New! Create and sell your digital products directly in MailerLite - Blog

We're having a heatwave here.

Here's a new feature Panzer found to sell ebooks on the MailerLite site.

 

The MailerLite blog post by Magle Navickaile explains how to set up your dashboard so you can sell your epub books through MailerLite. There's also a Youtube video with more information.

 

Panzer says, "Setup looks a little complicated to this little kitty."

 

Note: This is a very long post. You'll need to decide what to bring to snack on while you read the post and watch the video.

 

To read the post tootle over to Mailerlite

Audiobooks and Fiction Drive Modest Growth in UK Publishing Market - Publishers Weekly

Audiobooks and digital books are the place to be now.

Today, Panzer's first stop in the Catosphere was at the Publishers Weekly site. There he discovered news about the U.K. publishing market.

  

Ed Nawotka's post gives a break down on the publishing market in the U.K. for 2024. Audio and digital books are adding to the market growth for 2024 over 2023. The post has graphs for each of the market's sectors.

 

Panzer says, "Audio and digital are growth factors, just like the market growth in Spain in yesterday's publishing market post."

 

Note: This is a long post. You'll need to decide what to bring to snack on while you read the post and graphs." 

 

To read the post tootle over to U.K. Publishing Market 

Spain's Publishing Sectors Recovers to Pre-2008 Levels - Publishing Perspectives

There's a big increase in 2024 sales over 2023.

Today, Panzer's trip into the Catosphere took our intrepid traveler to the Publishing Perspectives site. There he discovered good news about Spain's book publishing.

 

According to Porter Anderson's post, Spain's publishing market has increased steadily in the last decade. 2024 was a stellar year for book sales and readership. The post includes links to other information and graphs to illustrate points mentioned in the post.

Panzer says, "Digital and audio books are a big part of it too."

 

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

 

To read the post tootle over to Spain's Publishing Sector

Comics Thrive in Libraries Through Digital Lending - Publishers Weekly

Did you know about this?

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he stopped in at the Publishers Weekly site. There with no digging at all he found a post about comics.

Brigid Alverson's post is about the Comic Plus platform. Comic Plus allows school students to check out comic graphic novels from their school libraries. The post also covers other school library platforms and has interviews.

Panzer says, "This little kitty didn't know you could check out "graphic novels" from school libraries."

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

To read the post tootle over to Comics in Libraries

OverDrive: Record Number of Libraries Hit One Million Digital Lends in 2023 - Publishers Weekly

Did you miss me yesterday?

Yesterday, due to a windstorm we lost internet access. It's back today; so, Panzer made a little trip to the Publishers Weekly site. There with no digging at all in the posts, he found one about OverDrive and the libraries it serves.

 

According to Andrew Albanese's post, 152 libraries globally had one million or more digital lends to library patrons last year. The post includes a list of the top 10 lending libraries, a list of the top lending consortiums, and a list of the 25 first time on the one million lends list libraries. Also included is a link to all the million and more lends library list.

Panzer says, "Hmm. Maybe this little kitty should try to get his ebooks into the library systems."

Note: Because of the lists included in the post, this is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of hot cocoa to drink while you read today.

To read the post tootle over to OverDrive

At Hearing, Judge Appears Skeptical of Internet Archive's ... - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. There with hardly any digging at all he found a post about the copyright infringement court case against the Internet Archive.

 

 

Whoever loses will appeal.

According to the post by Andrew Albanese, through the questions asked by the judge overseeing the case, he doesn't accept the Internet Archive's (IA) defense as credible. IA's attorneys are basing the defense on the fact IA calls itself a library and as such it can scan and make digital copies of any book it "owns." IA then allows readers worldwide to "borrow" and read those copies. Since neither authors nor publishers are paid for the books and they're copied without permission, the publishers and authors' court case accuses IA of copyright infringement. There's a link at the end of the post to previous posts about the court case.

 

Panzer says, "How can you take people's  stuff and use it without their permission and then say that's okay?"

