Round Up: Today's News

Wow! Lots of things going on this morning.

Kindle France is online. My Sales Report has added kindle.fr to the drop-down tab showing distributors.

French publishing is very conservative and book prices are generally set in stone with little variation so this is a major cultural step for outside books.

Kindle France will be offering about 35,000 ebooks in French from local publishers, along with 825,000 ebooks in other languages--most of those in English.

Of course, the Kindle France store will be selling the entry-level Kindle for 99 Euro which, today is about $133.00 USD. They also offer free shipping which is a good savings.

So if you are an indie author and you selected Worldwide Distribution through Kindle, your ebooks will be available for sale in France.

If you are an author whose publisher distributes your ebooks, then your books may be available if your publisher has the right to sell that title in France. Everything is determined by contracts and reciprocal agreements.

Kindle Available At Office Depot

Also this morning, Office Depot is selling the Kindle. According to the email announcement I received, it's supposed to be available at most local stores and online.

Walmart has been selling Kindle since May of this year. Ditto for Best Buy, Staples, and Target. Walmart also sells Nook and Kobo readers.

With the Kindle available in so many retail outlets, it just means that ebooks will become even more popular as a gift for the upcoming holiday season and also as an impulse purchase for those who have thought about it but have delayed buying an ereader.

Joel Friedlander Course

My friend Joel Friedlander, noted book guru is what I call him, has a series of online videos called The Self-Publishing Blueprint that are definitely worth watching if you are thinking about publishing your own writing.

For those who want in-depth information and knowledge, he has Self-publishing Road Map. I don't know if he's still taking registrations, but you can click the link and find out. First, do watch his free videos.

West Houston Workshop: Michael Hauge

West Houston Romance Writers of America is bringing in Hollywood script consultant and plotting guru Michael Hauge for an intensive all-day workshop on Saturday, Nov. 12. This will be open to the public after Oct. 16. Attendance will be capped at 100. Check out details at the West Houston website.

Dan Calvisi

I want to tell you about my friend Dan Calvisi. Dan's the real deal when it comes to being a Hollywood insider, screenwriter, and--dare I say it--all around nice guy. (I know, I know. You can't be a nice guy and make it in Hollywood, right?) Dan's promised to guest blog at some point in the future. For now, let me tell you more about him.

Daniel P. Calvisi is a professional Story Analyst and screenwriter with more than 15 years experience in the business of screenplays. He's worked for Miramax, Dimension, director Jonathan Demme, and 20th Century Fox. He was the guy who evaluated the written submissions that resulted in these films: Chicago, Spy Kids, Choclat, The Wedding Singer, Scream, and so many more.

Heads Up

Why am I telling you all this? Because Dan has taken all that he knows and put it into a book that you MUST get if you're a writer. Story Maps: How to Write a Great Screenplay isn't just for screenwriters. I've read it, and I have no aspirations to head out to LaLa Land and sign on as a screenwriter to anyone who would have me.

I read it because knowing the beats in a screenplay, knowing how good screenwriters do pacing so well, and all that must go into a successful 120 page script will make a novel writer focus on what's important in the book they're writing.

How many times have you heard someone say: "I just can't get a handle on this story or this character...." Well, this book will help you do just that.

Get It Today

I'm going to be posting a review next week of his book and what he calls his Booster Pack next week. So get a jump on this and get a copy today.

If you can't make it to Houston for the other workshop, get Dan's book Story Maps: How to Write a Great Screenplay today--it's for screenwriters and book writers--and guess what? It's only $14.95, and it's worth every penny.

Takeaway Truth

The reading world is changing, and the publishing world is trying to keep up. I'll do my best to help you stay up to date with both and learn how to write better too.