Three Free Books (Sony)

These are all free in the Sony bookstore this morning, but are still pre-orders at Amazon. That doesn't mean they'll be free at Amazon, but several have followed this pattern. I'll keep an eye on them and let you know, but in the meantime, you may want to grab a copy to read later on your computer, just in case. To find them in the Sony bookstore, open the Sony reader software, click on eBook Store on the menu, then click on Bargain-Priced. You should see all three at the top of the page.

In The Warrior's Bed ($8.96 Kindle), by Mary Wine

Book Description
In this irresistible follow-up to her captivating debut, In Bed With a Stranger, Mary Wine revisits the McJames clan--their loves, their battles, their conquests. . .

Cullen McJames will not have his honor sullied, certainly not by his clan's nemesis Laird Erik McQuade. So when McQuade tells the Court of Scotland that Cullen has stolen his daughter's virtue, Cullen steals the daughter instead.

Since his brother wed a fetching lass, Cullen's been thinking he too needs a wife. A marriage could end the constant war between the clans. And looking on Bronwyn McQuade but once has put her in his dreams for a week. . .

But Bronwyn won't go quietly. She won't be punished for what she did not do. Nor is she eager to live among the resentful veterans of McQuade wars. And however brave and beautiful a man Cullen may be, he has much to learn about a woman's fighting spirit. But as Bronwyn will discover, he has much to teach her as well. . .

Here Comes Trouble ($8.96 Kindle), by Donna Kauffman

Book Description
Get Lucky

A child of Vegas, Brett Hennessey knows about luck--especially the bad kind. But when this poker superstar hops on his Harley to outrun Lady Misfortune and ends up at a pretty B&B run by an even prettier proprietor, he can't help thinking he's stumbled onto a winning streak. . .

Sure, Kirby Farrell's new B&B ski lodge opened to the warmest winter in Vermont memory, but fate brought her a bad boy on a hot bike and settled him into her best room. She's still broke, but the view across the breakfast table has definitely improved. . .

Only now Brett's past has finally caught up to him. He has two choices: run again--and lose the best hand fortune's dealt him yet. Or stay and risk everything for something he never thought would come his way...

Celebutards ($9.60 Kindle), by Andrea Peyser

Book Description
Celebutards. A compound of celebrity, debutante, and retard, this blunt term describes lazy and egotistical stars with too much money, fame, leisure time, and media attention, but too little common sense or knowledge, who love to spout off on topics about which they have zero expertise.

With razor-sharp wit, award-winning New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser explodes the absurdities of the celebutard culture, showing how a dull thinker such as Madonna becomes a self-appointed sage on matters of faith; singer Sheryl Crow urges us to use a single square of toilet paper per wipe while she racks up mileage in her gas-guzzling caravan of SUVs; and hothead Sean Penn morphs into an expert on international diplomacy as he brazenly breaks bread with enemies of his own country like Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. Always outspoken, Peyser pulls no punches in exposing the Hollywood and Washington libtards for the morons they truly are.

Game of the Day - Tradewinds Caravans

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a 99 cent download of Tradewinds Caravans, another in the Tradewinds series they have been featuring this week.

Game Description

• Build A Powerful Trading Caravan.
• 6 Unique Characters.
• Dozens Of Individual Storylines.
• All-new Weapons And Character-Specific Powers.

Travel along the bustling and dangerous Silk Road trading exotic goods and engaging in real-time battles as you build the most powerful trading caravan the world has ever seen! Embark on challenging quests, hire fiercely loyal warriors and explore a long-lost world teeming with tantalizing secrets, hidden cities and legends of mythical creatures. With all-new weapons, character-specific powers and signature Tradewinds humor, your adventure begins today - in Tradewinds Caravans!

Game Deal of the Day - Active Life: Extreme Challenge Bundle with Mat

Amazon's Video Game Deal of the Day is Active Life: Extreme Challenge Bundle with Mat, for the Wii, for $38.99. That's a dollar cheaper than the same game without the mat. I have the previous version of the game, Active Life Outdoor Challenge, and it provides a pretty good workout, plus lets two play at once on some of the games (which you really can't do with the balance board games).

