Photo: Barnes & Noble

You’ll find in this post a few simple tips on how to choose the best cover, sleeve or skin for your tablet or ereader.

Selecting a cover for a mobile device seems to be a less important task than choosing the device itself. Nevertheless, make sure to find out your own preferences and learn about potential sources of disappointment, before clicking on a Buy button.

The list below includes major areas of consideration. Please leave in the comments your suggestions and user remarks about the covers you own or plan to buy.

Our series of overviews of covers, cases and sleeves includes the following posts:

• 50+ stylish tablet covers, cases and sleeves
• 15 designer covers & cases for Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight
• 30+ beautiful Kindle Touch cases, covers, sleeves and skins
• 20+ Kobo Touch covers, cases and sleeves
• 40+ cool ereader covers, cases & sleeves

* * *

1. Choose the kind which suits your needs

A variety of covers is enormous and it’s growing every day. There are many different kinds available on the market, but generally, no matter how they’re named, they fall into three major categories, depending on how you use them.

Case

There are many different kinds of covers. It can be a neoprene cover, it can be a case which opens like a book, or it can be a case which transform into a horizontal or vertical stand. What they all have in common is that you mount your device once and keep the case always on – there is no need to take the device out in order to use it.

A classic and stylish example of a case cover is kate spade new york Normandy Dot Case Cover, which fits Kindle Touch and Kindle 4. This is also a good example of the cover made to fit two models – the ones with dimensions which only slightly differ. The cover holds the device with corner strips, so it’s possible to put a smaller device, as well.

Amazon: kate spade new york Normandy Dot cover for Kindle Touch

Sleeve

In order to use the device, you have to pull it out of the sleeve.

Sleeves, jackets or bags are a very good option if you want to protect you device while travelling, but don’t want to hold an extra weight while using it.

Sleeves are also a solution if you can’t find the proper cover for the device you own – which is a case for, in fact, any brand except Kindle or iPad.

Any sleeve made for a bigger device will do the job. All you have to do is to compare the sizes and proportions (more about in later in the post). In other words: sleeves and jackets allow for some flexibility. Moreover, if you don’t want to buy a new cover every time you buy a new ereader, the sleeve could be a good option – on condition that it’s durable enough.

A great example of a sleeve is the one show below, for Nook Tablet/Color. It’s made of ultra-soft neoprene, that tough and durable, with a smooth-gliding zipper which opens the case at the top and extends partly down the sides, providing easy access.

Barnes & Noble: Embossed Neoprene Sleeve for Nook Tablet/Color

Skin

Skins are laminated vinyl decals which you attach to the back and front of the device. They are usually re-positionable, and won’t leave any residue after removal.

For many people skins are just a way to make a device more enjoyable. In fact, the protection they give is somehow dubious. You have a great looking skin and you don’t want it to be scratched as well.

When you order a skin, double-check if it’s selected for the right device. The cutouts are made exactly for specific models. Unlike sleeves, there is absolutely no way for flexibility. Kindle Touch skin won’t fit on Kindle 4.

A great site with hundreds of stunning skin designs for over 100 devices is GelaSkins.

GelaSkins: Intermezzo Kindle Fire Skin by Andy Gilmore

2. Know the dimensions of your device

Selecting a cover for the most popular devices, like iPad or any of the Kindles, is pretty easy. There are several accessories which are designed and sold to fit those models.

The thing gets a bit more difficult if you want to find a cover for a less popular device. First, it’s harder to find one. Secondly, if you won’t find a cover designed specifically for your model, you’ll have to browse through more general solutions.

Many covers are sold as “universal”. You will, for instance, find “universal 10-inch tablet sleeve” or “universal 6-inch ereader case”. Those sizes measure the distance between two opposite screen corners. 6-inch is the typical screen size of the ereader.

However, in many instances the screen size of your device is not enough to choose the right cover, as different models may have different proportions.

Two tablets may have the same screen size (let’s say 10-inch), but a different screen aspect ratio. As a result, you may end up with a cover which just doesn’t fit your tablet.

What’s always good to know: the exact physical dimensions of your device – height, width, and depth. The sizes of the most popular devices are listed in those two posts:

• Dimensions of the most popular tablets [chart]
• Dimensions of the most popular models of ereaders [chart]

A good thing to know is that Kobo Touch has very similar dimensions to Kindle Touch, so it’s possible to use on it any cover or sleeve designed for the Amazon’s ereader. Read more details  in this post: 20+ Kobo Touch covers, cases and sleeves.

There are two more things to keep in mind.

If you want to buy a cover on eBay or any other giant online store, which is not a producer’s site, you may find descriptions that are misleading or not specific enough. For instance, be careful if you find a sleeve that fits “iPad”. There are three generations of iPad already. iPad 1 is bigger than iPad2/the new iPad.

The next thing is when you want to order a hand-made cover. You can find some extraordinary designs on Etsy. Their creators usually make them on demand, so in a “message to seller” make sure to include the dimensions of your device.

In general, Etsy is a great way to get a highly personalized cover for a less popular tablet or ereader model.

3. Decide whether you’ll need light

This topic doesn’t apply to tablets, which have backlit screens, so you’re able to use them in the dark (be careful about eye strain it can cause). When it comes to ereaders, it’s good to ask a question: will I be reading in the dark and do I want to have a special light/lamp for my ereader?

If the answer is “yes”, you can first of all choose a new model of ereader, the one with a frontlit screen: Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight or the upcoming Kindle model with the similar screen.

If you want to use an external light, there are two options. First, you can buy a special cover, with a built-in light. A good example is Kindle lighted cover shown below.

Amazon: Kindle Lighted Leather Cover

Some users decide to buy two accessories, a cover and, separately, a reading light. One advice to give is that in such a case, make sure you’ll be able to attach a light to a cover. The clip may not be large enough to hold a thicker device.

A good solution could be to buy a cover in which the device is being held by corner strips. The lamp’s bottom clip can go between the device and the back side of the cover.

4. Check different sites

Many people buy covers at the time when they buy a device, and they do it on the same site.

When selecting covers for our overviews, we noticed that buying an accessory for a tablet or ereader makes 100% sense only on Barnes & Noble site. The best Nook covers are there, there is no reason to look anywhere else, you won’t find anything better anywhere else.

Switch to Amazon or Apple or any other site, and three topics appear immediately, which make it reasonable to browse the web to find other sources of covers:

• availability
• price
• shipping costs

Availability

Assumption that the best Kindle covers are on Amazon, limits you to only the most popular ones, selected from preferred Amazon partners. There are many producers of covers, which are not easily discoverable on Amazon or the choice of their products offered there is limited.

Producers of covers, cases, and sleeves, run their own very well-kept sites. The ones we recommend are: Proporta, Marware, Case-Crown, JAVOedge, Incipio and Case-Mate. Go there and you will find great covers for your ereader or tablet that you haven’t seen on a site where you were buying the device itself.

“Why should I register for another site?” – this is the question which immediately comes to mind. The reason is that you can save money.

Price

Prices at the producer’s site may be lower than in giant online retailers. Additionally, you can also find out that there are some promotions or that some models are on sale.

So, generally, if you find a good cover on Amazon, use Google to search for the original producer to check how much is the cover there – and if there are any additional color versions or extra benefits.

Shipping costs

If you buy a device and cover together on Amazon, you may assume that they will be shipped together and this can reduce costs. But it may happen that they will have to be shipped separately.

On Amazon it happens when the cover is being sold by a third-party partner. The Kindle is shipped by Amazon and you pay for shipping. The cover is shipped by a partner and you pay for shipping again. It’s not a problem in US, when it’s usually free, but if you’re a foreign customer, shipping costs from US may actually exceed the value of the cover.

There are cover producers, naming only Proporta or Gecko, which are based in Europe. Shipping costs to European countries will be lower in this case. For instance, in Proporta, there is free shipping to UK and if your order exceeds $19.95 it’s also free to US.

* * *

To get more posts like this, please subscribe by RSS or email. Please, check also a checklist for buying an ereader. One of the coming posts is the list with the top destinations for tablet and ereader covers, so stay tuned.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Check all Ebook Friendly cartoons. Embed this one on your site – copy the code:

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://ebookfriendly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ebookfriendly-cartoon-14.jpg"><img src="http://ebookfriendly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ebookfriendly-cartoon-14-526x394.jpg" alt="Side effect of enhanced ebooks [cartoon] | Ebook Friendly" title="Side effect of enhanced ebooks [cartoon] | Ebook Friendly" width="100%"/></a> <p><em>Via <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://ebookfriendly.com/2012/05/25/side-effect-of-enhanced-ebooks-cartoon/">Ebook Friendly</a></em></p> <p>

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

So far, there were not many visual summaries about the phenomenon of self-publishing, but it started to change recently. In this post I’m sharing four infographics published in the recent weeks.

I will be updating this post in the future, if any new chart comes out. Infographics are a great promotional tool, and we at Ebook Friendly spend a lot of time to support self-publishing.

First infographic, Self-publishing by the numbers, created by Business Web Page Creation is a comprehensive guide to digital publishing, where self-publishing plays a major role. We’ve seen many comparisons between print and electronic books already, but in this infographic it’s done from a point of view of a writer.

A magnification of 10 remarkable years is an infographic prepared by Lulu.com, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this great self-publishing platform. Enough to say that during that period stunning 36 million dollars were earned by Lulu authors. Now, combine this info with the cost estimate from a first infographic (Print and distribution costs section) and you’ll get a pretty clear view about what self-publishing is about.

Blurb, another top destination for authors who decided to self-publish, shares 7 top stats about Blurb’s role in self-publishing. The infographic shows figures for 2011. Blurb authors earned 1 million dollars, almost 100,000 books were published, and 1.8 million books were downloaded by users from 69 countries.

The last chart is different. It was prepared by Ryan Gielen and is called How I spent the last year preparing to self-publish my novel. It’s an extremely funny description of several tasks the self-publisher has to accomplish and things he does instead. In fact, in times of social media, every author has to deal with several topics, which have nothing to do with writing.

* * *

We collected over 70 infographics about books and digital publishing. New ones are added frequently, so if you don’t want to miss them, please subscribe by RSS or email.

1. Self-publishing by the numbers

Via Kaye Publicity.

2. A magnification of 10 remarkable years

Via Lulu Blog.

3. Blurb’s 7 top self-publishing stats

From Blurberati Blog, via AppNewser.

4. How I spent the last year preparing to self-publish my novel

By Ryan Gielen, via eBookNewser.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Just a snippet:

As of 2008 Harry Potter books have sold approximately 400 million copies, and have been translated into 67 languages.

Big question: how good ebook sales will be?

Via Visual.ly.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Image: Kobo

If you’re a Kobo customer and a fan of the world of Hogwarts, now you can browse Harry Potter ebooks directly from Kobo ebookstore. They are available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian.

The list on Kobo includes 32 titles, and I wish there was a way to sort them by language – English does not come first.

