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<ul><li><keyword id="18635" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword> announced new and updated products at its 2022 Hardware Event.</li><li>The company introduced a new <keyword id="15119636" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kindle-scribe" source="Orion">Kindle Scribe</keyword> with an EMR stylus and updated Echos.</li><li>Pre-orders of new and updated products have already started.</li></ul>Ahead of the festive and holiday season, Amazon has introduced a slew of new and updated products, four Echo smart speakers, Kindle Scribe, Halo Rise sleep tracker, a new <keyword id="2180439" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="fire-tv" source="Orion">Fire TV</keyword> cube, Ring Spotlight Cam Pro, a new Fire TV voice remote, and new Fire TV Omni QLED series. Unlike Apple or Samsung, Amazon didn’t open this event to the public. The virtual event came up with some big surprises with new products on the line, starting with the new Kindle Scribe, which allows you to write upon. Also, Amazon took a step forward with quantum dot OLED tech in its smart TVs line-up. The Echo Dots also got some new kid-friendly characters along with an in-built temperature sensor. Amazon’s Astro robot is now capable of detecting pets and other objects around the house. Below, check out all the announcements, where we give a low-down of all products. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="New devices" comment="subhead" text="New devices">New devices</cmsannotation> <ul><li>Fire TV Omni QLED</li><li>Halo Rise</li><li>Kindle Scribe</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="New features" comment="subhead" text="New features">New features</cmsannotation> <ul><li>Astro robot can detect pets and call the emergency services</li><li>Echo Show 15 gets Fire TV</li><li><keyword id="4508893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="echo-devices" source="Orion">Echo devices</keyword> can extend your Wi-Fi network</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Updated devices" comment="subhead" text="Updated devices">Updated devices</cmsannotation> <ul><li>Echo Dot (5th Gen)</li><li>Echo Auto (2nd Gen)</li><li>Ring Spotlight Cam Pro and Alarm Panic Button</li><li>Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) and Alexa Voice Remote Pro</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="All new Kindle Scribe with stylus" comment="subhead" text="All new Kindle Scribe with stylus">All new Kindle Scribe with stylus</cmsannotation> This new variant of Kindle comes with a 10.2- inch display and an EMR stylus. With the new Kindle, Scribe users can take notes, using an EMR stylus. This device will cost $340, including a stylus. Additional, you can use Kindle Scribe to mark up PDFs and other documents, and it comes with a long battery life that can last weeks. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Echo smart speakers with matrix display" comment="subhead" text="Echo smart speakers with matrix display">Echo smart speakers with matrix display</cmsannotation> The E-commerce giant has announced four new Echo products, Echo Auto, the Echo Studio, The Echo Dot Kids, and the Echo Dot with Clock. According to the company, the Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock have improved speakers to deliver two times the bass of the previous generation. The smart speakers have a new temperature sensor, which can automatically turn on your smart fan when it gets too warm inside. Devices have new gesture controls and a new display. Other than this, the new Echo Dot 5th Gen Kids Edition speakers feature purple dragon and owl characters. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Halo Rise with enhanced capabilities" comment="subhead" text="Halo Rise with enhanced capabilities">Halo Rise with enhanced capabilities</cmsannotation> The company has launched a bedside sleep tracker, Halo Rise, for $139.99. The device has an environmental sensing feature, a smart alarm, a wake-up light, and a sensor to detect sleep patterns. The Halo Rise can be paired with Alexa and it comes with six months of Halo membership. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Fire TV Cube" comment="subhead" text="Fire TV Cube">Fire TV Cube</cmsannotation> During the event, Amazon unveiled its third-generation Fire TV Cube. Amazon says the latest version of the Fire TV Cube is 20% faster than its predecessor. The new Fire TV Cube supports 4K Ultra HD, HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. For connectivity, it comes with one HDMI port and Wi-Fi 6E support. The device will be available for $139.99. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Amazon Fire TV - adaptive display" comment="subhead" text="Amazon Fire TV - adaptive display">Amazon Fire TV - adaptive display</cmsannotation> Amazon has announced all-new Amazon Fire TV that features a QLED display, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+. It also has an adaptive brightness feature and works seamlessly with Echo. This smart TV from Amazon will be available in two sizes, 65 and 75- inches, starting at $799.99. