The Digital Reader

If you’ve been following the publishing news of late then you’ve probably heard plenty about how great and wonderful Epub3 ebook format is. It slices, it dices, and it even makes Stephen Fries.

But if you’re like me then you could be lacking any real info on the how, the where, and the who of making Epub3 ebooks and distributing them. That’s why I took time today to go around to various booths at BEA 2013 and ask which of the conversion and distribution services are currently handling EPub3.
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Remember the lendink lynch mob last year, when a bunch of ill-informed authors panicked over a situation they didn’t understand (and assumed was piracy)? One thing I learned from that event was that sometimes people don’t always know what they are getting themselves into.

I was reminded of this earlier today when I read a query from a self-published author whose ebooks had turned up in places that they should not have. After I looked into the issue I decided that it might be useful to post the question and the explanation publicly (with personal info removed, of course) so other authors can find it should they encounter a similar problem.

Here’s the query:

I was selling my eBook at Bookrix then suddenly I found out that buycheapr.com was selling it at Kobo. How did that happen?

There’s actually 2 questions here, and I will cover them separately.
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There’s going to be quite a few 7″, 8″, and larger Android tablets coming out in 2013 and many will have Google Play. Unfortunately the Mini Studio 8″ tablet from Idolian won’t be one of them, but not to worry. This is something you can fix.

I got a Mini Studio as a free review unit from Idolian a little over a week ago, and while it is an okay tablet for a generic 8″ Android tablet the absence of Google Play or some other content store lessens the value, IMO.

Luckily this can be fixed with absolute minimum effort. All you need to do is download the following APK file to the Mini Studio and install it.
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Ever since the news broke earlier in February that Amazon had a patent to sell used digital content there’s been a heated discussion on what this means for the ebook market and authors as well as whether it is right/wrong/ unethical/immoral to sell used digital content in this way.

Unfortunately, in the midst of the debate I have also been encountering a fair amount of misinformation. A number of people (including at least one blogger) don’t understand exactly what it means to sell a used ebook. One blogger writing over at TeleRead believes that it is illegal to resell an ebook:
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The first question asked of any hacked gadget, particularly ones being used for a radically different purpose than the maker intended, is “Can it play Doom?” I have a similar question that I ask about any new gadget I see: “Can I use it to read eBooks?”
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I see that I have a lot of new readers today, and a heck of a lot are coming here to get the instructions on how to get Android Market on a budget tablet. I’m betting you could benefit from the several getting started guides which I’ve written for past holiday seasons.

A few of the guides are a tad old, but to be honest some of the tablets which were bought this holiday season are even older.

I also wrote a couple posts on getting started with a Kindle Fire HD, and I’m sure they will be useful.
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