The prices are not displayed, so I’m listing them below (for English editions):

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Book 1) – $7.99
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) - $7.99
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) - $7.99
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) - $9.99
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) - $9.99
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) - $9.99
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) - $9.99
• The Complete Harry Potter Ebook Collection – $57.54

Just like in Kindle Store and Nook Store, to buy the book you’ll be redirected to Pottermore site, where you’ll have to register an account. After that you can add the book to the cart and complete the purchase.

While on Pottermore, remember to link to your Kobo account, so that you can send your new Harry Potter ebooks directly to your Kobo virtual bookshelf.

Via Kobo.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Business Web Page Creation designed a comprehensive infographic, which can guide you through the phenomenon of self-publishing.

Some numbers and names are missing, for instance on the list with the most successful self-publishers, but if you were ever thinking that self-published authors are the ones to populate the long tail with their low-quality books, this graph will surely succeed to change your mind.

Please visit the page where Self-publishing by the Numbers infographic was originally posted – for an embed code and credits. Check also our growing collection of infographics about ebooks and digital publishing.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Via Kaye Publicity.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Via Lemon.ly Visual Marketing.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Image: Barnes & Noble

This post lists the stylish covers, cases and sleeves for the most popular models of tablets.

We will be updating the list frequently, so if you’d like to add covers for a specific tablet model, please leave a message in the comments below.

Before getting down to choosing the cover, it’s good to know the dimensions of your device. In case of the  most popular tablets, like iPad or Kindle Fire, the covers are tailored to their exact dimensions. But if you own a less popular model, you’ll probably have to choose one of “universal size” covers. They fall into two sizes: for 7-inch, and for 10-inch tablets.

Also, if you decided to order a hand-made cover on Etsy, make sure to give exact dimensions in the message to seller.

You’ll find the sizes (height/width/depth), both in inches and millimeters in this post: Dimensions of the most popular tablets [chart].

It’s great that more and more companies design and sell covers specifically for tablets and ereaders. Our top recommendations are: Proporta, Marware, Case-Crown, JAVOedge, Incipio and Case-Mate.

Our series of overviews of covers, cases and sleeves includes the following posts:

• 50+ stylish tablet covers, cases and sleeves
• 15 designer covers & cases for Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight
• 30+ beautiful Kindle Touch cases, covers, sleeves and skins
• 20+ Kobo Touch covers, cases and sleeves
• 40+ cool ereader covers, cases & sleeves

To get more posts like this, please subscribe by RSS or email.

50+ stylish tablet covers, cases and sleeves

Gecko Cover Luxe for the new iPad. A stylish and functional cover with a unique and “slimfit” design. The exterior of the case is made of high quality plastic matieral and the interior is finished in silver grey velour. It can be used in several different positions. The click-in system and its closing mechanism make use of magnets. Available in 3 colors: black, white, and red. ⇢ Gecko – €29.95.

Apple iPad Smart Cover. This slim, yet sturdy cover protects your iPad screen without covering up its durable aluminum back. An aluminum hinge magnetically aligns the cover with iPad for a perfect fit. Fold it back to turn it into a comfortable keyboard stand. Available in 5 colors: light gray, dark gray, blue, green, and pink. Available for iPad 2 and the new iPad. ⇢ Apple – $39.

Quicksilver Case for the new iPad. This case, compatible with Apple Smart Cover, is super tough, robust and protects against knocks and impact damage. It has neatly placed cut outs which allow you to charge your iPad whilst in its case, and still have access to all volume and hold controls. Branded Quiksilver classic logo, matte, soft-feel finish, available in black. ⇢ Proporta – $33.95.

EcoVue Case for the new iPad. This case from Marware is a versatile, eco-leather folio-style case for the fashionable, environmentally-conscious tablet user. Discreet rubber traction strips along the two side edges stand the case in the open position, perfect for display/viewing. There’s also a foldaway, low-angle stand for typing. Soft magnets in the folio lid automatically sleep/wake the iPad. Available in 3 colors: red, brown, black. ⇢ Marware – $54.99.

Incipio Flagship Folio Brushed Aluminum Hard Shell Case for the new iPad. Designed with a radio-transparent simulated carbon fiber exterior with brushed aluminum accents to provide a refined, executive look to your new iPad. Constructed with a polycarbonate clip, the Flagship Folio for allows for complete closure. Front cover utilizes Apple’s automatic sleep mode for quality experience. ⇢ Incipio – $69.99.

Proporta Neoprene Sleeve for the new iPad. Designed to add almost no bulk to your device. The tough memory foam exterior will protect the iPad from bumps, scratching and impact damage, whilst a secure zip keeps everything where it should be. Finished in a stylish black with lime green stripe and Proporta logo. ⇢ Proporta – $19.95.

CaseCrown Axis Flip Case for the new iPad and iPad 2. This case sports a simple and classy design made from extremely durable material having a subtle unique texture. There is a strong elastic band attached on the exterior of the case for a secure closure. The interior compartment fully rotates for both horizontal and vertical viewing. Now you can view the new iPad / iPad 2 both horizontally and vertically with the same case! Built-in magnetic strip provides sleep/wake feature. Exterior elastic band for secure closure. Available in 8 colors. ⇢ CaseCrown – $30.95.

JAVOedge Fish Flex Sleeve for the new iPad and iPad 2. Combines the portable protection of a sleeve with a viewing stand in an eye-catching pattern composed of fishes swimming on a bright-green background. Once turned into a viewing stand the iPad can be viewed hands-free. ⇢ JAVOedge – $14.98.

CaseCrown Clutch Trifold Case for the new iPad and iPad 2. This case from CaseCrown has an ultra slim, lightweight, and compact structure that offers convenient mobility. The extended handle that is part of this 1-piece case provides a convenient grip. It gives this case a professional look of a small briefcase. The all-around bezel design of the slot and velcro flap on the side guarantees a secure and snug fit. Available in two colors: black and hot pink. ⇢ CaseCrown – $30.95.

Hard Graft Tilt Case for the new iPad and iPad 2. Lightweight, pliable and relaxed whilst ticking all the boxes of what an iPad Case should do: it sports all three positions with ease – typing, surfing and watching. Plus it’s all about the haptic experience – sturdy wool and the touch of the leather just feels right in combination with the cool exterior of your iPad. ⇢ Hard Graft – £80.

CaseCrown Oxford Case for the new iPad and iPad 2. A unique and stylish design made from synthetic leather. The exterior shows off a checkered/plaid design for a simple and classy look, and it also has a subtle texture. The interior is lined with a soft felt-like material to protect your new iPad / iPad 2 from scratches. Front cover flips back to transform into a comfortable viewing stand. Available in four colors: purple, brown, black, and pink. ⇢ CaseCrown – $36.95.

Proporta Shine High Gloss Protective Case for the new iPad. This is a glossy, hard-wearing leather style Apple iPad 3 case that is ready to be shown off. Made to fit iPad 3 perfectly, you can easily access all your device’s functions, including charging due to the well-placed cut-outs. Never worry about the well-being of your tablet thanks to the secure attachment system on this iPad case. Soft-feel lining and print screen patterns, document pouch located internally, magnetic closure system. ⇢ Proporta – $69.95.

Proporta Neoprene Sleeve for 10-inch tablets. Dimensions: 290 / 195 / 25 mm. Tough neoprene outer protects against knocks and shocks. Zip closure system. Finished in a stylish black with lime green stripe and Proporta logo. Fits Motorola Xoom 10.1″, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1″, Archos 101 G9, Asus Eee Pad Transformer / TF101, HP TouchPad, Toshiba Folio 100. ⇢ Proporta – $19.95.

CaseCrown Ace Flip Case for the new iPad and iPad 2. This case sports a simple yet classy design made from synthetic leather, and the interior is lined with a soft, non-scratch material so you do not need to worry about any damages. All features of the new iPad / iPad 2 are accessible even with the case on. The side clasps will secure your device in place for a snug fit. An elastic band is available on the interior of the case for grip during presentations. Available in 8 colors. ⇢ CaseCrown – $30.95.

CaseCrown Diamond Messenger Case Bag for the new iPad and iPad 2. This is both a case and a bag all wrapped up into one! The exterior of the bag is covered with a unique pattern in two different shades of gray. There are two different compartments: one opens up all the way and has four elastic corner straps to securely hold your device in place, the other slot makes it easy to slide your device in and out. There is a small handle attached for carrying. ⇢ CaseCrown – $41.95.

Twelve South BookBook Case for iPad. Handmade one-of-a-kind, hardback leather case that doubles as a fully adjustable stand. Along with its vintage looks, this case makes iPad feel as if you’re holding a real book. The hardback cover and spine provide impact protection, while the hard protective inner frame offers crush protection. Available in two styles: Classic Black and Vibrant Red. ⇢ Twelve South – $69.99.

Case-Mate Venture Case for the new iPad. Features a sleek style with top-stitch detailing and contemporary line accents, crafted from a leather-inspired material and textured finishes. Built-in stand that remains hidden when not in use, access to all ports and functions. Available in 3 colors: brown, black, and lipstick pink. ⇢ Case-Mate -$60.

NUU BaseCase Vivid cover for the new iPad and iPad 2. Perfect for the artist in you that’s itching to get out. Inspired by a painter’s brush-strokes and vivid, bold paint colors, this case for the new iPad and iPad 2 is one-of-a-kind. It’s the next best thing to painting the back of your iPad. Available in three vibrant color palettes, the NUU BaseCase Vivid is the perfect companion for your Apple Smart Cover. ⇢ NUU – $29.

Case-Mate Stingray Slim Stand for the new iPad. An exotic stingray embossed leather covers with texture and fashion-forward style. The shiny pebbled pattern adds a touch of whimsy, while the array of bright and fun colors makes this cover standout. The case conveniently folds into a stand with the innovative tab stand feature. A complementing soft microfiber interior completes the case. Available in lipstick pink and turquoise. ⇢ Case-Mate – $120.

Griffin Elan Folio Cabana for the new iPad and iPad 2. The case flips open for quick access to your Multi-Touch display, and closes like a book for privacy and protection. Flip the cover around and tuck it in back to turn the folio into an adjustable easel. Elan Folio protects your Multi-Touch display with a microsuede lining, and strategically-placed cutouts provide unhindered access to ports, cameras, and controls. Available in 2 colors: red and blue. ⇢ Griffin – $49.99.

Case-Mate Pop! Case with Stand for the new iPad. This case with built-in stand mixes a co-molded, protective design with a contemporary, eye-catching look. Combining a tough, hard shell and soft rubber sides, the case surrounds the sides and back of the new iPad. A built-in stand extends for an ideal viewing screen or remains hidden for a flat back cover. The rubber sides make for an easy grip, while the innovative lay flat design keeps the new iPad screen lifted away from surfaces. Available in two colors: white and black. ⇢ Case-Mate – $50.

Pink Herringbone Case for iPad. Stylish sleeve made with pink herringbone wool with orange undertones. Sized to fit the iPad / iPad2 or other similar size tablet. The case is lined with off white cotton canvas. It comes with a rivet reinforced brown leather straps with snap closures. ⇢ Etsy – $75.