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Ring Spotlight Cam Pro - security at your fingertips" comment="subhead" text="Ring Spotlight Cam Pro - security at your fingertips">Ring Spotlight Cam Pro - security at your fingertips</cmsannotation> For home security, Amazon announced the Spotlight Cam Pro Solar, Ring Spotlight Cam Pro, and the Spotlight Cam Plus. The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro comes equipped with 3D motion detection, which can send motion alerts to your phone. Besides this, the camera delivers 2,600 lumens of light whenever it detects motion. Also, the camera can run wirelessly through a rechargeable battery or an added solar panel which is something new from Amazon. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Alexa Voice Remote Pro with in-built speaker" comment="subhead" text="Alexa Voice Remote Pro with in-built speaker">Alexa Voice Remote Pro with in-built speaker</cmsannotation> The remote comes with two customisable buttons that can be used to create shortcuts to your favourite streaming apps or channels. Other than this, if you can’t find your remote, you can ask the Alexa device to help you find your remote, and it starts playing loud noise for location assistance. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/amazon-great-indian-festival-sale-2022-get-up-to-70-off-on-dslr-action-cameras-gimbals-and-more/articleshow/94369015.cms">Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale 2022: Get up to 70% off on DSLR, action cameras, gimbals, and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/url-refrigerator-window-and-split-ac-dishwasher-and-smart-led-tv-on-sale-on-amazon/articleshow/94360225.cms">Amazon Great Indian Festival sale: Best deals on AC, Refrigerator, TVs and other large appliances</a>

Amazon’s 2022 Hardware Event — here’s what's new on Kindle, Echos, Fire TV Cube, and Halo Rise

Hey besties. This is Jordan Parker Erb. I'm back in a very, very, <a href="https://www.insider.com/arctic-air-blizzards-sub-zero-temperatures-us-before-christmas-weather-2022-12">very cold</a> Montana for the holidays, meaning I missed Insider's year-end party. Apparently, some tech workers are also missing their companies' holiday festivities — but not because they're bopping around in the Mountain West. As tech companies pull back on spending, big office holiday parties are on the chopping block. We spoke with tech founders and investors, who shared how they're saving money ahead of the new year.Let's get to it.If this was forwarded to you, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/10-things-in-tech">sign up here</a>. Download Insider's app <a href="https://link.insider.com/click/27645591.160803/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5zaWRlci5jb20vYXBwP25yX2VtYWlsX3JlZmVyZXI9MSZ1dG1fc291cmNlPVNhaWx0aHJ1JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9T3BlbmluZ19iZWxs/62667762063d6b9bef0cffb3Bf9c9aa56">here.</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vc-startups-cut-costs-recession-holiday-parties-2022-12"></a>1. Cost-cutting is coming for startups — and big office holiday parties are first on the list. For startup founders and venture capitalists, the office holiday party is a December tradition. But this year, holiday parties in startup-land look a little different.<ul><li>After years of seemingly unstoppable growth, once high-flying companies across the digital economy have been hit by a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flawed-h1b-visa-system-layoffs-undermining-americas-tech-industry-2022-12">tidal wave of layoffs</a> and forced to slash spending on beloved passion projects.</li><li>Thanks to poor financial forecasts for the new year — think: impending <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economic-downturn-venture-capitalists-advice-for-startups-sequoia-a16z-2022-5">"death spirals"</a> — VCs are instructing founders to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vc-firm-ivp-thriving-in-a-bear-market-presentation-2022-10">cut spending wherever possible</a>, which now includes the beloved office holiday party. </li><li>Insider spoke with seven startup founders and investors to learn which techniques they're using this holiday season to save as much capital as possible going into an increasingly shaky market. </li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vc-startups-cut-costs-recession-holiday-parties-2022-12">Here's how startup founders are keeping the holidays bright.