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

 

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive Court Case

The surprising economics of digital lending - NPR

Panzer found an interesting The Indicator episode online at the NPR site.

 

Now for a little nap.

The episode begins with information about libraries and the cost to them of digital lending. It then transitions to a discussion of the copyright infringement case against the Internet Archive (IA). Then it ends with a discussion of libraries' interest in the case.The free episode is nine minutes long.

To listen to the episode click the 9-Minute Listen banner at the top.

 

If you don't want to listen to the episode, there's a transcript included at the site.

 

To listen to the audio version or read the transcript tootle over to Libraries and IA

 

Internet Archive Answers Publishers' Copyright Lawsuit - Publishers Weekly

Today Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging in the posts at all he found one about the Internet Archive. Our investigative kitty reporter has posted about the Internet Archive a couple of times over the past two months because of the recent lawsuit against it.

According to the post by Andrew Albanese, the Internet Archive's (IA) attorneys in the court case filed a response to the the copyright infringement lawsuit against IA.  The lawsuit was filed by publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, John Wiley and Sons, and Penguin Random House. The publishers allege in the lawsuit the Internet Archive (IA) is a piracy site performing copyright infringement by scanning the publishers' books and allowing the downloading of the scans.The IA doesn't have the publishers' or the authors' permission to scan their books and makes no payments to either the publishers or the authors. In the attorneys' response to the claims, they say the IA is a library and all libraries can allow their patrons to download digital books. The attorneys say because IA has a purchased copy of the book they can scan it and let people download it.

Ebook is legal. Scanned book is illegal.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... My local library doesn't scan hardback and paperback books to loan out to patrons. My local library buys ebooks from the publishers to loan out to patrons. There is a difference."

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

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive

To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to publishers' lawsuit

Changes Loom as Public Libraries Begin to Reopen - Publishers Weekly

As Panzer was napping, he was rudely shaken from his kitty bed by clapping and cheering coming from the Catosphere. Dragging his poor little kitty self into the Panzermobile, he headed out. Following all the hullabaloo took him to the Publishers Weekly site. There with no digging at all he found a post about libraries reopening was causing all the noise.

According to the post by Andrew Albanese, libraries will be reopening soon. A survey done by the American Library Association (ALA) found that 37 percent of the libraries that responded planned to begin "phase reopening" in June or July. Reopening won't be as it was before Covid-19. It means libraries will need to be rearranged to provide social distancing and staff will need masks and gloves. During the pandemic library users took advantage of digital book checkout, but now a lot of users want to go back to libraries for hands-on books (paperbacks and hardbacks). This post contains several links to information about libraries, the lockdowns, digital books, budgets, and other information.

Now ... About that nap.

Panzer says, "MeWoW! Libraries are going to open again!"

Note: This is a huge post. Bring a thermos of tea and six muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow all the links in the post, bring a gallon of tea and gallon of water and two dozen muffins, plus your lunch.

To read the post tootle over to public libraries

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

Internet Archive Responds to Senator's Concern Over National Emergency Library - Publishers Weekly

Panzer hasn't been to the Publishers Weekly site for a few days, so he decided to stop in there today. With a little digging in the posts our illustrious kitty found one about the Internet Archive.

All a pirate site has to do is call itself a library.

According to Andrew Albanese, the Internet Archive (IA) founder Brewster Kahle is still trying to justify IA's use of scanned books in his National Emergency Library. U.S. Senator Thom Tillis expressed his concerns over IA's scanning books which are still under copyright. In response Mr. Kahle sent a letter explaining why his National Emergency Library is responsible for providing teachers, school classes and students with the digital textbooks they need. According to him, instead of getting the books from school and giving them to the students at home, it's easier to just scan a book and let all the students use the same copy. This is, he says, brought about by the closing of libraries making textbooks unavailable to students. He doesn't, however, explain why his "library" is scanning authors' fiction books (some bestsellers) that in no way could be called textbooks. He does say he wants to engage with the Senate to change the copyright laws to make it legal for his "library" to use authors' and publishers' copyrighted books for his own purposes. This is an ongoing argument between Brewster Kahle on one side and authors, authors' groups, publishers and publishers' groups on the other side about copyright infringement.

