Kindle for iOS has just been updated to version 2.8 (iTunes link), which complies with Apple’s new in-app purchase rules.

Kindle Store button was removed from home page – it was obvious. I’ve also checked endings of free samples to see what Amazon did with their Buy Now link, which in older versions was switching to book’s Kindle Store page in Safari. Buy Now button is still there (as well as See details for this book in the Kindle Store). However, both links show an alert: “We’re sorry. This operation is not currently supported.”

Apple and Amazon are playing games, which are more and more annoying. Status for today: Apple won’t earn money, Amazon won’t lose money. The only losing part is the reader.

Below you’ll find tips on how to make the most of Kindle on your device – especially after making our lives harder by removing any option to buy a book from within the app. A good thing to do is to change attitude: Kindle on iPad or iPhone is not only about using a Kindle application.

1. Browse Kindle Store in Safari

After 2.8 update it will be reasonable more than ever to browse and buy books right away from Safari browser (without bothering to open Kindle app). Never tried it? Don’t worry. Amazon mobile site looks really well on iPhone/iPod Touch. On the iPad a regular site is displayed, works well, I haven’t noticed any flaws.

2. Add Kindle Store to your Home Screen

Add Kindle Store to your Home Screen

It’s good to add Kindle Store either to a list of bookmarks in Safari or to a Home Screen. On the iPad just go to Amazon site and select Kindle Store from a drop list.

If you’re on the iPhone/iPod Touch, go in Safari directly to this address http://amzn.to/fW2ffk. It’s Kindle Store’s site optimized for small screens – not the same as regular one. You can add it as a bookmark to Home Screen (see picture on the right) and a nice icon will show up.

Find more information about it here.

3. Browse free Kindle books in Safari

In fact, you can use the browser to add books from other sources than Kindle Store. What’s very important, you can add them directly to Kindle for iOS. This is possible since 2.5 update.

What you have to look for is books in mobi format, without DRM. To add a book to Kindle app, tap on a link to a book file, ending with .mobi.

Best sites with free Kindle books, optimized for mobile reading, are: Feedbooks, Project Gutenberg, Smashwords and ManyBooks.

Read more about this topic here.

4. Add books to your Kindle for iOS – not only via iTunes

iTunes is a default way to add content to applications, but happily it’s not the only one. As I’ve written above, you can add books from Safari.

There are two more options available: via e-mail (just send a file to yourself and open it with a native Mail app) and via cloud storage apps like Dropbox.

Find out more about the topic here.

5. Discover books on Twitter and add them instantly to Kindle app

It’s my favorite topic. If you spend a lot of time on Twitter, using Twitter iOS applications, why don’t you try to find Kindle books there? It’s actually pretty easy. Just look for a keyword Kindle or a tag #kindle and you’ll find out a lot of tweets with amzn.to links.

Or if one of Twitter friends is recommending a Kindle book, just tap on a link and you’ll be redirected to mobile Safari (either within Twitter app or outside it) and you’ll decide whether to download a free sample or buy a book.

For more information read this post.

6. Use Kindle application as a free dictionary

Finally, Kindle for iOS can also work as a great dictionary application, so there is no need to buy another one. This is possible thanks to the The New Oxford American Dictionary installed.

You’ll find more information about it here.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the tips. Please share in the comments what’s missing. If you want to keep up with what’s going on with Kindle on iOS devices, get free updates of Ebook Friendly Tips (via RSS or e-mail) where I focus on sharing simple Kindle tips.

Related posts

• 02.02.2011 -- Use Mobile Twitter to Discover and Instantly Buy Kindle E-books
• 22.01.2011 -- How You Can Sell E-books to Mobile Twitter Users
• 20.01.2011 -- Now Users Can Download Your Book Directly From a Tweet to Kindle for iOS
• 30.07.2010 -- Kindle for iOS: Use It As a Free Dictionary App
• 03.06.2011 -- How to Effectively Publish and Promote Books to iPad and iPhone Users

"6 Tips and Tricks to Use Kindle for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

First, let me answer the question you may now have: “why would I do it?”

There are a couple of instances you’ll need such a solution:

1. Your favorite e-bookstore doesn’t have a dedicated application. There any many great sites, independent bookstores among them, you would love to buy e-books from. Check in their FAQ section if they use DRM, if yes, which type.

Many national e-bookstores around the world use DRM from Adobe as this is more convenient and less expensive way than developing a native DRM system.

2. You’ve bought an Android device and want to move your e-books there. So far you were using Adobe Digital Editions to read and manage your e-book library. They were downloaded from several sites, some of them could be DRM-ed.

3. You want to collect e-books from different e-bookstores in one application. You want to have freedom in which books, at which price and in which e-bookstore.

Surely you can use e-reading apps from Barnes & Noble, Kobo or Sony eBookstore. They are available at Android Market. Sometimes it might just happen that you don’t remember at which e-bookstore you bought a book you want to read.

Let’s imagine you want to move an e-book library from your desktop computer to your new tablet. Here’s what you have to do.