Keydex Ostric Poly Case Pouch Cover for new iPad, iPad 2 and HP TouchPad. High fashion design with wielding leather patterns. Effectively protect your device from scratches. Smooth silk lining to ensure minimal friction. Strong magnetic clip to prevent your tablet from sliding out. ⇢ Sears – $18.

Pad & Quill Fire Keeper for Kindle Fire. This case is hand made in Pad & Quill, Minneapolis, employing traditional bindery techniques. Covered in onyx black Italian bonded leather cover. Beautiful satin finished Baltic Birch frame. Spine provides ‘paperback’ reading with full wrap around folding. Interior lined with book bindery cloth in 5 colors. ⇢ Pad & Quill – $49.99.

Verso Prologue Case Cover for Kindle Fire. Lightweight and exceptionally sturdy construction. Microfiber interior lining protects your Kindle fire screen. Slim pocket for essentials. Specially designed corner strap system features long-life elastic straps with no-slip silicone. Strap length, tension, and placement are custom-engineered to hold onto the Kindle Fire and not let go. ⇢ Amazon – $39.99.

Verso Versailles Case Cover for Kindle Fire. Elegant woven fabric cover with sophisticated, classic design. Sturdy construction is lightweight, but provides protection for your device. Soft microfiber interior with full pockets for holding receipts or travel documents. ⇢ Amazon – $34.99.

Verso Marrakesh Genuine Leather Cover for Kindle Fire. Patent-pending, universal corner elastic design secures your device snugly within the cover. Soft microfiber interior helps prevent scratches on your device. 3 interior pockets to help organize documents. ⇢ Amazon – $69.99.

Hard Candy Cases Bubble Case for Kindle Fire. It’s one of the first, fashion forward yet fully protective cases for the Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire Bubble case is the perfect combination of a hard polycarbonate exterior and rubber trim. Soft-touch exterior texture (white), iconic bubble design Polycarbonate shell with integrated rubber trim, rubber slide strips inside of the case to better fit and protect. ⇢ Amazon – $39.95.

kate spade new york Kindle Fire Case cover. Designed exclusively for Kindle Fire by kate spade new york, crafted in custom coated poplin sprinkled with colorful confetti dots and lined with signature pink faille. High-quality exterior shields your Kindle from the elements and protects its screen when not in use. Special design details include “kate spade new york” on the front cover. ⇢ Amazon – $69.

Case Logic EVA Sleeve Case for Kindle Fire. Ultra-slim shape & compression details provides glove-like fit and padded protection. Envelope design and welded seams provide water-resistant protection for your Kindle Fire. Soft nylex-lined interior for scratch-resistance. ⇢ Amazon – $34.99.

Proporta Leather Style Cover for Kindle Fire. Crafted from the finest quality alternative to leather and boasting a luxurious protective lining, this Kindle Fire cover keeps it safe and sound from knocks and bumps. Press-stud closure system. Soft internal lining to protect from scratching. Pull-tab for easy access to your device. ⇢ Proporta – $19.95.

CaseCrown Kindle Fire Royal Sleeve Case. This case sports a simple and classy design made from synthetic leather that is extremely durable. It has a unique subtle texture, and the two different colors add a sense of style. The interior is lined with non-scratch material so you do not need to worry about any scratches or damages. Small front pocket available approximately measuring 6.75 x 3 inches. ⇢ CaseCrown – $29.95.

Venture Case for Amazon Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Leather-inspired black case with red accents. Form fit design made specifically for the Kindle Fire with a Velcro tab and button closure to secure your Kindle Fire. Built-in stand and presentation easel. Access to all ports and functions. ⇢ Case-Mate – $50: Kindle Fire, Samsug Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Marware C.E.O. Hybrid Kindle Fire Cover. This cover elegantly fuses protection with stylish multi-functionality. Made with 100% genuine leather, a useful hand strap, and a microsuede-lined interior, your Kindle Fire snaps easily and securely into place. Transforms to stand the Kindle Fire in two angles ideal for viewing and display. Convenient, high-grade elastic strap holds the lid open or closed. ⇢ Marware – $44.99.

Kindle Fire DEN – Denver Nylon Sleeve. Delicately, lined with a non-abrasive, cushioned interior, the sleeve provides premier protection. Horizontal stitching gives a protective and refinded look. The form-fitting design adds minimal weight and bulk to your Kindle Fire. ⇢ Incipio – $29.99.

Built Slim Neoprene Sleeve for Kindle Fire (Scatter Dot/Scuba Blue). A lightweight, form-fitting design that hugs your device in place without adding bulk. Inside, a plush inner lining helps safeguard the screen from scratches. The zipper-free opening allows for quick access to your Kindle Fire. It’s also checkpoint friendly and it travels easily other bags. ⇢ Adorama – $24.99.

Tudexo Case for Kindle Fire. Ultra-slim Kindle Fire case silhouette crafted from premium leather inspired material and a highly durable brushed microfiber interior. Magic Tape adhesive securely holds your Kindle Fire in place. Available in 2 colors: smooth black and caramel brown. ⇢ Case-Mate – $40.

Jonathan Adler Bargello Waves Cover for Nook Tablet/Color. A traditional Bargello “flame stitch” embroidery pattern is the basis for this cover. The vivid multicolor design has been printed on coated cotton canvas that resists wear and stains. The interior is a dark-blue canvas: bright-green bar-tack labels sport the Jonathan Adler logo and the proud announcement that “This NOOK belongs to…” above an ID window. ⇢ Barnes & Noble – $39.95.

Jack Spade Walking Feet Cover in Navy for Nook Tablet/Color. Adding a dramatic element to the distinctive Jack Spade look, the Walking Feet are printed on durable coated cotton canvas, with the designer’s iconic Warren Street label at the lower right. Inside, you’ll find a faille fabric lining in black, a subtly contrasting black sueded gusset, and a sewn-in cotton ID label. A convenient 3-point mechanism keeps your NOOK securely mounted while allowing full access to all the ports and controls. ⇢ Barnes & Noble – $59.95.

Lilly Pulitzer Jumping the Line Cover for Nook Tablet/Color. The exquisite floral pattern is printed on coated cotton canvas and extends across the entire cover – the flowers appear to be “jumping” off the lines in the pattern, creating a dramatic effect. Gold-toned leather piping binds the outer edges all the way around, and a gold-plated Lilly Pulitzer signature plaque, mounted on a leather patch, adorns the front cover. ⇢ Barnes & Noble – $39.95.

Embossed Neoprene Sleeve for Nook Tablet/Color. Made of ultra-soft neoprene that’s also tough and durable, so you can take it virtually anyplace you go. The embossed “n” logo pattern on both sides gives the case a unique look and feel. Inside, a soft gray nylon lining cradles your Nook, protecting it from shocks and scratches. A smooth-gliding zipper opens the case at the top and extends partly down the sides, providing easy access. ⇢ Barnes & Noble – $19.95.

Silicone Frame in Flamingo for Nook Tablet/Color. The flexible yet strong silicone material wraps around the sides and back of the device, providing an excellent barrier against shocks, scratches, and moisture. You can access all the device’s features while it’s in the case: there are openings for the headphone jack and charging port, overmolded tabs for the power button and volume control, and a cutout on the back to enhance the sound from the speaker grille. ⇢ Barnes & Noble – $19.95.

Hard Case Cover for Kobo Vox. The all-around full zipper closure and strong hard exterior guarantees premium protection from any possible damages while the interior walls of the case are lined with shock absorbing foam. A lower mesh pocket with an elastic band is attached along the first interior wall to carry additional accessories, and the second interior wall has four corner straps. ⇢ Amazon – $5.21.

STM Skinny Sony Tablet Case (Black). Provides easy access to device ports and control buttons. The case features foldable front cover for both typing and viewing mode. ⇢ Adorama – $32.50.

Poetic Slimbook Leather Case for Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 With 3-in-1 Built-in Stand (Black). Made by High Quality PU Leather. Easy to insert or pull out your device and easy port access. Ultra slim and light case perfect for carrying. ⇢ Amazon – $12.95.

Perfora Leather Style Case for Motorola Xoom and other 10-inch tablets. The handcrafted faux-leather exterior guards against everyday damage, scratches and knocks, and the contrast stripe and perforation detail design means that it cuts quite a dash in the process, whilst inside the luxury lining will cocoon your Netbook in the finest style and safety. ⇢ Proporta – $26.95.

Acase Slim Leather Case Folio for HP TouchPad. Covered by Premium Litchi Grain Mark Leather. All the cut-outs of the leather case are specially designed for the HP TouchPad 9.7, all ports and buttons are accessible. The interior is made of microfiber, which does not scratch the body and the screen. ⇢ Amazon – $22.95.

CaseCrown Bold Trifold for Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. This case sports a simple and classy design made from synthetic leather, and the interior is lined with non-scratch material so you do not need to worry about any damages. There is also a magnetic strip built inside for a secure closure. The cover is uniquely designed to flip back and transform the case into a comfortable viewing stand. Available in 4 colors: black, blue, purple, and hot pink. ⇢ CaseCrown – $29.95.

Griffin Slipcase with Cover for 7-inch tablets. Slip your tablet into this universal sleeve then velcro down the cover to secure it. Slip the lip of the cover under the provided tab to make a handy inclined stand for your tablet. Features a durable, easy-to-clean outer shell with a smooth microsuede interior, and a loop for your stylus. ⇢ Griffin – $19.99.

Felt Cover for 7-inch tablets. Made of natural 5mm felt to securely protect your tablet. The sleeve fastens with a loop and toggle button. Fits Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet/Color and other 7-inch tablets. ⇢ Etsy – $30.

ScoobaWrap. Ideal way to add an extra measure of carrying protection, particularly inside luggage, carry-ons, or other unpadded cases. Available in 3 sizes: small, medium, large. For a tablet choose a medium size (16 x 16-inch). ⇢ Skooba Design – $15.95.

Estate Tablet Brief. Carry your tablet and other on-the-go accessories in our Estate tablet brief. The khaki canvas is classic, while the functional design makes it a must-have. Made from 100% cotton and faux suede. 4 exterior slip pockets, 2 interior slip pockets. Dimensions ( H / W / D ): 8.75″ / 11.25″ / 1.25″. ⇢ Fossil – $98.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

You can win a set of eight Kindles for your classroom by sharing your best lesson plans by May 31, 2012. Simply follow the roadmap below and make sure to visit the original post.

Via Educator Studio.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

She sampled over 250 random works of science fiction – books, comics, but also movies and TV series, all created between 1880 and 2010. Then the data was divided into works set in the near future (0-50 years from the time the work came out), middle future (51-500 years) and far future (501+ years).

There are a few moments in history when all futures are almost equally represented, notably in the 1920s and the 1960s. Those are both periods of liberalization in the United States, when social roles were changing rapidly and the economy was booming. Perhaps these eras of rapid change turned people’s eyes to both the near and far future. Interestingly, both eras were followed by periods of economic downturn that led to opposite effects: In the 1930s, we saw a spike in far future stories (indeed, the most of any era in our data); and in the 1970s we saw a spike in near future stories.

Click on the image to enlarge. Check all infographics collected on Ebook Friendly.