</a>In other news:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parasite-cat-feces-wolves-entrepreneur-silicon-valley-startup-company-2022-12"></a><div type="image" title="A cat in a suit made out of parasites" height="1500" width="2000" msid="96428218" hostid="261" sizebytes="168814"></div>2. Want to start your own company? You might have a brain parasite. A new study in wolves underscores a strange link between leadership and an infection caused by cat poop. As many as 80% of humans may have the parasite, too — and there's sketchy but tantalizing evidence that it alters our entrepreneurial behavior. But there are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parasite-cat-feces-wolves-entrepreneur-silicon-valley-startup-company-2022-12">some important caveats you'll want to know</a>.3. This year, 174 US tech startups achieved unicorn status. Despite market turmoil and falling valuations, dozens of companies — from A24 Films to SeatGeek — raised money at a valuation of at least $1 billion. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-tech-startups-unicorns-list-2022-10">See the full list.</a>4. Leaked documents show Amazon has a rosier outlook for the US economy than other banks and institutions. According to an internal macroeconomic analysis from November, obtained by Insider, Amazon sees a 30% chance of a US recession within the next six months, a much lower estimate than other surveys. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-economic-forecast-recession-low-chance-internal-report-2022-12">Take a look at what Amazon's predicting.</a>5. Silicon Valley's job cuts are everybody else's gain. New research suggests that high-paying tech jobs are abundant — especially in sectors including insurance, healthcare, retail, government, and banking. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-jobs-arent-in-tech-theyre-in-other-industries-2022-12">Where laid-off tech workers can hunt for jobs.</a>6. We outlined 21 proptech startups to bet your career on in 2023. With thousands of employees at companies like Zillow, Redfin, and Opendoor looking for new opportunities <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-tech-layoffs-25-companies-that-have-laid-people-off-2022-7">following layoffs</a>, we created a list of proptech startups that have all the makings of future success. From firms pioneering "fix-now, pay-later" models to companies helping investors diversify their portfolios, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/21-real-estate-startups-to-bet-your-career-on-2023-2022-12">here's our list of top startups</a>.7. If TikTok gets banned in the US, Oracle could be the secret loser. As Congress considers two bills that would ban the app, Oracle is in a bind: TikTok's US user data is on Oracle servers, so a ban would hurt its fast-growing cloud business. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-ban-on-tiktok-could-be-bad-news-for-oracle-2022-12">How a TikTok ban could hurt Oracle.</a>8. Google's management reportedly issued a "code red" amid the rising popularity of the ChatGPT AI. According to The New York Times, CEO Sundar Pichai redirected some teams to focus on building out AI products, as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-hype-replacing-google-misses-how-limited-the-tech-is-2022-12">it's sparked concerns</a> over the future of the Google search engine. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-management-issues-code-red-over-chatgpt-report-2022-12">What we know so far.</a>Odds and ends:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/amazon-kindle-scribe-review"></a><div type="image" title="The Amazon Kindle Scribe in someones hands at a cafe while they read their notes on a document" height="1080" width="1440" msid="96428222" hostid="261" sizebytes="79486"></div>9. Review: The Amazon Kindle Scribe. After putting Amazon's first note-taking e-reader to the test, we think it's a solid addition to the Kindle collection, but its appeal is limited to a specific kind of user. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/amazon-kindle-scribe-review">Here's how the Scribe stacks up.</a>10. Unedited footage of a Tesla Full Self-Driving beta test shows just how stressful the software can be. The YouTube video posted by Marques Brownlee shows a Tesla failing to recognize a construction zone and a traffic cone, and then struggling to get around a semi-truck with its hazards on. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-full-self-driving-fsd-beta-test-drive-video-stressful-2022-12">See more struggles from his 23-minute commute.</a>What we're watching today:<ul><li>Paychex and others are reporting earnings today. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">Keep up with earnings here.</a></li></ul>Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email <a href="mailto:jerb@insider.com">jerb@insider.com</a> or tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/jordanparkererb?lang=en">@jordanparkererb</a>.) Edited by Hallam Bullock (tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/hallam_bullock">@hallam_bullock</a>) in London.

