Chamber Four

Some news about books and ebooks from around the web (more after the jump):

• So Amazon is absolutely terrified of the iPad. Amazon is releasing a Kindle software development kit (or SDK), which means we’ll soon see iPhone-style apps for the Kindle. Those apps will suck, because there’s little you can satisfyingly do with an ereader besides read, and one of the rules (according to Kindle 2 Review) states that an app can’t be “a generic reader.” RSS? Nope, can’t use more than 100Kb/month in bandwidth. K2R speculates that apps will be such things as crossword puzzles and simple timers. Color me underwhelmed. To raise the stakes, Amazon bought a touchscreen company the other day. This is all just awful. Amazon needs to realize that the singular purpose of the Kindle (and ereaders like it) is a selling point, not a liability. You compete with the iPad by making the Kindle cheaper, and as simple and easy-to-use as possible; then, you allow library books and hype them. That’s it. Trying to compete with Apple on Apple’s turf will only end in tears, Bezos.

• Speaking of Bezos’s screw-ups, did you hear about this whole Amazon/Macmillan thing? Macmillan wanted to set their prices higher, so Bezos removed all Macmillan books and ebooks from Amazon.com (like a four-year-old who doesn’t get his way). Basically, it was two big stupid corporations fighting to see who could screw up worst, and the winner was Amazon! John Scalzi breaks down exactly how bad they screwed up. Of course, Macmillan’s no prize, either—softly strangling a flourishing market is just not a good idea—but they’re too scared to see straight. Amazon capitulated almost immediately, when the entire world told them they were stupid. But then it took EIGHT DAYS for Amazon to relist the Macmillan books, and now the Kindle editions of books like Wolf Hall are…. wait for it… still $9.99! So, presumably, Macmillan will set its own prices starting in the future, not now. Which means it took Amazon eight days to relist the books because why again? Anyway, this whole thing brought us this awesome Macmillan ad, and makes about the hundredth stupid decision hamfistedly made by Bezos and Amazon’s Kindle team. So congrats to them. For further reading, check out Booksquare and the Guardian.

• PVI, the company that makes the E-Ink screens for ereaders, expects 10 million E-Ink ereaders to be sold in 2010. They’re saying 50 new vendors will enter the market this year. 50! So, in case you missed, this kind of thing is why we’ll be making some changes in Chamber Four’s MO for the coming year. Mostly, we won’t be following every single ereader out there anymore. Because, good Lord, there’s going to be more than 50 of them.

• Some book, author, and general literary news: Patti Smith’s memoir is awesome. What would the Oscars be without books? The first interview with Bill Watterson in 15 years. McSweeney’s new iPhone app is great, and costs nothing for the Internet Tendency alone. Andrea Levy on literary success. Salinger, Salinger, Salinger, Zinn, Salinger. Great interview with E.L. Doctorow.

• Quick takes: Ars Technica on the state of the Google Books settlement; FT Press will make executive summaries of self-help books for the Kindle—2% of the content for 20% of the price!; as it turns out, almost any ereader will work just fine; these books disguised as cigarette packs are pretty cool; and, once again, DRM-free is good for sales.

• Random of the week: A few literary trifles this time around. First, Life Magazine’s quite interesting list of Famous Literary Drunks & Addicts. Then, via Thrillist, a company called Out of Print Clothing makes great vintage-looking, literary-themed T-shirts, some of which are pictured below.