Amazon Kindle scam net millions for self-publisher – A. V. Club

the

Photo: Amazon Photo: Amazon

Back in the day, you used to have to rely on a bad recommendation from a friend or a bookstore clerk to get duped into reading something not worth your time. Purpose thanks to new technology like the Kindle, thousands of terribly written best-selling books are right at your fingertips. What you may not realize is that your purchase of that top-trending digital rag is actually just a small part of a much larger, more insidious scam.

One such scam was recently uncovered by Zack Whittaker of ZDNet—forever known as the Woodward and Bernstein of e-books and fake reviews—and is reported to have made the scammers millions of dollars. Essentially, the grift works like this: A Vancouver-based engineer named Valeriy Shershnyov outsourced the writing of hundreds of "low-quality ebooks," which cover a wide range of mundane topics and are riddled with grammatical errors. He then formed a database of thousands of fake Amazon accounts that would download the e-books for free, boosting their position in Amazon’s rankings. Once these books are ranked high enough, they would revert back to their original price and everyone and their mother (read: mostly people’s mothers) would buy them.

The database of phony accounts (Screenshot: ZDNet)

If you’re a frequent purchaser of trending e-books then this whole scheme probably makes your blood boil. Especially since, as Whittaker notes, Shershnyov broke Amazon’s terms of service goal, "he hasn’t broken the law." Meaning pretty soon he could be back at it again under a different name, with a whole slew of newly minted crappy novels.

On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who blindly purchases a book with a badly photoshopped cover about homesteading or the art of cross-stitch just because the little list on your Kindle says it’s popular, maybe year e-book scam isn’t your most pressing problem.

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Amazon Kindle scam net millions for self-publisher – A. V. Club

the

Photo: Amazon Photo: Amazon

Back in the day, you used to have to rely on a bad recommendation from a friend or a bookstore clerk to get duped into reading something not worth your time. Purpose thanks to new technology like the Kindle, thousands of terribly written best-selling books are right at your fingertips. What you may not realize is that your purchase of that top-trending digital rag is actually just a small part of a much larger, more insidious scam.

One such scam was recently uncovered by Zack Whittaker of ZDNet—forever known as the Woodward and Bernstein of e-books and fake reviews—and is reported to have made the scammers millions of dollars. Essentially, the grift works like this: A Vancouver-based engineer named Valeriy Shershnyov outsourced the writing of hundreds of "low-quality ebooks," which cover a wide range of mundane topics and are riddled with grammatical errors. He then formed a database of thousands of fake Amazon accounts that would download the e-books for free, boosting their position in Amazon’s rankings. Once these books are ranked high enough, they would revert back to their original price and everyone and their mother (read: mostly people’s mothers) would buy them.

The database of phony accounts (Screenshot: ZDNet)

If you’re a frequent purchaser of trending e-books then this whole scheme probably makes your blood boil. Especially since, as Whittaker notes, Shershnyov broke Amazon’s terms of service goal, "he hasn’t broken the law." Meaning pretty soon he could be back at it again under a different name, with a whole slew of newly minted crappy novels.

On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who blindly purchases a book with a badly photoshopped cover about homesteading or the art of cross-stitch just because the little list on your Kindle says it’s popular, maybe year e-book scam isn’t your most pressing problem.

Send your Great Job, Internet tips to GJI@avclub.com

Share Tweet

More Great Job, Internet!

Previous Great Job, Internet! Two New Zealanders made the yugest Donald Trump game of the election

Next Great Job, Internet! The Simpsons are back, in graph form

WATCH VIDEO FROM THE A. V. CLUB

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Good ideas for the Kobo Aura One – Metro Montreal

The Kobo Aura One is an ereader imperfect which is toutde even a wind of freshness.

A larger size, a water resistant design, a software to borrow easily books to the library, and a backlit display that fits at night to avoid eyestrain: the Kobo ereader Will be One offers several new features original and appreciated. Good ideas, yes, but the execution could be improved.

After two launches successive this year for Amazon and its range of Kindle, the manufacturer Kobo finally returns this month with its new ereader Will have One.

The good
Some of the new features of the Kobo Aura One are excellent, without any downside. This is the case of the water-resistance of the device, which is obtained by protecting its internal components with a protective layer. The ereader is so thin since it must not be waterproof like the Kobo Aura H2O.