Game Description

• More to Play-15 activities plus multi-player and time trial
• All New Activities-Include street luge/in-line skating, kite surfing, base jumping,acrobatic double dutch, BMX biking, skateboarding and rock climbing
• Unique & Stylish Cel-Shaded Art Design-Detailed environments and cool character designs
• Mii Integration-Includes the option to use Mii characters
• Fun for Everyone-Single and multi-player games to challenge you, your family and friends

Test your skills at 15 intense activities in Active Life: Extreme Challenge. Whether you're scaling the cliffs of the Grand Canyon or swooshing down the hills of San Francisco in a street luge, you'll enjoy the thrill of performing actions that make it feel as though you're really participating in an extreme activity. Explore amazingly detailed environments as you skate, surf, bike and more, and amp up the excitement by competing with friends and family in multiplayer gameplay.

Active Life: Extreme Challenge kicks Active Life into high gear, featuring ‘extreme’ themed sports such as base jumping, street luge, and rock climbing. Whether you want to swoosh down the hills of San Francisco in a street luge, scale the cliffs of the Grand Canyon, or kite-surf in the crystal blue waters of the Pacific, this game will get your heart pumping!

Game Download of the Day - Tradewinds Legends

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a 99 cent download of Tradewinds Legends, in case you missed it when it was free a couple of weeks ago directly from Sandlot Games or just prefer to get your games from Amazon and let them do your backups.

Game Description

• Trade And Battle With Legendary Heroes.
• Choose A Character Or Create Your Own
• Hundreds Of Special Items
• 10 Amazing Ports To Visit

Get carried away in this latest installment in the acclaimed Tradewinds Series. Sail, trade and battle with legendary heroes such as Sinbad in the mythical Far East. Enter a world of danger and intrigue as you complete over 100 unique tasks. Build a flotilla of ships armed with weaponry, both man-made and magic. Sail into the sky to discover new ports and engage in aerial combat with other magical sky ships. Encounter a world of legend, play Tradewinds Legends today!

New Games under $5

Several of the new game downloads at Amazon are marked down under $5 today, including one that normally sells for $20.

Vegas Make it Big ($19.99 $4.99)

Game Description

• Fulfill The Needs Of 5000+ Individual Guests.
• 10 Resort Styles, Inspired By Amazing Cultures And Themes
• Fully Customizable- Adjust Goals, Competition, And Difficulty
• 500+ Vehicles.

Customers on the living, breathing Las Vegas boulevard are notoriously hard to satisfy. Can you win the hearts and wallets of Vegas? Amazing real-time 3D graphics show off your resort to the max. Experience grand panoramic views, or get up close and personal to fine-tune the inside and outside of your perfect Vegas paradise.

Alpha Prime ($9.99 $4.99)

Game Description

• 10 Levels Of Fast-paced, Unrelenting Action.
• 8 Futuristic Weapons.
• Bullet Time Allows Players To Temporarily Slow Down The Action.
• Vehicles Can Be Used To Move To Different Locations Quickly.

Somewhere deep in space, on the lifeless asteroid Alpha Prime, something has gone terribly wrong... The miners were warned that the hubbardium they were mining was too dangerous, but the lure of unimaginable wealth was too strong. Now, something has happened to them and it's up to you to save them and face an unknown threat. Armed with an assortment of hi-tech weapons and the ability to hack into the station's own automated defenses, your mission is simple: Get in, Get 'em and Get out!

Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine ($9.99 $4.95)

Game Description

• Over 7000 Lines Of Unique And Humorous Commentary.
• 15 To 20 Hours Of Gameplay.
• Easy To Use, Point-And-Click Adventure.
• Lip-Synched Voiceover And Narration.

Al Emmo is a witty western game with a healthy dose of adventure, that follows in the tradition of classic adventure gaming. Join Al, a middle-aged feeble Easterner on his journey into the heart of Wild-West in search of a suitable bride. Enjoy the quaint gold-rush town of Anozira; chat up highly flirtatious babes; cautiously evade warring Indian tribes; discover legends of lost gold; bask in the intense summer heat; encounter breathtaking landscapes; meet up with the occasional rabid prairie dog, and more!