As tech companies pull back on spending, big office holiday parties are on the chopping block

Hey, I'm so happy to see you. I'm Jordan Parker Erb, and I have a question for you: What do driverless cars, hoverboards, and <a href="https://qz.com/199257/google-x-secret-lab-gave-up-on-space-elevators-hoverboards-and-teleportation/">space elevators</a> have in common?Each of these ideas is a "moonshot," or a radical, potentially world-changing project that Big Tech companies have worked on in recent years. But recently, amid a gloomy economic climate, companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are backing away from these kinds of ambitious long-term projects — and the golden era of moonshots may have run its course. All of this, and more, below.If this was forwarded to you, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/10-things-in-tech">sign up here</a>. Download Insider's app <a href="https://link.insider.com/click/27645591.160803/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5zaWRlci5jb20vYXBwP25yX2VtYWlsX3JlZmVyZXI9MSZ1dG1fc291cmNlPVNhaWx0aHJ1JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9T3BlbmluZ19iZWxs/62667762063d6b9bef0cffb3Bf9c9aa56">here.</a><a href="http://businessinsider.com/big-tech-moonshots-over-amazon-facebook-google-microsoft-2022-9"></a>1. Is the era of Big Tech moonshots over? For years, companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook dumped money and energy into radical, potentially world-changing projects. But recently, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-moonshots-over-amazon-facebook-google-microsoft-2022-9">Big Tech firms have been scaling back their ambitions</a> — and have instead turned to a Wall Street-appeasing pragmatism.<ul><li>At Google, moonshot ideas have included driverless cars (now the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-testing-fully-automated-cars-san-francisco-2022-3">self-driving startup Waymo</a>) and internet balloons (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-x-internet-balloon-project-loon-softbank-2021-9">the now-shuttered Loon</a>). For Snap, it was the abandoned Pixy drone. Facebook attempted a speed-dating app and Hotline, a tool for creators and fans to interact. </li><li>But thanks to a tough market and some projects not paying off after years in the works, these companies are being forced to become more efficient — and cutting moonshots as a result. </li><li>Google has slashed projects that don't align with its CEO's broader mission to pursue artificial intelligence, Snap has turned to focus on its "core strengths," like messaging and its popular filters, and Facebook has shrunk its experimental products group. The group is now dedicated to short-form video, attempting to keep up with TikTok. </li></ul><a href="http://businessinsider.com/big-tech-moonshots-over-amazon-facebook-google-microsoft-2022-9">Inside the death of the moonshot.</a>In other news:<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/apple-stock-price-iphone14-production-demand-tech-mobile-nasdaq-ios-2022-9"></a><div type="image" title="iPhone 14" height="2496" width="3328" msid="94533687" hostid="261" sizebytes="124330"></div>2. Apple nixed plans to increase iPhone 14 production. According to Bloomberg, Apple ditched plans to make more of the new iPhones this year because it hasn't experienced the surge in demand it originally anticipated. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/apple-stock-price-iphone14-production-demand-tech-mobile-nasdaq-ios-2022-9">Get the full rundown here.</a>3. Twitter is telling advertisers their ads mistakenly ran on profiles selling and soliciting child sexual abuse material. In emails to advertisers and advertising agencies, viewed by Insider, the company said it had banned accounts that violated its rules and it was investigating what had happened. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-says-ads-appeared-on-child-sexual-abuse-content-2022-9">What we know so far.