Thursday, October 6, 2011

India's $60 Tab

"Move over, Kindle Fire - the world has a new cheapest tablet computer. India’s government has announced a new Android-powered tablet called Aakash priced at between $35 and $60 that could set a light under the booming country’s digital content market"
 
India's Fire

Yeah, maybe, it has a couple things in common with the Kindle Fire, both run Android, but I suspect the Aakash is a very stripped down device and the Fire isn't.  Aside from the fact there are cheaper tabs than the Fire already, like an Asus I saw recently.  (Did I read that sentence wrong?)

Still, this is what we're waiting for, and at some point maybe readers will be $10 subsidized by sales and adverts.

So Jeff Bezos will be there opening Amazon India just as the Aakash (does that have anything to do with the Akashic Records?) is released.

Did I mention that I got a quote on translating one of my books into German for Amazon DE and the price was about $3000?  This is going to be a very large stumbling block for most of us.  I know Scott Nicholson is doing it and achieving great sales but he has great sales here.  He's writing something very commercial that people really want.  If you are not seeing great sales and you're a little more niche-market, why would you invest that kind of money in a translation.  If you were going to invest money, the place I would start is with a professionally designed cover for the American market.


Just read where Joe Konrath is hanging up his blogger hat for a while.  That will be a hole in the publishing blogosphere.  He does have a dynamism others lack, he does have success most of us lack and with that success the accompanying experience so it will be hard to duplicate his efforts.  Maybe he'll be back.  He'll be fine either way.

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