Many will enjoy the large screen of 7.8 inches of the device. It carries a little less well, but it displays in consideration a lot more of the text. Therefore, it is not necessary to change your page as often, and those who prefer large print, will be filled.

As always, the ereader Kobo is also equipped with a software able to read many more formats than the Kindle. While Amazon traps us in a prison of golden, Kobo allows us to buy our books where we want it thanks to its compatibility with the formats ePub and PDF. Yes, it is possible to read most of the files in the ecosystem of Amazon, but it is necessary to use software on a computer to convert its books, which is far from ideal.

The software of Kobo is more compatible with the service Pocket to easily transfer articles to read from his phone to his ereader, and it even allows you to borrow digital books at the library without leaving home.

improve
The borrowing of books was up to now quite difficult, and Kobo has attempted to simplify the process through the service, OverDrive, which allows, in theory to find and borrow books directly on its reader. Unfortunately, even if multiple libraries in the montreal area are compatible with OverDrive, they are not necessarily with the version for e-readers of the service, which decreases for the moment, the interest of the feature.

The biggest new feature of the Kobo Aura One could well be its backlight ComfortLight Pro, which can now pass from the blue hues to an orange colour in the evening to help the readers to sleep.

This feature is reminiscent of the mode Night Shift, which was launched early this year on Apple iOS devices. The idea is great, especially as a good part of
readers use their ereader in the evening before sleep.

The screen is disappointing, but unfortunately a bit. The automatic adjustment tends to favor shades too dark and have to readjust constantly. And the backlight is uneven on the surface of the ereader. There is here nothing very serious, but this technology could be improved.

After getting used to the symmetrical design of the Kindle Oasis in the last few months (which allows you to keep its ereader with one hand or another and to change the page by pressing a button), it is also clear that the mechanism that should be used directly on the screen of the Kobo to advance in a book appeared to me as a flashback. However, it would have been difficult to do otherwise with an ereader of this size.

Despite its few aspects to be more negative, the Kobo Aura One is all in all an excellent ereader that offers several improvements to the original in an industry that had been stagnant for some time.

249,99 $ , it is more expensive than the other e-book readers, but it is at least considerably more affordable than the Kindle Oasis (399,99 $ ) while it is superior in several respects. Those to whom the large size of the Aura One should will not regret their purchase.

Also in digital Life :

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Good ideas for the Kobo Aura One – Metro Montreal

The Kobo Aura One is an ereader imperfect which is toutde even a wind of freshness.

A larger size, a water resistant design, a software to borrow easily books to the library, and a backlit display that fits at night to avoid eyestrain: the Kobo ereader Will be One offers several new features original and appreciated. Good ideas, yes, but the execution could be improved.

After two launches successive this year for Amazon and its range of Kindle, the manufacturer Kobo finally returns this month with its new ereader Will have One.

The good
Some of the new features of the Kobo Aura One are excellent, without any downside. This is the case of the water-resistance of the device, which is obtained by protecting its internal components with a protective layer. The ereader is so thin since it must not be waterproof like the Kobo Aura H2O.

Many will enjoy the large screen of 7.8 inches of the device. It carries a little less well, but it displays in consideration a lot more of the text. Therefore, it is not necessary to change your page as often, and those who prefer large print, will be filled.

As always, the ereader Kobo is also equipped with a software able to read many more formats than the Kindle. While Amazon traps us in a prison of golden, Kobo allows us to buy our books where we want it thanks to its compatibility with the formats ePub and PDF. Yes, it is possible to read most of the files in the ecosystem of Amazon, but it is necessary to use software on a computer to convert its books, which is far from ideal.

The software of Kobo is more compatible with the service Pocket to easily transfer articles to read from his phone to his ereader, and it even allows you to borrow digital books at the library without leaving home.

improve
The borrowing of books was up to now quite difficult, and Kobo has attempted to simplify the process through the service, OverDrive, which allows, in theory to find and borrow books directly on its reader. Unfortunately, even if multiple libraries in the montreal area are compatible with OverDrive, they are not necessarily with the version for e-readers of the service, which decreases for the moment, the interest of the feature.

