David Simpson's Blog, page 9

Publishers aren't likely going to be able to cross the bridge into the future.

Penguin suspends e-books for libraries, citing security fears; Cornwell, Follett among authorsNEW YORK, N.Y. - One of the country's largest publishers, Penguin Group (USA), has suspended making e-editions of new books available to libraries and won't allow libraries to loan any e-books for Amazon.com's Kindle."We have always placed a high value on the role that libraries can play in connecting our authors with our readers," the publisher announced in a statement Monday. "However, due to new concerns about the security of our digital editions, we find it necessary to delay the availability of our new titles in the digital format while we resolve these concerns with our business partners."For non-Kindle users, the policy does not affect e-books already on library catalogues. Penguin's authors include Patricia Cornwell, Ken Follett and Ron Chernow, and new books include Sue Grafton's "V for Vengeance" and Rep. Michele Bachmann's "Core of Conviction."The publisher did not cite any specific titles in its release and did not immediately respond to requests from The Associated Press to clarify its security concerns. Among publishers, "security" has traditionally referred to piracy, but this time it likely means Amazon.com's Kindle lending programs.The online retailer is allowing its special Prime members to rent one book a month from a selection of titles provided by it. Penguin and other publishers declined to participate but discovered their books were still being included, a policy denounced as illegal by the Authors Guild, which represents published writers.Meanwhile, Amazon has formed a partnership with the country's top library e-book supplier, OverDrive Inc., that vastly increases the Kindle's presence in libraries and encourages patrons to visit Amazon's website and buy books.OverDrive posted a statement on its website that it had been asked by Penguin to "disable the 'Get for Kindle' functionality for all Penguin e-books."Besides being worried about Amazon's power in the digital market, publishers have long been concerned that allowing library patrons to download e-books might harm sales. Simon & Schuster and Macmillan don't make any e-books available to libraries, and HarperCollins has restricted their usage, a policy that angered libraries when announced last year.OverDrive CEO Steve Potash said Monday that his company and Penguin were "in the process of looking at new terms" for libraries but declined to say what the terms were.While borrowing e-books from libraries has become more difficult, buying books — Penguin's included — through libraries is becoming easier. Starting Monday, patrons using the New York Public Library's website who wish to purchase a title can click a Buy it Now tab that links to participating sellers. The library receives a portion of the proceeds, and Potash said he expects the program will soon expand nationwide and into Canada and the United Kingdom.Sellers involved so far are Barnes & Noble; BooksOnBoard, an independent e-store; and Amazon.http://ca.news.yahoo.com/penguin-suspends-e-books-libraries-citing-security-fears-032621882.html

The future is coming a lot faster than you may have thought.

[image error] For those of you who have read my debut novel, Post-Human, you might recall that I open the story with the protagonist, James Keats, being awakened by the nanobots in his body "just before the end of his most recent REM sleep, so that the host would arise alert and feeling well rested." 

There is a new app for the iPhone called "Sleep Cycle App," and here's what it says about it on the app store: "Sleep Cycle always tries to wake you in your lightest sleep state -- the natural way to wake up where you feel rested and relaxed."

Yep. It's already here. I wish I'd thought of it. Oh wait. I guess I did. Well then, I wish I'd actually made the app. This is how it works:

"Since you move differently in bed during the different sleep states, Sleep Cycle can use the sensitive accelerometer in your iPhone to monitor your movement to determine which state you are in. Science instead of chance."

It is the top selling app in several countries, having sold over 100 000 copies, and is extremely well-reviewed. I haven't used Sleep Cycle yet, but I'll be trying it out tonight and letting you know how it goes.

Thank you. Jeremiah Wood! (Reader appreciation day 2)

Today's thank you of the day goes out to Jeremiah Wood. Jeremiah had to wait a little while to pick up Post-Human and Trans-Human, but as soon as he could order copies in, he did it. We've discussed the books and transhumanism (whatever that really means) many times and, I have to say, I have my best conversations about technology, the future, and the singularity with him. We're so like-minded that I sometimes think he might be my schizophrenic hallucination, dreamed up by my brain to put complicated ideas and concepts into words far more succinctly and eloquently than I ever could. Like many people I have met since I wrote my books, I've never actually met Jeremiah, I've never done anything for him, yet he's always there with support and I draw on his intelligence and vision for the future to strengthen my own. Jeremiah, you totally rock, dude! Looking forward to hanging out with you someday, and hopefully hanging out with you again 1000 years later! Thanks for your support.

