Falling into Infinity

Blimunda n.º 12

2013-05-22T19:24:00.000+01:00

Maio na Blimunda é mês de Gabo.

No dossier central da revista, textos de Raquel Ribeiro, Germán Santamaría, Embaixador da Colômbia em Portugal, Pilar del Río e Tomás Eloy Martínez, com a primeira crítica a Cem Anos de Solidão, publicada em 1967, quatro abordagens à vida e obra de Gabriel García Márquez.

A FILBo, Feira Internacional do Livro de Bogotá, que acolheu Portugal como país convidado, e o Festival Literário da Madeira ocupam também lugar de destaque nesta edição, através de textos de Sara Figueiredo Costa. Na secção infantil e juvenil, uma visita à exposição Clarice Lispector – A hora da estrela, que a Fundação Gulbenkian acolheu no último mês. Partindo desta exposição, Andreia Brites, lê os quatro livros infantis da grande autora brasileira, editados pela Relógio d’Água.

A fechar a Blimunda de Maio, a Saramaguiana publica dois documentos documentos fundamentais para um percurso pelo universo literário e intelectual do Prémio Nobel português. Dois textos de autoria de Carlos Reis e Fernando Gómez Aguilera, lidos na apresentação de A Estátua e a Pedra, inédito de José Saramago, agora publicado pela Fundação que leva o seu nome.

Boas leituras!

Disponível para download no site da Fundação José Saramago, ou no Scribd.

Blimunda N.º 12 - maio 13 by Fundação José Saramago

Leituras Digitais (5 a 18 de Março de Maio)

2013-05-19T11:26:00.000+01:00

Rubrica quinzenal de notícias e artigos relacionados com a edição de livros digitais.

Amazon is Quietly Working to Explode the Audiobook Market

Amazon is widely recognized as having ignited the ebook market with the launch of the Kindle Store in 2007, and today I realized that they might be trying to repeat that success with audiobooks.

If eBook DRM dies, would it help or hurt Amazon?

The new Gatekeepers of the New World of Publishing have just these new levers – Friction and Discoverability and DRM and Social Proof and Perceptions. These levers aren’t half as strong and powerful as the Real Impenetrable Gates the Old Gatekeepers had. Fortunately, for the New Gatekeepers, there is one very powerful lever amongst these. One that, if used correctly, becomes a real barrier.DRM.DRM is, for most readers (who are not technically savvy), a REAL barrier to freedom of movement.

Kobo Experiments With Experiential Game

Kobo has ventured into new territory, creating an alternate reality game called The Descent for a three-week contest to help promote the launch of Dan Brown’s new novel Inferno.

Library eBooks: The Role of Libraries in the Book Discovery Process

Sourcebooks and OverDrive are partnering on a pilot program that will allow library patrons worldwide the opportunity to read New York Times bestselling author Michael Malone’s acclaimed novel “The Four Corners of the Sky” in ebook format. The Big Library Read is a no cost program in which libraries worldwide promote from their lending catalog a single ebook to their patrons. In addition to creating a global “library book club,” it’s designed to generate data about the positive exposure and sales influence library ebook catalogs provide to authors and publishers.

Google Framed As Book Stealer Bent On Data Domination In New Documentary

“Google And The World Brain” is a new documentary about Google’s plan to scan all of the world’s books, which triggered an ongoing lawsuit being heard today. The hair-raising film sees Google import millions of copyrighted works, get sued, lose, but almost get a literature monopoly in the process. It’s scary, informative, and worth watching if you recognize its biased portrayal of Google as evil.
The film is getting wider release as Google continues to fight the Author’s Guild in court today. The organization is demanding $3 billion in damages from Google for scanning and reproducing copyrighted books. Google is asking the court to prevent the group from filing a class-action suit.