1. Download Adobe Digital Editions and authorize it with your Adobe ID

If you haven’t used Adobe Digital Editions to handle e-books on your computer, download it from here. Make sure to authorize your computer with your Adobe ID number. Go to Library » Authorize Computer… and type in your e-mail address and password.

If you used Adobe Digital Editions before, but didn’t authorize the computer yet, do it now. All e-books downloaded to this computer should be associated with your unique Adobe ID.

You can get your Adobe ID on this page.

2. Download Aldiko to your Android device and authorize it with the same Adobe ID

Download Aldiko from Android Market. In the application, go to General Settings, tap on Adobe DRM and type in your e-mail address and password.

3. Copy e-book files to SD card and open them in Aldiko

If you were downloading e-book files to your authorized Adobe Digital Editions, go to any book and open Item Info. You’ll see File path – it’s where all Adobe authorized files are stored on your computer. Copy them to your SD card. Use a file manager application on your Android (for instance Astro) to locate files on SD card. Tap on any file to open it in Aldiko .

If your haven’t authorized your e-books before, you have to download them again from your e-bookstore’s online bookshelf. I know it might be a pain, but instead of opening e-books in Adobe Digital Editions, you can download them to desktop (they will appear as .acsm files) and copy to SD card.

* * *

There are more Android applications, which support Adobe DRM. You can check for instance Txtr, but in my opinion Aldiko is the best choice, allowing you not only to add your own books, but to buy them inside an app from a growing number of distributors, including O’Reilly, Feedbooks, Smashwords and All Romance.

A list of major e-bookstores, applications and devices, which use Adobe DRM system is available here. Read also this great article about Aldiko at Dear Author.

Related posts

• 19.01.2011 -- 53,5% of my Feedbooks downloads goes to Aldiko [stats]
• 19.01.2011 -- Aldiko 2.0 released! Packed with new features, check this overview [video]
• 13.02.2011 -- Tablet or E-reader: Which Device Should I Choose to Read E-books? [Questionnaire]
• 10.12.2010 -- Android users, get ready! Aldiko Book Reader 2.0 is coming!
• 21.04.2010 -- Aldiko – ebook reader for Android [video]

"How to Read Adobe DRM Books on Your Android Device" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

Blurb for iPhone

Here’s a handy list of storytelling applications for iOS, Android and other mobile platforms.

Note-taking and writing apps were covered already, but storytelling is not only about creating stories, but also sharing them. What’s even more important, technology allows to tell stories instantly – you can think of them, create and share on one device and in one go.

The greatest thing about such instant stories is that they are catching the mood and emotions you would find extremely difficult to restore afterwards.

Every time you reach for your smartphone, think of it as a way to tell engaging stories and think of you as a storyteller. Here are a couple of applications with which you can reveal the creative part of you.

If you’re using a storytelling app not listed below, please share it in the comments.

Opuss

Added on December 13th, 2011 | Applications: iPhone

Opuss hit the AppStore a couple of days ago and it’s definitely worth trying. The most proper description is the Instagram for words – and that’s why I love it so much. I’ve been sharing nanofiction on Twitter for years but Opuss is very likely to be my major landing place. It’s simply the cool and fun way to share stories!

Users can publish their texts in several categories – poem, quote, story, review among others. You can add a location, so that users can find stories told nearby. Sharing, following, likes – it’s all there. Plus your shared story links to a beautifully looking web page. What you wrote looks fantastic – so better write fantastic texts.

If any additional reference to Instagram could to be added, I’d add that Opuss is better designed than Instagram.

Broadcastr

Applications: iPhone, Android

Broadcastr is a social media platform for location-based audio stories, created by Electric Literature. You can use an app on your iPhone or Android to record a story, add category, tags and finally pin it to a map. The story can be located anywhere in the world, not only at the place you record it. All you have to do is to drag the pin to a desired location.

Your stories can be afterwards accessed from mobile applications as well as from a webpage, where you can see a stunning visualization of all the stories recorded so far.

The most fantastic thing about matching stories with locations is that it’s places our most intense memories are associated with.

Audioboo

Applications: iPhone, Android

Audioboo started in early 2009 and proved to be a great tool to deliver audio recordings, called “boos”. Many of the recorded ones are actually mini audio stories.

A free account allows to create boos up to 5 minutes long. You can also add photo and geolocation info.

Boos can be easily embedded in blogs, and it’s a very clever idea to support your writing. PJ Kaiser is sharing her #FridayFlash stories together with their Audioboo tracks. Check one of them, Coffee and Cotton Candy.

Blurb Mobile

Applications: iPhone (Android app in development)

This is undoubtedly the most powerful storytelling application available. Opposite to other applications, you can use video and audio and pictures in your stories! You can add pictures in bulk, crop, resize, and rotate them. There is a possibility to add a text caption under every image.

The application is very well designed and gives a lot of fun when creating a story. You can choose a theme for your story and attach a tag and location, among other features.

A free version allows to add up to 8 images and one 10 sec video clip per story. Check the comparison between a free and paid version ($1.99).

