But in the meantime, my resume is still posted shamelessly on the other page of the site if you’re looking to hire someone awesome =)

Out for now…

*nimby

*nyx

This morning Apple announced the iPad will be available in stores April 3. Pre-orders will be happening beginning March 12 both from the online store and for in-store pickup. Prices still begin at $499.

That is all.

via Publishers Weekly

The latest round comes courtesy of MacRumors.

Rumor 1 speculates a March 26 in-store release. So far there has been no word on pre-orders, but maybe there won’t be.

Rumor 2 promises the first iPad TV commercial March 15th.

Rumor 3 puts the iPad in-stores for employee training March 10th.

Rumor 4 says that the crazy people who actually camp outside of Apple stores to get an iPad (Pandemonium indeed! Especially if there’s no pre-order.) will get some kind of free gift… What? I don’t know where this rumor comes from, but it sounds pretty dumb.

Since we all like gossip so much, what rumors have you heard?

via eBookNewser

But the most interesting thing is that the paper has been allowed access to an iPad for development. However, Murdoch said the device is kept “under padlock and key” and that “the key is turned by Apple every night.”

These could just be the ramblings of a man who doesn’t understand technology. But it seems more likely that while Apple may be sharing for developmental purposes, they don’t trust their developers…

via Engadget

With few details actually released as of yet, there’s no way to be sure, but if you ask me, this is going to be just another option in the slew of e-readers we are sure to be hit with this year. Will it actually make an impact? I don’t think so. The giants of the game already have the market. But it does look like it has the potential to be pretty nifty if it works.

No word on price or release date as of yet.

via engadget.com

via eBookNewswer

If YOU want to pay to read about it

Random House Sets Out to Apply Storytelling Skills to Videogames

Okay, actually, just kidding I found more write ups on it, but all on blogs. Nonetheless, here’s the jist:

Random House has been largely silent recently among the e-book price hubub, but in the past week they’ve made two big announcements. First, that they are creating a whole new structure for their digital division with a series of memos going out last Thursday detailing the restructuring. Now they have announced that they are creating a new in-house videogame development team to help create storylines for possible videogame spin offs of their titles.

This seems like the odd move, because while RH has expressed interest in digital expansion, so far, it has been mostly focused on e-books, a natural digital spin off of printed titles. But RH is ignoring the naysayers by flaunting a deal they’ve already made with software developer, Stardock Corp. They will be working on production of the game Elemental: War of Magic, a $5 million project slated for a September release. They have also signed a contract with Stardock’s CEO Brad Wardell to write a linking novel, Elemental: Destiny’s Embers, to be released shortly before the game. I know some of the game is in the can already (you can find screenshots on the game’s website), but I’m not sure about the novel. If not, at least I hope Wardell has a good ghost writer because September seems like a kind of short deadline for a full novel and completely coded video game to be ready. Especially with the new department being only 15 people to start with right now. Also, considering that a lot of the game is already completed, I’m still a little unclear on what exactly Random House will be doing in this arrangement.

I understand (sort of) why they’re making such an awkward gamble, but I’m also afraid both as a reader and a regular consumer. Historically, video games made into movies and vice-versa (which, let’s be fair, is really all we can compare this to) are generally awful and often don’t even make back their production costs.

Either way,  check out some concept art for Elemental: War of Magic below, via the game’s website ElementalGame.com

via bnet.com

Macmillan CEO John Sargent on the agency model, availability and price

After the events of the past several weeks, I have been in touch with many of you. It has become clear to me that there is far too little accurate information available in this time of unprecedented change. The issues we all face together are complex, and no news story or 140-character snippet can adequately address them. Therefore, I propose to write you occasionally, when I get a sense that there is a need for direct information.

The first topic is the e-book agency model, and how it will affect our business in the near term. Starting at the end of March, we will move from the “retail model” of selling e-books (publishers sell to retailers, who then sell to readers at a price that the retailer determines) to the “agency model” (publishers set the price, and retailers take a commission on the sale to readers). We will make this change with all our e-book retailers simultaneously.

Rather than address the long-term or author royalty consequences of the change (I’ll save that for next time), I’ll focus on the two major effects at retail. Note that these changes will apply to every e-book retailer with whom we do business:

1. Availability. All the new adult trade books for which we have the rights to publish in e-book format will be available at the first release of the printed book. We will no longer delay the publication of e-books (read: no windowing). Readers were clearly frustrated at the lack of availability of new titles, and the change to the agency model will solve this problem. We are also working hard to make more books available in digital editions. The consumer will have broader choice and much greater availability.

2. Price. We will price our e-books at a wide variety of prices. In the ink-on-paper world we publish new books in different formats (hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperback) at prices that generally range from $35.00 to $5.99. In the digital world we will price each book individually as we do today. Generally e-book editions of hardcover new releases will be priced between $14.99 and $12.99; a few books will be priced higher and lower. This is a tremendous discount from the price of the printed hardcover books, which generally range from $28.00 to $24.00. E-book editions of New York Times hardcover bestsellers will be priced at $12.99 or lower while they are on the printed list.  E-book editions of paperback new releases will be generally priced between $9.99 and $6.99.

For physical books, the majority of new release hardcovers are published in cheaper paperback versions over time. We will mirror this price reduction in the digital world.  It is too early to estimate the timing of the price reductions for those cases in which we do not issue a paperback edition. If we do issue a paperback, we will drop the digital price to $9.99 or lower at publication date (if not before). The price differential between the book and the e-book will become smaller at the lower price points.

There has been a lot of concern from e-book readers that $9.99 books will no longer be available. Most Macmillan e-books will still be priced below ten dollars. Our e-book sales over the last year clearly indicate that only about a third of our e-book business is in the digital versions of new release hardcovers. Unit sales of older books far exceed our new release hardcover sales, so the $9.99 and lower prices will continue to represent the largest portion of our business.

In short, we will continue to do what we have always done: provide the reader with a vast selection of great books over a wide range of prices.

I have not addressed illustrated books or books for young children. That will be a topic for the future as the technology advances beyond e-ink screens. I hope this has been in some way helpful. Please remember that I can’t tell you how other publishers will handle availability and pricing. I can only speak for Macmillan.

Meanwhile, there are millions of you and one of me. So, please feel free to post questions or comments below.

Thanks!

John

I’ll be in touch…