Via io9.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Check all Ebook Friendly cartoons. Embed this one on your site – copy the code:

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://ebookfriendly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ebookfriendly-cartoon-11.jpg"><img src="http://ebookfriendly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ebookfriendly-cartoon-11-526x394.jpg" alt="Reasons to buy a tablet [cartoon] | Ebook Friendly" title="Reasons to buy a tablet [cartoon] | Ebook Friendly" width="100%"/></a> <p><em>Via <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://ebookfriendly.com/2012/05/19/reasons-to-buy-a-tablet-cartoon/">Ebook Friendly</a></em></p> <p>

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Tetris Built-In Bookcase by Eleftherios Ambatzis

Some people fear that, with the increasing popularity of ebooks, print books will disappear.

Nothing like this will happen. We’ll be buying less print books, but will select them very carefully – as they will be the essence of who we are.

Bookshelves will not disappear as well. They will be smaller, sure thing. No longer there is need to store 1,000 physical books, if their digital versions can be kept on one small device like Kindle or Nook.

Bookshelves will essentially become much more creative, and their role in our life won’t change a bit – they are and will be our brain’s manifesto (and it’s hard to manifest what you read by showing a small device like Kindle or Nook).

For your inspiration, we selected 25 most creative examples of bookshelves, which can be found on the web. Have a look and get inspired!

Check also other lists we’ve put together. Don’t miss the new ones, get free updates by RSS or email.

Pack-man bookshelf. Via 9GAG.

Slim transparent bookcase by Marianne van Ooij. Via Yanko Design.

Imeüble 2.5 dimension shelf system by Bjørn Jørund Blikstad. Via Yanko Design.

DIY industrial pipe bookshelf. Via Bit Rebels.

Stacked Teacups bookcase by WoodCurve Creative Wood Furniture. Via Etsy.

The Bookseat – the bookcase that became a chair. Via Digital Trends.

Vintage Jag bookshelf designed by Denieuwegeneratie design studio. Via Cubicle Bot.

Hole In The Floor bookshelf. Via Home Ideas Design.

Customizable Letter Shelves by Ricard Mollon. Via Home Designing.

Check-box bookshelves designed by Jongho Park. Via Interior Decorating.

Optical illusion bookshelf designed by Clarke Hopkins Clarke design company. Via Laughing Squid.

Target Bookshelf by Mebrure Oral. Via 9bytz.

Brain bookshelf. Via Dokumaciorumcek / Tumblr.

Branch bookshelf by Olivier Dollé. Via HomeDSGN.

Short circuit bookshelves by Alexandra DiCairano. Via Coroflot.

DNA bookcase designed by Joel Escalon. Via Inventor Spot.

Pendulum bookcase by Yar Rassadin. Via Yar Rassadin Design.

Reused 35mm Film Strips bookshelves by Lucas Desimone and Matias Resich. Via Bit Rebels.

Round bookshelves by Je Sung Park. Via Yanko Design.

Rolling bookshelves designed by Michaël Bihain. Via Yanko Design.

Tetris Built-In Bookcase by Eleftherios Ambatzis. Via Fancy.

USA Map Bookshelf by Ron Arad. Via Phoenix New Times.

Earthquake modular bookcases designed by Smansk. Via Yanko Design.

Skull bookshelves designed and arranged by James Hopkins.
Via Laughing Squid.

Read Your Book Case designed by Eva Alessandrini & Roberto Saporiti. Via Bookshelf Porn.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Click on the image to enlarge and check the original post for the list of sources.

Via Popular Soda.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

As ebooks from the Nook Store are available only to US customers, some readers from abroad who want to buy this convenient and very well received device, are certainly interested in how to download own books.

Here’s another great video tutorial from Good E-Reader blog, which will guide you through the process.

Via Good E-Reader.

NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™

• First & Only Reader designed for perfect bedtime reading
• Breakthrough technology creates a soft glow optimized for low light reading
• Warm light illuminates entire screen evenly
• End bedtime reading debate-when you want to read & your partner wants to sleep
• GlowLight turns on instantly and adjusts easily with a touch
• Revolutionary built-in anti-glare screen protector delivers just-like-paper experience – great in bright sun
• Exclusive Best-Text™ & adjustable fonts make words crisp & clear
• Fastest, most advanced E Ink® display for seamless page turns
• Lightest NOOK ever – perfect for long reading sessions and carrying everywhere
• Unbeatable value: “2 Readers in 1″ – Best of E Ink & Lit Display’ -Amazing in bed and at the beach

Perfect for Bedtime Reading
NOOK’s GlowLight illuminates your screen with a soft light that is perfect for bedtime reading. With advanced lighting technology not available on any other reader, GlowLight lets you stay up late reading in total comfort – while your partner stays asleep in the dark.

New! Breakthrough GlowLight
This revolutionary built-in reading light delivers optimized illumination never before seen on E Ink displays. So now you can enjoy just-like-paper reading at its best – whether you’re curled up in bed or outdoors in bright sun.

Easy-to-Adjust GlowLight
NOOK’s GlowLight turns on instantly and adjusts with just a touch. Simply slide your finger to customize the brightness and enjoy perfect illumination – from a bright gleam to a soft glow – evenly dispersed across your screen.

Most-Advanced Reading Screen
The 6″ E Ink display lets you experience just-like-paper reading at its best. With exclusive Best-Text™ Technology, words are super crisp and clear, whether GlowLight is on or off.

Go to Nook Store

Price: $139

Check all information on the official page ⇢

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Can You Grill It is a new YouTube series for Pork Barrel BBQ, and Kindle Fire was naturally one of the first choices. You’d better watch what you put on your grill.

Via Virtual-Strategy Magazine.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

iPad dimensions / Image: Apple

In the chart below you’ll find the dimensions of the most popular tablet models.

This list is updated frequently. If you’d like us to add any particular model, please leave a tip in the comments below.

Knowing the exact dimensions is very helpful when you’re about to buy a cover or a sleeve for the device. In the coming days we’ll publish an overview of 30+ stylish covers, cases and sleeves for most of the tablets listed below.

For your convenience, the dimensions are shown in both inches and millimeters. Abbreviations are: H – height, W – width, D – depth. The thumbnail pictures are reflecting the difference in sizes, and are as precise as thumbs can be. Click on them to be redirected to producers’ pages with bigger images and more detailed information.

Also, next to the name of each tablet you’ll see the size of its display in inches.

Nook Color and Kobo Vox, although marketed as color-screen ereaders, are also included in the chart.

For the sizes of ereaders please check this post: Dimensions of the most popular models of ereaders [chart].

To get more posts like this, please subscribe by RSS or email.

Dimensions of the most popular models of tablets

Based on data available at the respective sellers.

Device	Inches	Millimeters
New iPad - 9.7″	H/W/D = 9.50 / 7.31 / 0.37″	H/W/D = 241.2 / 185.7 / 9.4 mm
iPad 2 - 9.7″	H/W/D = 9.50 / 7.31 / 0.34″	H/W/D = 241.2 / 185.7 / 8.8 mm
iPad 1 - 9.7″	H/W/D = 9.56 / 7.47 / 0.50“	H/W/D = 243 / 190 / 13 mm
Kindle Fire - 7″	H/W/D = 7.5 / 4.7 / 0.45″	H/W/D = 190 / 120 / 11.4 mm
Nook Color - 7″	H/W/D = 8.1 / 5.0 / 0.48″	H/W/D = 206 / 127 / 12.2 mm
Nook Tablet - 7″	H/W/D = 8.1 / 5.0 / 0.48″	H/W/D = 206 / 127 / 12.2 mm
Kobo Vox - 7″	H/W/D = 7.6 / 5.1 / 0.53″	H/W/D = 192 / 128 / 13.4 mm
Motorola Xoom 2 – 10.1″	H/W/D = 10 / 6.83 / 0.35″	H/W/D = 253.9 / 173.6 / 8.8 mm
Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition – 8.2″	H/W/D = 8.5 / 5.47 / 0.35″	H/W/D = 216 / 139 / 8.9 mm
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 – 10.1″	H/W/D = 10.1 / 6.9 / 0.38″	H/W/D = 256.6 / 175.3 / 9.7 mm
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 – 7.0″	H/W/D = 7.63 / 4.82 / 0.41″	H/W/D = 193.7 / 122.4 / 10.5 mm
BlackBerry PlayBook – 7″	H/W/D = 7.64 / 5.12 / 0.39″	H/W/D = 194 / 130 / 10 mm
HP TouchPad – 9.7″	H/W/D = 9.45 / 7.45 / 0.54″	H/W/D = 240 / 189 / 14 mm
Sony Tablet S – 9.4″	H/W/D = 9.50 / 6.86 / 0.40″	H/W/D = 241.2 / 174.3 / 10.1 mm
HTC Flyer – 7″	H/W/D = 7.69 / 4.80 / 0.52″	H/W/D = 195.4 / 122 / 13.2 mm

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

It’s not the only infographic about the process of creating a book. If you want to get a pretty complete picture, check two other ones, published some time ago.

Life Cycle of a Book is an infographic designed by Publishing Trendsetter. The process of developing a book is described here professionally and in detail. It’s good to compare it with the chart by Mariah Bear. The truth is somewhere in between.

The last graph was prepared by Ryan Gielen and it perfectly describes the nature of self-publishing. This funny infographic is a part of the very creative promotion of his novel, Love Bomb and the Pink Platoon.

The missing past is the infographic on how an electronic book is created. The process is pretty different from a print book and includes many specific steps. We’re sure we won’t wait long for such an infographic to come.

* * *

We collected over 60 infographics about books and digital publishing. Check them all here and for the new ones please subscribe by RSS or email.

1. How a book is born

By Mariah Bear, via Huffington Post.

2. Life cycle of a book

Via Publishing Trendsetter.

3. How I spent time to self-publish a novel

Click on the image to enlarge. By Ryan Gielen, via eBookNewser.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Thanks to this app Mac users can now add own files to Kindle much easier than to Apple’s native iBooks application. It’s either Amazon cares more for Mac users who like to read, or Apple doesn’t care well enough.

In order to use Send to Kindle, Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) is required. The supported file types are: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .jpeg (.jpg), .gif, .png, .bmp.

After the installation the icon will be added to the dock. When you open the application, you’ll be asked to register it with your Kindle credentials.

The app is extremely easy to use, and you don’t have to open the app first in order to send files.

1. Drag and drop files into the app’s icon

If you add several files to your Kindle virtual bookshelf, it’s good to keep the Kindle app in the dock. You can simply select the files, drag them into the app’s icon in the dock, and drop.

You can drag and drop files from Finder, but also from some applications. I’ve tested files opened in Google Docs in Chrome browser, and also a Preview app with a pdf document.

In the Preview app you’ll only be able to add the pages selected in the sidebar, so it’s a good way to send to Kindle only the most interesting pages from a big pdf document.

If you have the Send to Kindle app opened you can also drag & drop files directly into it.

2. In Finder: by control-click

If you want to send multiple files right from your Finder, you can, besides drag & drop, simply select the documents and control-click to open the pop-up menu. Then find Send to Kindle command and click on it.

