Julie's Web Journal

I ordered a book from an independent seller on Amazon.com ten days ago. Given what I paid for shipping I figured it would arrive by Friday. However, the book apparently spent three days sitting in a USPS Sort Facility on the east coast. Three freaking days. A friend suggested that there might be a backlog if iPhone 4S shipments clogging up the works. Saturday the book arrived in Dallas. A couple of hours ago it arrived at "Unit," which I hope doesn't mean some international organization is scanning it for signs of alien activity. This likely means the book will board the arthritic mule for delivery tomorrow. Possibly. Since the book came from third party selling through Amazon I suppose the book didn't have "Amazon.com" written all over the box. I'll find out if and when it arrives. And if I paid all that money for Media Mail, I shall be upset, unless the book is quite heavy, which I kind of doubt. If "Amazon.com" is indeed written all over the box, it shows that the Apple gorilla is better at flinging poo than the Amazon gorilla.

Which leads me to my first link.

American Editor on how publishers can gain control of the e-book market from Amazon. I'm not sure if I agree with all points, but it is food for thought. I'm surprised to some extent that the format wars are still going on. I suppose there are still enough gorillas flinging their poo that we consumers have to put up with it. Think about it: If you buy a DVD, it'll play in whatever brand of DVD player you happen to have. If you buy a paper book, you don't need special hardware. (Well, I need reading glasses these days, but I don't need special reading glasses depending on the publisher or the bookstore where I made the purchase.) Why do we put up with it for ebooks? (Link via The Digital Reader.)

Derek Haines on Who's Killing the Ebook Revolution? Read through the comments for some interesting conversation on how people find good self-published books. 

From The Guiardian, Johnathan Freedland on how big money dominates Premier League football (soccer on this side of the pond) and how American baseball has dealt with the issue. Of course, lessons to certain current events apply. 

And I just heard a noise at the front door. Another unwanted flyer from a tree chopper or a foundation repair service? No, it was the book! Someone must have given the arthritic mule a shot of something good. And yes, it was sent Book Rate. Yeesh. However, I'm a happy camper for the moment. This book is a late birthday present, and I'm off to peruse it. There WILL be a post at some point about the book.