Amazon has been able to do this through an agreement with Warner Bros, licensing Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries as three different ‘Worlds’.  Writers can pick a world, then write fan fiction using the characters and settings as per the original text.

But what is Kindle Worlds doing to the world of fan fiction?

Once the realm of dedicated genre sites, and shared among friends, Amazon is making fan fic a money-making opportunity.  Through Kindle Worlds, anyone can become a published fan fic author.  Licensing is already done for you, so you are free to use the characters from the licensed ‘Worlds’.  But yet, the publishing industry has been rather silent on the issue, and a quiet discontent is circulating among some fans.
No one is questioning the legitimacy of fan fic – it’s an intriguing way to share ideas and has been around for ages.  Even some established writers of original works cite fan fic as a way of learning writing, and good opportunities to get feedback.
But when Kindle Worlds start, how easy would it to find a good fan fic read?  And importantly, are we ready to pay for fan fic?

The e-book revolution has already made it much easier for authors to publish their works, either through a digital only publisher, or self-publishing.  The problem for fan fic, is that fan fic isn’t “just another genre”. Yet.

We read fan fic out of love or interest for a particular story series.  We write fan fic because we are equally obsessed with it.  Adding money into the factor arguably diminishes the source of this passion.  Reading fan fiction is not like buying the next sequel, it’s finding out what others (maybe on the other side of the world) have imagined about the same story and connecting with them. Or even speculating about what could have happened.  As lovely as all this sounds, Kindle Worlds might take it all away as people cash in on this unique pastime.

Now in it’s 13th year, the National Simultaneous Storytime is organised by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and promotes literacy in communities across Australia.

A book is selected to be read simultaneously right across Australia, in pre-schools, schools, libraries, bookshops and many more.

The 2013 National Simultaneous Storytime is TODAY 22nd May at 11am AEDT.

The selected book for 2012 National Simultaneous Story time is

The Wrong Book

Written by: Nick Bland

Published by Scholastic Australia

ISBN 9781741693416

In libraries across Australia, National Simultaneous Storytime events will be happening.  Visit or call your local library for more information.

Take part and promote Australian writers and the value of reading!

Citations:  http://www.alia.org.au/nss/

Visiting the library never went out of fashion.

Celebrating libraries and the librarians which make them lively hubs, Library and Information Week highlights the many purposes libraries serve today.  From computer lessons to music videos, and story-time to study-time, libraries really are the only stop you need for recreational and study activities.

Libraries have stood the test of time, and despite being challenged by changing societal values and electronic rights distribution, they are adaptable and refreshingly inspirational.

Often underestimated, libraries are also powerful research hubs where books are not the only resource on display.  Enjoy access to databases too expensive for the individual to subscribe, as well as archives of newspapers preserved in digital format.  Library and Information Week is also an opportunity to celebrate the important role librarians and information professionals do in other industries, such as in government departments, corporations and hospitals.

Visit your library during LIW and let us inspire you to share your story.

Library and Information Week is held during the last week of May each year. This year’s theme is Share your Story and it starts today.

On Love2ReadTV, you can see a video of librarians all around Australia who believe in reading!

ALIA Calendar of Events for Library and Information Week

Monday 20 May – Australia’s Favourite Librarian announcement

Tuesday 21 May – National Library Technicians’ Day – this day provides the opportunity for library technicians to promote ALIA, the profession, and their role in libraries and to celebrate their many achievements.

Wednesday 22 May - National Simultaneous Storytime

Thursday 23 May – Libraries celebrate Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea

These are just some of the possibilities for Australian libraries hypothesised in the ALIA Discussion Paper on the Future of the Profession, released this week.

The discussion paper is not ALIA’s blueprint for the future, but it is a very interesting read.  It considers three main themes which would shape the librarian of the future. These themes are:

• Convergence
• Connection
• The Golden Age of Information

Several macroeconomic, societal and cultural factors shape the view of the future, including Australia’s ageing population, real concerns of climate change, technological innovations in health, high cost of fuel and economic uncertainty with the end of the mining boom.

The discussion paper imagines what 2025 will be like, with a multitude of scenarios focusing on public libraries, university libraries, school libraries, special libraries and collections.

What’s interesting about the future

What’s interesting is that the future may result in fewer but more highly skilled jobs for the library profession, incorporating not only research skills, but teaching skills.  The rise of electronic collections means cataloguing may become a thing of the past with librarians specialising in teaching, advising and research.

The discussion paper places lots of weight in research skills, believing that it will be an essential skill for all people in the workplace, to be able to find information.  It foresees lengthy discussions with publishers to provide access to content, widely and easily.

The paper concludes with a view that the profession can shape its future, and it is sure to be a topic of much debate throughout 2013.

Get involved  -  you can find the full discussion paper here.

