Comixology to introduce its own line of original comics

Exclusivity is a game that isn’t limited to certain industries. To get people to use and stay with your products, you have to offer them compelling content (think Netflix). And so Comixology is introducing its own original comics aptly called comiXology Originals. The new line will feature content from creators and publishers such as Boom! Studios, the late cartoonist and Mad editor Harvey Kurtzman, and Valiant Entertainment. Some of the new titles include Adventure Time Marshall Lee Spectacular from award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki and a finished version of Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost. The digital-only original titles will be available to both Comixology and Kindle customers.

Source: The Verge

Amazon rumoured to be developing Kindle with rechargeable cases

Upcoming Amazon Kindles are rumoured to be coming with even better battery life courtesy of rechargeable protective casing. According to The Wall Street Journal, these cases will help slim down the e-reader. But this could also mean battery life of the device alone won’t be better than before or at least still be similar to older models. There also is supposedly a solar-powered casing in the works that won’t be available for the launch of rumoured device next week.

These new cases and the new Kindles are supposedly Amazon’s attempt to push new Kindle devices as they’re apparently having a harder time selling newer Kindles because people are still perfectly happy with their current e-readers. It would need a new feature, like a rechargeable case, to help compel buyers to consider getting a new Kindle.

Source: Engadget

Old Kindles to lose connection to the ‘net if not updated by Tuesday

If you’ve been neglecting the old Kindle you still have, now might be the time to bust it out for a bit and update it. Amazon has issued a warning that if the older Kindle e-readers aren’t updated by Tuesday, March 22^nd, these older devices will not be able to connect to the Kindle Store or sync with the cloud, which of course means you won’t be able to download new books. The update is needed for the original Kindle Paperwhite (2012) and every Kindle before that. To sync your old Kindles, just make sure to power it up and then look for the Sync and Check for Items in the menu. But if you miss the March 22^nd deadline, you can still manually download the update file from Amazon’s site and transfer it via USB. You can get more details about that here.

Source: The Verge

Amazon plans to pay self-publishing writers per page read

Amazon is introducing a new payment method for self-publishing writers on Kindle’s Direct Publishing platform. The independent authors will be paid based on the number of pages read instead of the number of times the books have been borrowed. Amazon has a complex method to determine payment for the indie authors. The company has a fund they use that’s set every month. This new plan will give authors a share of that fund based on the pages read.

The Kindle Direct Publishing platform lets authors make key decisions about their books, including setting list prices, managing rights, and editing the book at any time.

Source: Reuters