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Books
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December 31, 2018I would start out by saying as always these picks just like prior years picks they are my own opinions and are my favorite based on what I purchased and my taste in authors and genres. My first pick is Bad Paper by Jake Halpern. The book follows two debt collectors as they start a debt collection company and buy debt from banks and third parties and collect on the money. The book gives an inside look at how the debt collection business works and is a must-read for anyone interesting in starting a debt collection business. Feared by Lisa Scottoline was probably one of my favorite books of the year. This is the sixth book in the Rosato & DiNunzio Series which follows two hard-hitting lawyers Mary DiNunzio and Bennie Rosato as they run their law firm Rosato & DiNunzio. This time the lawyers are the ones under investigation for a number of events that have happened all while Mary DiNunzio is due to have her baby any day. If you like great lawyer fiction with a touch of girl power this is a great read. Michael Connelly released Dark Sacred Night which follows new Connelly character Renée Ballard who teams up with veteran retired detective Harry Bosch. Another great Michael Connelly and just like last year one of Michael Connelly’s books makes it on my list as he is one of my favorite authors of all time. Which the addition of Renée Ballard we see Bosch taking less action and being more of a mentor while we see Bosch aging on and passing his knowledge and experience onto another detective. I hope this is not a sign of things to come as Bosch might be getting to the end of his run with Michael Connelly. Other things I...
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December 18, 2018I wanted to point out I know Amazon is the big name is ebook publishing but there are other options out there the one I used for publishing my ebook and started using is LeanPub. If your a tech person like myself I was astounded at how many tech-related books are on Leanpub by indy authors and the pay what you want model that Leanpub has is very cool. While pay what you want can work both ways for authors Kindle unlimited does not seem to generate much revenue for authors. I know Scribd gives you unlimited books and one free audiobook month. Amazon offers two book subscription services Kindle Unlimited and Audible which are both good. There are other services that offer book subscription services that have smaller userbases then Amazon and Scribd. Bookmate 24symbols Playster Kobo Plus Audiobooks.com I am not sure if I like the book subscription model because there always seems to be a book I want to read that is never available for free but I guess this could be said about a movie you want to watch that’s not on Netflix. While Kindle Unlimited offers Harry Potter all Game Thrones books are off limits for free. I do feel Scribd has a better selection of new releases then Kindle Unlimited and their magazine and comic book selections have much more to offer. I feel I have not found the right service for me or maybe the subscription model is not right for the book industry. I never see anything from James Paterson, Michael Connolly or Stephen King on any of these subscription services. While I like the subscription model it does not at times offer the A-List authors that many readers enjoy. I do wonder if the subscription model is the right fit for...
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August 21, 2018Despite the meteoric rise of the internet, reading a good old book is still the most significant source of learning. It goes without saying that the books are the essential source of information and new thoughts. They are treasury where we can find the answers to all questions. Reading helps us to relax and recollect some bright moments. Perhaps, we are mistaken, but we are sure that every person is a fan of books. It is a common knowledge that the successful people are the addicted fans of reading. Despite their busy schedule, they can dedicate some time to self-improvement. The major question appears: Why we cannot do it? According to investigation, the bosses of companies read 4-5 books per month. Are you ready to realize one sad fact? The average person read the same number of books not per month but per year. It is a big shame. Now the formula of success is obvious-reading. The best leaders never stop learning, and they are always keen to share their favorite books with people around them. So, here’s a set of short book reports that top CEOs recommend to read: The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham Have you ever heard about this book? The main essence of the book is dedicated to the investing. Moreover, it is considered as the best thematic book that was ever written. The main author has the slightly different attitude to the world that makes the book more interesting. As it turned out Graham being at retirement worked a lot in order to submit the winning formula for investors. The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman This book aims to reveal the essence of the products design and the look of the everyday things. Moreover, here you can find...
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April 13, 2017As many Audible members know there is a great value to an Audible membership. Audible offers members two monthly plans one at $14.95 a month for one book and the second plan at $22.95 per month for two books. Besides those two well-priced plans when you look at the cost of Audiobooks they are a steal in the pricing department, most audiobooks full price are about $22 dollars for one book by any major bestselling author you are defiantly saving with a membership. Audible has added to their membership offerings with adding Audible Channels at no extra charge which has been very popular with a lot of users since the service was offered back in September 2016 that was added as a benefit of Amazon Prime. These are perks that get a lot of mainstream attention but what about the reader benefits. There are extra added bonuses to your membership that most people will never know about unless they are heavy users of the service like myself. 30% Discount off regular price of all credit card content purchases This is a huge cost saving for a big reader like myself yes you get one or two credits a month when you have a subscription but you may at the time have more books you want to read after your done with those credits 30% can save you a lot of money on book purchases a month. Rollover Credits 5 credits per month for 1 Audiobook a month plan and 10 credits per month for 2 Audiobook a month plan This benefit to me is kind of confusing if you paying for the credits every month why would Audible not allow you to carry them over. If your paying for the service you would think you would not be rolling over...