</a> 4. Amazon temporarily shut down some warehouses in Florida. In preparation for Hurricane Ian making landfall in Florida, the ecommerce giant closed warehouse sites near Tampa and Orlando until Friday. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-shuts-some-warehouses-florida-hurricane-ian-2022-9">Here's the latest.</a>5. Salesforce has quietly become a giant government contractor. Public contract data shows that over the past five years, Salesforce has racked up over 1,400 deals with federal agencies. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-contracting-us-government-military-cbp-2022-9">Everything we know about the contracts.</a>6. Workers at Amazon warehouses will receive hourly pay raises. Wages will increase across the country by roughly $0.50 to $1 an hour, according to workers at two facilities. It comes after Amazon workers of all types have been pushing for higher pay for years. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-rolls-out-broad-based-pay-raises-for-warehouse-workers-2022-9">Read the full story here.</a>7. Hey, young people — Google wants you to use it more. In an effort to stay hip, Google is updating its most important products. It's added more vertical, TikTok-style videos in its search results, and has added a "vibe" feature for Google Maps, which will show curated pictures of an area that a user is searching for. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-search-maps-new-features-younger-users-tiktok-instagram-2022-9">A look at the TikTok-ification of Google.</a>8. Grimes said she couldn't afford a house in Austin without Elon Musk's help. The singer slammed housing prices on Twitter, saying despite being a successful artist, she couldn't afford a home that would fit her kids in Austin, where the average house costs over $820,000. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grimes-says-couldnt-afford-house-in-austin-without-elon-musk-2022-9">Here's what else she said.</a>Odds and ends:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bmw-xm-suv-photos-reactions-price-release-date-style-grille-2022-9"></a><div type="image" title="The BMW XM SUV." height="1998" width="2664" msid="94533689" hostid="261" sizebytes="118866"></div>9. People are roasting BMW for unveiling a "hideous" SUV. Coming in at $160,000 and 644 horsepower, BMW's XM is a plug-in hybrid with dramatic angles, chunky wheels, and slim headlights — and some people hate it. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bmw-xm-suv-photos-reactions-price-release-date-style-grille-2022-9">Take a look at the "ghastly" XM.</a>10. Amazon just unveiled a Kindle you can write on. At its annual hardware event yesterday, the company debuted the Kindle Scribe, a device for both reading and writing. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/amazon-kindle-scribe-ebook-reader-best-features-2022-9">Here are the Kindle Scribe's coolest features.</a>What we're watching today:<ul><li>Micron, Nike, and others are reporting earnings. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">Keep up with earnings here.</a></li><li>Silicon Slopes Tech Summit starts today <a href="https://www.summit.siliconslopes.com/">in Salt Lake City</a>.</li><li>POLITICO is hosting its 2022 <a href="https://2022techaisummit.splashthat.com/">AI &amp; Tech Summit</a>, beginning at 10 a.m. ET.</li><li>NFT Seattle <a href="https://www.nftseattle.io/">kicks off today</a>. </li></ul>Keep updated with the latest tech news throughout your day by checking out<a href="https://link.chtbl.com/therefresh"> The Refresh from Insider,</a> a dynamic audio news brief from the Insider newsroom. <a href="https://link.chtbl.com/therefresh">Listen here.</a>Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email <a href="mailto:jerb@insider.com">jerb@insider.com</a> or tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/jordanparkererb?lang=en">@jordanparkererb</a>.) Edited by Hallam Bullock (tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/hallam_bullock">@hallam_bullock</a>) in London.