Chains ($7.99 $4.99)

Game Description

• 20 Levels Each Focusing on Action, Strategy Or Flow.
• Physics-driven Gameplay.
• 3 Difficulty Modes.
• Unique Art Direction With Beautiful Vector Graphics.

Chains is a challenging puzzle game with a unique feel and distinctive vector graphics style. The object of the game is simple - to link adjacent bubbles of the same color into chains. As you progress through the physics-driven stages it becomes increasingly more challenging and players' speed, strategy and skill will be put to the test.

Vigil: Blood Bitterness ($5.99 $4.99)

Game Description

• Easy Point-And-Click Playability.
• Engrossing Story With Deeply Disturbed Complex Characters.
• 3D Graphics with Revolutionary Black And White Art.
• Challenging Puzzles To Solve.

Thrown into chaos, Vigil plunges you into the dark and disturbing story of an ancient civilization where you must reveal the secrets of your past and exact revenge on the Evil destroying your universe. Ritualistic killings and blood lust blur the line between your own kind and the Evil you seek to annihilate. Your ultimate goal is to free yourself from this tormenting place and understand the origin and the purpose of this never ending Evil.

Port Royale 2 ($4.99)

Game Description

• Huge Game World With 4 Nations And 60 Towns.
• 8 Special Scenarios For A Quick And Easy Start.
• 16 Different Ship-Types.
• Open Ended Game With Endless Detail And Game Depth.

The Caribbean in the 17th Century - You will trade with over 60 towns and create your own production facilities. Escort ships for your convoys are needed, or you can turn the tides and hunt for pirates or capture the military ships. You can also take on missions for merchants, diplomats and other characters.

Free Book (Smashwords) - Just Past Oysterville

Just Past Oysterville, by Perry P. Perkins, the first book in his Christian Fiction Shoalwater series, is free on Smashwords using coupon code SW22F. Originally offered as a 24 hour experiment, the coupon has been extended, but could end at any time.

Book Description
A child abandoned. A life destroyed. Two hearts, unable to forgive... After a drunk driver leaves young Cassie Belanger an orphan, a cryptic letter, found among her mother's belongings sends her on a desperate journey in hopes of finding the man who fathered her but chose not to be her father.

Game of the Day - Tradewinds 2

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a 99 cent download of Tradewinds 2. This looks to be a longer adventure than Tradewinds Legends, which was free direct from Sandlot a couple of weeks ago. I played that one for about 10 hours in story mode and finished all the tasks (which get more complicated as you play).

Game Description

• Trade Goods And Fight Pirates.
• Over 100 Swashbuckling Adventures
• Customize Your Ship And Characters
• Over 60 Hours Of Gameplay

Amass a fortune by buying and selling goods in this fantastic seafaring game of chance, skill and adventure! Earn enough gold to upgrade your ship and engage in land and sea battles. Trade magic weaponry and mysterious artifacts as you encounter a fascinating new world and discover uncharted ports. Two game modes and over sixty hours of gameplay await you in your quest to dominate the high seas!

Xbox 360 Gold Box Day

For anyone that picked up the Xbox 360/Gift Card Bundle or already has an Xbox, you'll want to check today's GoldBox and Lightning Deals at Amazon, as it's Xbox 360 Gold Box Day! There are already two deals up and there are new ones during the day, with the last to appear at midnight EST and every single one of them is on an XBox 360 game.

Free Audiobooks at Audible

Besides the free course in Haitian Creole and FREE: The Future of a Radical Price, by Chris Anderson, there are a few other interesting audiobooks amongst the current free offerings at Audible.

The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer, by Dean Baker, narrated by Sandra Swafford.

Book Description
In his new book, economist Dean Baker debunks the myth that conservatives favor the market over government intervention. In fact, conservatives rely on a range of "nanny state" policies that ensure the rich get richer while leaving most Americans worse off. It's time for the rules to change. Sound economic policy should harness the market in ways that produce desirable social outcomes: decent wages, good jobs, and affordable health care.