Blurb Mobile is the only multimedia storytelling tool for mobile phones. What makes it revolutionary is the ability to use different forms (image, audio, video) within one story sequence.

Users of mobile devices constantly improve with processing different media types. For me, a multimedia story is clearly the future of mobile storytelling.

TypeDrawing

Applications: iPhone

My favorite storytelling tool. I’m using it for one picture stories since the beginning of last year. The application is unbeatable when it comes to play with typography.

You can type words in a freestyle way. In fact it’s more like painting. You can zoom in to focus on details or zoom out when selecting a huge font size. There is a large selection of font types. You can pick up the color from a background picture and use transparency or shadow.

The application allows to save pdf or png file to iTunes. Paid version costs $1.99.

PictureShow

Applications: iPhone

One of the most versatile photo applications for iOS, with lots of cool features to choose from, including preset filters, effects (scratches, light leaks, frames, HDR)) as well as color edit and crop/rotate tool.

What makes it useful for storytelling is an option to add text. There are 14 fonts types and many predefined colors to choose from.Thanks to that you can create a story from the moment of making a picture to the moment of sharing it to social networks – all in one application.

Both TypeDrawing and PictureShow with their possibility to add text can be an exciting way to bring new meaning and context to stories put together in Blurb Mobile.

Halftone

Applications: iPhone

This fun application will turn your photos in a piece of a cool, vintage comic. You can choose one of 9 predefined layouts (with or without caption and border). There are 21 paper styles, 21 stamps with customizable colors and 6 balloon types to choose from.

I’ve tested the app and the outcome is outstanding. All what you’ll have to focus is find and write a good story around a picture.

Wanderlust

Applications: all system with a mobile browser – go to address http://wanderluststories.com/

I love the idea of Wanderlust Stories. In order to read a story you have to check in via Foursquare to a right kind of place. So, if the story starts in a bar, you have to be in a bar to be able to read it.

Think of telling stories from a point of view of a guide, who takes readers to different places – literally. This opens a stack of new possibilities, as the reader can physically experience what you are writing about (a music in a restaurant, a dialog of the two women at the next table, etc.).

You can add images, audio and video to a story. If you want to start writing, send a tweet to @wanderlustapp.

Twitter

Applications: your preferred Twitter application

Twitter? Yes, Twitter, the application you’re using on your smartphone a couple of times a day. Twitter with its 140 character limit appeared to be highly motivating for users to write stories.

There are lots of folks who create awesome Twitter stories. Top storytellers on Twitter are @arjunbasu and @VeryShortStory. Check also an anthology of Twitter fiction with over 150 stories from 37 authors.

Think of Twitter as a place where you’re already telling stories – about yourself. What you can do is to switch to a third person narration and add a tag to a tweet. The most popular one to spot stories on Twitter is #vss, what stands for very short story.

* * *

Obviously this list could be longer. A great selection of tools is available at the Langwitches Blog. It’s just a matter of your sensitivity and creativity which app you’ll pick up and how you want to use it. The more unexpected effect, the better.

One of the greatest miracles of internet and digital technologies is that they allow absolutely everyone to tell stories. All what you need is a will to do it and an app which will make it happen.

Why don’t you start now?

Related posts

• 09.07.2011 -- Blurb Mobile Sets the Standard for Future Digital Storytelling
• 15.07.2011 -- How to Read Adobe DRM Books on Your Android Device
• 09.06.2011 -- Note-taking and Writing Apps for iPhone and iPad
• 02.02.2011 -- Use Mobile Twitter to Discover and Instantly Buy Kindle E-books
• 22.01.2011 -- How You Can Sell E-books to Mobile Twitter Users

"Storytelling Applications for Your Smartphone" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

iA Writer for iPad

Sometimes it’s hard to find ideas for a new blog post, short story or a poem. That’s why it’s so important to catch them at the moment they come to mind.

Mobile devices are a great way to capture ideas, no doubt about it. You’ve got a mobile phone always with you. It’s much quicker to start writing ideas on a tablet than a computer.

Most smartphone or tablet users will probably agree that those devices are not meant to write and publish a complete piece of work. You can write draft posts, scratch new ideas, or list topics to be included in a presentation. You can and should develop them on a computer if you want to work with text effectively.

That’s why syncing is one of the most important features of any note-taking or writing application. It gives the opportunity to access your work from any device and to make your writing as productive as possible.

Notes

Available for: iPhone, iPad | Syncing: Gmail | Price: free | Default app

The default iOS note-taking application. Users usually neglect it as it’s very basic. Many still don’t know that the app can sync files via Gmail account. All updated notes are stored in a Gmail account, under a Notes tab. More details in this post.

If you write notes from time to time and need a simplest possible way to do it, you won’t need probably anything more advanced than Notes.

Evernote

Available for: iPhone, iPad | Syncing: Evernote | Price: free | App Store link

The most powerful and advanced note-taking, idea-grabbing solution for iOS. You can add not only text, but also audio and photo notes. Access them via web browser and Mac or PC applications.