The biggest new feature of the Kobo Aura One could well be its backlight ComfortLight Pro, which can now pass from the blue hues to an orange colour in the evening to help the readers to sleep.

This feature is reminiscent of the mode Night Shift, which was launched early this year on Apple iOS devices. The idea is great, especially as a good part of
readers use their ereader in the evening before sleep.

The screen is disappointing, but unfortunately a bit. The automatic adjustment tends to favor shades too dark and have to readjust constantly. And the backlight is uneven on the surface of the ereader. There is here nothing very serious, but this technology could be improved.

After getting used to the symmetrical design of the Kindle Oasis in the last few months (which allows you to keep its ereader with one hand or another and to change the page by pressing a button), it is also clear that the mechanism that should be used directly on the screen of the Kobo to advance in a book appeared to me as a flashback. However, it would have been difficult to do otherwise with an ereader of this size.

Despite its few aspects to be more negative, the Kobo Aura One is all in all an excellent ereader that offers several improvements to the original in an industry that had been stagnant for some time.

249,99 $ , it is more expensive than the other e-book readers, but it is at least considerably more affordable than the Kindle Oasis (399,99 $ ) while it is superior in several respects. Those to whom the large size of the Aura One should will not regret their purchase.

Also in digital Life :

Previous Next

Share :

Good Plan : ereader ebook Kindle Paperwhite promo – IDBOOX

the

This is a nice promotion for the new school year that provides Amazon with the kindle ebooks Kindle PaperWhite . The merchant site provides 23% discount on its reader headlamp to read in digital.

To read thousands of book from a device that weighs only a few grams, just download directly 24 hours on 24 from the device or via the Amazon website.

The books are synced in your device. The start of the literary is available in e-book format and lower price.

The ereader Kindle paperwhite is offered until September 6, 2016 9am, at 99.99 euros instead of 130 euros, this is the time to enjoy it for a back full of good resolutions.

To take advantage of this Good Plan, Click here

check out our topic Bons Plans

*limited time Offer within the limit of stocks available

WIndows 10 : Microsoft is working on the concern related to the Kindle – Next INpact

The Anniversary Update of Windows 10 is not that happy. In addition to the concern about the webcams, the Microsoft faced another problem, related to some models of Kindle. The publisher has indicated that a fix was in the pipeline.

The version 1607 Windows 10, arrived there about three weeks, brought a good number of small additions everywhere, including on the interface friction zones were polished. Unfortunately, this major upgrade had several problems, which webcams have had the echo, the more resounding.

TheAnniversary Update causes yet another problem, linked to the Kindle. The evidence pointing towards a PC crash as soon as a reader ofAmazon is plugged into USB. It is not known, nor how, nor why the crash occurs, as much as this type of “crash” has become quite rare over time, often due to a faulty driver.

Asked about the issue, the editor did eventually speak on the topic, with a short response to mary Jo Foley of ZDNet : “We are aware of a problem with a small number of Kindle Voyager and Paperwhite, causing unexpected behavior when they are connected to devices such as Windows 10 after you have installed theAnniversary Update. We are currently working on a hotfix to resolve the situation “.

interesting Answer, because it shows that eventually all Kindle are not affected. Microsoft speaks also of ” a small number “, but it is difficult to get a precise idea of the situation. The publisher also provides no date on the arrival of the patch saving, but a new cumulative update (14393.103) is in preparation, with a supposed date of the arrival of the Tuesday 30 August.

Vincent Hermann

Writer/journalist specializing in the software and in particular operating systems. Never travels without his sword.

Kindle Paperwhite : the kindle that makes it crash Windows 10 Anniversary Update – Silicon

the

New issues for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. To crash the OS of Microsoft, just try to connect a ereader to Kindle (or Kobo).

Since the arrival of Windows Vista, the blue screens of Windows are now rare. But they have not really disappeared. The proof with this new mishap that is affecting the BONE flagship of Microsoft, Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

many users have complained of crashes that are severe Windows 10, when they connect to the machine their ereader Kindle Paperwhite. A simple device, seen by most of the OS as a system of external storage, so can plant purely and simply the OS of the biggest software publisher on the planet.

