This week we chat with New York Times Bestselling and Parsec Award Winning Author Scott Sigler. Host Mark Jeffrey also gives away a free iPad!

Coming up:
Why is a New York Times Bestselling author willingly and enthusiastically going back to self-publishing?  The answer to this with my guest Scott Sigler coming up on This Week In Books starting right now.

Announcements:

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Welcome New York Times Bestselling and Parsec Award Winning Author Scott Sigler

Thanks for being the show — I know you recently did Adam Carolla’s show, so thanks for stooping to be on our little program.

1. So first congrats on your Parsec!  That eluded you for how long?  What is a Parsec?
2. What’re you up to now?  What’s you latest?  Ancestor? the Rookie and the Starter?
3. How many books do you have total on the marketplace?

Let’s roll Ancestor Book Trailer

What do you think about Book Trailers?  Why not one for Rookie / Starter?

3. Now you published Infected and Contagious, became NYT Bestselling author … then starting publishing your own books.
5. Why didn’t you use Lulu?  And who did you end up using?
6. Why do you run your own warehouse and ship on your own books?

7. Who else is doing this?  Did you just make this model up on your own?
8. How does you agent feel about you having a parallel indy-publishing business?
9. Can you tell us what sort of sales you need to see to be profitable?
10. How much more profitable is this than getting a big-name publishing deal?
11.  Now I see you on iTunes New and Notable in the podcasting section.  I see Ancestor up there … how are you managing to publish this as a free audiobook when you have a legit publisher?
12. What happened to the relationship with Podiobooks?  I see you are your own publisher … ?

WHAT CHOO READING?
Tell us what books are on the Nightstand of D00M

NEWS:

1. As BlackBerry unveiled the new PlayBook tablet, our eBookNewser blog broke the news that Amazon already has an app ready for it.
You can check out the specs, shape, and details on the new 7-inch tablet with an LCD screen at this link.  UPDATE: eBookNewser has more about a Kobo Blackberry app from Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis: “The app will let readers Shop with a friend, read with a group, exchange passages, and discuss the book in real-time.” WattPad will have a new app for the tablet device as well.
Q: Sigler: What do you think of the ebook revolution — Kindles, Kindle apps, iPads, Android Tablets … and how does it affect your self-publishing empire?

2. Today Amazon launched Kindle for the Web, allowing readers to sample books through a web browser instead of a Kindle interface.
eBookNewser has more: “In addition, bloggers and website owners who are participants in the Amazon Associates Program can embed samples of Kindle books on their sites. These website owners will earn referral fees from Amazon when customers complete book purchases using the links on their websites. Authors Karen McQuestion and John Miller already using the new service on their blogs. Consumers can read a free sample of their Kindle books on their sites.”
Q: Does THIS matter?  Does it compete with Scribd?

3. With The Social Network’s film release date looming close, who hasn’t heard the name Mark Zuckerberg floating around? Now the Facebook founder has his own comic book.
Bluewater Productions will release Mark Zuckerberg: Creator of Facebook in December. The comic was written by Jerome Maida, penciled by Sal Field, and the cover was designed by Michal Szyksznian. Bluewater plans for a 48-page finished product priced at $6.99. The comic attempts to answer the question, “Who is the real Mark Zuckerberg?”
Q: As a Master of Horror yourself, how high on the Horrorometer does this ascend?

4. HarperCollins will launch a new conservative books imprint, Broadside Books in January 2011. Adam Bellow has been named the head of this new division.
According to the New York Times, the imprint is currently set to publish titles including Death by Liberalism by J. R. Dunn, The Coming Entitlement Bomb by Peter Ferrara, and The Free Market Capitalist’s Survival Guide by Jerry Bowyer.
Q Is this the Fox News of book imprints?

A. and Scott of Dark Overlord Media