To start using the app you have to sign up to Evernote. A free account allows for 60MB of data transfer per month. Offline note-taking is not enabled, but you can send notes to your account via e-mail, to a special address created for your Evernote account.

With Evernote, you are either a powerful user or don’t use it at all. Premium account costs $5 a month or $45 a year. A comparison of features is available on this page.

Simplenote

Available for: iPhone, iPad | Syncing: Simplenote | Price: free | App Store link

Evernote made easy. The app is very simple to use, yet has all the features you would need. You can access and edit your notes from a web browser as well as many third-party apps and add-ons, listed here. You can publish a note and it will be available at a unique simp.ly url address. You can also share the note with others by tagging it with their e-mail addresses.

A free account is ad-supported. The ads are not intrusive, but if you want to remove them, you have to spend $19.99 a year or $1.99 a month for an upgrade to Premium account – which also enables Dropbox sync and writing notes by e-mail.

Awesome Note (+Todo)

Available for: iPhone, iPad | Syncing: Google Docs, Evernote | Price: iPhone – free or $3.99, iPad – $4.99 | App Store links: iPhone, iPad

Note taking application and to-do manager in one. Out of all applications featured in this post this one has the best design and richest personalization options. You can change not only a font but also a theme to match the type of note.

I’ve used the app for some time as I’m very keen to be connected with Google Docs ecosystem – and Awesome Note can sync with it. It’s not perfect, though, as you can only do it manually. It’s good to remember to sync before you open and after you finish your note to make sure you don’t lose anything.

To use Awesome Note on both iPad and iPhone you have to buy two separate versions.

Moleskine

Available for: iPhone, iPad | Syncing: no | Price: free | App Store link

The official application of the legendary Moleskine notebooks. It’ll surprise you with a modern UI concept and design. You can draw sketches as well as add pictures and labels from a large selection of Moleskine icons. You can also geotag your notes.

There is no sync functionality, so the only way to use notes on another device is to send them as an e-mail to yourself.

Elements

Available for: iPhone, iPad | Syncing: Dropbox | Price: $4.99 | App Store link

This is how I think a writing application for mobile devices should look like. Once you open a note you can focus on writing. The design invites to write longer forms, but you can always use scratchpad to write a quick idea.

You can check word, line and character counts for every note, send a note by mail or print it. The notes are synced back to your Dropbox account as .txt files.

iA Writer

Available for: iPad | Syncing: Dropbox | Price: $0.99 | App Store link

The application makes writing on the iPad serious. It helps you focus on writing by providing features no other app has. You can use FocusMode to concentrate on one sentence at a time.

The keyboard is tailored for writing needs – word and arrow keys as well as most used punctuation marks are available without switching. Word count and reading time is shown at the top bar. You can manually sync notes with a Dropbox account.

The overall design, typography and care for details make this app a great choice for professional writers.

Pages

Available for: iPhone, iPad | Syncing: iTunes File Sharing | Price: $9.99 | App Store link

The ultimate text processor for iPad. It includes Apple-designed document templates, several formatting options and advanced layout tools. You can style text, set intents and margins and insert tabs with ease.

You can import and work with Pages ’09, Word and text files. Share your work as Pages ’09, Word and pdf.

Pages includes most of the features of the desktop word processor. The only question is, whether you really need them on an iPad or iPhone.

* * *

If you are looking for ways to write and edit Google Docs on your iOS device(s), there are applications like Go Docs ($4.99) or gDocuments ($0.99). Use them with care as you can lose formatting of your original document when you open it in the app and start editing. This happened to me a couple of times. When I really need to change something in one of Google document, I’m using either Safari browser or Safari-powered G-Whizz.

My favourite app is Simplenote. You can’t write for a long time on an iPhone. iPad is not for writing a content but for curating a content. What I really needed was a simple, fast, reliable app which syncs notes across all devices seamlessly. Simplenote matches those needs perfectly.

Related posts

• 05.06.2011 -- Simplenote – the Best Note-taking App for iPad and iPhone
• 03.06.2011 -- How to Effectively Publish and Promote Books to iPad and iPhone Users
• 17.10.2010 -- How to Read Adobe DRM Books on Your iPad or iPhone
• 17.10.2010 -- 3 Ways to Add Books to Your iPad or iPhone
• 25.07.2011 -- 6 Tips and Tricks to Use Kindle for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

"Note-taking and Writing Apps for iPhone and iPad" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

1. iOS is a very versatile system, allowing the author to distribute books via different sets of tools and channels.
2. iOS users are more willing to buy the content – due to convenience (in-app, one-click purchases) and the nature of iOS ecosystem – a huge offer of apps, many of them for free or sold in a freemium model.

That’s why many authors want to find and define the best way to enter the iWorld. However, it’s not that easy as in Kindle Store. There are many factors which have to be taken into consideration.

To make the analysis as clear as possible I’ll split it into two stages: distribution and promotion.