A Study in Emerald, by Neil Gaiman, narrated by Neil Gaiman is a short story.

Book Description
Alluding to both the Sherlock Holmes canon and the Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos, this Hugo Award-winning short story will delight fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. P. Lovecraft, and of course, Neil Gaiman.

A Study in Emerald draws listeners in through carefully revealed details as a consulting detective and his narrator friend solve the mystery of a murdered German noble. But with its subtle allusions and surprise ending, this mystery hints that the real fun in solving this case lies in imagining all the details that Gaiman doesn't reveal, and challenges listeners to be detectives themselves.

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Seth Godin, narrated by Seth Godin

Book Description
A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It's our nature.

Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. All those blogs and social networking sites are helping existing tribes get bigger. But more important, they're enabling countless new tribes to be born - groups of ten or ten thousand or ten million who care about their iPhones, or a political campaign, or a new way to fight global warming.

And so the key question: Who is going to lead us?

The Web can do amazing things, but it can't provide leadership. That still has to come from individuals - people just like you who have a passion about something. The explosion in tribes means that anyone who wants to make a difference now has the tools at her fingertips.

If you think leadership is for other people, think again - leaders come in surprising packages. Consider Joel Spolsky and his international tribe of scary-smart software engineers. Or Gary Vaynerhuck, a wine expert with a devoted following of enthusiasts. Chris Sharma leads a tribe of rock climbers up impossible cliff faces, while Mich Mathews, a VP at Microsoft, runs her internal tribe of marketers from her cube in Seattle. All they have in common is the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead.

If you ignore this opportunity, you risk turning into a "sheepwalker" - someone who fights to protect the status quo at all costs, never asking if obedience is doing you (or your organization) any good. Sheepwalkers don't do very well these days.

Tribes will make you think (really think) about the opportunities in leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers....It's not easy, but it's easier than you think.

Millionaire Upgrade , by Richard Parkes Cordock, narrated by Nigel Acheson.

Book Description
Do you ever wonder if you have what it takes to become a millionaire?

Imagine finding yourself sitting next to a self-made millionaire for eight hours on a long-haul international flight. Imagine that person was prepared to share with you the secrets of their success. For one lucky person this actually happened. Inspired by a true story, Millionaire Upgrade is the tale of one very experienced entrepreneur and one very lucky passenger.

The story unfolds mid-air at 35,000 feet as Michael, the savvy self-made millionaire, shares his wisdom, eight-step approach, and magic ingredients for success with Tom, the aspiring entrepreneur. Their mid-air conversation contains all the secrets and practical insight you need to help you make your first million. It shows how you can turn your strengths and passions into an exciting, rewarding, and challenging enterprise.

Better than any in-flight movie, Millionaire Upgrade gets you inside the minds of successful entrepreneurs and self-made millionaires giving you the inside track on how they think and act.

Extraordinary Leadership, by Robin Sharma is a speech, rather than a book, but looked interesting.

Book Description
In a constantly changing, hyper-competitive world, leadership is more important than ever. Yet few people have what it takes to inspire, develop, and guide others. In this presentation, Robin Sharma shares the leadership lessons that he gives to clients such as Nike, Microsoft, and NASA.

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.

Free Book (PDF) - The Surgeon

Tess Gerritsen’s The Surgeon ($4.99 Kindle) was one of the first free books I read on my Kindle and one of the first I posted about here on the blog (on 9/11/08). After reading it, I immediately went and found more books in the series to read. If you missed it then, you can still get this book for free over on Scribd, in PDF format. Just run it thru Calibre or the Amazon conversion services and you can read it on your Kindle or other reader (I wouldn't try it in PDF format, except on a DX or similar size screen).

Book Description
In her most masterful novel of medical suspense, New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen creates a villain of unforgettable evil--and the one woman who can catch him before he kills again.

He slips into their homes at night and walks silently into bedrooms where women lie sleeping, unaware of the horrors they soon will endure. The precision of the killer's methods suggests he is a deranged man of medicine, propelling the Boston newspapers and the frightened public to name him "The Surgeon."