New Smashwords Survey Helps Authors Sell More eBooks

For the study this year, we analyzed over $12 million in sales for a collection of 120,000 Smashwords ebooks from May 1, 2012 through March 31, 2013. We aggregated our sales data from across our retail distribution network, which includes the Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo and Amazon (only about 200 of our 200,000 titles are at Amazon). As the world's largest indie ebook distributor, I think our study represents the most comprehensive analysis ever of how ebooks from self-published authors and small independent presses are behaving in the marketplace.

Conservação digital

A linguagem que está sendo gerada pelos escritores virtuais está longe de alcançar a dimensão e a riqueza do estilo de grandes autores celebrizados por livros impressos.

Confirmed: Amazon Bought Liquavista – Color Kindle to Follow?

We are always looking for new technologies we may be able to incorporate into our products over the long term. The Liquavista team shares our passion for invention and is creating exciting new technologies with a lot of potential. It’s still early days, but we’re excited about the possibilities and we look forward to working with Liquavista to develop these displays.

Online Retailers, E-books Gained in 2012

At Publishers Weekly’s May 8 discussion series on trends in consumer book-buying, held at the offices of Random House in New York City, Carl Kulo, U.S. director of Bowker Market Research, highlighted the major shifts that took place in 2012 in such key areas as sales by format and by channel.

Pottermore Wins Digital Strategy of the Year Award

The Bookseller Industry awards has just occurred in the United Kingdom and Pottermore came away with a huge victory. The Harry Potter focused digital company beat out some hefty competition by Random House, Harlequin, Kobo, Penguin, and Bloomsbury.The Pottermore strategy as a gateway to sell ebooks has been a bit of a case study on how to start an e-commerce site and maintain control over the entire experience. Normally, books are sold and distributed by the publisher and seldom does the author maintain any control over the companies that send the books to libraries and bookstores, let alone international rights and sales.

E-ink Introduces Mobius, a New Flexible Display Technology

They’re calling the new screen tech Mobius. Instead of the glass panel used in many ereaders today, the Mobius screen uses a plastic backplane that is flexible and as a result is more resistant to impact.

Total Number of Portuguese Brazilian Ebook Titles Reaches 25,000

Brazilian ebook and education firm Simplissimo has been surveying Brazilian ebooks since 2011, well before the launch of Amazon, Kobo and Google stores. Earlier this week Revolução eBook [eBook Revolution], the Brazilian version of the Digital Book World portal, published the latest Simplissimo survey, which showed that there currently 25,000 Brazilian Portuguese titles in the digital format in Brazil, a jump from 16,000 in August 2012 (before the arrival of big international players in the end of 2013).

Sony's 13.3-inch e-ink paper prototype shown off at education expo in Japan

Earlier this week, we learned of Sony's plans for a 13.3-inch e-ink slate with stylus support pitched at students, and now Diginfo has caught up with the prototype device at the Educational IT Solutions Expo in Japan. The A4-sized tablet is said to be the first piece of hardware with an E Ink Mobius display that's flexible and light due to its new plastic construction. Co-developed by Sony and E Ink, the display only contributes 60g to the overall weight, which is apparently 50 percent lighter than similar screens built with glass.

New York Times E-Book Best Sellers

A version of this list appears in the May 26, 2013 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings reflect sales for the week ending May 11, 2013.

E-Book Fiction

1. DEAD EVER AFTER, by Charlaine Harris

2. THE HIT, by David Baldacci

3. SILKEN PREY, by John Sandford

4. 12TH OF NEVER, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

5. WHISKEY BEACH, by Nora Roberts

Complete List »

E-Book Nonfiction

1. HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach

2. LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS, by David Sedaris

3. WAITING TO BE HEARD, by Amanda Knox

4. LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell

5. A STOLEN LIFE, by Jaycee Dugard

Complete List »

Wall Street Journal E-Book Best Sellers (Week Ended April 28)