Distribution

If you have a Kindle e-reader, you can buy e-books from Kindle Store. If you have a Nook, you can buy e-books from Barnes&Noble. E-readers are dedicated not only to reading, but also to e-bookstores. The device is the access point.

Tablets and smartphones are multi-purpose devices (MPVs) and this is what makes a difference. The access point to books is not a device itself, but the application. Many apps. There are so many of them, that the user at a certain point will want to limit their number to most important and useful ones. This applies also to books.

There are three main channels through which books in the iWorld are sold:

1. AppStore
2. iBookstore/iBooks
3. E-reading applications from other bookstores

AppStore

Apple’s store with applications is in my opinion a true phenomenon. Currently there are over 350,000 apps offered. At the time of the iPad/iBooks launch there were 120,000 book apps in AppStore – twice as much as books in the iBookstore.

AppStore is a strong alternative to typical bookstore. You buy an app from the application store, not a book from the bookstore. This can be a promise for many users to find something unexpected, fresh and as attractive as other apps. By “attractive” I mean: enhanced with audio and video, interactive, animated, using all the possibilities iOS interface is offering.

AppStore is also the golden example of how generous iOS users can be. Buying an app is not a big deal for us (yes, I’m also a heavy application buyer). A dollar or two, you can spend it to test the app, even if you’ll never ever use it again.

Besides e-reading applications, which are the access point and reading interface of e-bookstores (like Kindle for iOS, Kobo, Nook, Google eBooks), books are sold here as standalone applications. To produce such a book you have to either be a web developer or hire one. The cost of producing a simple book app is usually a few hundred dollars.

However, simple book apps are not attractive at all – if they are compared in the same category with enhanced ones.

You also have to keep in mind that the price of such a book should be comparable to other apps – which in most cases is 5 dollars at most.

iBookstore

Many iOS users associate books with iBooks and iBookstore. They usually start reading books using iBooks – until they discover better alternatives.
Practically, the only advantage of using iBooks is convenience. You can buy books from iBookstore within the app. This is the competitive edge Apple has over its competitors like Amazon or B&N. To buy books from the apps of those e-bookstores, you have to switch to Safari browser. Amazon’s famous 1-click purchase doesn’t work on the iPad or iPhone.

There is also one more thing we have to keep in mind. Apple has changed AppStore rules. Now if the e-bookstore wants to sell book from outside the app, it will have to enable such option inside the app. Result: Apple will take a cut from every book purchased, because users will choose the in-app way, which is more convenient. What can this cause is uncertainty about the presence of other e-reading apps in AppStore. If they are not adjusted to new rules, they’ll be removed.

Other e-reading applications

Most popular applications from other e-bookstores and content providers are Kindle for iOS, Kobo, Nook, Stanza, Google eBooks. Many iOS device owners are registered users of those e-bookstores, so sooner or later they will download the proper app and play with it.

And this is where the complex nature of iOS ecosystem lies: readers are spreading among many apps e-bookstores, options and functionalities. Many users keep a couple of e-reading application on their devices, but with a time they will select one of them as a primary tool to buy and read e-books.

* * *

Which channel is most effective?

There are two scenarios, depending of the kind of the book you want to publish:
1. Enhanced book » AppStore
2. Simple book » multi channel

If you plan to create an enhanced, interactive book, full of pictures and animation (f.e. children’s book or a graphic novel), the best path to follow is the AppStore. Developers who make outstanding e-book applications for kids are Bold Creative (creators of “The Heart and the Bottle” children’s book, shown below), Game Collage and Loud Crow Interactive. Check them out, they set up the standards, what translates into users’ expectations.

For a useful advice on how to publish your own book app, visit The Bookwright, a great blog by Tom Evans.

If you want to have a cheaper option for enriched book, you can prepare and ePub file with embedded pictures and place it in iBookstore or Kindle Store. Both iBooks and Kindle for iOS are capable of showing not only pictures but also of playing video and audio.

What you have to take into consideration, however, is that your book will be distributed as a book not as an app, and that means you’ll have to spend more time and effort to tell users about it – your amplified book will be available not where they expect it to be.

Second option: your book is text based and what you just want to achieve is to make sure it’s available for readers using iOS devices. Going only to iBookstore in my opinion is not worth the effort. It’s a small e-bookstore, ten times smaller than Kindle Store and it’s not growing as fast as other bookstores. It’s not intended to other platforms, but to be a default choice for iOS users. It’s also not easy to use Apple’s self-pub service, but if you’re determined, you can always try an easier option – Lulu.com.

It’s also not productive to publish a book in each and every e-bookstore separately (like via KDP for Kindle or PubIt! for B&N).

Is there a better, more efficient alternative? Sure. Use one of the self-publishing services offering multi-channel distribution. The most important thing is that you publish your book once and it’s being distributed to many e-bookstores, so that it’s available to iOS users no matter which application they use.

The services to recommend are:
Smashwords – the most popular self-publishing site, with distribution to Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Sony eBookstore and, yes, iBookstore.
Fast Pencil – the distribution list includes Kindle, Barnes&Noble and Sony eBookstore. However, this is a paid plan, you have to be prepared to pay $149.99.
Narcissus – the new, Italy-based self-pub service. The English localization is coming soon with the option to distribute your book to Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Copia and Blio.