Panzer says, "If you believe that stuff, I've got some ocean front property in Nevada for sale real cheap."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive
To read a previous post about the Internet Archive tootle over to copyright violation
To read another previous post about the Internet Archive tootle over to online library

Copyright Violation Redux: The Internet Archive's National Emergency Library - Writer Beware

Panzer hasn't been to the Writer Beware site for a while so he decided to stop in there today. With a little digging in the posts he found one about the chaos the Internet Archive is causing.

According to Victoria Strauss at the Writer Beware site, the Internet Archive's (IA) National Emergency Library is causing financial harm to authors. The post addresses authors' concerns about IA's unauthorized use of their copyrighted books. IA is scanning authors' books and then giving the digital books to reader for free. The authors and their publishers receive no payment for their books. The post explains the Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) theory that it's okay for IA and libraries to make unauthorized scanned copies of books. There are several links to authors' groups sites, publishers' groups sites, and individual author's sites containing information about and problems with the Internet Archive. The post also includes instructions for how to get your books removed from the IA site.

Repeat after me: Stealing is wrong.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... And libraries agree with this CDL stealing thingy?"

Note: This is a humongous post. Bring a quart of tea and a baker's dozen of muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive copyright infringement

'Emergency' Online Library Draws Ire of Some Authors - The New York Times

As Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today, he decided to make a stop at The New York Times site. There he found a post about the Internet Archive's "National Library Emergency" declaration. Panzer told you about this so called 'Emergency' a couple of days ago.

According to the post by Alexandra Alter, the Internet Archive (IA) has 1.4 million digital books online. All those ebooks are available for anybody to "check out" for free. Some authors have found that without their permission their books were available on IA. These authors have been asking to have their books removed and most have been, although one author reported scanned copies were still available. It turns out IA has been scanning books and turning them into digital books without telling the authors or publishers what the company was doing. Authors and author groups see this as copyright infringement; however, IA says its not because they call themselves a library and scan donated and bought books.

We get our ebooks from the local library.

Panzer says, "This little kitty is wondering, since my local library system (King County Library System) here in western Wshington is advertising on television that you can check out ebooks and audio books from them online, what is the Internet Archive's emergency?"

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

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive

To read Panzer's previous post about IA's Emergency declaration tootle over to Authors Guild outraged

Poland Approves Reduction of Ebook VAT from 23 to 5 percent - Publishing Perspectives

Panzer was shaken from his nap by clapping and cheering coming from the Catosphere. Hopping in the Panzermobile, he followed all the noise to the Publishing Perspectives site. With just a little digging he found a post about Poland's VAT.

It's a book.

According to Jaroslaw Adamowski, beginning November 1, print and ebooks will be subject to the same VAT in Poland. Previously, the print book VAT was 5 percent and the ebook was 23 percent. Both readers and publishers will benefit from the change. The post included statistics on digital book readers, buyers and publishers.

Panzer says, "This little kitty says, whether it's made from a dead tree or electrons a book is a book and all should be taxed the same."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring a gallon of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection. You might want to bring a blanket for a nap in the middle too.

To read the post tootle over to Poland digital VAT

Ingram Expands U.K. Footprint - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catophere when he heard clapping and cheering outside. Following all the noise took our brave kitty boy to the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all he found a post about Ingram Content Group.

Global is pretty big.

According to Jim Milliot, Ingram Content Group announced the acquisition of a new 96,000 sq. ft. site in the U.K. Some of Ingram Content Group's services are being moved to the new location in Milton Keynes, U.K. later in 2019. These services will include physical and digital global book distribution services and print-on-demand (POD) services. There are links to the services being moved included in the post.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... It makes sense to have those services in the same place. The company can easily track the books' global distribution that way."

