Lambda Literary changes its awards guidelines! Now will judge based solely on LGBT content as opposed to the orientation of the author. I think it’s a great–and long overdue–move.

This year’s awards guidelines can be found here: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/awards-guidelines/

 A word from the lovely people at AllRomanceEbooks.com…

Microsoft has announced that it will be discontinuing support of the Microsoft (MS) Reader format on August 30, 2012. The software hasn’t been updated in a number of years and has experienced a steady decline in market share, so this hasn’t come as a surprise. Since the announcement, many publishers have notified us of their decision to discontinue production of the format, including ALL publishers who have historically produced the Secure MS Reader Format. We appreciate that continuing to produce a non-supported format is unviable for many. We also appreciate that there are a number of readers who have remained loyal to the MS Reader format and will continue to remain loyal to it for some time.

We want to make every effort to provide readers with sufficient time to download any LIT files that are in their library, create personal back-ups, and transition to a new file format. We recommend the Open eBook or EPub format, which has been adopted as the industry standard. We realize that transitions like this are often challenging and that everyone’s situation is unique. The information below is meant to answer what we think are going to be the most common questions, for additional information, please check the MS Reader Termination FAQ below.

Here is a post you might find helpful when considering transitioning: http://www.arecafe.com/digimonkey-ebook-tips/digimonkey-tips-the-epub-format-as-the-industry-standard/

What you need to know:

As of November 1, 2011 Secure MS Reader (LIT) formats will no longer be available for purchase on the All Romance/OmniLit websites.

According to our terms of agreement, files should initially be downloaded within 72 hours of purchase. Therefore we can not guarantee availability of any Secure MS Reader (LIT) downloads after November 3, 2011.

Secure titles that have previously been downloaded may still be available for download for a period of time in your library past the November 3, 2011 date if the publisher chooses to continue to offer this convenience.
NOTE: This could change at any point in time after November 3 on a book by book basis. The continued appearance after November 3 doesn’t guarantee that the title will be available for download indefinitely.

MS Reader Termination FAQ

Q: If the final discontinuation date for Microsoft is August 30, 2012, why are you discontinuing so much sooner?
A: Various publishers and content providers have been informing us as to their timelines. In order to make things less confusing for readers, we decided to implement based on the earliest of those dates.

Q: If I have LIT files stored on my computer, will I be able to read them after August 30, 2012?
A: Users may still be able to continue to utilize the MS Reader application and the formats they have stored on their hard drives after the August 30, 2012 date, but Microsoft will not longer be offering support for the software and formats.

Q: I ONLY use the LIT format. What am I supposed to do now?
A: If you only have experience with LIT formats and need assistance with this transition, please go to your library on our website, click on the “Need Support” icon, then select the ARe/OmniLit Tips link and the Open Ticket Link. Open a ticket explaining your situation and we will provide you with appropriate recommendations.

Q: Will I still be able to purchase Non-DRM/Non-Secure MS Reader (LIT) files? Will publishers who want to continue to upload the Non-DRM/Non-Secure LIT format be able to?
A: Yes. We will continue to allow publishers who wish to provide the Non-DRM/Non-Secure MS Reader (LIT) format the ability to do so.

Lori James
Chief Operating Officer
All Romance eBooks, LLC

AllRomance.com
OmniLit.com
AReCafe.com

A discussion thread on Amazon’s Kindle Community forum notes that Amazon has begun removing some previously-published books or stories from its store, and from the Kindle archives. Readers who have previously downloaded them to their Kindles can keep them there, but cannot re-download them (and will be refunded the price of purchase assuming Amazon can still find the purchase record).

The story whose removal sparked the discussion was an erotica title called Wicked Lovely by author Jess C. Scott. The tale dealt with incest, and involved a love scene between a 17- and an 18-year-old. However, Amazon would not tell Scott specifically what caused the removal of her novel. The only response she has received, after repeatedly trying to contact Amazon for more information, is a form letter.

–

In addition to Jess Scott, Selena Kitt and Esmerelda Green have also had books with an incest theme recently banned from the site. All of them, incidentally, high in the rankings and in visibility. Selena even reports a print book missing, a title which she published through Amazon-owned Createspace.

To be perfectly honest, I’m now waiting to see how long it takes Amazon to yank down a few of my stories. I’m sure those of you reading this know exactly which stories I’m referring to. Frankly, I’m just wondering what’s next. Will all erotica books be removed or just those published through small press? I’m sure they won’t touch mainstream erotica. *rolls eyes*

You can read more by clicking HERE and HERE.

Or if you’d like to help spread the word, file a complaint, or request a refund for one of the books that have been yanked with no explanation from your Kindle archive, here’s a little pertinent information to help you achieve your task.

You can post on Amazon’s board about it here (as long as they don’t delete the thread):

http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_ttp_ef_tft_tp?_encoding\
=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=Tx2QG9BWA19KO4O&displayType=tagsDe\
tail

You can tweet about it using this tag: #amazoncensors

Utilize whatever you can - Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Jeff’s Bezos direct address (head of Amazon)

Jeff Bezos
Amazon.com, Inc.
1200 12th Ave, Suite 1200
Seattle, WA 98122

Executive Customer Relations:
ecr@amazon.com

and all the members on the board of directors:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664&p=irol-govmanage

Forwarded from Loose id…

You talked and we listened. You said you wanted our books in .epub
format and you wanted them without a two month delay to our resellers.
As of tonight at midnight eastern, you can have them.