The most effective solution – in the meanwhile a hotfix from Microsoft – is to plug in the ereader to the PC when this last is turned off or in standby. At its inception, the presence of the reader will not crash.

It seems that the problem vienna a faulty driver of Windows 10. Driver also used by other e-readers (or other devices connecting in MTP). Crashes similar have been reported by the owners of Kobo.

The driver issues are one of the plagues of Windows 10. The OS will load by default to apply its own drivers, or the ones found on Windows Update. Problem : they are sometimes too old and can cause a variety of concerns.

the Latest examples : audio driver Realtek, including the version provided by Microsoft offers an echo distracting, or the AHCI driver, of the firm of Redmond, which causes slowdowns and errors with some SSD connected to on machines with Intel chipset (problem unfortunately very common, but difficult to detect and diagnose).

In also read :
The pitfalls of Windows 10 Anniversary Update
End of career on October 14, 2025 for Windows 10
The Xbox One adopts the universal apps Windows 10

photo Credit : © Amazon

Kindle Paperwhite : the kindle that makes it crash Windows 10 Anniversary Update – Silicon

the

New issues for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. To crash the OS of Microsoft, just try to connect a ereader to Kindle (or Kobo).

Since the arrival of Windows Vista, the blue screens of Windows are now rare. But they have not really disappeared. The proof with this new mishap that is affecting the BONE flagship of Microsoft, Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

many users have complained of crashes that are severe Windows 10, when they connect to the machine their ereader Kindle Paperwhite. A simple device, seen by most of the OS as a system of external storage, so can plant purely and simply the OS of the biggest software publisher on the planet.

The most effective solution – in the meanwhile a hotfix from Microsoft – is to plug in the ereader to the PC when this last is turned off or in standby. At its inception, the presence of the reader will not crash.

It seems that the problem vienna a faulty driver of Windows 10. Driver also used by other e-readers (or other devices connecting in MTP). Crashes similar have been reported by the owners of Kobo.

The driver issues are one of the plagues of Windows 10. The OS will load by default to apply its own drivers, or the ones found on Windows Update. Problem : they are sometimes too old and can cause a variety of concerns.

the Latest examples : audio driver Realtek, including the version provided by Microsoft offers an echo distracting, or the AHCI driver, of the firm of Redmond, which causes slowdowns and errors with some SSD connected to on machines with Intel chipset (problem unfortunately very common, but difficult to detect and diagnose).

In also read :
The pitfalls of Windows 10 Anniversary Update
End of career on October 14, 2025 for Windows 10
The Xbox One adopts the universal apps Windows 10

photo Credit : © Amazon

With the Bottom Kindle to read, Amazon gives to read more … – Actualitté.com

the

Zhao ! , CC BY 2.0

Dave Limp, vice-president of devices and services at Amazon, responsible for : the operation aims to cover the entire world of books, and most importantly, solutions to read. “Our vision has always been to ensure that everyone can access our books anywhere in the world, in less than 60 seconds. ” however, in spite of this willingness, it is clear that this is not yet the case. The Merits of reading, Kindle will attempt to remedy a situation of injustice, while spreading the good word of the format owner.

The playback devices will first be given in institutions – schools, libraries, and hospitals. Subsequently, organizations will join the operation, in order to ensure a wider distribution yet.

And point the collaboration that has been going on for many years with the association Worldreader. Over the past six years, she has managed to provide 4 million readers Kindle ebook, through its agreement with the company of Jeff Bezos. Operation Kindle Reading Fund will support the deployment, and speed it up.

Because, in fact, this announcement is rather to formalize the work completed by the company while launching calls for donations, offering to submit projects that could benefit from the KRF.

” In the context of our contribution to the communities where our customers and employees live and work, we have given thousands of readers Kindle and tablet Fire in schools and libraries around the world, ” says the firm. In the case of KRF, Worldreader will be amongst the first partners, and the other three will be revealed later.

However, behind the effort of philanthropy, no one will forget that Amazon is also trying to deploy on a multitude of territories. Offer the devices is not really a problem : the firm has never concealed that his real core business was to sell content. The machines are primarily used to capture the customer, who will then be forced to pass by the proprietary solutions.