Distribution Channel Manager at Smashwords

Promotion

If you choose the AppStore way, you have to follow the rules specific for this ecosystem. It’s a whole new world and it’s good to get a concise advice from professionals. Just watch this short video and you’ll have a clue of what you’ll have to be prepared for:

Second scenario. If your book is reaching iWorld via e-bookstores, all what you have to do is to address the owners of iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch devices in your promotional activities.

As I’m the author of geek fiction stories, I very much focus on finding ways to reach and convince the users of iOS devices to buy my books. What I’m mostly interested in is to find creative ways of promotion, which don’t involve money.

Here is a list of tools and ideas:

Target iOS users in social media

One of my book covers designed like a mobile app

You can go one step further – and tell tweeple they can buy your book directly from a link shared on Twitter. This is possible when users have Kindle application and you have a book in Kindle Store.

Share tips for iOS users

Selling books for iPad and iPhone is a complex task. So is reading and finding them. There are many apps, none of them ideal. Readers need help, and they search the web for answers. If you write a post on how to add books to iBooks without connecting to iTunes or how to read Adobe DRM-ed books on the iPad, you don’t have to find your readers – they will find you.

Show your book in iOS interface

This could be done on many levels. The easiest way is to mention the devices and applications on your blog post. You can also show a screenshot of your book made on the iPad or iPhone. Use it in a blog post together with the book’s cover.
Cover. There’s also a huge potential here. Try to paste it into the picture of the iPhone or iPad, so it perfectly fits the device’s screen.

I went even further than that and designed the book covers looking like mobile interface very similar to iOS. That way the book becomes an inseparable part of the iPad and iPhone world.

* * *

I hope you found this post useful. Please feel free to share your comments and knowledge and come back for more tips on self-publishing and mobile reading.

Recommended reading

• How to publish your book on the iPad – The Creative Penn
• How to publish your book on Kindle and iPad – BubbleCow
• How to self-publish books for iPad – Inc.
• How do I get a book on the iPad’s iBooks bookstore and app – 3ones
• AppStore lessons – 6 ways to better promote your application – Ars Technica
• How did you get on the front page of the AppStore? – Bold Creative Project Blog

Related posts

• 22.01.2011 -- How You Can Sell E-books to Mobile Twitter Users
• 25.07.2011 -- 6 Tips and Tricks to Use Kindle for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch
• 02.02.2011 -- Use Mobile Twitter to Discover and Instantly Buy Kindle E-books
• 20.01.2011 -- Now Users Can Download Your Book Directly From a Tweet to Kindle for iOS
• 20.07.2011 -- How to Create Ebook Covers with Phoster Application

"How to Effectively Publish and Promote Books to iPad and iPhone Users" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

Hootsuite is the only Twitter app for iOS, which shows stats of the links you shared

Those who say that self-publishing is a vast world of bad quality writing, are right… still right. They do not take into account the fact that self-publishers learn and improve.

Self-published authors, those who think seriously about their writing, are highly motivated to find answers to their failures or successes, are willing to analyze and receive feedback. All that to write, publish and promote a better next book.

The beauty of the Internet is that they can find almost everything here. They have the same access to knowledge, resources and tools as big publishers.

Many of the tools were already mentioned in this series. Let’s say, the author is using Bite-Size Edits. He can observe, bite by bite, how his text is being edited and improved. Or after testing a couple of self-publishing platforms he decided to focus on two of them. Or he learns that the best way to communicate with readers is podcasting.

Internet is the biggest self-improving system on earth. Users are learning from each other – from comments, number of likes or favorites, number of retweets, you name it. Every such micro-fact can be, and usually is, analysed. And self-publishers have tools to make the analysis more accurate.

Let’s start from book statistics functionality. The biggest and most advanced platforms offer different ways and levels of analyzing how the book is doing. You can then match it with your online activity and locate the effort which gave best results.

One of the best analytics is provided by Feedbooks. It shows not only a number of downloads and favorites. What is tremendously useful is the split into different file formats, clients (apps, browsers) and countries. You can see how many of your readers are using mobile devices with Android operating system or how many of them are downloading your book directly to a computer. This can help you intensify your communication to the most promising group of readers.

Analytics dashboard at Feedbooks

If you promote your book heavily on social media, you can use tools to measure the effectiveness of your activity. The most common and advanced one is Bit.ly. It’s a URL shortening tool with an extended statistics functionality. You can check the influence of every link you share: the number of clicks, tweets, Facebook shares, likes and comments.

The basic way to use Bit.ly is to check the impact of the message associating the link. Send two tweets to your book page – each time with a different text. You’ll see which one is more convincing.

Another great tool to consider is Hootsuite. It’s a Twitter client with many powerful features. Among many options, you can compare traffic to your blog (Google Analytics) with your Twitter activity. Other Twitter based analytics tools are Klout, TweetReach, BackTweets and TweetStats.