What’s .epub? It’s a specialized format designed for today’s e-book devices:

Astak EZ Reader, Astak EZ Reader Pocket PRO, Astak Mentor, BeBook One,
BeBook Mini, Cybook Gen3, Cybook Opus, COOL-ER, Elonex eBook, Hanlin
V5, Hanlin V3, IREX Digital Reader 1000S, NUUT2, Sony PRS-300 Reader
Pocket Edition, Sony PRS-505 Reader Digital Book, Sony PRS-600 Reader
Touch Edition, Sony PRS-700BC Reader Digital Book, Nook.

So now you can find your fantasy in epub. Starting TODAY at Loose Id!

I loved this and had to share.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

IS PRINT DEAD?
by J.A. Konrath
Author of Jack Daniels thriller series
HuffingtonPost.com/5-21-2010

Moderator: Welcome to Obsolete Anonymous! I’ve gathered you all here to welcome our latest member, the Print Industry.

Print Industry: Hello, everyone. But there’s been a mistake. I don’t belong here.

(chuckles all around)

Print Industry: I’m serious. I’m not obsolete. I’m relevant. Print books have been around for hundreds of years. They’re never going to be replaced.

VHS Tapes: Yeah, we all thought like that once.

LP Records: It’s called denial. It’s tough to deal with at first.

Print Industry: Look, everyone, I assume you all think that ebooks are going to put me out of business. But that won’t happen.

Phone Company: I remember when you couldn’t walk twenty yards in a city without seeing a pay phone. Then those gosh darn cell phones came along. Do you know some people don’t even have land lines anymore?

(Phone Company begins to cry. Print Phonebooks joins in. So does Dial Up Modems. Encyclopedia Set, wearing an I Hate Wikipedia T-Shirt, pops a few Prozac. A group hug ensues.)

Video Rental Store: What Phone Company is trying to say is that when a technology comes along that’s faster, easier, and cheaper, the old technology–and all the companies that supported it–tends to fade away.

Print Industry: Why are you here, Video Rental Store? There are a lot of you around.

CDs: There were record stores everywhere once.

Cassette Tapes: Hell yeah! They sold cassettes, too! Someone give me a high five!

(no one gives Cassette Tapes a high five)

Video Rental Store: Things looked good for a while. I had a decent run. Then I got hit by all sides. Netflix. On Demand. Tivo. YouTube. But the nail in the coffin came in the past two years. Hulu. Roku–which allows subscribers to stream video instantly. iTunes and Amazon offering movie downloads. Red Box, which rents DVDs for 99 cents and takes up no more space than a candy machine…

Print Industry: But ebooks are just a tiny percentage of the market. People have been reading print since Gutenberg. They won’t adapt to change that easily.

SLR Cameras: You’re correct. It takes a few years for people to fully embrace new technology. Some never do. Instant Cameras never replaced me.

Instant Cameras: Shut up, SLR. We both got our butts kicked by digital. How much film did you sell last year?

TV Antennas: I’m still big in some third world countries!

Typewriter: The bottom line is; when technology improves, it becomes widely adopted. Me and Carbon Paper used to have a groovy thing going. I’d make the words, he would make the duplicates. Then Copy Machine got into the act, but he’s not doing well now either.

Copy Machine: Effing computers.

Dot Matrix Printer: Effing laser and inkjet. Doesn’t anyone else miss tearing off the perforated hole punches on the side of paper? Don’t they miss the feel and smell of that?

Fold-Out Paper Maps: I agree! Isn’t it fun to open up a big map while you’re driving, in hopes of figuring out where you are? Don’t you miss the old days before cars came equipped with GPS and no one ever used that upstart, MapQuest?

CDs: Effing internet. That’s the problem. Instant access to information and entertainment for the whole world. You guys want to talk about pirating and illegal downloads?

(everyone shouts out “no!”)

Moderator: We all read on JA Konrath’s blog that the way to fight piracy is with cost and convenience. Print Industry, are you lowering your prices and making it easier for customers to download your books?

Print Industry: Actually, we just raised prices on our ebooks.

(all-around sighs and head shaking)

Moderator: Well, far be it for you to learn from any of our mistakes. Are you making it easier at least?

Print Industry: Well, we’ve begun windowing titles, releasing them months after the hardcover comes out.

(collective head slapping)

Music Industry: Have you at least tried selling from your own site? I wish I’d done that. But then Apple came along…

Print Industry: Uh… no. We haven’t tried that. In fact, some ebooks–we’ll use JA Konrath as an example since he was mentioned–aren’t even available on all platforms and in all territories.

Moderator: What do you mean? Konrath’s ebooks are available all over the place.

Print Industry: Those are the ones he uploads himself. The ones of his that we sell are missing from several key markets, and have been for years. But it’s okay. We’re paying him much smaller royalties and jacking the prices up high so we can still make a profit. Besides, ebooks are a niche market. Ereading devices are dedicated and expensive.

