06:56 AM by Ninjalawyer in E-Book General | News

Ah the Authors Guild, notable mainly for its fear and hatred of anything new (Amazon text-to-speech, Google book scanning, etc.), or that isn't entirely aligned with a small number of top authors and big publishing houses. If only there was an organization for authors in the U.S. that actually embraced the future for the benefit of its members, rather than one that has to be dragged kicking and screaming into the present.

Well, now one is launching. The Authors Alliance is launching May 21st, with a plan to "further the public interest in facilitating widespread access to works of authorship by helping authors navigate the opportunities and challenges of the digital age. We provide information and tools designed to help authors better understand and manage key legal, technological, and institutional aspects essential to a knowledge economy of abundance."

https://authorsalliance.org/intro.html

06:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Been away? Fear not! Here is your chance to check out what appeared on our frontpage this week:

E-Book General - News

• RIP Mary Stewart

05:48 AM by AnemicOak in E-Book General | News

Well known British author Mary Stewart has died at age 97.

The bestselling pioneer of romantic-suspense novels Mary Stewart has died at the age of 97, her publisher has said.

Known for much-loved novels including Touch Not the Cat, This Rough Magic and Nine Coaches Waiting, Stewart among the first novelists to integrate mystery and romance. She made the archetype of the determined, intelligent heroine her own, thrusting her into daring adventures from which she would emerge intact and happily romantically involved. Stewart was spotted after sending the manuscript of her first novel, Madam, Will You Talk?, to Hodder & Stoughton in 1953. It hit the bestseller lists the following year, and she went on to pen a series of novels in a similar vein.

Stewart wrote a trilogy of hugely popular novels about the life of Merlin – The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment – a departure from her previous books, along with acclaimed children's books, including Ludo and the Star Horse and A Walk in Wolf Wood.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/201...y-stewart-dies

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/mary-stewart/

06:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Is it really Sunday again? Hoorah! Time to dig in to another digest of MobileRead delectables

E-Book General - News

• Navy eReader Device (NeRD)
• Sony closing Europe and Aus stores 16 June 2014

07:20 AM by Lynx-lynx in E-Book General | News

Email received just now:

Dear Reader Store Customer:
As you know, our customers always come first, which is why we want to give you the news firsthand about an announcement made today from Sony regarding its plan to close Reader Store in Europe and Australia.

Although we're sorry to say goodbye to the Reader Store, we're also glad to share with you the new, exciting future for our readers: Reader Store will transfer customers to Kobo - an admired eBook seller with a passionate reading community. We strongly believe that this transition will allow you to enjoy a continued high-quality eReading experience. As a result of this change, we will close Reader Store on 16 June 2014.

So, what's next?

In late June, you will receive an email from Kobo with a personalised link that will allow you to easily transfer your library to Kobo, whether you are new to Kobo or already have an account.

In some cases, eBooks you have previously purchased may not be available at Kobo and will not be included in the transfer. We suggest that you download your eBooks from Reader Store prior to 16 June 2014. For further information on how to re-download your eBooks, click here.

We are fully committed to helping you through this exciting transition to Kobo. With the Kobo Store, you'll have access to more than 4 million of the world's best books, magazines, comics and kids' titles, all at your fingertips.

We want to thank you for being such loyal customers, a part of our reading family, and for your continued support as we work to complete this transition. It has been a pleasure reading with you!

Sincerely,

The Reader Store Team

Click here for frequently asked questions about this communication.

If you are not interested in transferring to Kobo click here

Find out more about Kobo by clicking here.

04:59 AM by JAcheson in E-Book General | News

Engadget has a story about the US Navy's new eReader device, which is a locked-down eInk device containing a static library of books:

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/07/navy-e-reader/

It's hardly attractive to me, but if I were serving on a ship with no other source of reading material, it would be a lot better than nothing. I wonder if it is waterproofed?

06:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Have something interesting to say about e-books or mobile computing? Join our forums and share your view on topics like the ones discussed at MobileRead this past week...

E-Book General - News

• To Kill a Mockingbird: Official ebook release
• News Corp buys Harlequin

03:33 PM by BearMountainBooks in E-Book General | News

This may have been reported already elsewhere? But it looks like Harlequin is now part of News Corp. and will be under the HarperCollins imprint/control. I wonder if this means those books will be on Scribd and be discounted now and then...

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27261500

edited to add this related article:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygr...three-reasons/