The Saga of Beowulf, Two-Volume Edition

"The Saga of Beowulf" is now available in a two part edition, in both print and digital formats. Each part features new cover art created just for this release, as well as new subtitles for each book. Front cover art for book one was done by Dustin Neff (with some touch-ups added during layout), while the remaining art I did myself, as well as all titles, layout and typography.

Each book is priced at $8.95 for the print edition and just $2.99 for either Nook or Kindle ebooks, making it cheaper than ever to read (not counting recent freebies). The new links to the left will take you to the Kindle pages on Amazon.

"Part I: The Land of Death & Shadow" contains the first 350 pages, comprising Beowulf's adventures in Denmark, including the battle with the ogre Grendel and the expedition to the Troll-Hag's lair, and culminating in a dramatic finale based on a number of historical details almost always overlooked in retellings and general studies of Beowulf (for more on that visit the Author's Adaptation Notes section at fantasycastlebooks.com).

"Part II: The Land of Ice & Fire" continues the saga as Beowulf returns to the homeland he had fled, only to be horrified by what he finds. The concluding section consists of the most historically verifiable events from the original tale, including the ill-fated raid on Francia, the tragic blood-feuds of the Swedes and Geats, and culminating in the epic fight against the dragon.

Book two runs 310 pages long in print, with a detailed glossary of names included. And while both books contain the map and family trees, only the second part includes the glossary. However, these are all available online at the Fantasy Castle Books website. A new page filled with artwork for the outer jackets has been posted up there as well, so be sure to check that out, as you can view the image details in higher resolution than you can elsewhere.

So while 350 pages is still a substantial work, if you've been daunted by the thought of diving into the full 640 page monster you can now test the waters a bit more casually by reading just Part I, which contains the most well-known adventures from this classic tale of historical fantasy, and can be read alone without ever delving into Part II.

Of course, if you really want to know how it all turns out...

E-Book Lending Clubs

Since December, when Amazon followed Barnes & Noble's lead in allowing ebook lending on its e-reader, several "lending clubs" have sprung up to circumvent the built-in lending limitations. Since each ebook can only be lent out once - ever - and for only 14 days, the number of titles available among any given circle of friends is inherently restricted. And unlike Nook ebooks, Kindle titles aren't available through any of the many public library e-lending programs out there.

As a result, the first ebook lending group to appear was called the Kindle Lending Club, since renamed BookLending.com for legal reasons. Initially designed to overcome the Kindle platform's lack of a "Borrow" button (there is only a "Lend" option on Amazon, so you had to know someone who had the book and ask them for it specifically), it has rapidly morphed into an open library where users from all over the globe can borrow books (though only those within the USA can lend them out at present). BookLending now has 16,000 members who have loaned over 20,000 books since its inception just two months ago. LendInk.com quickly followed suit, and Lendle.me appeared in early February.

The newest ebook lending club to enter the fray is eBookFling, which launches Monday. While both Lendle.me and BookLending.com only allow the exchange of Kindle editions, eBookFling will follow LendInk's lead and also offer Nook ebooks, making the Nook the most lend-friendly ebook platform to date (since they use the open ePub format all e-lending libraries offer, and have a library loan program right on the device). Nook ebooks were, in fact, the first to be lendable from within a dedicated reading device, though the Kindle lending programs have so far been the most successful, due no doubt to the Kindle's larger market share.

All four sites are free to join, though each has its own requirements to lend and borrow. While both BookLending and LendInk allow you to borrow ebooks without loaning any out yourself, or even having any to loan, both Lendle and the new eBookFling require that its members loan as well as borrow books. Otherwise the inventory would quickly be depleted. So far the clubs are new enough that at present there's a constant influx of new members, and consequently new ebooks available for loan. But this will change as memberships begin to plateau off, and availability will be limited to newly acquired titles.

To address this issue, Lendle gives you two free loans at signup, but then requires you to loan a book before another can be borrowed, so that as long as you are lending you can continue to borrow. In a similar fashion, eBookFling will give credits for each ebook loaned, with each one borrowed costing one credit. The unique twist here, however, is that you can purchase credits for $1.99 if you have no titles available to loan, or no one has requested what you've got to offer (obviously not something you want to do for an ebook you can buy for that amount or less).

However, I have to say that I'm a little iffy on the legalities of charging a fee to borrow an ebook, which essentially amounts to renting a title, and as far as I know ebooks aren't licensed for that purpose (at least no one has asked me for the rights to do so with mine, and if they did I would expect a royalty from the proceeds). Video rental outlets, for example, require a licensing agreement with the film studios' distributors, and I see no reason why ebooks should be any different.

Each of these sites allows you to see and make requests for ebooks no members may actually have to loan (now or ever), but Lendle has a handy "Available Now" feature that only shows you books that are actually available for loan at the moment. Otherwise you simply have to make a request and hope somebody fills it, although it may be days or months, or even never for the rarer or less popular titles. And, of course, not all books are loan-enabled by their publishers, and some of these sites inform you of this while others don't. You'll just have to check them out and see which meets your needs.