The first generation Kobo eReader (Source: Kobo)

3 years since eBooks hit the market by storm, the eBook revolution is now entering a new phase.   Phase 1 can be summed up with two words: ‘market capitalisation’, with Kobo, Amazon, Sony and the ‘Nook’ (Barnes & Noble’s exclusive eReader) emerging as the top four bestselling eReaders around the world.  Australia’s uptake has been slower, in part due to the closure of Borders bookstores in 2011, which ended for several months distribution of the entry-level Kobo eReader.  Competitors such as Dymocks did not, at the time, have any entry-level eReaders – their offers were in the ~A$3oo range.

But now that the eReader fight has subsided, with eReaders being sold widely, not just in bookstores, the fight has turned to content licensing.  And the field isn’t a pretty one.

In the past year, the problem really has focused on the Agency Model v the Wholesale Model in the sale of eBooks.  In August 2012, a US court even ruled that certain eBook publishers had colluded over eBook pricing.  Now, we are seeing something which the music industry has recently embraced.  The subscription model.

Libraries around the world already use subscription services such as Overdrive to provide eBook lending services to their library members. Overdrive claims it services over 22,000 libraries, school and retailers worldwide.  To-date, Overdrive has leased ebook content to libraries with great success, acting like a wholesaler.

Now, we are seeing a possible shift towards a retail subscription model for eBooks.

A retail subscription model?

The retail subscription model isn’t new to the book industry.  Amazon, famous for their Kindle eReader, already has a Lending Library available for a monthly subscription fee.   Amazon claims it has over 100 current and past New York Times bestsellers on the list.  Even the Sydney Morning Herald plans to introduce subscription fees to access online news content later this year.

But it hasn’t yet become mainstream.  Though it may only be a matter of time until it is.

Waterstones, a UK bookstore, is introducing an eBook library on a subscription basis.  A few pounds a month would secure access to (currently) over 300,000 titles.   Market leader Kobo also signalled that the subscription model may be the way to go in the future.

The Walled Garden

So you may have read this far, and still wondering, why this article is called ‘Reading in a Walled Garden’.  Let me provide a bit of background.

Amazon’s eReader, the Kindle, has reached so many markets around the world, that many don’t realise that the Kindle really isn’t the eReader it’s made out to be.  While it certainly has its place in the eReader market, it really shouldn’t be your first port of call when purchasing an eReader, or gifting one.

Amazon’s ecosystem is entirely separate from the rest of the eReading ecosystem.  Kindle users are unable to purchase books from mainstream bookstores such as Dymocks, or from other specialist online eBook retailers such as Kobo.  Furthermore, Kindle users are unable to borrow books from public libraries’ Overdrive systems.  This is due to an incompatible file type.

Amazon uses an exclusive file type “.mobi”, whilst the rest of the industry uses the industry-standard .ePub file type.

Perhaps the biggest problem we’re seeing is that Kindle users are effectively reading inside a Walled Garden.  It looks nice inside, it’s luscious, it seems like there’s lots of content.  But really, not many new items are being added, particularly geo-specific content due to rights restrictions.  Furthermore, publishers are increasingly moving away from Amazon’s relatively harsh sales agreements (though Apple is not much better, if any).

But this isn’t a small walled garden.   The issue is, so many people are inside, and they can’t find the way out.

Observer and Sydney bookseller Jon Page has recently had enough, and declared a ‘Kindle Amnesty’ of his own.  His bookstore will give you $50 just for purchasing another eReader and trading in your Kindle.  Whether it will start a movement? Probably not.  But as to whether it’s making a statement?  This local bookseller certainly is.

Welcome 2013!

Another exciting year has kicked off already.  Read Watch Play, run by the NSW Readers Advisory, has already had their online chat and digging deep into their February theme which is Heartread.

Last year, you would have seen the Love2ReadTV project which I created. Love2ReadTV will continue to be available on the project website for viewing and also on YouTube.

With the exciting continuation of the Love2Read brand, the Reading Hour will again be held in 2013.  The date is 24th August 2013, from 6pm-7pm, so mark it down in your diary!

With so much happening this 2013, all supporting reading, there’s never been a better time to dig in to a good book.  Visit your local library today!

One of the National Year of Reading 2012′s goals was to encourage people to re-visit the library.  This has been very successful with many libraries reporting increased rates of membership growth.  A centralised, coherent campaign organised by The Library Agency on behalf of the Founding Partners has seen a sensational calendar of events.  Publicity was strong, marketing public libraries to the nation.

Libraries all around Australia have embraced the National Year of Reading’s goals, with events and membership drives encouraging people to get in touch with their local community hub.