3. Via the print menu

This method makes it possible to send files from almost any application which opens supported file types. To send to Kindle just open print dialog box (usually Command-P) and select Send to Kindle.

It works in text editors, image-editing apps, but also in browsers. The screenshot below shows the pdf file opened in Google Chrome.

* * *

Once the files are added, the app opens and you can choose the destination device, delivery method (WiFi or Whispernet) and decide if you want to archive the file in your Kindle virtual bookshelf.

Additionally, in the application settings you can turn on a conversion of pdf files to Kindle format.

One feature I’m missing is a default set-up where I can pick up the default device & settings, so there would be no need to open the app’s dialog box at all.

For more information, check Send to Kindle for Mac online help. To get more posts like this, please subscribe by RSS or email.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Electronic books, as well as digital reading and publishing, become a mainstream topic. As a result we can expect more fun and trivia stuff about them.

Here is a selection of the funniest cartoons we’ve come across the web as well as created ourselves. Still, the major source of fun is coming from a natural need to embrace the uncertainty. What e-books can’t do is still what mostly makes us laugh.

We will be updating the list frequently, so if you find any cool addition, please share it in the comments or via the contact form.

* * *

iPads in the classroom – Ebook Friendly.

E-reader in 2050 – Prospect Magazine. To see a full-size version click here.

Overcoming problems with the Kindle – Prospect Magazine.

Reading and flies – Toonpool.

It’s a book – Toothpaste For Dinner.

3D book – Ebook Friendly.

Book burning, Kindle version – xkcd.

Via MakeUseOf Geeky Fun.

E-paper – Mimi and Eunice.

Nice ereader – Poorly Drawn Lines.

Fahrenheit 451/2011 – Toothpaste For Dinner.

Basic flaws of Kindle – Toonpool.

Impressive library – Jeff Koterba / World Herald, via Mike Cane’s Tumblr.

Why not try a book? – Doghouse Diaries.

One-page book – Geek and Poke.

The size of the book – Toothpaste for Dinner.

Book 2.0 – Toothpaste for Dinner.

Learning to read – Ebook Friendly.

Nobody reads – Sticky Comics.

Kindle is great – Gadgets And Gizmos.

Using the e-reader – Ebook Friendly.

Kindle or Nook? – Socialchicks.

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

Check all Ebook Friendly cartoons. Embed this one on your site – copy the code:

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://ebookfriendly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ebookfriendly-cartoon-9.jpg"><img title="Digital textbook excuse [cartoon] | Ebook Friendly" src="http://ebookfriendly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ebookfriendly-cartoon-9-526x394.jpg" alt="Digital textbook excuse [cartoon] | Ebook Friendly" width="100%"/></a> <p><em>Via <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://ebookfriendly.com/2012/05/09/ipads-in-the-classroom-cartoon/">Ebook Friendly</a></em></p> <p>

Read an ebook. Get one from Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

If you’re into tech-related, fast-paced stories, which remind of Kurt Vonnegut or Stanisław Lem, you may be interested in the two collections of flash-fiction I wrote, Password Incorrect and Failure Confirmed. The titles and covers say all about the books: technology makes us fail, and we have to, actually, start enjoying it. 

The books are free till Sunday, March 11th, 2012. It would be absolutely amazing, if you left a short review and share the information about the books with your friends – but only if you really like the stories:-)

I was surprised that after just a couple of hours, the books are doing so good in Kindle Store. They’re actually in Top 20 Free in Short Stories category!

Password Incorrect (Geek Fiction Stories Vol. 1/2)

Nick Name

A first volume of a tech-fiction short story collection. Designed to be a perfect mobile reading for geeks, who sometimes feel the need to recover from tech-related stress. In a book you’ll find 20 stories, which can help you redefine “absurd” from “being ridiculous” to “being funny”. Bonus: 10 best hashtagstories – author’s original Twitter microfiction format.

These stories serve as a reminder.  Issued up from the heart of Poland by a wired writer in translated English making absurd light of situations unimaginable even a decade ago, ones fraught with the danger of banality.  But this nimble writer deftly zigzags to humor and sheer wackiness.  It has been suggested that multimedia “books” could be literature’s future, and that may well be.  But I think more likely candidates are the sort of short stories you’ll find in Password Incorrect, which exploits the networked world’s novelties while remaining true to the universal commonalities of the human experience.
You not likely come across anything quite like Password Incorrect any time soon. Unless this work receives the wide audience it deserves and imitators spring up.
– Court Merrigan

Get the book for free from Kindle Store!

Failure Confirmed (Geek Fiction Stories Vol. 2/2)

Nick Name

Volume 2 of a geek-fiction collection for mobile readers. All of them proving that life can be exciting even if you’re not taking part in an expedition to North Pole or dying every night at the parties on Ibiza. A full adrenaline is guaranteed if you have a shiny laptop which is about to say: “Fatal error: Call to a member function loadObject() on line 666″.

I love how these stories show an understanding of the nuanced relationship between human beings and technology, which is often belied by the absurdity of the humor. Technology is presented not as a boogey-man, but rather as the tools human beings create to fill real needs.  The problem, of course, arises from humans’ preternatural abilities to epically eff up even the best intentions.
– Moxie Mezcal

Get the book for free from Kindle Store!

Related posts

• 28.05.2011 -- Get Ready, Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway Starts on June 5!
• 27.05.2011 -- Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway – co niedziela do wygrania książka na Kindle
• 09.02.2011 -- Transtories – Google-Translated Stories v. 2.0
• 26.11.2010 -- An Impulse Purchase [short story]
• 27.08.2010 -- A geeky banner to Amazon Kindle Store which deserves its own blog post

"Short Stories for Geeks For Free Till the End of Read an Ebook Week!" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

Eventually I found some time to customize the look. You can do it as well. The only thing you need, if you use Chrome browser, is to get from Chrome Web Store an extension called Stylish. It’s also available for Firefox. This extension lets you apply your personal CSS styles to web pages.

First let me show how I styled the Hootsuite dashboard. It’s based on a couple of good Hoostuite themes found on Userstyles.org. Click on images to enlarge. 

Default Look

Improved Look

Things that have changed:

- bigger font in the text area, bigger padding – now the window  stands out as it should be; it works both in the dashboard and Hootlet,
- redesigned scroll bars (now they are not so overwhelming),
- added light grey background to messages and text area with a white text shadow – it’s easier on the eyes and looks cooler,
- removed intensive colors and borders from Select profiles panel
- some minor changes

What to do

1. Once you install Stylish, go to Extensions, and click on the Options.
2. Click on Write New Style button located on the left.
3. In the first field, Code, paste the text from below. You can further modify it, according to what you want to achieve:

::-webkit-scrollbar {
width: 5px;
}
::-webkit-scrollbar:horizontal {
height:7px;
}
::-webkit-scrollbar-track {
margin-top: -10px;
margin-bottom: -10px;
-webkit-border-radius: 5px;
-moz-border-radius: 5px;
background:#ffffff;
}
::-webkit-scrollbar-track:disabled {
display: none;
}
::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {
border-width: 19px 0;
min-height: 20px;
background:#CCCCCC;
opacity: 0.4;
-webkit-border-radius: 5px;
}
.message {
background:#efefef !important;
background-image:none !important;
border-bottom: 1px solid #dedede !important;
border-top: 1px solid #ffffff !important;
text-shadow: 0 1px #ffffff;
}
.message .networkName {
font-size: 11px !important;
font-family: arial, helvetica !important;
}
.message p {
font-size:13px;
color: #555555 !important;
}
.message p a:hover {
color: #AAAAAA !important;
}
.composerWidget {
border-bottom:0px solid #EFEFEF !important;
}
.composerBox {
border-bottom:0px solid #EFEFEF !important;
}
textarea {
width:96% !important;
background:none !important;
padding:5px !important;
font-size:14px;
color:#555555;
position:relative;
text-shadow:0 1px #ffffff;
}
.newCount new {
display:none !important;
}
.new {
display:none !important;
}
.messageOptions {
background: none !important;
background-image:none !important;
}
#streamsContainer {
background:#efefef !important;
background-image:none !important;
}
.messageBox {
margin-top:-1px;
border:#aaaaaa 1px solid !important;
padding-top:2px;
background:#efefef !important;
}
.selectedList {
border:#aaaaaa 1px solid !important;
}
.snList {
background:#fff;
}
.profileSelectorWidget .avatar {
width:20px;height:20px;
}
.profileSelectorWidget .selectedList .item {
margin:0 0 2px 3px;
border:1px solid #CCCCCC !important;
-moz-border-radius:2px;-webkit-border-radius:2px;border-radius:2px;
-moz-box-shadow:0 1px #fff !important;
-webkit-box-shadow:0 1px #fff !important;
box-shadow:0 1px #fff !important;
background-color:#FFFFFF;
}
.profileSelectorWidget .selectedList .item:hover{
background-color:#EFEFEF;
}
.profileSelectorWidget .picker .snList .row.active {
border:1px solid #FFFFFF;
background-color:#EFEFEF;
}
div.content.trim._content {
display:none !important;
}

4. Underneath, next to Applies to, click on Add button, select URLs starting with, and type the address http://www.hootsuite.com/dashboard
5. Add a new field. Select URLs on the domain, and type hootsuite.com

6. Click on Save button on the left.

Done! You can make changes and see what happens, if you have Hootsuite dashboard opened in the next tab.

Sorry, that I use a simple language here, I’m not a web developer. Hope you found it helpful.

Related posts

• 20.01.2012 -- Pricing of Self-published Books to International Readers
• 02.12.2011 -- What’s New With EPUB 3?
• 04.11.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #3 – Images, Metadata, TOC, Finalization
• 21.10.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #2 – Styling and Chapters
• 13.10.2011 -- 6 Sites Where You Can Find Non-English Kindle Books

"Customize the Look of Hootsuite Dashboard & Hootlet with This Simple Tip" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

Go to Kindle Store, log out of your account, and you'll be able to see the price of your book in different regions

Self-publishing is changing. I think that in 2012 indie authors should go global. One of the important topics to raise is how to price books for international customers. My advice is simple: keep them low.

The report on top self-published Kindle books of 2011, which I’ve recently released, shows a downward trend in both the number of self-published books in Top 100 and the average price. One of the major reasons is the growing price competition.

The perception of $0.99 is not only affected by Kindle Daily Deal, but also by the fact that more and more legacy publishers offer their titles for $1.99 or less. Those books easier become popular, because they convince price-sensitive users not only with a price, but also with a reputation of the publisher.

This means that tagging the book with $0.99 price is not as effective as it was a year ago, when there were $0.99 self-published books and $5.99+ books from legacy publishers.

There is also one more factor, which encourages self-publishers to increase prices. If they enroll their books in KDP Select, they sooner or later come to the conclusion, that for a Prime member, who is eligible to borrow from Kindle Owners’ Lending Library only one book per month, getting for free the book with a regular price of $0.99 is not a deal at all.