The cops' only clue rests with another surgeon, the victim of a nearly identical crime. Two years ago, Dr. Catherine Cordell fought back and killed her attacker before he could complete his assault. Now she hides her fears of intimacy behind a cool and elegant exterior and a well-earned reputation as a top trauma surgeon.

Cordell's careful facade is about to crack as this new killer recreates, with chilling accuracy, the details of Cordell's own ordeal. With every new murder he seems to be taunting her, cutting ever closer, from her hospital to her home. Her only comfort comes from Thomas Moore, the detective assigned to the case. But even Moore cannot protect Cordell from a brilliant hunter who somehow understands--and savors--the secret fears of every woman he kills.

Filled with the authentic detail that is the trademark of this doctor turned author . . . and peopled with rich and complex characters--from the ER to the squad room to the city morgue--here is a thriller of unprecedented depth and suspense. Exposing the shocking link between those who kill and cure, punish and protect, The Surgeon is Tess Gerritsen's most exciting accomplishment yet.

Click HERE for the free download.

Free Audiobook - Haitian Creole

Pimsleur and Audible are giving away a quick intro course on Haitian Creole, Lessons 1 to 5: Learn to Speak and Understand Haitian Creole and Lessons 6 to 10: Learn to Speak and Understand Haitian Creole.

Audiobook Descriptions

1. Includes two-and-a-half hours of spoken-language practice in five 30-minute lessons. Contains lessons 1-5 from the Pimsleur Compact program, plus an introduction to reading. Also includes a User's Guide to introduce you to the Pimsleur Method.
2. Includes two-and-a-half hours of spoken-language practice in five 30-minute lessons. Contains lessons 6-10 from the Pimsleur Compact program, plus an introduction to reading. Also includes a User's Guide to introduce you to the Pimsleur Method.

Shoestring Venture for 99 cents

Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible, by Steve Monas & Richard Hooker, is currently available for 99 cents. There are actually three Kindle editions (the other two are $7.99 and $9.99) in addition to a paperback edition ($27.72), all with supposedly the same publication date (apparently the publisher creates a new edition each time a price change is wanted, which is bit different than other authors and publishers are doing). According to their blog, this is a limited time offer to "celebrate the first days of the decade."

Book Description
Shoestring Venture-The Start-up Bible

All entrepreneurs - even the smallest operating on the tightest of budgets - have the opportunity to build powerful start-up organizations without ever really having to walk out the front door. Using global communications and data networks, even bootstrap entrepreneurs can staff an entire organization with every human resource and skill they need at rock-bottom prices.

It's the magic of outsourcing. For, you see, globalization ain't just for the big kids. We often hear about how globalization exports jobs overseas, but we rarely hear about the opportunities globalization creates for even the smallest of businesses, opportunities that allow even tiny businesses to compete with the majors on a global scale. In short, anyone can run a virtual organization using only a desktop or laptop computer.

Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible gives bootstrap entrepreneurs all the resources they need to build truly effective startups using the magic of outsourcing and offshoring.

A Consultant in a Book
For the millions who start a new business every year on the barest of resources, Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible is like hiring a high-level consultant to deal with the bewildering maze of issues from finance to marketing to technology that all entrepreneurs face.

Every business is nothing but a series of decisions which can make or break the business. You could say that, if there's a science of business, it's the science of making good decisions. And every bootstrap entrepreneur faces the daunting task of making ALL the business decisions, any one of which could either doom the enterprise or catapult it to stratospheric success. That meas that every entrepreneur has to quickly get up to speed on every issue their business faces.

Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible is the most exhaustive set of practical resources collected to empower entrepreneurs to make the right decisions on a limited budget, from business concept to product development to Web marketing. We call a "consultant in a book," there to give considered and experienced answers to the infinite questions that come up.

Free Game - Monster Mash

Sandlot Games has another game up as a free download. This week it's Monster Mash ($6.99 Amazon Game Downloads); no reviews at Amazon yet, but it's not the same type of game I've tried there before (looks like a strategy game, though).