Nonfiction E-Books

TITLE AUTHOR / PUBLISHER	THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK
Happy, Happy, Happy	1	New
Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach/Howard Books
Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls	2	4
David Sedaris/Little, Brown
Waiting to Be Heard	3	1
Amanda Knox/HarperCollins
Lean In	4	5
Sheryl Sandberg/Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Captive in Iran	5	—
Maryam Rostampour, Marziyeh Amirizadeh/Tyndale House
A Stolen Life	6	—
Jaycee Dugard/Simon & Schuster
Obsessed	7	—
Mika Brzezinski/Weinstein Publishing
Dad Is Fat	8	New
Jim Gaffigan/Crown Publishing Group
Proof of Heaven	9	7
Eben Alexander/Simon & Schuster
I'll See You Again	10	—
Jackie Hance with Janice Kaplan/Gallery Books

Fiction E-Books

TITLE AUTHOR / PUBLISHER	THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK
The Great Gatsby	1	3
F. Scott Fitzgerald/Scribner
Dead Ever After	2	New
Charlaine Harris/Penguin Group
The Hit	3	2
David Baldacci/Grand Central Publishing
Silken Prey	4	New
John Sandford/Penguin Group
12th of Never	5	1
James Patterson, Maxine Paetro/Little, Brown
Whiskey Beach	6	5
Nora Roberts/Penguin Group
The Bet	7	8
Rachel Van Dyken/Rachel Van Dyken
The Oracle Glass	8	—
Judith Merkle Riley/Sourcebooks
The Sisterhood	9	—
Helen Bryan/AmazonEncore
Don't Say a Word	10	—
Barbara Freethy/Barbara Freethy

Vídeos

Out of Print Documentary Film

A Reader's Passion: Kobo Commercial

Sony A4-sized digital paper notepad is light, durable and responsive

Mensagem - Fernando Pessoa

2013-05-14T18:00:00.000+01:00

Novo eBook disponível no Projecto Adamastor.

Ler no Chiado: Clarice Lispector

2013-05-14T14:25:00.000+01:00

Editorial Divergência

2013-05-14T11:00:00.000+01:00

A Editorial Divergência é uma nova editora que pretende apostar na ficção nacional. De momento a editora procura manuscritos inéditos, dentro dos géneros englobados na dita ficção especulativa, com mais de 50000 palavras.

Para mais informações:

Website

Facebook

A cultura portuguesa enfrenta uma época de inúmeros desafios, em especial, no sector da literatura de ficção. Fundar a Editorial Divergência partiu da necessidade de intervir em vários aspectos:

Desde sempre Portugal foi um ponto de encontro de saberes. Muito antes do seu nascimento, viu passar pelas suas terras inúmeros povos e uma infindável riqueza cultural. Essa fonte inesgotável de mitos e ideias faz, ainda hoje, parte deste povo e necessita de ser preservada, sendo a literatura um dos vectores essenciais.

A cultura é considerada por alguns como um sector secundário da nossa sociedade. Ouve-se muitas vezes dizer que não é importante, pois não enche o estômago nem a carteira. É evidente que, para além de uma crise económica e social, atravessamos uma crise de valores.

Durante o último século, avanços tecnológicos e sociais levaram à multiplicação do número de editoras. A redução do preço tornou acessível bons livros, bem como numerosos jornais e revistas, à maioria da população. Todavia, uma grande fatia do actual mercado editorial está assente nos princípios da cultura de massas estandardizada e de fácil digestão, sendo necessário uma mudança de paradigma.

Em Portugal, quando comparado com outras áreas, a quantidade de livros de ficção publicados encontra-se num franco desequilíbrio com a que é escrita. Há uma clara preferência por autores estrangeiros, enquanto a divulgação de novos autores portugueses de ficção especulativa se encontra negligenciada.

Pelos motivos acima enunciados, a Editorial Divergência pretende destacar-se no mercado editorial português pela publicação e promoção de novos talentos de ficção especulativa portuguesa. Consideramos que tanto o autor como o leitor devem ser valorizados, que o universo editorial não se deve reger pelos grilhões do interesse económico e que a publicação de livros deve causar o mínimo de impacto ambiental. Como tal iremos basear a editora nas seguintes éticas:

Cuidar do planeta: queremos criar edições amigas do ambiente, diminuindo os desperdícios e os transportes desnecessários.

