Mega retailer Wal-Mart and online shopping giant Amazon.com are locked in a price war, sending the prices  of some new, highly-anticipated hardcover titles down to $9 from both retailers and causing book retailers across the country to have to reevaluate their prices. Wal-Mart initiated the war, cutting prices yesterday to $10, a move that was followed by Amazon and has resulted in what amounts to a retail brawl.
Analysts watching the situation have suggested that Wal-Mart’s latest round of price cuts are positioning the company to become as massive of a force in the world of online retail as they are in the brick-and-mortar …read more

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, book giant Barnes & Noble has plans to begin selling its own electronic reader as a direct competitor to Amazon’s popular Kindle. The newspaper said that Barnes & Noble could begin selling its new product as early as next month and that there is no word on the e-reader’s retail price.
Barnes & Noble, however, has not released any statements confirming or denying its plans to begin selling an e-reader. According to a company spokesperson, Barnes & Noble does support the idea of a portable e-reader and believes that readers should be …read more

It’s time for this week’s edition of prizes for writers. There are some great contests to enter this week, so check them out.
If you entered all of the contests last week, the old listings are marked with an asterisk so you can avoid entering them again.
Just to be clear, you can’t enter any of these contests here (unless otherwise specified). You have to visit the blog sponsoring the contest or giveaway and follow their directions. I’ve screened out anything that is a sweepstakes with millions of entries or looks like a scam, but if you come across something that just …read more

Usually, I post this list on Mondays, so I have to apologize that yesterday just ran away from me – and it is already Tuesday evening! That’s the life of a freelance writer, a slave to the deadlines. So, sorry for a late list this week. I’ll be back next week on Monday – promise!
It’s time for this week’s edition of prizes for writers. There are some great contests to enter this week, so check them out.
If you entered all of the contests last week, the old listings are marked with an asterisk so you can avoid entering them again.
Just …read more

Missed opportunities can hurt your bottom line. If you had a natural tie-in to a big holiday or event, you’d be crazy not to take advantage of it, right? Yet companies miss the opportunity all the time.
When The Time Traveler’s Wife came out in theaters, I heard a lot from friends about how great the book was. While some wanted to see the movie and some didn’t, they all agreed the book was worth the time. Well, I love a good novel. So I made a point to stop by the bookstore when I had time. Since this was just …read more

It’s time for this week’s edition of prizes for writers. There are some great contests to enter this week, so check them out.
If you entered all of the contests last week, the old listings are marked with an asterisk so you can avoid entering them again.
Just to be clear, you can’t enter any of these contests here (unless otherwise specified). You have to visit the blog sponsoring the contest or giveaway and follow their directions. I’ve screened out anything that is a sweepstakes with millions of entries or looks like a scam, but if you come across something that just …read more

President Obama is leaving for vacation, and the white house released a list of the books he checked out to take with him. Here’s his summer reading list:

The Way Home by George Pelecanos
Lush Life by Richard Price
Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Tom Friedman
John Adams by David McCullough
Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Obviously, having the president pick up your book is a major publicity boost. I’m sure that these publishers are jumping up and down with excitement.
Now, I’m guessing that Obama doesn’t get a ton of time to read, which is unfortunate. Hell, I barely have time for pleasure reading, and my job …read more

It’s time for this week’s edition of prizes for writers. There are some great contests to enter this week, so check them out.
If you entered all of the contests last week, the old listings are marked with an asterisk so you can avoid entering them again.
Just to be clear, you can’t enter any of these contests here (unless otherwise specified). You have to visit the blog sponsoring the contest or giveaway and follow their directions. I’ve screened out anything that is a sweepstakes with millions of entries or looks like a scam, but if you come across something that just …read more

This is the first edition of Prizes for Writers here at Bizzia Freelance! Every Monday (usually morning – I’m running late with this list), I’ll post contests that other bloggers are holding around the Internet for things that freelancers could really use. There are two categories – the first will have all the books you can win and the second will have office supplies, computer products, ad space, etc.
Just to be clear, you can’t enter any of these contests here (unless otherwise specified). You have to visit the blog sponsoring the contest or giveaway and follow their directions. I’ve screened …read more

Whereas at one point they seemed like an impractical luxury that would never catch on, e-readers, such as the popular Amazon Kindle unveiled in 2007, may soon be as become a major player in the electronics industry. As more and more competitors enter the market to try to unseat the Kindle as the most popular e-reader, consumers will see prices fall and availability skyrocket.
 
Analysts do not expect e-readers to approach the popularity of MP3 players, which quickly achieved 50 million sales within five years of their introduction. However, analysts are expecting the number of e-readers to rapidly increase, ending up …read more