Game Description

• Defend Curly Valley.
• 20 Quirky And Bizarre Monsters.
• 9 Unique Scenes.
• Hours Of Challenging Gameplay.

The villagers of Curly Valley are under attack from legions of quirky and bizarre monsters. Use all of your cunning and might to repel these mysterious invaders by fortifying the vulnerable villages with various towers, upgrades and unusual defensive armaments. With more than 25 increasingly powerful tower upgrades and 9 unique storybook-inspired scenes, the grateful villagers of Curly Valley will cheer you on with every conquest in Monster Mash, an addictive, strategic adventure!

Click HERE to sign up for the free download. For step by step purchase and installation instructions, see this post.

Changes Afoot at Suvudu Free Library?

One of the reasons there have been so many free books, on the Kindle and other eReaders, over the last year has been the Suvudu Free Library. Each month, two or three fantasy or SciFi books were added to the library, each the first in a series and mostly from Del Rey (or one of their other publishing houses). At first, they added the PDF versions to the web page, followed by links for the big ebookstores, as they were marked as free, then holding the announcements until they were free in all the stores (no doubt, to reduce the complaint emails about only having PDF formats available). At first, the books stayed after being placed in the library (if only in PDF format), but now they disappear from the list after a few months, often when they cease being free on Kindle and in the other stores.

This month, though, no new books have been added. Instead, about a week into the month and again this week, they have added short stories, only in PDF format and only available on the Suvudu Free Library page. I haven't tried converting the three that are up so far or viewing them in their native PDF on my Kindle (mostly because I dislike PDF's on any of the small screens, Sony included), but you can currently download these stories:

• John Langan - City of the Dog
• Kelly Meding - The Hoarder
• Kelly Meding - Pride Before Fall

I just hope that this is a one-month changeup in their offerings and that they are not abandoning their earlier strategy of giving away backlisted titles in series or from prolific authors, in order to attract new readers in the new eformats.

Also, if you like Kelly Meding's short stories, you might want to check out Three Days to Dead ($6.39 Kindle), which takes place in the same universe. It doesn't look as though this one will be a series, at least not with the same heroine (but then again, you never know...)

Book Description
They'll never see her coming. . . .

When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue--in a stranger's body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there--her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night she and the two other members of her Triad were the city's star bounty hunters, mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives but also convinced the city's other Hunters that Evy was a traitor--and she can't even remember what it was.

Now she's a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice--and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days Evy will die again--but this time there's no second chance. . . .

Music - Tina Turner for $2.99

This is yesterday's MP3 Deal of the Day, which I missed seeing until now, but it's still valid (at least, right this minute). Tina!, by Tina Turner, is a best of album, with 18 tracks and 1.25 hours of music. Ike Turner is on a couple of the tracks, but otherwise it's all Tina.

Game of the Day - Big Kahuna Words

Amazon's Video Game of the Day is a 99 cent download of Big Kahuna Words, looks to be a word based variation of Big Kahuna Reef, which is a free download and which I played as much for the screensaver/fish tank as I did for the game itself.

Game Description

• Travel Back To The Islands In 2 Unique Play Modes
• Awesome Coral Reef Screensaver
• Earn Word Creation Rewards
• Dive Into Even More Levels Online.

Travel back to the Islands in this brilliant word game of adventure! Dive between the Hammerhead Sharks and other aquatic life, breaking stone blocks with your words in an explosive twist on puzzle game play. Explore an almost infinite number of underwater realms with the levels online to download and included level editor. Discover the might of the Tiki Totem and earn rewards for your word-creation prowess in either Action or Relaxed play. Download and unearth the journey of a lifetime!

Amazon Kindle DTP goes International

As of today, the Amazon Digital Text Platform, which enables publishing on Kindle, is open to International Authors and no longer restricted to US authors. Non-US authors will have taxes withheld according to US law and IRS guidelines (see below, from the FAQ page), which means at a 30% rate unless you are from a reciprocal filing country, obtain a US taxpayer id and file the proper tax forms with Amazon. Sounds like a lot of hoops to jump thru, but they are the same as any non-US person or business jumps thru in order to do business inside the US (which you are doing, even if the only market for your books in a non-English language are outside the US).