Authors who sell books at $0.99 earn $0.35. They were able to earn $1.70 in December from a single KOLL borrow. The fund Amazon gives to support KDP Select is raised in January from $500,000 to $700,000. It doesn’t mean that a single borrow can give a royalty higher than $1.70 as there are more books in KOLL and more people who can borrow them. But it means that the deal is still encouraging enough to sacrifice regular sales.

So, where is the pricing for international ebook users? I think, that even if you decided to raise prices of your books for US customers, keep them low for readers from abroad. 

There are a few extra factors to keep in mind, when it comes to prices for users from different countries:
1. Many books from big publishers are not available outside US – for more details check this report on international availability and prices of Kindle bestsellers,
2. Many books are priced by publishers higher that in US – what this comparison of prices of Steve Jobs biography shows,
3. Prices are higher due to taxes,
4. Prices are higher because of international fees (in case of books from Kindle Store US).

Readers from abroad are aware that they have to pay more for the books. In fact, they hardly experienced $0.99 price shock from the beginning of 2011. So, the low price strategy which worked so well in US, seems to have chances in other countries.

How to keep prices low? There are two things you can do:
1. Offer lower prices in localized Kindle Stores,
2. Get rid of international fee.

1. Offer lower prices in localized Kindle Stores

In the KDP dashboard the author can set up prices for Kindle Stores in UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain either automatically (based on a price from US) or manually. If you increase the price in US, it doesn’t mean you have to do it in other Kindle Stores.

Here’s what I did. My flash-fiction geek stories, Password Incorrect and Failure Confirmed are a very narrow niche, but they were doing unexpectedly well in KOLL in December. It’s probably because of the fact that they’re addressed to geeks, like the ones who have bought/received Kindle Fire. New owners of this device have one month of Prime/KOLL free.

I’ve increased the price of books to $5.99 (bargain for KOLL users), but in other Kindle Stores kept prices with $0.99 tag in respective currencies. To do that I had to select 35% royalty option – there is no possibility to choose different royalties for different locations.

Set different prices in different Kindle Stores

2. Get rid of international fee

International fees applied by Amazon to Kindle ebooks sold to users from abroad are a serious issue. They influence the way international readers buy the books. Therefore they should also influence the way authors price their books.

Kindle ebooks are being sold to over 170 countries and destinations. If you set up in KDP the rights for your book to “all territories”, readers from those 170+ locations will be able to buy it.

The fees are different for different regions, but they are usually up to $4. For example, the $0.99 book costs usually $3.44 in Poland, where I live.

You can check how much your books cost by going to Kindle Store US, selecting a region and searching for your book. Read this post if you need a detailed tip on how to do it.

Is there a way to get rid of the fee? Looks like it is. What I’ve observed is that the charge is applied only until the certain amount of books is being sold. I sell my books from Kindle Store, also the ones written in Polish, so I’m determined to keep their prices low in Poland. I’ve counted that if you sold around 100 copies, the price of the book goes down to the level set up in KDP dashboard.

What you can do is to raise the price of the book in Kindle Store US only after there are no or little fees in other territories.

I wonder whether giving books for free within KDP Select affect the international fees. If anyone has noticed that, please share it in the comments. If this works, the easy way to get rid of the charges it to run a 5-day promo and raise prices afterwards.

What is also good to keep in mind is that Kindle Daily Deal books cost the same in all countries – there is no international charge applied, no matter how many books were sold to different regions. This means that $0.99 KDD book costs $0.99 (and it’s a one-day deal), while your book, supposed to be a constant deal, costs $3.44.

* * *

When thinking about international readers it’s also very good to analyze other distribution channels. Kobo and Smashwords are best picks. First, their offer is available without territorial restrictions. Secondly, they don’t apply fees like Amazon does.

If you want me to write how the distribution could look from a perspective of a European self-publisher, please let me know in the comments.

Hope it was a helpful post.

Related posts

• 03.06.2011 -- How to Effectively Publish and Promote Books to iPad and iPhone Users
• 07.05.2011 -- Kindle for the Web – How It Can Be Used by Authors
• 06.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Build Better Relations
• 20.07.2011 -- How to Create Ebook Covers with Phoster Application
• 27.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Learn and Improve

"Pricing of Self-published Books to International Readers" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

As I don’t want to republish every interesting article from there, I’ve managed to add articles from Ebook Friendly to this feed (Yahoo Pipes work fine for this).

I hope you’ll enjoy tips and workarounds for users of ereaders and ereading apps as well as posts and reports promoting self-published books. And make sure to benefit, too.

Recent posts from Ebook Friendly’s Tips & More feed are listed below. Don’t worry, they’ll be filtered and only the best articles will appear in your feed.

Wishing you a quiet, distraction-free Christmas! 

• Buying a cover for a tablet or ereader [checklist]
• Side effect of enhanced ebooks [cartoon]
• 4 great infographics about self-publishing
• Harry Potter facts revealed [infographic]
• Harry Potter ebooks now available via Kobo ebookstore
• Self-publishing by the numbers [infographic]
• Choose your favorite Avengers superhero [infographic]
• 50+ stylish tablet covers, cases and sleeves
• Roadmap to win a set of Kindles for your classroom [infographic]
• Historical trends in science fiction [chart]
• Reasons to buy a tablet [cartoon]
• 25 creative bookshelves and bookcases
• International ebook antitrust lawsuits [infographic]
• How to download own ebooks on the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight [video tutorial]
• Kindle Fire gets grilled [video]
• Dimensions of the most popular tablets [chart]
• 3 infographics on how a book is created
• 3 ways to use Send to Kindle for Mac application [screenshots]
• 20+ funny cartoons and pictures about ebooks, ereaders and digital reading
• iPads in the classroom [cartoon]

Related posts

• 08.07.2011 -- Books Help Focus in Times of Distraction [Video]
• 04.07.2011 -- Best Self-published Books in Kindle Store in June, John Locke Out of Top 100
• 17.06.2011 -- 4 Ways Writers Can Use Readability
• 11.06.2011 -- Simple Tip to Embed All Readability Buttons on Your Blog
• 04.06.2011 -- Readability Adds Kindle Support – Great News for Readers and Writers

"Quick Note: Adding Most Useful Posts from Ebook Friendly to This Blog’s Feed" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

For more helpful tips on ebook formatting, check Paul’s book How to Format Your eBook for Kindle, NOOK, Smashwords, and Everything Else.

What the Heck is EPUB?

The EPUB format is an open source standard that defines how the content and metadata of an eBook should be packaged and how eReading devices and software should render the format to the reader. EPUB is the most widely-adopted standard for eBooks and is the format utilized by the Barnes & Noble NOOK store, iBookstore, Sony eBook store, and many others. The notable exception is the Amazon Kindle store, which is discussed below. The open source philosophy of web design and development has fostered a culture of sharing best practices and lessons learned online, and this has allowed developers to write new software and iron out bugs for web browsers that have greatly enhanced the internet in the last 15 years–making web pages evolve from the dull designs of the 1990s to the new digital reality of the 21st century. It is reassuring that eBook design and development is following a similar trend of openness and cooperation, and this will greatly benefit the reader’s experience and adoption of eBooks on an international scale.

Since eReaders and rendering software comes in so many shapes and sizes, an eBook cannot be organized like a fixed-layout print book. It needs to have reflowable content to accommodate differently-sized viewing windows on the reader’s screen (from a big desktop monitor to a tiny iPhone). That is why the EPUB format looks more like the source code of a website rather than an actual manuscript. You can head on over to my eBook formatting tutorial or buy my How-To guide if you’re looking for help on turning your manuscript into an eBook. Essentially, the entire EPUB format is a collection of XHTML and XML files (plus images) that defines the content, reading order, and metadata of an eBook. Alright, so what the heck is XML and XHTML? eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is a way to transport and store data, while XHTML is a specification for the language used for web pages based on XML that is being phased out in favor of HTML5.  Using this type of code allows eReading software and devices to render data on a wide variety of screens, and it’s great for standard fiction or non-fiction eBooks. This is what is widely used today – the EPUB 2.0.1 specification.

However, many readers want more than just the standard content that would be similarly available in a print book. Comic books, text books with complicated mathematical formulas, and the ability to read foreign languages that are nothing like English (Korean, Japanese, Thai, Arabic, etc.) are just a few features that the EPUB format being utilized today has trouble with. Also, the next evolution of the internet is HTML5/CSS3, which is slowly replacing XHTML and plug-ins like Adobe Flash. This will facilitate a better system to embed audio, video, and other media content. That is why the International Digital Publishing Forum endeavored to come up with a revised standard – the EPUB 3 specification.

What’s Can the New EPUB 3 Do for Me as an Author/Publisher?

The EPUB 3 specification was finalized in October 2011, and new software and eReaders that support this format will hopefully be out in 2012. Azardi has an EPUB 3 reader that is available for free if you are interested. The EPUB 3 specification allows for a variety of new features that EPUB 2.0.1 does not support, and they will provide great enhancements to the eBook experience. Here is a brief snapshot of some of the new things to expect:

1. Audio/Video Support – Support of embedded audio and video using HTML5 tags is a feature that will make eBooks really stand out from print books. While the file sizes of the eBook itself will obviously become larger with embedded audio and video files, this will hopefully be offset by improved storage capacity of tablets and improved communications/cellular infrastructure to allow quick file transfer. Also, another benefit of embedded audio and video means better support for text-to-speech for readers with disabilities.  [spec]
2. Mathematical Equations – For the huge textbook market, the current version of EPUB does not allow for representation of complex mathematical equations. Generally, an eBook designer has to embed the equation as an image inside the eBook, which bloats the size of the file and can make for a somewhat clunky reading experience. The new EPUB 3 supports MathML which is a way to encode equations in a similar fashion that web pages are encoded. This will help eBooks gain wider acceptability in the textbook market. [spec]
3. Headers and Footers – It is standard practice for print books and PDFs to have headers and footers on every page outside of the body content (e.g. the author’s name, book title, page number, etc.) With eBooks, you often only see headers and footers based on what the eReader decides to put there (usually it’s some piece of information extracted from the eBook’s metadata). With the current EPUB format in use today, you can’t really define what should be a header and footer, because you have no idea what the size of the page will be for the reader. However, for the new EPUB 3 specification, there are new tags where the designer can actually define what should be in the header and footer of every page. [spec]
4. JavaScript – JavaScript is a simple programming language that was designed for web pages in the 1990s. While the technology has been around for a while, the only place where it can be used inside an eBook is on the iBookstore. Even then it’s sort of confusing about how the current EPUB format is supposed to process it. With the new EPUB 3 specification, it defines how the eReading device is supposed to render it and what to do if there is no support for JavaScript. This will allow for all sorts of neat features in eBooks, which we have taken for granted on the internet, such as pop-up footnotes, rotating pictures, dynamic color changes, and everything else. This will provide a whole new level of interactivity and help give the children’s book market a much-needed jump into the digital world. [spec]
5. Embedding Fonts and Advanced Text Styling – While you can embed fonts in the current version of EPUB, the new EPUB 3 specification dictates better support for this feature. This is critical for eBooks to gain acceptance in foreign languages. The EPUB 3 specification makes use of the advanced CSS 3 properties to allow better control of how text is displayed (note: CSS or Cascading Style Sheets are a specification for styling how content should be presented, and they are generally used in web design and eBook design). For instance, you can decide whether text should be hyphenated at line breaks or not. It should be noted that there is a lot of hand-wringing over how licensing and legalities for fonts works in eBooks, so embed fonts with caution. [spec]
6. Better Graphics and Perhaps Animation – The new EPUB 3 specification allows for better use of SVG-type images. Scalable Vector Graphics are useful, because the quality doesn’t change as the image is made bigger. This is in contrast to bitmap graphics (like JPEG, PNG, GIF, etc.), which degrade in quality as the image is expanded or zoomed in on, since they are a grid of pixels. Additionally, the new CSS3 specification has support for creating animation, and you can see an example here (note: recommend not viewing with Internet Explorer). Hopefully, developers will create EPUB 3 rendering software that can recognize the powerful animation features of CSS 3.