Thank you. Sandra Degrechie! (Reader appreciation day 1)

Today I want to thank Sandra Degrechie for all of her support! She has often told me that she's my number one fan, and it's hard to argue. I first heard from Sandra before she had even read my book; she heard about Post-Human when I temporarily offered free e-versions to anyone who "liked" the Facebook page. Without even knowing if the book was good or not, she graciously offered her congratulations for being willing to give away my work to promote my writing. A few days later, she wrote a wonderful review and posted it on the Facebook page and then posted it again on goodreads.com. She's posted about my books countless times since, always sure to enthusiastically encourage readers to pick up a copy. This past summer, Sandra and her husband Brian (don't worry Brian, your thank you is coming soon!) bought a paperback, signed copy of Trans-Human from my website, but they were thwarted on their end when someone snatched their copy. Even this didn't deter Sandra, who then promptly ordered another copy and now she and her husband have both kindly reviewed it. Sandra is an awesome reader; enthusiastic, kind, encouraging, and always ready to tell someone about my writing. I've never done anything for her or met her in real life; she does all of this just because she is a terrific person. Thank you so much, Sandra! I hope this shout out makes us a little more even, but probably not, since you've done so much. :)

Reader Appreciation Day!

So, today, I'm starting a new feature on my blog in which, every day, I'll be picking a special reader to give a public shout out and thank you to. This won't be a lame thanking of a reader by just saying their name; I'm going to be relating to everyone out there on the interwebs, just why I'm singling this person out for thanks and appreciation. I have, over the two and a half years since Post-Human was published (my god, has it been that long already?) accrued a number of experiences with readers for which I am truly grateful. I want to start sharing those experiences and giving people who have supported me, written kind reviews for me, or emailed me with their support and appreciation of my writing, the kind of individual thank you that they deserve. So if you've ever emailed me to talk about my writing, written a review, or recommended my writing to someone else in a public forum, you can expect a shout out thank you in the coming weeks and months. :)

Exciting Stuff!

‎2011 was, as promised, a pretty busy year! I published two new books, Trans-Human and The God Killers, just months apart, and put together a pretty awesome book trailer for The God Killers that managed to attract about 17 000 views! I made it all the way to #2 on Amazon's Space Opera list, and I was, thanks to you, selected as one of the "50 Great Authors" of 2011 by The Author's Show. Altogether, not too shabby. But 2011 isn't over yet, and I'm planning on going out, not with a whimper, but a bang! So every day from now until the end of the calendar year, there will be an update on my blog, my Facebook "Likes" page, and for my Facebook Author Friend's page. I promise you'll be surprised to find out some of the cool new stuff I'm working on and all of it will benefit you, my readers (and prospective readers.) Thanks to everyone, once again, for all your awesome support.

Storytelling

If you go back far enough in my family tree, you'll find the scottish bard, Robbie Burns. I don't know if that's just a coincidence, or if it is evidence that there's writing in my blood. My family is littered with degrees in English literature and I'm no different, having both a B.A. and an M.A.. Can there be a writing gene? Is it in my programming? Writing, like "the Force" in Star Wars, is "strong in my family." I was in the second grade the first time I wrote a story. I already knew that I loved reading, both comic books and regular books, and that I loved movies, but I had never tried to write. My teacher assigned a short story assignment in which we were to write an extra chapter for a Stewart Little book. I loved reading about that mouse's adventures so the chance to create my own story sparked a firestorm of electric creativity in my mind. I wrote ten pages in a fever, far more than any of the other students in my class, and I could've written more if the teacher had given us more time. The feeling writing gave me was euphoria -- that might be hard for some people to understand, but to me, writing is like a drug. I have to do it, and I don't feel right unless I'm freebasing on creative juice. So, nearly 30 years later, I've published three books and I'm working on a fourth at the same time that I'm illustrating a graphic novel adaption of one of my books with my wife. I've filmed a couple of book trailers for my novels and I love that process too. I'm a novelist, an illustrator, a director... I'm a storyteller.  The philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre said that "man is in his actions and practice, as well as his functions, essentially a story-telling animal," and I couldn't agree more. What separates us the most from every other species, I think more so than the oft-cited opposable digit, is that we've developed highly complex language. We can communicate stories to our young and caution future generations against making the same errors that we did. We always teach these lessons through stories. The African writer, Chinua Achebe, has said that "writers are teachers," and, again, I couldn't agree more. It's not only writers, however -- it is poets, composers, directors, comic book artists, and anyone else who is involved in storytelling. Stories cultivate the imagination, helping us imagine not only "what is," but also what "could be." Stories are our lessons and storytellers are our teachers. One of the best moments I've had as a storyteller so far was when a reader of one of my novels wrote me a letter and told me that, "There are quite a few people here in Ireland that are very excited about your work." I'd never met this person, nor the "quite a few people" on the other side of the planet to whom he referred, and yet, through storytelling, I'd reached them. When I read that... what a rush! I'm a storyteller, and like all storytellers, I'm a teacher -- my class is everyone who ever picks up one of my books -- and I have the best job in the world. 

The God Killers Novel

The God Killers

Available at
 Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Bestselling Author

I just checked Trans-Human on Amazon.ca and it is the #4 bestseller in space opera. I'm just going to go ahead and start referring to myself as David Simpson, the "Bestselling author" now. That won't be annoying, will it? ;)
Trans-Human is also available in Kindle

Trans-Human is Here!

Check out the sequel to Post-Human http://www.post-humannovel.com/