This Week's Articles (June 3 - June 9, 2012)

I found quite a collection of interesting blog posts and articles this week, on a whole host of book- and reading-related topics.

Last week, Momentum (an Australian subsidiary of Macmillan whose e-books are available in the U.S.) announced it will drop DRM from its e-books.  They've now published an explanation of DRM and its purpose which clearly demonstrates why selling ebooks without it is a better choice.  Kudos to Momentum for joining the (so far very short) list of publishers who've figured that out.  If DRM-free books matter to you as a reader and e-book buyer, I urge you to take a look at Momentum's catalog (as well as those of Baen Books and, after early July, Tor/Forge and Tor UK) and consider buying their books.  The more success DRM-free publishers have, the more likely it is that other publishers will follow their lead.

Waterstone's may eventually sell and support other devices in addition to the Kindle, reports Charlotte Williams for The Bookseller.  The article, based on an interview with James Daunt, head of Waterstone's, goes on to discuss why the British bookstore chain went ahead with their much-criticized deal with Amazon.

The Ruby White consulting firm makes the case that Barnes and Noble doesn't actually want you to buy books from their physical bookstores... at least judging from their pricing policies.

Matthew Flamm of Crain's New York Business.com reports that "Self-publishing fuels growth of print books."

Rich Adin, a professional editor, talks about the importance of e-book cover design and blurbs in one post, and about "The eBook Effect: Buying and Reading More" in another. (An American Editor blog)

Jude Hardin writes about how difficult, even frightening, it was to quit his day job to write full-time.  (Guest post on A Newbie's Guide to Self-Publishing blog)

Indie romance author Bella Andre spoke about how to market your self-published books at the BEA -- that's BookExpo America, currently underway in New York.  (Chris Walters, The Digital Reader blog)

"Kobo Reports 400% Growth in eBook Sales, 160% Growth in eReader" (Nate Hoffelder, The Digital Reader blog)

And Jeremy Greenfield of Digital Book World believes that with it's planned self-publishing platform, Writing Life, "Kobo Wants to Turn Writing Into a Game."




Finally, there's this article, which I thought you might find interesting although it's not really about books, ebooks, writing, or publishing:

In "Hands-Free Parenting: How Much You Gain When You Unplug", Rachel Stafford talks about how "unplugging" from technology in little ways has made a difference in her and her family's life. (MediaShift) Stafford now writes a blog called Hands Free Mama.  She's not advocating a totally tech-free lifestyle; rather, she writes about how to maintain balance and put the technology aside in favor of time spent with family and for oneself.  It's a lesson many of us could benefit from, myself included.