Temporarily free books for Kindle, 5/23. More Amazon publishing news

TEMPORARILY FREE BOOK OFFERINGS - Mostly business-oriented or motivational today, two with semi-scientific focus

Germs, Genes, & Civilization: How Epidemics Shaped Who We Are Today, by David P. Clark, 50 customer reviews, 3-1/2 stars
Publisher: FT Press

From the Publishers Weekly: "...Beginning with Attila's attack of Rome, which was likely stopped by dysentery, and continuing through modern diseases such as AIDS and the Ebola virus, Clark investigates a large number of illnesses and uncovers the ways in which they have impacted historical events...With wit and humor, the author turns death, an ever-heavy topic, into an engrossing exploration of the course of mankind."

That review also mentions a "lack of references."  Some customer reviews say it's inaccurate and shallow and has a decided political viewpoint.


Investor's Library: Fundamental Analysis, Technical Analysis, and Income Investing (Collection), by Harry Domash, Michael N. Kahn, Marvin Appel, Marvin N. Appel, 0 customer reviews

From the Product Description: "...Don’t pay someone to pick stocks! Do it better yourself...!  Next, Michael Kahn completely demystifies technical analysis and shows you exactly how to apply it--easily, painlessly, profitably. Then, Marvin Appel helps you use bonds and income-producing equity strategies to meet your income needs without unacceptable risk."

  Exclamation points and overpromising the features of a book would have me avoiding the product, but it's free, so risk is minimal.


The Truth About Negotiations, by Leigh L. Thompson, 8 customer reviews, 4 stars
Publisher: FT Press

About the Author: "...a Distinguished Professor of Dispute Resolution & Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  She directs the Leading High Impact Teams executive program, the Kellogg Team and Group Research Center, and co-directs the Negotiation Strategies for Managers program."

“The 53 Truths provide incredible insight into the art and science of negotiating. This is a must read for sales professionals but is equally beneficial to all who wish to be better negotiators.”
- CHRIS WEBER, Vice President, West Region Enterprise, Microsoft Corporation

“A superbly presented summary of practical tools and techniques for negotiating in all types of situations, and creating win-win solutions that result in enduring business relationships.  Provides substantiated evidence of what works successfully–and pitfalls to avoid–in the game of negotiation.”
- RUSSELL D’SOUZA, International Credit Manager, Hallmark Cards, Inc.


Your Brain and Business: The Neuroscience of Great Leader, by Srinivasan S. Pillay, 14 customer reviews, 4 stars
Publisher: FT Press

From the Product Description: "...Harvard psychiatrist Srinivasan S. Pillay reveals how the latest research in neuroscience can help you lead, communicate, and collaborate more effectively…"

Certainly a different approach for a motivational work...


AMAZON KINDLE NEWS
Amazon is apparently going into publishing in a big way, which has been upsetting to the traditional book industry.

e-reads reports that "According to an Amazon source, Laurence Kirshbaum, former CEO of the Time-Warner Book Group and more recently a literary agent, 'has accepted the role of Publisher for Amazon’s New York publishing office, effective July 5th.
  "Kirshbaum will assemble an editorial team that will develop and manage new Amazon imprints “with a focus on acquiring the highest quality books in literary and commercial fiction, YA, business and general non-fiction,” said the source."

An earlier e-reads column pointed out that "Amazon has announced the launch of a romance line, Montlake Romance. It will lead off with a novel by Rita-winner Connie Brockway, which will be published in all formats including print.

More genre lines are on the way, starting with fantasy and science fiction. We know because Amazon just hired former Del Rey editor Chris Schluep."


For other types of currently-available free e-books, check the below at any time:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics - USA: by: NEW: Last 30+ days  May 2011    Publication Date   Late-listed    Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, for now):   99c Notepad,   99c CalendarPro,   99c Converter

Barry Eisler and Stephen Leather ride the indie charts in U.S./UK

Yet another self-published Kindle writer makes a killing

  In mid-March we had Barry Eisler turning down a $500,000 advance, which he explained in his long interview with J.A. Konrath.

  As the Daily Finance's Martin Cloake reported:

  ' At the heart of both authors' reasoning [Konrath and Eisler] is the publisher's advance. Traditionally authors received a lump sum advance against sales which they would use to write the book. But that money has to be earned back once the book is published, and at a royalty – between 10 and 15% – of the sale price.