The era of the Big Tech moonshot is over

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for Rebecca Yarros' book "<a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=876dedf36dd1b9f1cfbd3c9ed5955d54569336a6a5b4d60b0e1b29c3977ff49b&amp;postID=646e80273a0f676694488494&amp;site=in&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%2Fw%2Ffourth-wing-rebecca-yarros%2F1142297916" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Fourth Wing</a>."</li><li>"Fourth Wing" follows Violet Sorrengail as she tries to survive training to become a dragon rider.</li></ul>The phases of my adolescence can be marked by whatever fictional world was my companion at the time. Cornelia Funke's "<a href="https://corneliafunke.com/en/books/inkheart/">Inkheart</a>" series captured my heart when I was 12, offering me comfort as protagonist Meggie Folchart fumbled into her teen years the same way I did. When I turned 14, I fell head over heels for <a href="https://www.insider.com/fantasy-books-like-twilight-stephanie-meyers-midnight-sun-2020-5">"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer,</a> not realizing how my idolization of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan's relationship may have inspired my crushes on boys who were anything but nice to me.In my later teen years, I devoured Cassandra Clare's "<a href="https://shadowhunters.com/shadowhunters-novels/the-mortal-instruments/">Mortal Instruments</a>" series, wept over the finale to Veronica Roth's "<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/divergent-series-four-book-hardcover-gift-set-veronica-roth?variant=32975020818466">Divergent</a>" trilogy, and became convinced the key to true love was finding a fairy after reading "<a href="https://www.paolini.net/works/eragon/">Eragon</a>" by Christopher Paolini. Looking back, these works all scratched the same itch. They provided equal doses of romance, adventure, and magic, allowing me to fully turn my brain off when the stress of reality became too much. <h2>I've been delighted by the rise of adult fantasy romances sweeping bookshelves</h2>Works like <a href="https://www.insider.com/sarah-j-maas-books-reading-order-acotar-crescent-city-2023-3">"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas</a> and "<a href="https://carissabroadbentbooks.com/the-serpent-and-the-wings-of-night/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Serpent and the Wings of Night</a>" by Carissa Broadbent give me the same feeling the fantasy novels I loved in my teen years did.But they include more mature themes, especially when it comes to the romance, which makes me like them even more.<div type="image" title="A collage of the &quot;A Court of Thorns and Roses&quot; books." height="900" width="1200" msid="100511031" hostid="261"></div>I'm always on the hunt for the next fantasy romance book, and my interest was piqued when I saw TikTokers raving about "<a href="https://www.entangledpublishing.com/books/fourth-wing">Fourth Wing</a>" by Rebecca Yarros, which was released on May 2.The book, which is the first installment in the "The Empyrean" series, follows Violet Sorrengail, a 20-year-old who grew up thinking she would enter the Scribe Quadrant when she came of age. But instead, her mother, who is the general of Navarre, forces her to enter the Rider Quadrant, where she must train to become a dragon rider — or die.The odds are stacked against Violet, as she was born with a particularly fragile body, and she hasn't spent her life training to be a rider like the others in her class, most of whom would be willing to kill her for their own chance at survival. Violet not only has to find a way to survive her studies and the war looming in her country, but she also has to deal with Xaden Riorson, her wing leader, a powerful dragon rider, and a stunningly handsome man who has every reason to want Violet dead.<h2>'Fourth Wing' was everything I hoped it would be</h2>Knowing that "Fourth Wing" included dragons, an enemies-to-lovers romance, and an unlikely hero, I was cautiously optimistic when I downloaded the book to my Kindle, hoping it was as good as the BookTokers I follow say it was.But I didn't expect to find myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning to finish the book, unable to put it down because of how engrossed I was in Yarros' world. I was immediately drawn into Violet's story when I started "Fourth Wing" because the fantasy was smart and easy to digest, and Violet attending classes gave the plot structure. <div type="image" title="&quot;Fourth Wing&quot; by Rebecca Yarros." height="3000" width="2000" msid="100511032" hostid="261"></div>Yarros' characters also felt their age, which I think was made easier by the fact that there weren't hundreds of years between Violet and the other magical beings around her, as is common in other fantasy works (like, say, the 500-year-old age differences you'll find in "A Court of Thorns and Roses").The romance between Violet and Xaden ticked all of my boxes as well. Their chemistry jumped off the page, and Yarros clearly enjoyed building the tension between them as her narrative evolved.And most importantly for me, Yarros used Violet as a way to play with different forms of strength. Violet didn't have to become physically the strongest person in the Riders Quadrant to chase her dreams, and following her as she figured out how her own gifts could help her survive was as inspiring as it was exciting. The dialogue wasn't always perfect, and there were some elements of Yarros' story that felt familiar to me as someone who reads a lot of fantasy. The school structure was reminiscent of the factions in "Divergent," and the pairing of magical creatures and riders reminded me a bit of "Eragon" and Sarah J. Maas' other series "<a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/series/throne-of-glass/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Throne of Glass.