Cuidar dos autores e leitores: os autores recebem o apoio na publicação e divulgação das suas obras, assim como um pagamento justo (10% do preço de capa) pelo seu trabalho, sem que para tal tenham de investir um único cêntimo; os leitores terão acesso a edições de qualidade a um preço acessível.

Partilha dos lucros: os lucros serão usados na editora de modo a poder investir num número crescente de novos autores, publicando e divulgando as suas obras.

Escolhemos o rebento como logótipo, pois representa o novo autor, que precisa de apoio para poder desenvolver os seus trabalhos. Cada uma das folhas representa tanto uma das vertentes da ficção especulativa como uma das éticas da editora.

Citações

2013-05-08T19:46:00.000+01:00

Era extraordinário como ela conhecia assim a indivisível soma do tempo, que encontramos em nós confundido com a vida; o que passa não é o tempo, somos nós – a presença do homem é o tempo, a sua consciência, sua formação e sentidos são o tempo, e não podemos dizer que há dias e noites, anos e séculos, sem nós próprios os vivermos na fracção de tempo que nos é dado para entender e consumar em nós o que existiu, durou, aconteceu e teve participação humana. A terra nua e gelada só começa a ter idade depois que o sentimento do homem a povoa, a encontra e, por assim dizer, a gera. O tempo é uma razão pura, o princípio da comunicação.

Agustina Bessa-Luís, O Sermão do Fogo

Almanaque Steampunk 2012 disponível gratuitamente

2013-05-08T11:34:00.000+01:00

A equipa do Clockwork Portugal acaba de disponibilizar uma versão digital do Almanaque Steampunk 2012, e está também a aceitar submissões (até 15 de Julho) para o próximo almanaque que, à semelhança do que aconteceu no ano passado, será lançado na Euro Steam Con, no Porto.

O Livro de Cesário Verde

2013-05-07T14:00:00.000+01:00

Novo eBook disponível no Projecto Adamastor.

Leituras Digitais (21 de Abril a 4 de Maio)

2013-05-05T11:27:00.000+01:00

Rubrica quinzenal de notícias e artigos relacionados com a edição de livros digitais.

Should Indie Authors Reach Out To Bookstores?

In a letter to the editor at the New York Times, Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary and Garden Arts co-owner Marion Abbott urged self-published authors to “think twice before venturing into a world largely unknown to them.”

Penguin changes ebook pricing in response to EU probe

Under legal pressure in Europe and in an attempt to clean up after the Random House merger, Penguin has offered to change its pricing strategy and abandon the agency model. This move preempts a European Commission inquiry into anti-trust and anti-competition allegations, which if it had found Penguin at fault, would have resulted in fines and sanctions.

Used eBook Sales Now Illegal in Europe (For The Moment)

Used ebooks are a hot topic right now, with Apple and Amazon each pursuing a patent over reselling digital content and as a result sparking a debate on the legality, ethics, and morality of a second-hand marketplace for products that don’t decay.This is a hot topic across the pond as well, only it has gone in a slightly different direction. A German court has ruled this week that ebooks cannot be resold.

HarperCollins Launches New Effort to Promote Enhanced eBooks

Enhanced ebooks have never quite been as successful as some publishers would like, but I think HarperCollins wants to change that. They’ve just launched a new webpage on the official HarperCollins website that is focused on promoting enhanced ebooks.

Ebook anxieties increase as publishing revolution rolls on

Amazon's bid for rights to sell secondhand ebooks adds another layer of complexity to a world where the certainties of print culture are dissolving.

Kobo's greatest asset? It's not Amazon

Kobo launched a new e-reader at last week's London Book Fair: the Aura HD. Clearly taking aim at Amazon's ever-expanding Kindle lineup, the Aura comes with the highest definition screen of any e-ink device yet, and the fastest processor, meaning it can turn pages quickly and browse the web with ease. Coupled with Kobo's UK focus and its partnership with WH Smith, the lovable old stalwart of the high street, it's no surprise that it was warmly welcomed.