Insurance policy
This can be seen as a loan, an insurance policy, even a bet. Konrath says: "Signing with a big publisher is like signing a life insurance policy, where the payments keep getting larger while the payoff gets smaller as time goes on."  Taking that loan, argues Eisler, only makes sense if "the loan is so big that you don't think you'd ever be able to make that much on your own". '


Stephen Leather - UK
A British thriller writer, Stephen Leather (U.S.)  (UK) sells his ebooks for as little as 71 p (US $1.50) and has enjoyed the #1 spot on Amazon UK's ebook bestseller lists for "90 percent of the last three months" and that's from selling "somewhere in the region" of 2,000 ebooks a day.

' Leather enjoys a successful parallel career writing "big international thrillers" for Hodder & Stoughton.

But last August, when Amazon.co.uk opened its Kindle store, he saw an opportunity: "I was lucky, in that I had three novellas Hodder had turned down because they were in a different genre from my other books and too short to work as conventional paperbacks.

"But I realised they might work for the Kindle." '

He realized the Kindle (UK: K3) was going to be very big on Christmas Day and that after people downloaded the ebooks they'd always wanted, most of them relatively (or absolutely) expensive, they'd start looking for cheaper books.

"I knew the wave was going to break on Christmas Day.  I got myself in position to take advantage, I got on and I've been riding it ever since."


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

WSJ checks out the digital-age 'Vanity' Press

Increasing attention has been given to the unexpected success of several authors who have chosen to "self-publish" via digital text platforms such as Amazon's and are finding it much more rewarding than waiting for a large publisher to notice their work.

The Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey A. Fowler and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg report on the "technological disruption that's loosening traditional publishers' grip on the book market—and giving new power to technology companies like Amazon to shape which books and authors succeed."

  As in reports described in the earlier articles linked to above, they note the success of writers such as Karen McQuestion who decided to publish her own book online through Amazon's digital-publishing area and has sold, through Amazon's Kindle store, over 36,000 copies of "A Scattered Life," which has a film option with a Hollywood producer.  Amazon's imprint Amazon Encore will publish a paperback version along with a new Kindle edition in August.

  Publishers have been wary of the new power of technology companies to shape which authors and books succeed, circumventing the publishing establishment.

  This month Amazon is increasing the authors' take to 70% of revenue, and both Apple and Barnes & Noble have jumped on the digital self-publishing bandwagon.

  The WSJ story, which is quite thorough and very balanced includes a look at the field of competitors (photos included):  Smashwords (Mark Coker); Lulu (Bob Young); FastPencil (Steve Wilson); Scribd (Trip Adler), and Author Solutions (Kevin Weiss) as well as Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos of course.  It also includes a couple of videoclips, including Fowler "joining the Digits show to discuss how this is threatening the traditional book industry." and WSJ's Marshall Crook offering "a brief history of the book."  The article itself has its own introductory or overview video.

  After the latest look at the e-book pricing battles, the article focuses on Joe Konrath (AKA Jack Wilson) who, along with Karen McQuestion (and Boyd Morrison), often share the spotlight on their unanticipated but impressive success stories.

' Mr. Konrath says he's already earning more from self-published Kindle books that New York publishers rejected than from his print books. In the past 14 months, he has sold nearly 50,000 Kindle e-books, and at the current royalty rate, he makes $58,000 per year from his self-published works. When Amazon royalties double this summer, he expects to bring in $170,000 annually.

  ...the success of Ms. McQuestion's debut self-published novel, "A Scattered Life," illustrates perhaps the biggest long-term threat to traditional publishers: a replacement for their ability to curate and market books.

...CEO Jeff Bezos says Amazon wants to be a partner, not a threat, to publishers. "I think the real risk is that there are a multitude of publishers. Some of them are really forward leaning, and are really going after this new e-book area," he says. "If you are not one of those publishers, then I would be worried." '

They include a discussion of what would work best for authors and publishers in this new high-tension, competitive environment with large stakes for all.

A really interesting read.  More here...

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 Guide to finding Free or Low-Cost Kindle books and Sources  Top 100 free bestsellers
   Check often:  Latest temporarily free non-classics or late-listed ones.