Related posts

• 20.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Sell Globally
• 29.04.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Reduce Costs
• 13.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Innovate
• 06.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Build Better Relations
• 22.04.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How Technology Is Making You More Powerful [Introduction]

"Self-Publishing: How You Can Learn and Improve" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

A mobile friendly version of the Mashable article

Recently Mashable published interesting numbers showing that Twitter users are likely to share a story without actually reading it.

In my opinion, one of the major reasons is that users are afraid of opening links on their mobile phones. And as much as 37% of users access Twitter via mobile devices as this infographic shows.

Compared to Facebook, where every link was clicked on average more than three times, Twitter received only 0.38 clicks per tweet.

Are you in a group of tweeple who share content without reading? I have to admit that I do it from time to time -  when I know a post has been published on a blog with no mobile theme. I usually read it later, via Instapaper or Readability.

So, if this is such an issue, is there a way to find out which links are mobile friendly before clicking them?

Most popular url shorteners, bit.ly or t.co, don’t give a hint what kind of site will be opened. There are many shorteners, however, which are a guarantee that you’ll easily open a page in a browser of your mobile phone – and enjoy reading it.

http://tumblr.com

Native url shortener of a popular blogging platform. Every newly published post is shared with tumblr.com short link.

http://post.ly

Similar to Tumblr, all posts from Posterous are shared automatically with post.ly right after they are published.

http://wp.me

Links to WordPress.com blogs, which are mobile friendly by default. However not all the links may open mobile interfaces as wp.me shortener can be also used, via plugins, by users of self-hosted WordPress blogs.

http://amzn.to

Links to Amazon sites. Opposite to microblogging services, where in most cases photos or short notes are shared, this short link can lead to a Kindle book you can start reading in a few clicks. Read a full article about it.

http://rdd.me

Link shortener from Readability, a service which turns web pages into a reading mode. When you click on rdd.me you’ll be redirected to a distraction-free and mobile-friendly version of the article, even if it’s published at a blog with no mobile theme.

* * *

Popular news or tech sites use their own shorteners and have mobile versions as well, so you can also be sure to open the right kind of link:
Mashable – http://on.mash.to
Engadget – http://engt.com
ReadWriteWeb – http://rww.to

Most of photo, video and localization platforms also use mobile friendly links, naming only three of them:
Foursquare – http://4sq.com
Gowalla – http://gowal.la
YouTube – http://youtu.be

Things change fast. More and more sites are launching mobile versions. So, next time, when you’ll be scrolling through Twitter stream on your mobile phone, just remember – now you have much more chances to open a link and read the article.

Related posts

• 02.02.2011 -- Use Mobile Twitter to Discover and Instantly Buy Kindle E-books
• 25.07.2011 -- 6 Tips and Tricks to Use Kindle for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch
• 06.04.2011 -- What Is Your Primary E-reading Device? [Poll]
• 22.01.2011 -- How You Can Sell E-books to Mobile Twitter Users
• 20.01.2011 -- Now Users Can Download Your Book Directly From a Tweet to Kindle for iOS

"Which Links Shared on Twitter Are Mobile Friendly?" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

Nowadays technology is able to analyze, think, judge, choose and response. What was a part of science fiction world now starts to leak into reality. It’s high time to realize that soon humans will not be the only beings to think independently.

That’s why another project I’ll be constantly developing is Tech Quotes. It’s fascinating to switch a perspective and see ourselves from a point of view of technology: robots, gadgets, scripts, computer parts or pieces of code. It would be a fantastic way to show that we humans are not the only ones to be right and own truth.

The project has two variants. All ideas will be shared on Twitter with a #techquotes hashtag from my main profile (@namenick) as well as @mobilefiction – that one is devoted to share fictional pieces only. Check also Password Incorrect Facebook page for updates.

Robot proverbs and other quotes

Let’s get used to the fact that we are developing our successors. What would they say about us? Read a couple of examples below.

Another idea is trickier.

Technologically processed thoughts on technology

I’ve processed my thoughts on a human-technology relation with a technology itself, using Ivona text-to-speech generator. The results are interesting. When listening to quotes you have a feeling that a human’s thought is interpreted by technology. You’ll find more details in this post. Listen to most interesting examples right now:

One sentence conclusion: the purpose of tech quotes is not to be loved by humans, but to warn humans.

Related posts

• 27.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Learn and Improve
• 20.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Sell Globally
• 13.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Innovate
• 06.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Build Better Relations
• 29.04.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Reduce Costs

"Tech Quotes – What Would Technology Say About Humans" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

Amazon's KDP dashboards lets you select countries for book distribution

On a surface it sounds obvious. Sure, if I publish a book at Amazon and Amazon delivers Kindle devices and content to more than 100 countries, that means I have a worldwide distribution.

It’s obvious for English speaking authors, but it opens lots of possibilities for non-English authors. If I write in Spanish or Italian, I can also publish at Amazon, Smashwords, Scribd, Wattpad or any other site – and my book is available for download by anyone who speaks Spanish or Italian, no matter which country he lives.