</a>" But I didn't mind, as it offered me a sense of nostalgia as I allowed the real world to slip away while I invested in Violet's. I couldn't keep my mouth shut about "Fourth Wing," yammering at my partner, my sister, my coworkers, my friends, and anyone else who would listen about my stress over what would happen to Violet until I finished it. And when the book was finally over, I felt unsatisfied, desperate to know what would happen to Violet next. Luckily for me, Yarros plans to write <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@rebeccayarros/video/7235104571079593258?lang=en">four more books</a> in the series, and the second installment, "Iron Flame," is also set to be released in November.It doesn't matter what age I am, I'll always be looking for that next fictional world to escape to — and I'm grateful for authors like Yarros who want to keep that magic alive.

I read the TikTok-viral fantasy novel 'Fourth Wing' and it lived up to the hype

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This post is part of the <keyword id="1737060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Roadmap-To-The-Future">Roadmap To The Future</keyword> Series. Roadmap To The Future explores innovative industry trends and breakthroughs in science, entertainment, and technology. This series is sponsored by Verizon. 
</div><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:378px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hugh-Howey/e/B002RX4S5Q">Amazon</a>Hugh Howey</div>Hugh Howey is living the independent author's dream.
Publishing several <keyword id="5050" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="books">books</keyword> through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform, Howey released a series of short books called "Wool" that took off and garnered major attention. The books are set on a post-apocalyptic Earth in which humanity has been forced to live in vast underground cities.
He even sold Wool's film rights to 20th Century Fox, with Ridley Scott expressing interest in directing a movie adaptation.
Howey's accomplished this pretty much entirely on his own, without any help from traditional publishers. Don't think it was easy, though – <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/quh9y/iama_selfpublished_author_who_quit_his_day_job_ama/">in a Reddit AMA last year</a>, Howey said it took him four years of grinding it out before his readership really took off.
He's still holding fast to the values he embraced from the beginning, however. After turning down a couple seven-figure deals with other publishers, <a href="http://www.hughhowey.com/luddites-rejoice/">his recent deal with Simon and Schuster</a> got Wool into bookstores across the US and Canada while still allowing him to sell his books on his own.
Given his experience, it's easy to see that Howey clearly has some interesting ideas on the future of books and where the publishing industry is heading. He was kind enough to answer some questions for us, which appear below.
BUSINESS INSIDER: Wool began as a short story but became so popular that you ended up turning it into a series of books. Were you publicizing aggressively?
HUGH HOWEY: I didn't publicize it at all, which is uncomfortable to admit. It troubles me that the one work I published silently was the one that took off. It may mean that my attempts to promote my novels had an off-putting effect! :)
The first Wool story went up in July of 2011. By October, it was outselling all of my other works (which had readers in the thousands up to that point, so I did have a base from which to launch). It wasn't until after Wool eclipsed everything else I'd written that I even put a link to the story on my website. It really was completely forgotten until readers began clamoring for more.
BI: With the internet enabling so many voices to be heard, how did yours manage to cut through the noise?
HH: I have no idea. Luck must've played some part. Having 7 or 8 other titles out there (around 5,000 combined copies sold), gave me a bit of a readership. I wrote a lot and stayed very active in my community (both physical and online). I wrote the stories I cared about rather than what I thought would sell. I never dreamed of getting rich or famous; I just enjoyed writing. But these are only guesses. I have no clue why it happened to me other than to credit word of mouth from readers, which just moves the question back a step. I'm certainly not comfortable saying that I wrote a wonderful piece of fiction. I'm never that happy with my prose.