Certainly, the reading will win the hearts, the loyalty of potential customers – and certainly able to capitalize on the future.

moreover, this program is not exclusive to Amazon : Apple has also implemented a similar program, in particular in the framework of the project of president Barack Obama, 2014 ConnectED. Thus, Cupertino had offered ipads to students in 114 schools across the United States.

© 2007 – 2016 – Actualitte.com. All rights reserved.

Connect your Kindle to your computer, make planting Windows 10… – Ubergizmo FR (Blog)

the

Certainly, the Anniversary Update of Windows 10, causes a lot of problems. If we had already taken the time to highlight the problems that are experienced by the update, it was spent next to this amazing bug, making it impossible for any contact between the OS of Microsoft and the e-reader from Amazon !

indeed : it would seem that the Kindle has developed this original function, allowing it to crash Windows 10 Anniversary Update in less than two. Connect an ereader to the Kindle (or Kobo !) for automatically dropping the nose to nose with a beautiful blue screen, signing the reboot of your machine, and an annoyance to legitimate as a reward.

It seems that this is more particularly the Kindle Paperwhite, which is at the origin of this surprising behavior, even if users of e-readers Kobo have also reported to have met with a concern similar. Waiting for a fix, we advise you to connect your device Kindle to your computer in Windows 10 while it is in standby or off. Apparently, it seems to be working…

Connect your Kindle to your computer, make planting Windows 10… – Ubergizmo FR (Blog)

the

Certainly, the Anniversary Update of Windows 10, causes a lot of problems. If we had already taken the time to highlight the problems that are experienced by the update, it was spent next to this amazing bug, making it impossible for any contact between the OS of Microsoft and the e-reader from Amazon !

indeed : it would seem that the Kindle has developed this original function, allowing it to crash Windows 10 Anniversary Update in less than two. Connect an ereader to the Kindle (or Kobo !) for automatically dropping the nose to nose with a beautiful blue screen, signing the reboot of your machine, and an annoyance to legitimate as a reward.

It seems that this is more particularly the Kindle Paperwhite, which is at the origin of this surprising behavior, even if users of e-readers Kobo have also reported to have met with a concern similar. Waiting for a fix, we advise you to connect your device Kindle to your computer in Windows 10 while it is in standby or off. Apparently, it seems to be working…

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With the Bottom Kindle to read, Amazon gives to read more … – Actualitté.com

the

Zhao ! , CC BY 2.0

Dave Limp, vice-president of devices and services at Amazon, responsible for : the operation aims to cover the entire world of books, and most importantly, solutions to read. “Our vision has always been to ensure that everyone can access our books anywhere in the world, in less than 60 seconds. ” however, in spite of this willingness, it is clear that this is not yet the case. The Merits of reading, Kindle will attempt to remedy a situation of injustice, while spreading the good word of the format owner.

The playback devices will first be given in institutions – schools, libraries, and hospitals. Subsequently, organizations will join the operation, in order to ensure a wider distribution yet.

And point the collaboration that has been going on for many years with the association Worldreader. Over the past six years, she has managed to provide 4 million readers Kindle ebook, through its agreement with the company of Jeff Bezos. Operation Kindle Reading Fund will support the deployment, and speed it up.

Because, in fact, this announcement is rather to formalize the work completed by the company while launching calls for donations, offering to submit projects that could benefit from the KRF.

” In the context of our contribution to the communities where our customers and employees live and work, we have given thousands of readers Kindle and tablet Fire in schools and libraries around the world, ” says the firm. In the case of KRF, Worldreader will be amongst the first partners, and the other three will be revealed later.

However, behind the effort of philanthropy, no one will forget that Amazon is also trying to deploy on a multitude of territories. Offer the devices is not really a problem : the firm has never concealed that his real core business was to sell content. The machines are primarily used to capture the customer, who will then be forced to pass by the proprietary solutions.

Certainly, the reading will win the hearts, the loyalty of potential customers – and certainly able to capitalize on the future.

moreover, this program is not exclusive to Amazon : Apple has also implemented a similar program, in particular in the framework of the project of president Barack Obama, 2014 ConnectED. Thus, Cupertino had offered ipads to students in 114 schools across the United States.

© 2007 – 2016 – Actualitte.com. All rights reserved.