A lack of barriers typical for a traditional, local-level book distribution is what makes digital self-publishers tremendously powerful. We should keep in mind that an e-book travels extremely fast. The reader knows that he can read it in less than a minute after clicking “buy this book” button. How much time does it take to ship a print book from USA to India?

Digital content is creating new opportunities and you can be really surprised when you discover what is the biggest market for your book. Example: my book written in Polish is available at Feedbooks. Only 58% downloads come from Poland, and one of the top countries is… Algeria.

One angle of global thinking is selling books beyond geographical borders. But there is also another perspective. Once you publish a book, you’re distributed on a massive scale, being offered by huge online stores. Amazon is one example, but let’s focus on Smashwords for a while.

This excellent platform offers a functionality, which I call “auto-publishing”. The service signed contracts with Barnes&Noble, Sony eBookstore, Diesel, Kobo and iBookstore. You can publish a book once, at Smashwords, and it will be distributed by all those e-bookstores. Other multi-channel self-publishing platforms worth checking are Fast Pencil and Narcissus, with a latter one being a very good option for European authors.

Distribution Channel Manager at Smashwords

The major barrier of going truly global is not a location, though. It’s communication. How to talk about a book to somebody who doesn’t speak either your language or English?

I’d like to point out to one tool, which is going to have a growing importance in publishing. It’s Google Translate (and similar tools). Nowadays it’s being used mainly for working translations. The reason is obvious – poor, or almost ridiculous, quality.

There is a growing number of sites, however, where it’s used officially. One of the examples is Paulo Coelho’s blog. On one side the writer should not use such an unprofessional tool as a translation script, on the other side: it’s great that a worldwide known writer wants to share his thoughts with as many readers of his books as possible.

As I’m dynamically using Google Translate in one of my literary projects and I see a potential there. The tool is improving very, very fast. I can easily imagine that one day it will become natural to use such tools to translate books or that a translation functionality will be added to e-reading devices and applications.

Related posts

• 29.04.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Reduce Costs
• 27.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Learn and Improve
• 13.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Innovate
• 06.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Build Better Relations
• 22.04.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How Technology Is Making You More Powerful [Introduction]

"Self-Publishing: How You Can Sell Globally" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.

A presentation about innovators in self-publishing

Times when writers were the last people on earth to embrace technology are over. Internet with all the advanced tools and solutions is a chance to be at the forefront. Pioneering can draw unexpectedly huge attention, also from the potential readers of your book.

There are two kinds of innovation: driven by money and driven by idea. Self-publishers don’t have money, so they invent new ways to use what’s available and free – technology.

I’ve described several examples in this presentation, now I’d like to focus on one of them. In my opinion it’s a brilliant case of how writers can innovate to involve readers in their writing. It’s Google Wave.

When the new service from Google opened for users with invitations, writers were one of the first groups to populate the new ecosystem. They were starting literary waves to write mostly short stories, with a help of other members of their waves. Great writers who started what I call “wave fiction” were Adrian Graham, Tonya R. Moore and Brent Millis.

If you remember what Google Wave was about, just imagine the excitement when you were able to see the author writing a story in front of your eyes – or rewriting it after seeing a comment from another participant of a wave. All in real time!

Now, imagine that such tools are taking off every day. What you need to do is to find a way to creatively use them.

You’ve probably heard of Instagram, extremely popular photo sharing tool for iPhone. If you are writing a travel book, why don’t you share photos of destinations you’ll cover? Sounds like a good teaser. Or you can be more creative and instead of pictures you can share text, sentences or short paragraphs. It’s easy to do, you can use a note taking app, make a screenshot and add a vintage filter to give a cool look.

Microstories created on an iPhone

Other photo sharing sites to consider are Plixi, Yfrog and Twitpic. You can always use modern blogging platforms like Posterous or Tumblr to upload creative content. There is absolutely no limit in what you do and how you do it. Check for example microfiction stories I create completely on an iPhone and share via Posterous to 10 other sites.

If you prefer to innovate with audio tools, try AudioBoo. It’ a social platform where you can share voice recordings taking up to 3 minutes. You can record the clips on the go as AudioBoo offers free applications for iPhone and Android.

A very interesting site was launched recently by Electric Literature. It’s Broadcastr – a social media platform for audio stories. The uniqueness of a service is that the stories are location-based. It opens a whole new array of opportunities to tell more engaging, real, authentic and tangible stories.

Analysts predict that 2011 will be the year of group messaging, which allows to send instant text messages to a private group of your friends. Why don’t you try Beluga, GroupMe or Fast Society and find out if you could build a group of ambassadors of your new book?

Related posts

• 27.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Learn and Improve
• 20.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Sell Globally
• 06.05.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Build Better Relations
• 29.04.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How You Can Reduce Costs
• 22.04.2011 -- Self-Publishing: How Technology Is Making You More Powerful [Introduction]

"Self-Publishing: How You Can Innovate" is a post from Password Incorrect Blog.