2010 by the Numbers...

The International Data Corp (IDC) yesterday released a report detailing the final figures for 2010 tablet and e-reader device sales, detailing the booming digital trend. Overall sales blew out all predicted estimates by quite a bit (even IDC's own from January), including a whopping leap for dedicated e-readers from the Yankee Group's earlier estimate of 5.99 million units by year end to an actual figure of 12.8 million, a 338% increase from the prior year's total of 2.92 million. More than 6 million units shipped in the final quarter of 2010 alone, twice as many in three months as all of 2009 combined.

Revised e-Reader Sales Estimates

Consequently, I've updated the original Yankee Group projections chart for e-Reader sales to include the actual figures for the year, with revised estimates extrapolated across the next three years (assuming a relatively stable and sustained increase of around 200% growth, rather than the more voracious 300+%). In all likelihood, dedicated e-Reader sales will taper off a bit this year, with most of the attention focused on tablet competition.

Breaking down the numbers, Amazon held on to first place, with their lead however shrinking to just 48% of market share, up from January's 41.5% but down a ways from last February when they held somewhere around a 65% share. Doing the math, that means Amazon sold some 5.76 million Kindles throughout 2010. In the meantime, the NookColor was born and Pandigital's Novel line apparently took off: the former just barely eked out the second spot, with Pandigital coming in a narrow third. Hanvon claimed the fourth spot with its line of eInk readers, including the first release of a color e-Ink screen. Meanwhile, Sony Reader came in a distant fifth with a total of 800,000 units sold for 6.25% of sales (and that was up 80.7% during the final quarter of the year). Exact percentages weren't provided in the press release, but based on those that were, as well as January's figures, the split should look something like 48/18/16/8/6, give or take, with a little left for the bottom feeders. Interestingly, fourth place Hanvon wasn't in the January picture at all.

And that's just the story for dedicated e-readers, which does not include multi-function tablets.

In that category the final tally topped out at an astounding 18.1 million units. Apple held on to an 83% share, down ten percent overall from its earlier high of 93% due to a weaker 73% showing in the fourth quarter, a drop brought on almost entirely by the release of Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which came away with 17% of holiday season sales. And while tablet sales are expected to soar this year, the competition will increase as well. However, with media tablets on track to reach 50 million by the end of 2011, each percentage point will account for roughly three times the volume of 2010. In other words, Apple would have to lose a lot of ground not to top the iPad's first impressive year.

One of the more interesting aspects of all this is the ratio of tablet sales to that of dedicated e-Readers. With the latter achieving only 70% of the volume of the former, and color touchscreen readers gaining ground, expect to see a completely revamped Kindle out this August.

Free eBook Giveaway!

In recognition of "Read An eBook Week," through this coming Saturday I will be giving away an unlimited number of copies of "The Saga of Beowulf, Part I: The Land of Death & Shadow" in unprotected ePub, Kindle, and PDF formats. This is the complete 343-page first book in the 2010 two part Revised Edition.

To download your FREE eBook in the format of your choice, either "friend" me and send a message via Facebook, or sign up for my mailing list at Fantasy Castle Books. Be sure to mention your preferred format and provide a name and email address to which I can reply with a download link (I will only use your contact info to send you periodic updates on my upcoming book projects, occasionally with links to bonus materials available to list members only!).

In addition, share this giveaway with a friend and complete the series by receiving a link to download the 340-page ebook of "Part II: The Land of Ice & Fire" for FREE as well! Just have your friend mention your name when they contact me for their free ebook of Part I, and I'll forward the second link to you right away. But be sure to hurry, as this is a limited time offer!

All files are unprotected and free for personal use, so once you've downloaded the format of your choice, feel free to make as many copies as you like and give them out to all your friends and family (cheapest birthday present ever!). And for more about the books, including "behind the scenes" production drafts and artwork, author's notes and study guides, visit the Saga of Beowulf pages at fantasycastlebooks.com.

Read an eBook Week

Click for Hi-Rez Promo Sheet to Print and Post!

Today officially begins this year's installment of "Read an e-Book Week," first recognized in 2004 as an effort to promote the benefits of electronic texts, from increasing literacy via widespread ebook distribution to the practical convenience of e-bookshelf portability. Authors, publishers and retailers around the world are joining together to offer discounts and specials throughout the week, including a number of giveaways and contests with prizes donated by the likes of eInk and Kobo.

With this year marking the 40th anniversary of the e-book, the week-long celebration offers a wide variety of events worldwide, including digital book readings by authors in schools and libraries, as well as promotional booths and kiosks in malls and bookstores everywhere. Visit the eBook Week website to find out where and when, and be sure to enter the contests to win one of three Kobo eReaders, two eInk watches or a Barnes & Noble Nook. And of course, be sure to check out all the info on the site, from the history of electronic texts and readers to an explanation of how e-ink works.

But most important, be sure to read an eBook this week!