Remember when Amazon dumped all of their affiliates in California because that state wanted to collect sales tax? Well it looks like the Virgina Government is about to make that a rule to follow.
A bill to force online retailers such as Amazon to collect the same sales taxes that mall discount stores and corner bookstores assess from their customers has won unanimous support from a key Senate committee.
Read the article HERE
Mike
So did you hear? Barnes and Noble refuses to carry Amazon books from their print publisher. For more go HERE
In my opinion this may be the way to go for the struggling B & N. I mean it is a war of control over what is published and who chooses to not only carry but make available to the public for reading… for what we place in our mind… for what gives us ideas and opinions… reading is incredibly important. We don’t need our reading habits controlled by one massive, corporate site. There MUST be competition.
So sad… really.
Mike
Back in the day we used to have tons of independent bookstores across the land. As a youngster I dreamed of owning my own book store someday. I was so hopeful. The big box book store didn’t really exist in the 70′s. That changed. Waldenbooks, Crown, and others popped up. And then they were swallowed up by Borders and Barnes and Noble. Well, now Borders is done. So that leaves Barnes and Noble, besides a smattering of independent book stores, to keep the print book from dying off. I mean who else has the power to keep book store shelves full of print books and magazines? The only one is Barnes and Noble. That’s the problem with massive monopolistic, corporate businesses… once they win, the products that they control, the ones we love, can easily go by the wayside. Anyway, I digress.
So accordingly it is the publishers who love B & N and shun Amazon. Amazon is the three-headed monster who has ran independents and the big box stores into near bankruptcy. Amazon offers great deals. They also have incredible control over their products (Kindle) and eBooks too in some ways (the eBook which may ultimately kill off the paperback). Publishers want, no they need Barnes and Noble to survive. After all… Amazon offers its own publishing service but no brick and mortar to sell paperbacks. Publishers are scared. B & N is struggling with sales as compared to Amazon’s numbers. Isn’t it like $700 million versus $88 billion? WOW!
So what will happen? I don’t know. But I’m leaning towards B & N shrinking after their attempted try at expanding outside of the US. This shrink will take time. But I think it’s inevitable. eBooks will lead the way as much as I hate to say it. And even though Barnes and Noble has the Nook, Amazon offers so many more products that they will eventually buy B & N out… someday.
So there you have it. The future of the paperback is the way of the dinosaur. I wish it weren’t true. I love paperbacks. I love independent book stores. I grew up with them. Damn…
For more info on this topic click HERE. CNBC posted a New York Times article on this exact topic, hence my inspiration to bring up a couple points.
Mike
Want to help BookBarista out? Well the best thing that you can do that would really help is to promote the site. If you could tell a friend, add our link to your website, talk about us on your favorite social networking site, or just mention us… that would be awesome:)
Tell folks that we are a FREE site where they can advertise eBooks, regular books, new books, used books, eReaders, book related events, and just about anything else that is book related. We aren’t a corporate monster that aims to take over the web. We are a grassroots site that offers advertising space, a classifieds for book stuff. A site that is open to ALL other non-corporate and corporate ads. We don’t push the little guy or the big guy away. So please, post away and tell a friend.
Thanks for your support.
And by the way… how have you been doing on promoting your work, writers? Have you been working your plan? Better get to it. Life is short!
Mike
It’s 2012! Now that the New Year party is winding down have you thought about how you’re going to sell more books this year? You need to sit down, write some goals, how to accomplish those goals, and then set out to do it. You will never sell books if you just rely on hope. Action is what will get you to accomplish your dreams no matter how small or large.
Go get what you want out of life!
Mike
Have you heard of, How the West Was Weird edited by Russ Anderson, Jr.? It includes 9 weird, wild west tales by Barry Reese, Joshua Reynolds, Ian Mileham, Mike McGee, Joel Jenkins, Bill Kte’pi, Derrick Ferguson, Thomas Deja, and Ian Taylor.
Description – Aztec vampires gorge themselves on a small Mexican village. A masked hero of the 1940s stumbles onto a town that time forgot. A gunslinging exorcist works to save a boy from demonic possession. These are the stories of the American West your history teacher never told you about… because she was scared! Includes nine original tales of the weird, wild west, by Barry Reese, Derrick Ferguson, Josh Reynolds, and more.
Approximately 53,000 words.
This book (and Russ’ other works) was posted here at BookBarista. I found it intriguing since I like weird tales. Kinda’ reminds me of the Weird Tales pulp mags from long ago. I hope the editor, Russ Anderson, Jr. can keep bringing these kinds of short stories to the world. We need more tales like this:)
Russ also has the following books available -
How the West Was Weird, Vol. 2
-and-
How the West Was Weird: Campfire Tales
Write on!
Mike
Did you realize that The Greatest Novel Ever Written has been posted at BookBarista? Pretty amazing eh? Well that’s actually the title of the novel. I don’t know if it truly lives up to its name but I gotta’ hand it to the author, John Blandly, what a bold name. I think we would all like to write the greatest novel ever.
Synopsis – Defies categorization – in a genre all its own. A roman a clef? Not quite. Think key-less entry. The plot? A gradually increasing realization that it is coming to no rational conclusion. Essentially, just a loosely related series of supposedly humorous vignettes.
You’re a baby boomer, a former baseball player, an ex-private detective, and worked on a presidential campaign. You’re married, with two kids. Who are you? I don’t know, but I think you’re in this book. This is about you, and how you got here. And remember that vasectomy? Yup. It’s in here.”
The novel to end all novels. The end of literature!
Available –
Read on!
Mike
Have you heard of author, Vianka Van Bokkem? She has a lot of books out. And it appears that she is currently deep in the vampire and supernatural genres. I personally haven’t read any of her work. But I noticed that she has quite a few books under her belt, hence my posting about her. So if you’re feeling inclined check out her work sometime. You can find her books HERE.
Support writers – Mike
Assessing all the different eBooks and books that are posted to the site each day it’s great to see writers out there sharing their work with BookBarista. Every book is different. No story is the same. And as I scroll through the postings there are some that really stand out as unique.
For example: Sticks and Drones by Ed Drury – a book about the explosion of didjeridu playing around the world from the mid nineties on. Told through interviews with the members of the didj community.
I would have never thought about the didj community. I know of the instrument, the didjeridu and how cool it sounds, but the community itself – that is quite interesting. I think we tend to think of more common instruments (guitar, drums, violin, etc.) as far as musical communities go. I’m glad this book is out there to help spread the knowledge on a unique topic (unique to me).
Sticks and Drones can be purchased HERE for $2.99!
As you go through the site you will see what I mean when I speak of “unique” books. So please visit the site and purchase a read from one of the writers that post their work with us.
Thanks,
Mike
Have you read any books by Michael Newton? Maybe you should. He’s published –>243 books<--. The reason I’m mentioning him is because he posted an ad here on BookBarista. It seems the word is slowly getting out about the site. Anyway he has an eBook available on Smashwords, Fear x Five! Check it out!
For more info – www.michaelnewton.homestead.com
Mike
