Thursday, July 22, 2010

I Want to Shout - I TOLD YOU SO!


Publisher's Weekly has this article on the revolution overtaking the way our children read books, and the way publishers are dealing with it.

The Digital Revolution in Children's Publishing
(Bringing children's books into the iPad age)
by Karen Springen


In March, Anna Quindlen wrote in Newsweek, "Well, what is a book, really? Is it its body, or its soul?" Publishers of all stripes are struggling with that definition, including children's publishers. Picture books have used artwork as a core part of their storytelling as long as the art form as existed, yet they have always evolved, too. "The printed book hasn't stayed static—look how popular graphic novels are with kids," says Eliza Dresang, the Beverly Cleary professor for children and youth services at the University of Washington and author of Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age. "Things aren't the same, and they never will be."

** Click the title for an in-depth and
fascinating read.

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NOW For a Terrific Companion Piece

Introducing
Calibre by
Crystal Stranaghan



There's a handy piece of open source (yep, that means FREE!) software called Calibre that lets you convert almost any kind of ebook file to any other kind: so you can use it on whatever device you want. Yep, even Kindle.

Handy, handy, handy. Not sure if it works on ALL files, but I've not yet found one it didn't like ; )

I'm currently mostly reading on my iPhone with my Kobo account and on my Kobo reader. I'm a techno-geek in many ways, and have recently been alternating writing, with actually creating iPad & iPhone apps for my books.

Waiting for the next gen iPad is a good idea if budget is an issue. In the meantime, you can get a KOBO reader for just under $150 from Chapters-Indigo. It's not fancy, and doesn't do color, but you can put pdf's or any e-pub document on it, and the battery life is great. Works wonderfully with no glare in the sunshine too.

I recommend that ALL authors learn as much as they can about the new readers and embrace that as a publishing option - whether you like READING paper books or electronically. Earning potential for authors should improve dramatically with the elimination of publisher's print and distribution costs (that can only be a good thing, right?). Make sure that's reflected in any contracts you're signing! Percentages/royalties should be much higher on books sold in electronic format...

Happy Summer reading everyone!
For any techno-curious folk - feel free to Visit My Blog.

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HOORAY!

I TOLD YOU SO!

The EXPANDED future of reading is here.

Kids know this, and they are techno savvy, bless their hearts. They are eager to try eBooks on screen, or on an eReader: plain reading with illustrations, or as interactive as imagine can make them. I say YEA!! Let's admit that there is room for books published and read in many different formats.

All my children's books are available as eBooks,
or on CD. Some are also available
as soft cover books.

I am blatantly promoting them here,
proud of their content and artwork.

eBOOKS are less than half the cost of paper ones,
they are GREEN. and they save trees.

Below are links to TRAILERS for each book on YouTube. You can read more about them all on MY WEBSITE: Where to BUY, sample verses, illustrations, facts about the illustrators, + extras like coloring sheets and autographed copies.

"Wild and Wonderful" series - 7 rhyming books
that tell about animals from the US and Australia.
Fun as well as educational.





from my
"Wild and Wonderful"
series.




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Books for Kids + Manuscrit Critiques

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