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, bring a muffin too.

To read the post tootle over to Ingram

Amazon is Beta-Testing the Label "Digital Books" - The Digital Reader

Panzer was lounging around on the floor, when the Panzermobile alarm sounded. Hurrying into the Catosphere our inquisitive kitty followed the alert to The Digital Reader site. There he found a post about Amazon.

Now ... Back to my nap.

Site owner Nate Hoffelder says in his post that it has been reported to him that Amazon is beta-testing the new label "Digital Books" for ebooks. Mr. Hoffelder investigated at the Amazon site and did discover some ebooks are carrying the new label. There's a screen shot included in the post. In the lower left corner in the price box is the phrase "Digital Book."

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This kitty isn't sure how much of a difference a new name will make."

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

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon

Kobo Acquires Shelfie Technology Platform - Publishers' Weekly (PW)

She always hides it.

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

According to the post by Calvin Reid, Shelfie has been resurrected from its late January demise by Kobo. Shelfie has been reincarnated as a part of Kobo. Kobo now owns all of Shelfie's assets, including the staff and platform. The Shelfie service allowed readers who purchased print books to send photos of their purchase to receive digital copies of those books.

Panzer says, "Now where did Mom put her cellphone with the camera in it?"

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

To read the post, tootle over to Kobo

Microsoft Unveils Digital Bookstore - Publishers' Weekly

Today, Panzer was making a leisurely trip around the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by laughing and guffawing. Following all the jocularity, took our inquisitive kitty to the Publishers' Weekly (PW) site. There he discovered a post about Microsoft.

According to Calvin Reid's post, Microsoft has plans to open a retail digital bookstore. Quoting from a post at the Good E-Reader site, Mr. Reid says Microsoft will have hundreds of thousands (no specific number anywhere) of ebooks available. Microsoft's April upgrade to the Windows 10 Edge browser will make it easier to read ebooks on your computer, laptop or tablet. The post includes a link to the quoted Good E-Reader post and one to an earlier The Verge post.

A little slow in your old age MS?

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This kitty thinks Microsoft is coming to the party a little late. All the customer party goers have already picked their ereader dance partners."

Note: This is a shortish-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and half a muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the two included links, bring another cup of tea and a whole muffin too.

To read the post, tootle over to Microsoft digital bookstore

EU Court Rules Lower Sales Tax Only Applies to Print, Not eBooks - The Digital Reader

Panzer was jolted from his afternoon nap by crying and shouting coming from the Catosphere. Hopping into the Panzermobile, he followed the weeping and gnashing of teeth to The Digital Reader site. There our brave kitty found a post about the EU Court of Justice.

Please explain this to me.

According to the post at The Digital Reader, the European Court of Justice in announcing their decision in the digital book VAT case ruled digital books will be charged a higher tax than printed books. According to the EU Court judges, digital books are electronic and not allowed the lower rate because the EU legislature  "consists in the exclusion of all electronic services from the possibility of a reduced rate of VAT being applied."

Panzer says, "Hmm ... When is a book not a book? I'll never understand humans."

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 EU Court

New Report Shows Inportance of Digital to Canadian Pubs - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer was digging around at the Publishers' Weekly online site today. There our big bad kitty boy found an interesting post about Canadian publishers and digital books.

According to the post by Laura Godfrey, quoting from BookNet Canada's 2016 annual report, "State of Digital Publishing in Canada," digital books (ebooks) are becoming an important (albeit small) revenue stream for Canadian publishers. In 2015, 69 percent of publishers said 1 percent to 10 percent of their income was from ebooks. While sales were reportedly low for some publishers' ebooks, this was attributed to the fact they were digitally publishing older books that didn't have a market to begin with or ebooks that were done in a format readers didn't want.

A nap. That's a good use of my time.

Panzer says, "Why would you publish something nobody wants? That's just a waste of my time and yours."

Note: This a short post. A cup of tea should do it for today's reading session.

To read the post, tootle over to importance of digital