Jim C. Hines's Blog, page 192
June 1, 2010
8 Books in 8 Weeks: Week Four
Red Hood's Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] comes out on July 6, and I'm counting down the days by giving away a book each week. Congratulations to Jenn Johnson, who won the third giveaway.
This week, I think I'm going to go with something simple and straightforward. Next Tuesday I'll randomly select one of my Twitter followers to receive an autographed copy of one of the following books (your choice):
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Like many authors, I don't get much info on how things are doing behind the ...
May 30, 2010
Autism Thoughts
Reminder: Tomorrow is the last day to bid in Brenda Novak's Auction for Diabetes Research. I've donated an autographed copy of Stepsisiter Scheme and a critique of a novel chapter or short story. Go forth and browse! There's a ton of great stuff up for bid.
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I mentioned a few weeks ago that my son (alias: Jackson) met his school's criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder. We had the IEP (individualized education program), which went wonderfully. He'll be in a mainstream kindergarten class...
May 28, 2010
You Owe Me Nothing
I think a lot of authors, myself definitely included, are control freaks. It's understandable. We have far less control over our careers than most people. Just off the top of my head, we generally have little to no say over:
Cover artPublisher's marketing planOrders from the big chainsRelease scheduleReviewsAward recognitionAny of a thousand random glitches, from misspellings on the cover to database errors to distribution troubles (one of my books didn't make it into Canada until more...May 27, 2010
Miscellany
In addition to well over 100 comments on yesterday's MZB Fanfiction write-up, I've received a number of e-mails on the subject. Some thanking me for the research, others telling me I'm wrong about one or more details. That's very possible. Heck, it's probable. First-hand accounts are often slanted, and (as was brought up in the comments) there may be settlement terms keeping some information quiet. My write-up is the best I've been able to research, but please keep in mind that we don't ...
May 26, 2010
Marion Zimmer Bradley vs. Fanfiction
Most writers, both commercial and fanfic, have heard some version of the Marion Zimmer Bradley "cautionary tale" regarding fanfiction. In one version, Bradley was a generous, nurturing author who encouraged fanfiction until a greedy fanfic author tried to sue her, torpedoing a book in the process. In another, Bradley had was preying on helpless fanfic authors, using their ideas to perpetuate her publishing empire.
If we're going to toss this story around every time we talk about fanfiction, ...
May 25, 2010
8 Books in 8 Weeks: Week Three
Red Hood's Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] comes out in six weeks. SciFiChick has posted an early review, and says:
"More dramatic than previous installments, this latest story revolves mainly around Talia and Roudette, bringing to light more of their dark and horrible pasts … There's plenty of the suspense and action that make this fantasy series great. Hines' princess heroines from fairy tale lore are truly unique and completely enjoyable from start to finish."
Congratulations to ...
May 24, 2010
Libraries vs. File Sharing Sites
Yesterday: 8 miles on the exercise bike, 3-hour Sanchin-Ryu workshop, and then came home to mow the lawn.
Today: Ouch.
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One of the arguments that comes up from time to time in discussions of file-sharing is that it's the same thing libraries are doing.
Today was my day to post at SF Novelists, so I've started picking apart the rather poor argument that file-sharing sites are just like libraries: http://www.sfnovelists.com/2010/05/24/libraries-vs-file-sharing-sites/
Go forth and read, and please f...
May 21, 2010
Saying No to a Publisher
At the start of the month, I posted about a possible secret writing project. Wizards of the Coast asked me and a few other authors to write sample pages for a book they're planning. I was excited about the idea, and as a long-time gaming geek, I thought it would be a lot of fun to be a WotC author.
On May 11, I got an e-mail from the editor at Wizards. She loved the sample and invited me to write the book. On May 18, my agent received the official offer.
Yesterday, I turned them down.
Back i...
May 19, 2010
Quick Story Sale
I love you people. We're already at 70 or so warnings about Red Hood's Revenge. A few of my favorites:
From Christine: Surgeon General's Warning: Red Hood's Revenge may cause heroine addiction.
From bodlon: Warning: Red Hood's Revenge contains princesses under pressure. Do not shake. Talia may explode and cause serious injury.
From several commenters: Do not taunt Red Hood's Revenge.
If you're looking for a laugh this morning, read through some of the entries. (And if you want to win a free...
May 18, 2010
8 Books in 8 Weeks: Week Two
[image error]Red Hood's Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] comes out in eight seven more weeks. (I've even seen my first early review, over at Green Man Review!) I'm giving away a book each week to hopefully build a little buzz and excitement.
Congratulations to Jessica Tudor, who won the first giveaway. And my thanks to everyone who entered. I asked you to post something that made you smile, and it made for a great contest. I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments.
For this week, let's...