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August 3, 2016Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson I have to say being a computer guy I loved this book. A lot of events in the book I remember or have heard of but a lot of things I did not know. The book highlights a lot of the public Apple events and a lot of events that went on inside of Apple that no one knew about and why they were done. The book talks about Steve Jobs and his upbringing, his adoption and relationship with his family. The book digs into how Steve Jobs meet his friend Woz and how they started Apple out of Steve’s parent’s garage. The book goes through Steve Jobs and his history with Apple from the early days threw his departure and then return. The book goes into Steve Jobs early creation of the Macintosh to his reboot of the Apple computer and iMac. The book then goes into the creation of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. The book does go into some of Steve Jobs failures, NeXT Computer and the relationship with his oldest daughter Lisa. We get an in depth look into Steve Jobs relationship with his current wife and their children and how he has changed the way he handles relationships. The book talks about his success with Pixar and how Steve Jobs helped start and grow the company and completely changed the animation business. The author gives us an in depth look at how Toy Story was produced and how Steve Jobs had a close hand in the project. You get a fun look at Steve Jobs eating habits and the sad news of his health issues he struggled through towards the end of his life. You get to read about the passing of the torch to Tim Cook and how Apple...
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Google and Barnes & Noble are joining forces to tackle their mutual rival Amazon, zeroing in on a service that Amazon has long dominated: the fast, cheap delivery of books. Starting on Thursday, book buyers in Manhattan, West Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area will be able to get same-day deliveries from local Barnes & Noble stores through Google Shopping Express, Google’s fledgling online shopping and delivery service. Google Shopping, which began operations about a year ago, allows online shoppers to order products from stores like Costco, Walgreens, Staples and Target, and have them delivered to their doors within hours. The partnership could help Barnes & Noble make inroads into online sales when its brick-and-mortar business remains stagnant. The company has closed 63 stores in the last five years, including some in bustling areas of Manhattan and Washington, leaving it with a base of about 660 retail stores and 700 college campus stores. Its Nook business fell 22 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the period a year earlier, according its most recent earnings report. The delivery service being trialled by Google works slightly differently than others, exploiting store inventory and couriers, while charging either a subscription fee for the Google Shopping Express service, which will be priced at an amount yet to be determined for annual membership, or charging $4.99 per delivery. The entire service is based on the experience of wanting something on the same day but not wanting it badly enough to venture forth from your cave, which means it probably stands a good chance of succeeding. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/07/business/media/google-and-barnes-noble-unite-to-take-on-amazon.html?_r=2
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When LeVar Burton announced he’d be launching a Kickstarter campaign to bring his beloved children’s series “Reading Rainbow” to the web, no one thought it would get this much attention — let alone reach its $1 million goal. Well, the joke’s on us. In just one day, the campaign had met its original target and after ending its month long-run on Kickstarter last week, Burton managed to raise over $5.4 million dollars through the Internet fundraising website. While that number isn’t the most raised by any campaign on the site — damn you, Pebble Smartwatch — it did set a record for the most backers, with over 100,000 people buying into the revamped literary show. One reason for all of the interest in Burton’s TV series might be thanks to the cool swag people got once they donated. From live reading events with the cast of “Star Trek” to a candlelight dinner with Burton himself, supporters were treated to way more than just a dingy t-shirt when they contributed money to the project. The latest addition to the round of exclusive rewards was a “Community” fan’s dream come true. With just 24 hours left in his campaign’s life, Burton decided to single-handedly resurrect the NBC comedy (sorry, Yahoo!) by hosting a live streaming event with Captain Troy … on a boat. And “Community” wasn’t the only show to pledge their support. “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane pledged to match donations dollar for dollar up to $1 million last month. It looks like calling in a few favors from some famous friends has definitely paid off. Thanks to the hefty amount of money raised for the show — it’s the fifth most-funded campaign in Kickstarter history — “Reading Rainbow” will soon be available on almost every platform, including Xbox, PlayStation and Apple TV, and will be broadcast...
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HarperCollins has launched a redesigned website that features a direct sales component. The new website, announced Tuesday morning, allows the publisher to sell print books, e-books and physical audiobooks directly to consumers. While HC has sold e-books from its own site in the past, it has never directly sold print books. All HarperCollins U.S. e-books can be purchased from the site by consumers globally wherever the publisher holds rights. Print books and audio books are currently available only to U.S. consumers. HC said the capability to sell direct “will enable the company to better understand consumer preferences and, most importantly, further extend the global reach of its authors.” The publisher also noted that its authors will be able to use the technology to sell direct from their own websites. “Our mission as a 21st century publisher is to connect authors and readers,” said Angela Tribelli, chief marketing officer. “The elegant, consumer-centric design of the site provides an innovative platform for our authors that will boost the discoverability of their books, drive sales, and—ultimately—launch writing careers.” Among the features of the new site, at the existing URL www.harpercollins.com (also accessible via www.hc.com), are previews of upcoming books, author tour and appearance information, and sweepstakes featuring partner prizes. HC will be offering discounts on selected titles but, otherwise, books are being sold at full price. Consumers can buy the book directly from HC, or choose to purchase from a list of third party booksellers provided by the site, which includes Amazon, Indiebound, B&N, Apple and a number of independent bookstores. In addition to offering new titles and backlist books, the site also offers forthcoming titles, and includes pre-order buttons. http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/63227-new-hc-site-promotes-direct-sales.html
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The pilot episode is streaming now. Watch on Amazon Prime Instant Video in the USA and on Amazon Instant Video in the UK. Plans for nine more episodes of Bosch, the television show, are well underway. A great staff of writers and producers with credits ranging from The Sopranos to The Wire to Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men have signed on and we are in a month’s long brainstorming and writing period, which is the starting point for season one. We’ll move into pre-production next month with actual production to follow. So far it has been fun and very gratifying to me. I see the character of Bosch being preserved in this new form of telling his story. At the same time, I see an amazing inventiveness when it comes to the challenges of taking stories that span two decades and a deep thinking and quiet character to the screen of contemporary L.A. No doubt this team is up to the task and I look forward to the day it can be shared with Bosch fans everywhere. -MC http://www.michaelconnelly.com/bosch-tv/