Amazon Announces Kindle Development Kit

Don't like the way your Kindle works? You (or another developer) can change it, using the newly announced Kindle Development Kit.

Today, Amazon announced that it is inviting software developers to build and upload active content that will be available in the Kindle Store later this year. The new Kindle Development Kit gives developers access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation to build active content for Kindle...

There is already a waiting list to get access to the Kit, but it looks like games, interactive cookbooks and travel guides are already in the planning stages.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Gamers Special - Donate $20 to Haiti, Get >$1400 Package as Thank You

DriveThruRPG.com, a company I've dealt with in the past, is collecting donatons for Doctors Without Borders and matching any smaller donations ($5 or $10), but for those willing to part with $20, they have put together a huge collection of gaming books and materials (in PDF form) for you to download as a thank you. If you play RPG's, this is a tremendous deal, even if none of the money went to Haiti (but I trust that it will). The response has been so great, in fact, that they are asking those who donate to wait a day or to before downloading (they'll keep your order safe in your account), as their servers are getting quite a workout.

Click HERE to sign up or HERE to see the press release.

To donate a lesser amount, click HERE for $5 or HERE for $10.

Get $50 Gift Card with XBox 360 Holiday Bundle

In a deal similar to the earlier one for the Wii/Wii Fit bundle, Amazon is currently offering a $50 gift card along with the Xbox 360 Elite Winter 2009 Lego Batman / Pure Bundle. You have to order the two items together on the Deals Page, where you can't see the bundle price, but I just checked it in my cart and it was $239. The two included games usually sell for about $20 each (although you can get both together right now for $17.79) and the bundle is discounted $60 from list price. I don't have an Xbox, but they are excellent gaming consoles, from what I've read, and have the ability to stream Netflix movies (although that appears to require an Xbox Live subscription).

I do see one restriction - you can't use any promotional or gift certificates to pay for the purchase (I have $20 in promotional certificates from an earlier game deal), so you may need to change your payment method during checkout, to ensure you don't try to apply any balances. Offer valid January 17, 2010 through January 23, 2010 or while supplies last.

Bundle Description

* Includes LEGO Batman: The Videogame and PURE
* 120GB hard drive
* Sleek black console with matching wireless controller and headset
* HD ready - with an HDMI port (HDMI cable sold separately)
* Ethernet cable

The Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle is a great value with two great games included, a massive hard drive, an HDMI port (HDMI cable sold separately), a black wireless controller and headset, and a premium black finish. With three powerful core processors and full surround sound, the console redefines what games look like, sound like, feel like, and play like to engage you like never before. Every Xbox 360 game title supports a minimum of 720p, and up to 1080p high definition resolution or 480p standard definition resolution, in 16:9 widescreen.

LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame (included):
Play as Batman and his sidekick Robin as you build, drive, swing, and fight your way through Gotham City. Then jump into the story from the other side and play as Batman’s foes! There’s no rest for the good (or the evil!). (Rated "E10+" for Everyone 10+)

PURE® (included):
Take off-road racing to a new level. Experience pure adrenaline and emotion as you execute incredible aerial tricks and death-defying massive jumps. (Rated "E" for Everyone)

Amazon Increases Author DTP Royalties to 70%

Amazon has announced a change in their royalties for authors and publishers using their Amazon Digital Text Platform to publish their books, with a new royalty rate of 70% net after delivery costs, provided they meet certain conditions.

Delivery costs will be based on file size and pricing will be $0.15/MB. At today's median DTP file size of 368KB, delivery costs would be less than $0.06 per unit sold. This new program can thus enable authors and publishers to make more money on every sale. For example, on an $8.99 book an author would make $3.15 with the standard option, and $6.25 with the new 70 percent option.

Each book listed on the Kindle platform may choose the old or the new pricing structure, which is good for indie authors who are currently listing books below the minimum to quality for the new rates. The rates also don't apply to any public domain books, so all those republishing Pride and Prejudice are out of luck. There are a few other conditions, as well:

• The author or publisher-supplied list price must be between $2.99 and $9.99
• This list price must be at least 20 percent below the lowest physical list price for the physical book
• The title is made available for sale in all geographies for which the author or publisher has rights
• The title will be included in a broad set of features in the Kindle Store, such as text-to-speech. This list of features will grow over time as Amazon continues to add more functionality to Kindle and the Kindle Store.
• Under this royalty option, books must be offered at or below price parity with competition, including physical book prices. Amazon will provide tools to automate that process, and the 70 percent royalty will be calculated off the sales price.

Looks like they are making publishers that disable features, restrict global sales or price gouge on ebooks, put their wallets where their principles are. There are a few gotcha's hiding in there - Amazon has the ability to set any price they wish and the 70% royalty will be based on the end sales price, not the list price set by the author/publisher. Those who have massive files, due to including lots of high resolutions pictures or multiple copies of the cover (I counted five in one book) will pay a penalty, as the delivery charges are higher. But most customers will love the new structure, as it will guarantee global access and TTS on all titles that choose the higher payment plan.

The Terms and Conditions page doesn't yet reflect the new rates, which become an option for US authors on June 30, 2010 (with International authors to be added later), but you can read the press release HERE.

Free Audiobook - 2006 MLK Memorial Dedication

You can get a free download of the audio from the 2006 broadcast of Martin Luther King National Memorial Foundation Groundbreaking Ceremony from Audible, featuring Maya Angelou, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Tommy Hilfiger, Jesse Jackson, Wynonna Judd, Jack Kemp, Soledad O'Brien, Barack Obama, Tavis Smiley, Oprah Winfrey.

Audio Description
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial along the Tidal Basin near the Lincoln Memorial, participants spoke about the legacy of Reverend King and the civil rights movement.

The ceremony included speeches by former president Clinton, President Bush, members of Congress, and other dignitaries, as well as musical entertainment by several performers.