I foresee even longer delays in the DTP process for non-US authors who choose to publish in languages other than English, now that Amazon is insisting on verifying copyright of every listing ahead of time, rather than responding to take-down notices as pretty much everyone else in the digital world has chosen to do. However, the complaint that there are no Portuguese language books for those in Brazil can no be answered by responding that the opportunity is there for those that wish to publish them (although doing so will limit the sales of the book, since English is, for now, the unifying language of those who have purchased a Kindle). Also, although it appears that any source language may be published (although the announcement actually only mentioned English, German and French, surely they mean to support Spanish or variants thereof, as that's the second most commonly used language in the US and one that's been asked for almost since the introduction of the Kindle and there is nothing on the FAQ or Terms page that specifies any restrictions), for practical purposes it is limited to those using a Roman based alphabet and specifically those using characters in the 'Latin-1' character set.

2-1 What are the sign up requirements?
Anyone can sign up for a Digital Text Platform account; all you need is Internet access and an email account...

2-4 Why do you need a social security number/taxpayer ID for US publishers?
In order to pay US publishers for sales on the Kindle Store, federal law requires us to collect taxpayer information and report sales income to the federal government.


2-5 Is tax withheld for publishers outside the US?
Royalties paid to a foreign entity or person are subject to tax withholding in the U.S. A foreign entity or person is someone who is not a resident or citizen of the U.S. or a green card holder. The general rate of tax withholding is set by U.S. tax rules and regulations and is currently 30% of royalties paid. This withholding tax rate can be reduced if the recipient (you) is a resident in a jurisdiction that has a valid income tax treaty with the U.S. This reduced rate is only available if we receive the appropriate documentation from you. Without this documentation, the 30% withholding tax rate will apply. This documentation is either Form W-8BEN or Form W-8ECI issued by the Internal Revenue Service and includes a valid U.S. tax-payer identification number (obtained by filing Form W-7 or SS4). For more information on these forms and instructions and description of which form may be appropriate for you, please refer to the Internal Revenue Service website at www.irs.gov. We are required to receive a new form from you every three years. If you are eligible for reducing your tax withholdings, please contact us with the appropriate forms.

Free Game - Word Monaco

You can get a free copy of Word Monaco ($6.99 Amazon Game Downloads) directly from Sandlot Games this week.

Game Description

• A Unique Word Solitaire.
• 50,000+ Entries In A Massive Word List.
• 5 Decks From Easy To Champion.
• 75 Progressively Challenging Levels.

Welcome to Word Monaco! Relax under the warm sun of the Mediterranean and play a unique blend of word-creation and solitaire. Create words by moving letters from column to column and use power-ups for bonus points. When all of the letters are used, you'll move on to the next of 75 progressively difficult levels in 6 different locations! With a word list of over 50,000+ words and 5 decks of varying difficulty, there are endless possibilities.

Click HERE to sign up for the free download. For step by step purchase and installation instructions, see this post.

Free Book (Smashwords) - Cutting the Cheese

Edward C. Patterson has updated Cutting the Cheese and has set up a coupon to get the book free at Smashwords thru the end of the month, since those who have purchased the book on Kindle or other readers are unable to simply download the latest version. Use coupon code FB57N at checkout.

Be sure to read the descriptionm, to make sure the genre is one you are interested in, before downloading If not, there will be another free book along soon, no doubt.

Book Description
Luke Oliver has just come out of the closet and confronts a brave new world - a meeting of the Gay and Lesbian Activist Association of New Birch and Sipsboro (GLAABS) - your run of the mill, gay political caucus. Run of the Mill? . . . my @$$. Stepping across the threshold of the Otterson estate exposes Luke to horny and hilarious shenanigans that give the Boys in the Band a run for its money.

Update - Flip from Random House Australia

As I reported earlier, Random House in Australia is giving away the EPUB version of book Flip ($9.59 Kindle), by Peter Sheahan, in return for signing up for one of their newsletters. Unfortunately, when they first set up the web page, the links they sent out for download the book didn't work. Once they fixed that (not for a week and after their next newsletter came out announcing the book), the links only generated error messages (various ones, usually that someone else had used the license).