Arcades: I used to be a thriving industry. Kids dropped millions of quarters in my thousands of locations. But then Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft made home arcade machines, and now people play their videogames on dedicated devices. It’s a multi-billion dollar business now, and I can only compete if I sell pizza and give out plastic trinkets to kids with the most foosball tickets. If people want the media, they buy the expensive device. Period.

Print Industry: None of you are listening to me. Print will always be around.

Newspaper Industry: Yeah! What he said!

Print Industry: Let’s not compare ourselves, okay Newspaper Industry? No offense.

Newspaper Industry: None taken. Hey, maybe we can help each other. I’m selling advertising space for dirt cheap these days, and…

Print Industry: No thanks. No one reads you anymore. People get their news elsewhere.

Moderator: So why won’t people get their novels elsewhere as well?

(Print Industry stands up, pointing a finger around the room.)

Print Industry: Look, this isn’t about me. All of you guys have become irrelevant. Technology marched on, and you didn’t march with it. But that WILL NOT happen to me. There will always be bookstores, and dead tree books. We’ll continue to sell hardcovers at luxury prices, and pay artists 6% to 15% royalties on whatever list price WE deem appropriate. And the masses will buy our books BECAUSE WE SAID SO! WE SHALL NEVER BECOME OBSOLETE!!!

Buggy Whip Industry: Amen, brother! That’s what I keep trying to tell these people!

CDs: (whispering to LPs) I give him six years, tops.

Carina Press was announced this morning (http://www.cnbc.com/id/33785094). They are an all digital imprint of Harlequin with Angela James (formerly of Samhain Publishing) at the helm as Executive Editor. They are accepting submissions now of all romance subgenres as well as women’s fiction. They will follow the no advance/higher royalty model of other epublishers although they don’t disclose the royalty rate.

Check them out at http://carinapress.com/.

Permission to repost granted   *   Help us get the word out

F O R    I M M E D I A T E    R E L E A S E

All Romance Announces the launch of OmniLit™, Bringing eBooks Directly into the Homes and Digital Devices of R eaders of All Genres

Palm Harbor, FL (PRWEB) July 21, 2009 – The owners of All Romance™, an independent on-line bookstore specializing in the sale of romance eBooks, announced today the launch of OmniLit.com, a new site dedicated to the sale of fiction and non-fiction eBooks.

“The overwhelming success of the All Romance site spurred the expansion,” said Barbara Perfetti, the company’s Chief Financial Officer. “The publishing world is poised on the brink of an eBook explosion and we want to be ready on the forefront to meet that demand.”

OmniLit will offer genres currently not available on the All Romance site, including best sellers from some of the biggest names in publishing, as well as offerings from small, midsized, and indie presses. Customers will be able to select from hundreds of thousands of titles, everything from mainstream, children’s, and speculative fiction, to books on health & fitness, cooking, travel, and business.

“Readers used to the convenience of All Romance’s easy to navigate site and unsurpassed customer service can expect to find the same at OmniLit,” said Chief Operating Officer, Lori James. “Our goal is to hold on to what we believe are the best qualities of both the larger chain bookstores and the smaller independents, then offer that in digital. OmniLit’s customers will have the advantage of choice and a technically streamlined shopping experience, but t hey will also receive personalized service and support.”

All Romance eBooks, LLC was founded in 2006, is privately held in partnership, and headquartered in Palm Harbor, Florida. The company owns All Romance (allromanceebooks.com), which specializes in the sale of romance eBooks and OmniLit (omnilit.com) which sells both fiction and non-fiction eBooks.

AMBER ALLURE

1. Bring The Heat - M. L. Rhodes (Gay / Contemporary)
2. Car Wash - Shawn Lane (Gay / Contemporary)
3. Seducing Light - KC Kendricks (Gay / Contemporary)
4. Forbidden Desire - Carolina Valdez (Gay / Contemporary)
5. Pottery Peter - Rick R. Reed (Gay / Contemporary)
6. Sins Of Arrogance - India Harper (Gay / Suspense)
7. Bottom’s Up: Triplesex - Amanda Young (Gay / Contemporary)
8. Bottom’s Up: A Kinky Orgasm - Amanda Young (Gay / Contemporary)
9. Playing The Field: Play On - J. M. Snyder (Gay / Contemporary)
10. Sorcerer’s Lover II - Shawn Lane (Gay / Fantasy / Historical)

Permission to forward…

You asked for it, today it’s a reality.

As lovers of romance we know that customer buying decisions are influenced by reader opinions. Since opening our doors we’ve encourage our customers to rate books on a scale of 1-5 for overall enjoyment and sensuality. We’re still doing that - but we’re also doing more.

ARe readers can now submit full text reviews to our web-site. As of t! oday, customers can log in to their on-line library, access a review link, and enter a review of your books.

We’d love it if you could help us get the word out to your readers. If you have a newsletter, blog, yahoo group, twitter account, etc., please let your readers know that they can now go into their library at All Romance and post reviews. Their opinions matter.

Lori James
Chief Operating Officer
All Romance eBooks, LLC