One Year Later, the Results of Tor Books UK Going DRM-Free

China Miéville called the decision “a game changer” and long-time anti-DRM author and blogger Cory Doctorow praised the decision on both theGuardian Technology Blog and boing boing, the blog he co-edits: “I think that this might be the watershed for ebook DRM, the turning point that marks the moment at which all ebooks end up DRM-free. It’s a good day.”

The digital truths traditional publishers don't want to hear

Digital book distribution is available to anyone who wants it. What in the paper world requires trucks, warehouses, a sales force, and longstanding relationships with buyers at dozens of retail operations, in digital is a push-button à la carte service offered by companies like Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, Kobo, and Smashwords. An author so inclined can buy digital distribution for 30% of the list price of the book she's publishing – the same digital distribution a legacy publisher offers – and outsource all other publishing functions, all for significantly less than legacy publishers charge for their packaged service.

Why ebooks & why green e-publishing?

Ebook production on a much larger scale as well as a massive cutback in the production of bound books will make a huge difference in our collective carbon footprint. The production and distribution of ebooks has so many positive benefits for the planet while also greatly reducing costs. Just a cursory listing of these benefits: decrease in removal of old forest growth, decrease in fuel consumption for transport, and decrease in land and water used in the storage and creation of physical books. Start there and begin to look at this picture in terms of dollars as well as taking that leap into the new technologies we now possess and/or are creating for ebooks and this challenge proves most exciting.

New York Times E-Book Best Sellers

A version of this list appears in the May 12, 2013 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings reflect sales for the week ending April 27, 2013.

E-Book Fiction

1. THE HIT, by David Baldacci

2. CLAIM ME, by J. Kenner

3. DAMAGED, by H. M. Ward

4. TWISTED PERFECTION, by Abbi Glines

5. FLY AWAY, by Kristin Hannah

Complete List »

E-Book Nonfiction

1. LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS, by David Sedaris

2. BRAIN ON FIRE, by Susannah Cahalan

3. LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell

4. PROOF OF HEAVEN, by Eben Alexander

5. COOKED, by Michael Pollan

Complete List »

Wall Street Journal E-Book Best Sellers (Week Ended April 28)

Nonfiction E-Books

TITLE AUTHOR / PUBLISHER	THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK
Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls	1	New
David Sedaris/Little, Brown
Brain on Fire	2	2
Susannah Cahalan/Free Press
Jumpstart to Skinny	3	New
Bob Harper with Greg Critser/Random House
Lean In	4	3
Sheryl Sandberg/Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Proof of Heaven	5	8
Eben Alexander/Simon & Schuster
American Rose	6	—
Karen Abbott/Random House
Cooked	7	New
Michael Pollan/Penguin Group
Trident K9 Warriors	8	—
Mike Ritland with Gary Brozek/St. Martin's Press
Angela's Ashes	9	10
Frank McCourt/Scribner
Top of the Morning	10	New
Brian Stelter/Grand Central Publishing

Fiction E-Books

TITLE AUTHOR / PUBLISHER	THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK
The Hit	1	New
David Baldacci/Grand Central Publishing
Claim Me	2	New
J. Kenner/Random House
Damaged	3	2
H.M. Ward/Laree Bailey Press
Twisted Perfection	4	New
Abbi Glines/Abbi Glines
Fly Away	5	New
Kristin Hannah/St. Martin's Press
The Bet	6	4
Rachel Van Dyken/Rachel Van Dyken
The Great Gatsby	7	7
F. Scott Fitzgerald/Scribner
Whiskey Beach	8	1
Nora Roberts/Penguin Group
Wedding Night	9	New
Sophie Kinsella/Random House
Real	10	5
Katy Evans/Katy Evans

Já nas bancas: LER, Maio 2013

2013-05-02T21:18:00.002+01:00