Today it seems they have corrected the problem, as I managed to get the book to download, although it still took a couple of tries, either because my Sony Reader software tried to do the download the first time or because the old .acsm files were still being tried by Adobe Digital Editions. In any case, if you received the links in email before and were unsuccessful, go ahead and try again. You don't need to re-register, but I'm including that link below, for those that didn't do so earlier.

Click HERE to sign up for the free book (EPUB, not Kindle compatible).

Music to Read By

There are a couple of new classical samplers free at Amazon, which can be loaded into the \music directory and played as background music when reading or just for listening at other times - we got the Logitech Squeezebox Internet Radio as a joint gift to each other this past for Christmas and love it. Not only will it play internet stations, but it will connect to (free) software on your PC and play any MP3's you have stored there (by artist, genre or iTunes playlists). Best of all, it uses WiFi, so to move it to a new room only requires picking it up and plugging it back in.

Analekta: Classical Gems is from Groupe Analekta Inc. and focuses on the c.1770-1830 period. Composers included are Beethoven, Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, Rachmaninov, Morricone and Peter Heidrich.

I Love the 80s, Vol. 1 would be a fantastic bargain, even if it were not not free: five hours and good performances and great composers.

• Performers: Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Halasz, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Imrich Szabo, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Gustav Mahler, Stephen Gunzenhauser, Anton Bruckner, Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antonin Dvorak, Johannes Brahms, Antoni Wit, Georg Tintner, Camille Saint-Saens, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop
• Composers: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Gustav Mahler, Johannes Brahms, Camille Saint-Saens, Antonin Dvorak, Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin, Anton Bruckner
• Conductors: Antoni Wit, Michael Halasz, Marin Alsop, Georg Tintner, Stephen Gunzenhauser

Help Victims of the Haiti Earthquake

Amazon has organized a program for giving to the relief effort for the victims of the Haiti earthquake, the Mercy Corps. The links here will take you directly to the Amazon web page to make your donation, so you will be sure that any donations wind up in the proper hands. It's sad to say, but the scam sites are already being set up and scam emails are sure to be flooding our mailboxes soon, as they have with every disaster over the last few years. I would suggest you be wary of any donation efforts on individual web sites and stick with either the larger retailers who have set up donation campaigns for their customers or donate directly to the relief organizations, such as the Red Cross (just be careful to make sure you are on the correct websites and that a smaller organization really is involved; many are, but are government funded or collect in local churches, so may not have web donation efforts).

I've added a link to the Mercy Corps donation page at the top of the menu on the left side of the page and will leave it up as long as Amazon is accepting donations. Thank you for making a donation in this time of great need.

Free Book (EPUB) - And Another Thing . . .

And Another Thing . . . ($9.99 Kindle), by Eoin Colfer, is free at Kobo today, in secure EPUB format or as a web-only read. This is a fairly new release (Nov 09) and, as the cover states, part six of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy.

Book Description
An Englishman's continuing search through space and time for a decent cup of tea . . . Arthur Dent's accidental association with that wholly remarkable book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has not been entirely without incident. Arthur has traveled the length, breadth, and depth of known, and unknown, space. He has stumbled forward and backward through time. He has been blown up, reassembled, cruelly imprisoned, horribly released, and colorfully insulted more than is strictly necessary. And of course Arthur Dent has comprehensively failed to grasp the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Arthur has finally made it home to Earth, but that does not mean he has escaped his fate. Arthur's chances of getting his hands on a decent cuppa have evaporated rapidly, along with all the world's oceans. For no sooner has he touched down on the planet Earth than he finds out that it is about to be blown up . . . again.

And Another Thing . . . is the rather unexpected, but very welcome, sixth installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It features a pantheon of unemployed gods, everyone's favorite renegade Galactic President, a lovestruck green alien, an irritating computer, and at least one very large slab of cheese.

Click HERE to get the book free from Kobo.