In new this week (well, some from last week, but ssh), Barnes and Noble have announced PubIt, which offers self-publishers a deal similar to Amazon: 65% of royalties for $2.99-$9.99 prices, and %40 for either side - less than Amazon in the 'sweet' spot, but more outside it. There've been reports of teething troubles, but that's hardly surprising for new ventures.

Speaking of price, Steve Saus has some interesting thoughts on the morality of ebook pricing, from a reader's perspective - why it is we feel ebooks are worth less. He makes a good point about the difference between worth and cost, and asks why we're so adamant that ebooks not be shared when we'd happily share one copy of the latest Pratchett with half the family and a small circle of friends. Meanwhile, Richard Mabry has some great insights into what those Amazon rankings actually mean for authors (both a lot, and hardly anything) and how they work.

In more writerly news, there's a fantastic post from Ray Rhamey on Flogging the Quill on writing bad guys. In essence, treat them as the protagonist of their own story. He has some really interesting points to make.

And because I adore it: the latest Simon's Cat.