"

Note: Because of the links to other information, this is a very long post. You'll need to decide what to snack on while you read.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon

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

Is Amazon Bugging Authors Into Moving From Createspace to KDP Print - The Digital Reader

Today, Panzer made a quick trip to The Digital Reader site. With a little digging around he found a post about KDP Print and Createspace.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, Amazon's Createspace has developed an annoying habit. Indie authors are reporting receiving copyright verification emails from Createspace. From the example cited it appears even books that were published in foreign languages are fair game for the emails. Whether harassing authors with these verification emails is Amazon's plan to push authors over to Amazon's KDP Print or not is still unclear; but, the copyright verification emails are definitely annoying to authors.

Makes no sense to this little kitty.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The author in the example says they got 18 emails so far this year. ... Wow. ... I thought Amazon was all about customer service. ... Amazon owns Createspace. ... Authors use Createspace printing service. ... Authors are customers. ... Where's the customer service?"

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

To read the post tootle over to KDP Print and Createspace

We visited Amazon and Barnes & Noble bookstores to see who does it better - and the winner is clear - Business Insider

Today Panzer's trip into the Catosphere was an interesting one. Our traveling kitty reporter made a stop at the Business Insider site. With a little digging he uncovered a post that contains a comparison of Amazon with Barnes and Noble.

According to Mark Matousek, he visited an Amazon bookstore and a Barnes and Noble bookstore in New York City to see which provided a better book-buying customer experience. He compared store layouts, book selections, book displays, ease of store use, and other features customers would be interested in. Based on his observations and experiences in both stores Mr. Matousek determined Barnes and Noble is the winner. There are several photos taken inside both stores to illustrate various points in the post.

Where are the customers?

Panzer says, "If visiting a Barnes and Noble bookstore is a better environment for buyers and provides a better customer experience than an Amazon bookstore, this little kitty wants to know why Barnes and Noble is struggling?"

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

To read the post tootle over to Amazon Books vs Barnes and Noble

An Author's Guide to Sweet-Talking Amazon - The Digital Reader

11 Days Until Christmas

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

The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder's post is about how ebook authors should approach Amazon when a problem arises. The post quotes extensively from former Amazon employee Greg Hullender. According to Mr. Hullender, since Amazon is a customer focused organization it's in an author's best interests to deal with their problem keeping that the focus of their request to the company. Also included in the post is a link to Amazon's Leadership Principles which begins with the customer focus statement and describes all the leadership qualities necessary to work for Amazon.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Always put the customer first so you don't get put on Santa's naughty list."

Note: This is a short-medium post. Bring a cup of tea and one and a half muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the link to read Amazon's Leadership Principles, bring a half a thermos of tea and three muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon