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By Samantha Handler
States that want to give libraries a better deal on e-books are watching a publishers’ suit against Maryland, the first state to set terms for how digital books are distributed for public borrowing.
Library associations, including the American Library Association and several state groups, have been pushing for state laws to require publishers to distribute digital works to libraries on “reasonable” terms that the states would set. The groups say libraries pay too much for electronic books and should be able to get them at lower prices.
The bills and the law enacted in Maryland have set off alarm bells for authors and publishers who fear the legislation encroaches on copyrights.
Similar suits to the one in Maryland by the Association of American Publishers might follow if bills in other states move forward, copyright attorneys, publishing industry lobbyists and others said. They say the bills propose a radical rewriting of the copyright system that only Congress is able to change.
A hearing on a preliminary injunction on the law’s implementation will be held in early February. Maryland on Friday filed a responsesaying the suit should be dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which the court can grant relief.
“The Maryland case is very, very significant because we’re hoping and believe the court will say, ‘You can’t do this. This is unconstitutional,’” said Keith Kupferschmid, the president of the Copyright Alliance, a nonprofit that represents a broad group of creators. “And, presumably, other states would at least be a little more cautious. Hopefully they wouldn’t introduce the bills at all.”
Library associations are watching what happens in Maryland to decide how to proceed in other states. Bills are pending in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and legislation is likely to be reintroduced with some changes in New York after Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) vetoed an earlier version, citing preemption by the Copyright Act.
Library officials back the bills so they can loosen restrictions on the number of digital works that can circulate and not let publishers dictate pricing terms, said John Chrastka, the executive director of the EveryLibrary Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for library funding.
The Rhode Island and Massachusetts bills are based on the Maryland law. Supporters hope the bills can either be redrafted to avoid similar lawsuits or that the Maryland court will throw out the case.
In New York, Brianna McNamee, the New York Library Association’s director of government relations and advocacy, said the bill Hochul vetoed will likely be tweaked based on recommendations from her office.
“The bill’s viability in its current form is contingent on that pending litigation in Maryland,” McNamee said. “In a perfect world, if the suit goes away it would be our hope that it would provide reassurance to the governor and her staff that New York state won’t be sued upon enacting similar legislation.”
It’s not clear that the Maryland law is preempted by the Copyright Act, said Alan Inouye, the senior director of public policy and government relations for the American Library Association. The AAP’s claims aren’t valid in terms of copyright law because it’s actually a matter of contract law, Inouye said.
The bills could be changed to root the remedy in state contract law rather than the Copyright Act, Chrastka said. The EveryLibrary Institute has encouraged the Massachusetts State Assembly to evaluate the legislation, suggesting modifications to embed it in contract law.
Other states are also considering proposing similar bills, but are waiting on the Maryland lawsuit, Chrastka said.
“The problem with the AAP lawsuit is it’s had a chilling effect on other conversations,” Chrastka said. “A state by state approach to enshrining the rights of the library as a buyer in contract law kind of framework might be the best approach until Congress has the courage to crack it open in a fair way.”
The Maryland law and the similar legislation are preempted by the federal Copyright Act, which gives copyright owners a bundle of exclusive rights, including being able to decide when and how their works are distributed, Mary Rasenberger, the CEO of the Authors Guild, said.
The AAP and proponents of the lawsuit said they support public libraries and that libraries are essential in expanding readership, but the Maryland law has the potential to harm creators and weaken the copyright system.
“The public libraries are an important piece of providing public access, but they don’t operate alone in a vacuum,” said Maria A. Pallante, the CEO of the Association of American Publishers.
The Motion Picture Association, the National Music Publishers Association, and the News Media Alliance also oppose the bills because they say there could be a potential domino effect in states also creating compulsory licenses for other creative works besides e-books.
“The other industries are concerned because if states start doing this,” Rasenberger said, “then the next thing down the line is going to be movies and television programming.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Samantha Handler in Washington at shandler@bloombergindustry.com
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Renee Schoof at rschoof@bloombergindustry.com; Keith Perine at kperine@bloomberglaw.com
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By Tom Bedford published 25 September 21
When you’re buying a new Amazon Kindle, unless you’re looking at the base model which only comes in 8GB, you’re going to be presented with a choice regarding how much storage space you want.
Both the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis come in 8GB or 32GB memory options, with the latter costing more but giving you way more space on your device. If you’re buying a new ereader, it can be hard to know if it’s worth splashing out for more storage.
Don’t fret, though, as this guide will explain to you just how much space each book on an Amazon Kindle takes up, so you can use your reading habits to work out how much space you need, and which Kindle model you should buy.
There are lots of figures thrown out on the internet regarding the size of ebooks on forums and websites, which can lead to some confusion. 
Luckily, for all the ebooks sold on Amazon’s web store, the company provides figures regarding the file size as well as the page count. To give you an idea as to how big certain texts are, and how many of them you could fit on a certain size ereader, check out the graph below.

A single gigabyte, or GB, equals a million kilobytes, or KB. The table above should give you some sense as to how many ebooks fit on a Kindle. In short, there’s plenty of space for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of books. Obviously you won’t be downloading the same title 20,000 times, but it gives a sense of how many books you can get at one time.
If you’ve looked at how many ebooks fit on a certain storage space of ereader, and are scratching your heads thinking ‘the math there doesn’t add up’ – you’re actually correct. 
The Kindle system itself takes up about 2GB, so if you buy an 8GB ereader you’re actually getting about 6GB usable space, and if you pick up the 32GB model you’re looking at about 30GB space. We’ve therefore used the usable space in the sums above.
Using the above graph, you’d think than an 8GB was enough for a Kindle, and you’d be right – if books are the only thing you look at.
But some people use Kindles for comic books too, and they can take up a lot more space. Check out the graph below for 

With their detailed pages and drawings, comic books take up a lot more space than novels, even without the color. That’s not the only kind of file you can access on Kindle though, as you can download and listen to audio books too.
Neither Amazon nor Audible, Amazon’s audiobook company, reveals the figures on how much storage an audiobook takes up, but it’s a lot more than your average book or graphic novel. You’ll only be able to download a handful on an 8GB Kindle, and only a few more on the bigger device.

As the above stats show, books barely take any storage space compared to other file formats. So if you’re only using your Kindle to download text books, 8GB storage is more than enough.
However, if you use your Kindle for other things like comic books or audiobooks, it’s probably worth splashing out for the 32GB model – this’ll ensure you’ve got enough space to download whole graphic novel volumes or series of audiobooks.
Some people also choose to download work documents on the Kindle and keep them installed, and if that’s you, perhaps 32GB will be preferable – it ensures you don’t have to keep deleting documents if you near the limit. 
Tom’s role in the TechRadar team is to specialize in phones and tablets, but he also takes on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working in TechRadar freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. Outside of TechRadar he works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.
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Signing out of account, Standby…
If you’re not doing any for your business, you’re potentially leaving money on the table.
When entrepreneurs think of getting into the media, they often think of magazines, newspapers, TV and radio.
But podcasts are a growing, and still often-overlooked, form of media that can dramatically benefit all types of entrepreneurs and experts.
According to Buzzsprout, only 22 percent of American adults in the early 2000s knew the term podcast. Currently, the estimated number is 78 percent.
For those who don’t know, a podcast is generally a series of audio-only episodes surrounding a central theme. It’s sort of a mix of blogging and radio, though there are some distinct differences.
For example, podcast interviews are evergreen. Meaning, they last forever. Podcast hosts tend to publish their episodes on multiple websites and apps dedicated to this medium, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Google Podcasts, Blog Talk Radio and many more.
I’ve been on podcasts where the hosts also livestream the interview (including the video) to YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
Related: Why You Should Use Blogs and Podcasts to Market Your Business
While many people produce podcasts or do podcast interviews as a hobby, there are ways to monetize both ends of the spectrum.
For example, I had an interview with the Yeukai Business Show (a podcast based out of the United Kingdom that is in the top three percent of globally ranked podcasts). The host, Yeukai Kajidori, immediately introduced me to someone he had recently interviewed who was hoping to write a book. She and I had a conversation and she enrolled in my 90-day intensive — which was a $2,000 payday for me. (That investment has since gone up, by the way.) She finished her book during our time together and, as of the time of writing this article, is having it published.
I had another client, I’ll call her Anne, who sold 400 books from a single podcast interview. Since her royalties through Kindle Direct Publishing are $9.72 per book sold, she made $3,888 from a single interview!
Yet another client, I’ll call him Don, sold an $8,000 consulting package to someone who heard him on a podcast.
The list goes on and on. Podcasts, when used well, are an amazing tool to gain more sales…and you don’t even need a book to do it (though a book always helps you get interviews and have something to offer listeners right away)!
Related: 6 Reasons Why Podcast Guesting Is An Untapped Marketing Tool
While we’ll go deeper into the process of getting these opportunities in a future article, it’s fairly easy to get started with podcast interviews. Facebook groups and Clubhouse rooms dedicated to find a guest, be a guest abound.
While you should do more careful targeting later on, it’s fine to do a few interviews with any show related to your expertise just to get started and become known. Many of my recent podcast interviews came from referrals from other podcast hosts, so getting in the game so to speak is key.
Each podcast interview takes about 30 to 75 minutes of your time. Depending on your schedule and goals, you should aim to do at least one a month. Many folks, including myself, try for one a week. If you’re launching a book or a course, the more interviews the better.
When pitching yourself to a podcast or speaking on a podcast, avoid hard sales pitches. I think you know what I’m talking about. Do not basically order people to buy your product or service. I’ve heard of podcast hosts not publishing episodes where all the guest does is try to sell to the audience.
Podcast listeners want value. They are dedicating their time to listen to you. While they’re aware that you’re in business, they don’t want to hear sales pitches the entire time.
Most podcast hosts will let you put links in what they call show notes. Some have limits; others don’t. If you’re limited, I recommend a link to a free offer where listeners can leave their email address (aka they opt in), your LinkedIn profile and your most popular social media profile or your Facebook group. I still wouldn’t give 50 links; as one of my mentors, Ali Brown, once said in a virtual training class, “A confused mind says no.”
Related: How to Attract Sales Leads through Your Podcast Guest Appearance
Not everyone will mesh well, and that’s okay. But most of the time, you’ve started a relationship that’s worth continuing — and you need to nurture it.
Keep in touch with the podcast host. Most are happy to accept your friend request on social media. See if there are ways you can bring them more value.
In October 2021, I hosted a 30-plus speaker summit called The Visible Authority Virtual Event — Be Seen. Get Heard. Get Paid. Alex Villacis, host of Do I Need School to…invited me to do an Instagram Live with her to help drive members of her audience to my summit. This was only possible because we kept in touch after my interview with her about the book editing side of my business.
Another host, Heather Zeitzwolfe from the Get the Balance Right podcast, invited me to be a speaker on her Zoom networking event. People signed up for my free Business Book Blueprint five-day challenge as a result. I’ve also introduced potential virtual assistants and mentors to her.
People who saw me on the livestream of Nikki Johnson’s The Obstacle Overcomer podcast and Sheryl Plouffe’s Cash in on Camera podcast also participated in my five-day challenge.
I’ve referred multiple clients and business associates of mine to these podcasts as well as other podcasts.
The key is to treat every host you meet with respect, bring plenty of value to their audiences, keep in touch, believe in the power of your message and just get started.
Related: 3 Tips For Giving a Successful Podcast Interview
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Signing out of account, Standby…
The key to making any of these options work is to first decide what works best for you.
The internet has completely flipped the buying process on its head. In 2000, a Pew Research Center study found that only 22 percent of Americans were shopping online. Compare that to a more recent 2016 study that found that 79 percent of Americans make online purchases. Brick and mortar stores are closing. Shoppers now prefer shopping from the comfort of their homes and on their smartphones.
Related: 3 Things You Should Consider Before Listing Your Products on Amazon
These changes present an opportunity for entrepreneurs. You no longer need a physical storefront to have a thriving business. Here I’ve broken down the basics of five different options for online sales.
The basics

Amazon is the most famous ecommerce website. With $135.99 billion in net revenue last year, it’s also safe to say that Amazon is dominating the etail industry and crushing its competitors. 
How it works

For selling products, you’ll need to choose between Amazon’s two selling plans. At $39.99 per month, the Professional Plan is best suited for entrepreneurs with a higher sales volume (more than 40 items sold per month). The Individual Plan is better for smaller scale vendors. Users pay $0.99 for each item sold. After selecting your plan, create your account and register. You have the ability to sell products that are already listed on Amazon or upload new items. 
Amazon is also the No. 1 place for authors to sell books, musicians to sell recorded music and film makers to sell independent films. Amazon provides self publishing through its partner Createspace.
Benefits

Selling on Amazon has countless advantages for budding entrepreneurs. Many consumers prefer to buy through a website like Amazon which they know and trust. You also reap the benefits of Amazon’s high web traffic. Being listed on Amazon gives your company exposure to a big new pool of potential customers.
Related: 3 Major T’s to Cross Before Starting Your Online Store
The basics

Some entrepreneurs prefer to establish and manage their own online stores using an ecommerce solution.  Magento, Shopify and Woocommerce are the most popular platforms for doing this. 
How it works

Ecommerce platforms allow you to use a personal domain to set up an online storefront. They each have customizable themes to choose from, or you can create and upload your own theme. Using the platform, you upload your products, track inventory and fulfill orders.
Benefits

These platforms allow you to have a unique website that matches your brand and vision. In addition to this personal freedom, these sites also act as a CRM solution. They seamlessly integrate with apps such as Google Shopping and MailChimp as well as with social media platforms. They have different pricing plans, allowing you to choose the plan that best fits your needs. 
Related: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Ecommerce Platform
The basics

Facebook has over one billion users, making it a great selling space for entrepreneurs. With Facebook Store, users can make purchases right from your page.
How it works

Setting up your Facebook Store is very easy if you already use an ecommerce solution like Shopify or Magento.  Add the Facebook App to your store through your website and it’ll import your items directly to your Facebook Store. Don’t have an ecommerce site? That’s okay, too. You’ll just need to get the Facebook Store app and set it up that way.
Benefits

Your business already has a Facebook page, so why not turn it into a sales opportunity? After all, your customers probably visit Facebook more than your website. You can now reach them even when they’re not in “shopping mode.” Also, Facebook has sophisticated analytics that provide you with useful traffic reporting data.
Related: 6 Mistakes Your Ecommerce Store Must Avoid
The basics

Online courses and certifications have become increasingly popular. Take advantage of this by trend by selling your courses through websites like Udemy and Skillshare. 
How it works

Udemy allows entrepreneurs to upload PDFs, audio files, videos and PowerPoint presentations as course materials. It also has a message board that facilitates communication between students and instructors. Instead of monthly payments, Udemy collects 50 percent of your course sales if the site promotes it. If you promote your own courses, Udemy only takes 3 percent of your revenue. 
In Skillshare, courses are segmented into short, pre-recorded videos and culminate in a class project. Instructors earn royalties based on number of minutes their course videos are watched each month, and also make money on enrollment referrals. 
Benefits

People like elearning because of the flexibility and convenience of taking a course at their own pace. Traditional classroom learning simply isn’t possible for parents or people who work full-time. Udemy and Skillshare have both iOS and Google Play apps, allowing students to learn on the go on their smartphones. These sites also have huge customer bases, giving your course plenty of exposure. Udemy has a reported 15 million users, and Skillshare has 2 million. 
Related: What Small Businessed Need to Do to Win in Online Retail
The basics

More entrepreneurs are selling ebooks. Self-publishing allows people to write books without worrying about literary agents and publishers. Apple’s iBooks and Google Play are two of the most commonly used ebook stores.
How it works 

Selling your book on iBooks is easy. After completing a simple online signup, you’re able to sell your book. Apple takes a 30 percent commission per sale. 
With Google Play, you can sign up to be a seller using an existing Google account. Your book will be available for preview on Google Books. Publishers keep 52 percent of the revenue from their ebook sales.
Benefits

Selling ebooks democratizes the book industry. It’s much easier to self-publish than get your book picked up by a publisher and distributed in bookstores. With ebooks, you have control over your earnings, as you’re able to set your own book prices. Readers also like ebooks as they’re often less expensive than a paperback or hardcover book and allow them to read wherever they are without having to carry a book everywhere. 
Related: Will Facebook Marketplace Be the Next Ecommerce Heavyweight?
As you can see, you have many choices for where and how you sell your products and services online. All of the platforms I’ve described are solid options and have helped millions of entrepreneurs establish successful online businesses. 
The key to making any of these work is to first decide what works best for you. Do you have a flare for ecommerce? Do you understand how to sell products? Which products to sell? Do you understand inventory, promotions and the rest that comes along with being a eretailer?
Or, maybe that is not for you. Maybe you are more of a creative person. You have a story to tell, a book to write, a painting to paint? Then selling on Amazon, Etsy and the like may work best for you.
If you have loads of professional experience and want to teach the world, then developing and marketing a course may be your best bet. There are literally thousands of options here, so do your research and understand what pays best, where your audience is, how you need to produce with video and other content.
In the end, the choice is up to you. But, whatever you choose make sure that it aligns with your entrepreneurial brand, your experience and resources.
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Copyright © 2022 Entrepreneur Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Entrepreneur® and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media Inc.
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