$99 eBook readers by Christmas -- I think so.

In case anyone missed it--if you did, you were probably under a tree (reading your Kindle, of course). But Amazon just announced two new kindles, starting at $139.

The $139 model doesn't come with G3 wireless (so on the $139 version you can't download books anywhere), just WiFi and of course no color screen yet. But it does show just how quickly the prices are falling. Books-a-Million even had the Sony eBook reader on sale last week for $99 (and promptly sold out). 

I think, this Christmas day, Amazon better be ready for some major traffic.  As I predicted before, I think $99 is the price point where parents will start buying eReaders for their kids. And I think, we'll see this price as the entry point for most eReaders by Christmas

I know I plan to have several free short stories up by then. Hopefully, it will be perfect timing to start building some readership.

Self-publishing and Why Net eBook Percentages Stink

There's been some interesting blogs recently about self-publishing eBooks:
Kidlit.com
A Newbie's Guide to Publishing
It's great to get two different takes on the subject.

Now that I am finishing up my latest manuscript, the question becomes do I take the traditional route to publication? The answer for me has always been yes, but how does the changing world of eBooks play into that?

One of my main concerns is with e-book rates. It seems like "25% of net" is the going rate right now. Well, that just stinks. How do I know just what the publisher's costs really are?
Check out these two articles about how Hollywood and the RIAA cook the books it makes it look like they aren't making any $$$. They claim Harry Potter lost money! The second story says how recording artists make an average of $23 for every $1,000 in sales. That just stinks.

I know not every company works like that. And I do want to sign with a Big 5(6) publisher, but I want to make sure I get the best terms I can. I guess that's were a good agent will come in handy.