It will be exciting to see what kind of software developers come up with to read eBooks written in the EPUB 3 format, and we will hopefully start seeing some this new generation of eBooks soon. More interactivity will allow eBooks to gain even further market share over print books.

How Does This Tie in with the Amazon Kindle store?

Amazon owns and still utilizes the MOBI/AZW/PRC format in their Kindle store, which is somewhat similar to the EPUB format. There are some very serious downsides to MOBI as opposed to EPUB, but Amazon continues to utilize their own proprietary file type, probably for various business reasons as opposed to technical. With the release of the Kindle Fire, Amazon announced a new “Kindle Format 8″, which boasts similar functionality to some of the new EPUB 3 features. Amazon has not informed the public of how this format will work yet besides a quick press release, but it appears that, like EPUB 3, it will support a lot of the things that HTML5 and CSS3 can handle. Luckily, Amazon provides their own software, KindleGen, which easily converts the EPUB format into MOBI for upload to the Kindle store. Hopefully, the conversion process from EPUB 3 to Kindle Format 8 will be equally as simple, but we have to wait and see.

Paul Salvette is an author who lives in Bangkok, Thailand, with his wife, Lisa, and newborn daughter, Monica. He grew up in the United States and served in the Navy from 2002 to 2009, with some time in Iraq. His day job involves working at a Thai foundation that focuses on poverty eradication, philanthropy, and education. He hopes to stay in Thailand until he is deported or dies of natural causes, whichever comes first.

Learn more about Paul at http://paulsalvette.com or follow him on Twitter @PaulSalvette.

Related posts

• 04.11.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #3 – Images, Metadata, TOC, Finalization
• 21.10.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #2 – Styling and Chapters
• 07.10.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #1 – Getting Started
• 28.05.2011 -- Polskie książki na Androida
• 23.03.2011 -- Polskie książki na iPada

"What’s New With EPUB 3?" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

This is a last part of the Sigil tutorial by Paul Salvette. You’ll read about how to add images and metadata to an ebook, how to deal with table of contents, and finally – how to convert epub file to mobi format, if you want to make it available for Kindle devices.

You can read two previous articles here and here. For more helpful tips on ebook formatting, check Paul’s book How to Format Your eBook for Kindle, NOOK, Smashwords, and Everything Else.

Adding images

The EPUB format supports JPG, GIF, PNG, and SVG images. The JPG format is good for photographs and has a small file size, the GIF format is good for text, line art, and tables, and the PNG format has a large file size that is good for images you want to look sharp (like a company logo). To add an image click on this button in the menu:

Adding metadata and a table of contents

Metadata is information about the eBook that is embedded into the EPUB file. This includes the eBook’s title, author name, publishing date, etc. You can even add relatively obscure data like the name of your photographer. This metadata is important for search engine optimization (SEO) for potential readers to locate your eBook, so do not neglect it. To access the Metadata editor, click on “Tools” and then “Meta Editor”.

Many eBook retailers (like NOOK and iBookstore) require certain information in the metadata. As a best practice, you should add the following meta as a minimum: title, author, language, description (the back jacket blurb), date of publication, date of creation, and subject (you can add multiple subjects and they function like keywords). Some sample metadata is as follows:

The next step is to add a meta Table of Contents (also called the NCX Table of Contents). To do this, you simply pull up the Table of Contents under “View” or press Alt+F3. Then, you click on “Generate TOC from headings”. Sigil will look for anywhere that you defined text as “Heading X” and incorporate that into the Table of Contents.

Finalizing your EPUB and a trick to make a file for Kindle

Now you simply click “Save” and you will have a valid EPUB file. Try opening it on your PC using a program such as Adobe Digital Editions or NOOK for PC and see how it looks. If you aren’t happy with it, you can always adjust it in Sigil or learn about XHTML and CSS coding to accomplish more fine tuning of your eBook.

You may be disheartened that the Amazon.com Kindle Store does not accept the EPUB format. Amazon.com uses the proprietary AZW/PRC/MOBI formats for their eBooks rather than the open standard EPUB. However, it is a relatively simple process to convert and EPUB to MOBI, because they are quite similar formats. If you unzip your EPUB file using a program like 7-zip, you can open the content.opf file with MobiPocket Creator, which is free. Alternatively, you can use a command line program from Amazon.com called KindleGen to easily convert the EPUB format to MOBI format. If that is not working for you, try using the open source eBook management system Calibre.

* * *

Thank you very much to Piotr for allowing me to guest post, and I hope that this quick tutorial on Sigil will be helpful for the self-publishing community. If you want to learn more about eBook formatting, please visit my website at http://PaulSalvette.com or say hello on Twitter @PaulSalvette.

Paul Salvette is an author who lives in Bangkok, Thailand, with his wife, Lisa, and newborn daughter, Monica. He grew up in the United States and served in the Navy from 2002 to 2009, with some time in Iraq. His day job involves working at a Thai foundation that focuses on poverty eradication, philanthropy, and education. He hopes to stay in Thailand until he is deported or dies of natural causes, whichever comes first.

Learn more about Paul at http://paulsalvette.com or follow him on Twitter @PaulSalvette.

Related posts

• 21.10.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #2 – Styling and Chapters
• 07.10.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #1 – Getting Started
• 02.12.2011 -- What’s New With EPUB 3?
• 28.05.2011 -- Polskie książki na Androida
• 23.03.2011 -- Polskie książki na iPada

"Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #3 – Images, Metadata, TOC, Finalization" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

In a second part of the Sigil tutorial Paul Salvette gives tips on how to style the document. What is especially interesting is how to deal with headings and how to split an ebook into chapters.

Read a first post here and get free updates of the blog, if you don’t want to miss the next part, where Paul will explain how to add images, metadata and table of contents as well as share tips on finalizing a file and converting it to Kindle format. Check also Paul’s book How to Format Your eBook for Kindle, NOOK, Smashwords, and Everything Else.

Styling text

Content with all the same font and characteristics is probably not how you want your finalized eBook to look. For instance, you probably want to add some italics, bold, or underlined text. To do that you simply select the text and then click on the appropriate button in the top menu:

Some self-publishers might prefer the paragraphs to be justified, which is when the text aligns vertically on both the left and right side. Also, for your title and chapter headings, you probably want them centered. You can click the cursor in any paragraph and then click one of the justification buttons in the top menu to align your paragraph left, center, right, or justified:

The next step is to declare your title and chapter headings as “Heading X”. Headings have a larger font size than the regular content and are bold. When you generate the meta Table of Contents, it will find any text that you have defined as “Heading X” and include that in the Table of Content. Click your cursor inside the paragraph of any text and make it a heading with this button:

Here is an example of how your eBook might look in the WYSIWYG pane after adding some styles:

Splitting up into chapters

When eReaders first came around, they were very primitive devices that had trouble reading large files. That is why splitting your single HTML file into many smaller ones, or “parsing”, is continued as a best practice today. Additionally, everywhere you split your HTML file, the eReading device will recognize it as a page break. It is advisable to split your HTML file before each chapter. So if you have 13 chapters in your novel, you probably want to have 1 HTML file for the title page, and 13 more for each chapter (14 total). To split the HTML file, you simply press Ctrl+Enter or press the Chapter Break button in the top menu:

Paul Salvette is an author who lives in Bangkok, Thailand, with his wife, Lisa, and newborn daughter, Monica. He grew up in the United States and served in the Navy from 2002 to 2009, with some time in Iraq. His day job involves working at a Thai foundation that focuses on poverty eradication, philanthropy, and education. He hopes to stay in Thailand until he is deported or dies of natural causes, whichever comes first.

Learn more about Paul at http://paulsalvette.com or follow him on Twitter @PaulSalvette.

Related posts

• 04.11.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #3 – Images, Metadata, TOC, Finalization
• 07.10.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #1 – Getting Started
• 02.12.2011 -- What’s New With EPUB 3?
• 28.05.2011 -- Polskie książki na Androida
• 23.03.2011 -- Polskie książki na iPada

"Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #2 – Styling and Chapters" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

Photo: © vectorine | Fotolia.com

Browsing for non-English books at Kindle Store is not easy. You can follow these tips to get most of it. However if you don’t find books in the categories of your interest, you can try to get them from other legal sources.

Remember, for your Kindle ereader or application, third-party books have to be:
- in prc/mobi format (also described as mobipocket or kindle),
- without DRM (unprotected).

Before you’ll buy a Kindle, check whether in your country there are any legal sources of DRM-free prc/mobi books. Some local ebook distributors may be selling books in this format, knowing that Kindle is the most popular ereader in the world – it ships to over 170 countries and is probably cheaper than ereaders officially sold by local ebookstores.

There are a couple of great services which can be a valuable source of non-English books for your Kindle.

Smashwords

The catalog contains over 60,000 books from contemporary authors. It’s one of the most popular self-publishing services in the world. Not only English-speaking authors use it to publish their books.

Description of every book includes also a language. But don’t get disappointed – if you click on a language it returns no results. Apparently, there is apparently a bug which prevents language search at Smashwords.

A good way is to type in a search box your language pronounced in English (f.e. Finnish or Portuguese). You can also browse Smashwords via Google. Go to Google web search page and paste into the search box (replacing Spanish with your language):

site:smashwords.com "Language: Spanish"

You can also go directly to Smashwords satellite sites for language-specific ebook collections:
Spanish – approx. 750 titles
French – approx. 550 titles

Feedbooks

Feedbooks is a great source of free ebooks from self-published authors (apart from public domain classics). Search by language is available for 5 languages: English, German, French, Russian, Spanish. To reveal it, find in the left panel a section called Language and click on More options (see picture below).

Direct links to supported languages:
German
French
Spanish
Russian

If your language is not supported, you can replace two last letters in the address bar – they are the language tag:

http://www.feedbooks.com/userbooks?lang=es

Tag es stand for Spanish. If you want to find, for instance, Polish books, replace es with pl. A full list of two-letter language tags is available here.

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is a mother of all public domain books in digital format. Books from PG can be found at Feedbooks, Manybooks or Internet Archive. The great thing about this service is that you can search by language easily and comfortably – just go to this page.

You can search for language, sort languages by popularity or alphabetically. What’s important, next to each language there is a number of books available.