The National Year of Reading has changed people in different ways.  For me, it has been a year of inspiration.  The many submissions to my Love2ReadTV project from authors, librarians and storytellers alike has been very inspirational.  It has been lovely and inspiring to receive videos from many published authors, who have managed to squeeze time out of their incredibly busy schedules to film a message for the project, celebrating the National Year of Reading 2012.  For librarians, these videos may be useful for promoting library services in future.  For readers, they are a great way to meet the people who pen the books they read.  It has truly been an amazing and rewarding project to produce, and I would like to sincerely thank all the participants for their support.  >See Love2ReadTV

Moving forward, I think the National Year of Reading 2012 has really just been a starting point for many more initiatives and projects to come.  This year, the NSW Readers Advisory has run a WordPress blog with musings, thoughts and reviews. >See love2read2012.wordpress.com

Next year, the NSW Readers Advisory will run a WordPress blog called Read Watch Play to explore not only reading (read), but movies (watch) and games (play).  >See readwatchplay.wordpress.com

I have also noticed lots of notable librarian blogs this year, including this one: >See http://shallowreader.wordpress.com/ 

With Love2ReadTV now completed, I hope the videos from many librarians and authors will serve as a useful resource for librarians and educators alike.  I hope readers continue to visit the website to meet the authors behind the books.  It’s a great way to share the joy of reading with all.

The Love2Read brand and logo will continue into 2013, as we move into an exciting year ahead.  Posters and resources on this blog will continue to be made available.  For more information, visit www.love2read.org.au

Thank you for your support this year, and I hope you enjoyed my National Year of Reading project, Love2ReadTV.  I’d love to hear your feedback and comments, so please feel free to drop me a line.

Best wishes,

Timothy Chan

Friend of the National Year of Reading
Project: www.love2readtv.com.au
Blog: theopinionchair.wordpress.com
Email: production@love2readtv.com.au

Summary

This year, the Love2ReadTV project has been fortunate to receive the support of WeVideo, a leading cloud-based video editing solution.  With entries and editing being performed from various locations around Australia, it was important to have easy access to all video editing files at any time.

Furthermore, the Love2ReadTV project received entries from a large audience, with different video capturing technology and capabilities.  The multi file type support of WeVideo proved to be immensely useful, and apart from being lightweight (using few system resources during the editing process), we found this to be a truly useful tool.  There was no need to download codecs or file type conversion software in order for video editing to proceed.

The migration of video rendering to the cloud sped up production and minimised the need for system and hardware upgrades usually required for video editing.  WeVideo enabled a large number of users to contribute to the editing process – as long as they had access the internet, they had access to the video editor.  Rendering of files was performed more quickly than we expected.

Uploading of files to WeVideo was also a breeze through its Flash upload tool.  This saved us time as video editing could be performed in the timeline whilst the video files were uploaded to the WeVideo server.

A low-cost budget production, Love2ReadTV was able to utilise music sourced from the WeVideo library.  This proved to be not only economical, but also easy.  Insufficient funds meant the project could not purchase music licensing – royalty free music from the WeVideo library was hence greatly beneficial.

Functions and Ease of Use

WeVideo was also very user-friendly and easy to use.  It was so easy to use that someone with little video editing knowledge could make a professional video without much difficulty.  Seamless transitions including cube, 90 degree turn, and sliding transitions were available with the click of the Transitions button.  The video effects library was also useful for poor quality footage, enabling videos to be spruced up to entertain.

Other functions included the opportunity to record narrations, and the ease of adding captions, titles and credits to videos.  The ability to add multiple audio and image layers also proved to be very useful in creating complex segments where it was necessary.  The full featured timeline editor featuring ‘drag and drop’ was easy to use and intuitive.  We also found real time preview of the video, at any time, very useful.

Other functions included video cropping, colour correction, video splitting and clip-specific audio adjustments.  These make WeVideo a full featured video editor which we were very pleased with.

Publishing process

WeVideo’s publishing process was so straight-forward and easy we were actually quite surprised. Integration with Vimeo and Youtube was seamless – we simply hit “Export Movie” and within the hour the video was made available in our nominated Vimeo and Youtube account ready for sharing.  This saved us the trouble of downloading the video (which is also an option) and then uploading it again via Youtube and Vimeo for sharing.  Video exporting was also very high quality -

We loved WeVideo for its ease of use, accessibility and features.  Before choosing WeVideo, we had considered many other options.  But WeVideo was the only full-service video editor all in the cloud, supporting a wide range of input formats.  We are very happy with the choice, and am pleased to report that the entire Love2ReadTV project, independently celebrating Australia’s National Year of Reading 2012, was edited through WeVideo.

Here’s the Special Librarians Episode (for more episodes, please click here).

-End of review-

This month, our reading theme is love2read.  Fittingly, it’s been the main message this entire National Year of Reading.  The love2read flower has made its way to many libraries across Australia, as well as bookshops, cars and cafes.

When we think about this theme, we should be considering how the National Year of Reading has changed us.  Perhaps you’ve tried a genre you’ve never ventured towards, or perhaps you’ve been inspired to read.  And as we enter the Christmas season, remember there’s nothing better than the gift of literacy.  Ideas include:-

• The obvious one is a good book
• Giving audiobooks
• Donating to a worthy cause
• Spending time with family, sharing a good story
• Verbal storytelling
• And many more

It’s been a big year, and shortly I’ll post a recap of this year’s NYR12 thoughts.  Make sure you subscribe (see right) to receive an email when it’s published.

Love2ReadTV is a project celebrating the National Year of Reading 2012.  See more at www.love2readtv.com.au