BI: What was your experience like publishing through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing system? What was especially easy or difficult? 
HH: It couldn't have been easier. Write, revise, edit, cover art, press a button. The difficult part is watching a book not sell, which is why it pays to forget this step and move on to the next project. There is no time pressure for a story to sell when it can't go out of print.
BI: Does Amazon's cut seem reasonable to you?
HH: Amazon's cut seems insanely generous to me. I keep 70% of the sale price? That's ludicrous. And it's fair to say that I make a lot of money publishing with them. I know hundreds of authors who are quitting their day jobs because of these royalty rates. Lives are being changed because of this. Artists are earning a living. When's the last time you heard that?
BI: What could a traditional publisher have offered you that Amazon's platform couldn't?
HH: I would say access to bookstores, except that my print on demand CreateSpace books started showing up in major indie bookstores and even in Barnes &amp; Nobles. The difference with a traditional publisher is how they can blow out a release. The book will hit major markets all at once and with incredible marketing power. But these are advantages only given out to a limited number of titles each year. And the cost of a blowout release is a limited timeframe of availability It remains to be seen if it's better to have a work that stays in print forever via print on demand or a work that attempts to penetrate the market in a larger manner but in a limited window.
BI: What role (if any) does technology play in your writing process?
HH: I do everything between my MacBook Air and my Android phone. I love Evernote. I write in Pages, which is a bit unusual, but it allows me to swipe over to a writing environment devoid of clutter and distractions. I just wish new versions would come out!
BI: Does the fact that some people will be reading your books on an e-reader change anything about your writing process? Are there any special considerations to make?
HH: Not really. The only major difference is that I no longer worry about the length of a story. There's no need to pad a short work or truncate a longer one. I can just set the price to reflect what I feel is the value of the work, forgetting the print costs.
BI: Are paper books going extinct?
HH: Not by a long shot. They're just making room for another storytelling medium. Books won't go away for good, ever. They enjoy a cultural status that will survive even if only for decorating. And some works are designed to be read nonlinearly, which e-readers haven't figured out how to do yet (and I'm not sure if there's a solution superior enough to paper).
That doesn't mean all is rosy for paper books. I see them being the minority of books sold within a few years. Bookstores are going to continue to take a beating. As a huge fan of both (I have a massive book collection and worked for many years as a bookseller), I'm not happy about this. But I'm also not blind to the changes that are currently underway.
BI: When you read for pleasure, do you prefer paper books or an e-reader? Why?
HH: I still do most of my reading with paper books. I think the main reason is not wanting to carry another device around or deal with one more charger.
BI: What's the future of books, physical and otherwise?
HH: Physical books are going to continue to see declining shelf space. The top authors and the occasional breakout hits are going to dominate, with everything else impossible to find unless you search it out and buy it online. Most books bought offline will be from airport shops, big-box discounters, and grocers. It won't be pretty. Hopefully the indie shops will pick up some of the slack by offering destinations for book lovers. Book clubs, live events, allowing local indie authors to sell on commission, hosting writing workshops ... there are countless ways to expand their offerings.
The next step for bookstores will be to get print on demand machines in more spaces. Any book you want can be printed and bound in five minutes. The returns system employed by booksellers (I say this as a former bookseller) is harmful to the industry. It needs to go. Printing books as needed, straight to the customer, is one way to break this abhorrent practice.
Books will continue to gain market share, but no longer at triple-digit growth. If feels like the major jump has happened, even though the steady growth will continue. And before we know it, someone will invent the next stone tablet/scroll/scribe/press/e-device and make the current model moot once more.
Of course, I'm probably wrong about all of this. The great thing about an industry undergoing change is that we're all experts and dullards in equal measure. It makes it an exciting time for a dullard like me to be entering the industry. Suddenly, I'm an expert.

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