Most popular languages are French, German, Finnish, Dutch, Portuguese and Chinese.

Internet Archive

The site lists public domain books, but it’s also open for the contribution of free Creative Commons texts.

Currently, Internet Archive collects almost 3,000,000 titles. You can search for books in your language using advanced search. From a Custom field drop-down menu select language, then in a field next to contains type a two-letter tag of your language (see picture below).

Open Library

Open Library is a community-driven ebook resource. Over 1,000,000 titles are available. Search doesn’t give an option to select language. You have to paste into the address bar the text below:

http://openlibrary.org/search?language=spa

The site is using three-letter language codes (different from Feedbooks and Internet Archive). You can find them here.

Scribd

Scribd is a YouTube for texts. 10 million files are shared here, majority for free. Available file formats are “only” pdf and plain text (txt), but if you’re really looking for a wider choice of books, you should try browsing this site.

Language search is easy. You can first select a category you’re interested in. On a list of result look for a bar with options (see picture) and choose your language from a drop-down menu.

* * *

Note, that you can’t use third-party books in your account the same way as books bought at Kindle Store. For instance you can’t sync them between devices associated with your account.

Originally published at Ebook Friendly

Related posts

• 14.09.2011 -- Get Updates of Kindle Daily Deal via RSS or E-mail
• 26.08.2011 -- “Look Inside” for Kindle Books – 3 Tips for Authors
• 19.08.2011 -- Now “Look Inside” Feature Is Available for Kindle Ebooks!
• 18.08.2011 -- Easy Tip to Reduce Clutter While Browsing Amazon
• 25.07.2011 -- 6 Tips and Tricks to Use Kindle for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

"6 Sites Where You Can Find Non-English Kindle Books" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

I’m delighted to present a first part of a tutorial on how to create epub ebooks, written by Paul Salvette. Formatting files for digital distribution might look difficult, but it’s good to give it a try – and Sigil seems to be the best tool available. What’s most important – Paul did a great job to explain it as simple as possible.

Today you’ll learn how to get started with Sigil. In the two next parts Paul will share tips on styling a document, adding images, metadata, table of contents, and finalizing the work. Don’t hesitate to check Paul’s exceptionally helpful book on how to format documents before you upload them to major self-publishing platforms. If you don’t want to miss next parts of the tutorial, get free updates of the blog.

Formatting an eBook can be a daunting task for the self-publisher who is not familiar with HTML. Many people try to upload a file (such as a .doc and .rtf) from their word processing program directly to the big eBook distributors only to find that the formatting is a complete mess and an embarrassment to the author. This is because eReading devices display eBooks similar to the way a web browser views a website, not how a word processor reads files.

For those interested in all the nitty-gritty details of proper eBook formatting, you can check out my guide How to Format Your eBook for Kindle, NOOK, Smashwords, and Everything Else for just $2.99 or my tutorial series for free. Understandably, many self-publishers do not have the patience or time to learn the HTML skills required to turn a manuscript in their word processor into a quality eBook. That’s where the free program Sigil comes in, which allows indie authors to craft an EPUB eBook with minimal technical knowledge.

What is EPUB?

The EPUB format is used by Barnes & Noble NOOK, the iBookstore, and numerous other eBook distributors and aggregators. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty much used by everyone except Amazon. It is an open standard format that compresses all of the images, content, and meta information into one .epub file that can be opened by a variety of eReaders and PC-based software like Adobe Digital Editions. Unfortunately, the construction of an EPUB file is complicated, difficult to validate, and uses web design standards that were phased out years ago. There is an EPUB tutorial on my website that isn’t much of fun read, and the official EPUB standard is available at the International Digital Publishing Forum, which can be a bit challenging for authors who are not technically inclined. Fortunately, Sigil helps take out a lot of the heavy lifting required to make a valid EPUB.

Getting started with a TXT file

Using Sigil allows you to avoid most of the technical stuff to get your eBook created in the EPUB format in a short amount of time. The program is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac users, and it doesn’t cost a dime. Once you download and install it, you’ll be ready to get started. Sigil can only open TXT, HTML, and EPUB files. Unless you enjoy torturing yourself, you probably did not write your novel in a text editor. One useful trick to convert your manuscript into a TXT file is to use the “Save As” feature in Microsoft Word, Open Office, or another word processor. The example below is from Microsoft Word 2007.

When asked about what type of encoding to use, make sure to select “UTF-8″. You will now have a TXT file that can be opened with programs like Notepad, Notepad++, and Sigil.

Starting up Sigil

Once you launch Sigil and open your TXT file, it will look similar to your manuscript, but all the text will be the same font, there will be no italics/bold/underlined text, and all your images will be gone. Here is an example of how it might look:

The main pane is the “What You See is What You Get” or WYSIWYG portion of Sigil, and this is how the text will actually look on an eReader. The far left pane is the Book Browser. This is the actual directory structure of your EPUB package that Sigil has generated for you. The “content.opf” file is the package that tells the eReading device exactly how the eBook is compiled and contains the metadata. The “toc.ncx” file is the meta Table of Contents. Unless you want to be advanced, it is advisable to not alter the content.opf or toc.ncx files directly. The meta Table of Contents should not be confused with a linked Table of Contents (sometimes referred to as a “traditional Table of Contents”) that you see in the content of some eBooks. Unfortunately, Sigil does not have a good way to generate internal hyperlinks required for a traditional Table of Contents.

If you click on the Split View function in the top menu, it will pull up the actual HTML of your eBook below the WYSIWYG pane.

You’ll notice that every paragraph of your eBook is wrapped in <p> and </p> tags, which is how a web browser or an eReader determines where a paragraph starts and where it ends. For individual lines of text, such as “Chapter X” headings and section breaks, they will should also be wrapped in <p> and </p> tags.

Paul Salvette is an author who lives in Bangkok, Thailand, with his wife, Lisa, and newborn daughter, Monica. He grew up in the United States and served in the Navy from 2002 to 2009, with some time in Iraq. His day job involves working at a Thai foundation that focuses on poverty eradication, philanthropy, and education. He hopes to stay in Thailand until he is deported or dies of natural causes, whichever comes first.

Learn more about Paul at http://paulsalvette.com or follow him on Twitter @PaulSalvette.

Related posts

• 04.11.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #3 – Images, Metadata, TOC, Finalization
• 21.10.2011 -- Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #2 – Styling and Chapters
• 02.12.2011 -- What’s New With EPUB 3?
• 28.05.2011 -- Polskie książki na Androida
• 23.03.2011 -- Polskie książki na iPada

"Creating Epub Ebooks with Sigil: #1 – Getting Started" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

This is the most exciting part of the series, as it opens infinity of possibilities.

Starting point: book cover doesn’t have to be rectangular any more. In this post I’ll explain why.

I’ve designed a cover for Water’s Edge by Robert Whitlow to show my point of view. The jpeg image placed into the post is square, but you don’t see the edges. This image doesn’t seem to be rectangular.

The cover of a print book is determined – and limited – by the edges of the physical object a print book is. The cover on a screen is determined by the edges of the screen. The thing is that the book cover rarely fills the screen completely. It grabs only a part of a space, it’s usually surrounded by other elements of the web page or ereading application.

When somebody makes an ebook version of a print book cover, there is not that much to invent. But if you design a cover specifically for ebook – don’t put yourself into a rectangular box, if you don’t have to.

There are three values to play with: background, visualization and transparency.

Background

Select for your ebook cover the background color of the destination web page and you’ll get rid of the rectangular border. Let me show you the example. Most of ebookstores use white background. Below there is a mock-up design of the book cover. On the left you see it placed against white background. On the right it’s visualized on a paper book.

As you see, if there are no indications of the border, you see a round image. Circle – this is the shape of your ebook. It’s different in print. What you see is a round design on a rectangular cover of the book.

Circle is just one of billions of two-dimensional shapes you could imagine – if you only borrow a background from a destination web page. It’s as easy as that.

We have to be aware of the additional elements of the ebookstores’ web pages, which can bring the feel of the border. For instance, in Kindle Store they are placed on top (Look Inside arrow) and bottom (Kindle Edition bar).

2D shape is a part of the story, as there are also visualizations.

Visualization

Visualizations are popular already. They are designed to resemble paper book, or more precisely – a physical object the print book is. Many readers are looking for tangible proofs they made a good choice by purchasing the ebook. They need a proof that ebook is a book. It’s hard to imagine a file, backed up at Amazon servers, right?

Unfortunately, most of the visualizations are not good. And sometimes you just don’t need them, especially if they contradict the idea of the cover. I wouldn’t do a print visualization of Water’s Edge. The idea is to show that there are no borders, edges and limits and that water flows freely. Print book visualization would kill this idea.

Visualizations of print books are just one of directions to follow. If we miss the tangible look of the ebook, why don’t we make visualizations on a screen of a device this ebook is designed to be read?

Next idea: playing with context. The context is the screen and its content. You can visualize an object hanging above it, you can show a damaged screen, you can play with other elements of the web page.

There are a lot of beautiful examples of print books covers playing with context. There are absolutely no barriers to do the same with ebook covers.

Transparency

Transparency is different from background, although it can be used the same way.

First a simple tip how to make a transparent file. You can save it as png, instead of jpg or gif. If in your design there is no background, usually the website’s background will fill the space.

One more step forward is using transparency in advanced, iTunes-like interfaces, sliders and carousels. Such interface, a slide animation of book covers from your library was used in Stanza application. The carousel is also one of the most prominent elements of the user interface of Kindle Fire.

It’s worth checking the possibilities transparency creates, because it can bring amazing results. Here is how our circle cover would look in Stanza’s slider (and now imagine how would it look like if the cover was a visualization of a broken dark glass):

Transparent covers in unlimited number of shapes, in view of popularity of Amazon tablets may become a totally new form of art. I wish it happened. What covers need to show is that the same old good books are now refreshed for the challenges of the digital environment.

* * *

It’s a very important issue whether the lack of classic, rectangular shape will move associations away from a book.

I think we do not need frames for everything. I don’t feel neither better nor safer when I see a rectangle, bordered cover of something which should be limitless. If the border doesn’t help the idea of openness come through, we don’t have to limit ourselves and use it.

When you leave the rectangular shape, when you stop thinking of 6″ x 9″ standard cover proportions, you’ll feel like leaving the box. Leave the box – it’s what books teach us.

* * *

There are three more posts in a series: color, animation and finally, some examples (it’s good to visualize what I write about). Stay tuned, get free updates here – and share what you think in the comments.

Images used in this post: Water – by Irochka/Fotolia, Book cover – by Mckee/Fotolia

Related posts

• 09.09.2011 -- Ebook Specific Cover Design: #3 – Proportions
• 22.07.2011 -- Ebook Specific Cover Design: #2 – Size and Resolution
• 15.07.2011 -- Ebook Specific Cover Design: #1 – Context
• 20.07.2011 -- How to Create Ebook Covers with Phoster Application
• 06.04.2011 -- E-book Covers With E-reading Application Look

"Ebook Specific Cover Design: #4 – Shape" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.