Alex Epstein's Blog, page 5

Spielberg's Curriculum

Supposedly, this is Stephen Spielberg's list of movies that you 'have to see before you work with him.' Citation definitely needed, but it's a good list.


1. 12 Angry Men
2. 2001
3. 400 Blows
4. 8 1/2
5. Adam's Rib
6. Alfie
7. Al Capone
8. All About Eve
9. All That Jazz
10. American In Paris
11. And Justice For All
12. Annie ...

Kindle Price

Hmmmm... my Kindle price is $6.99, which is a big discount from the paperback. But would I sell more if it were $4.99? Would I sell five times more if it were $1.99? When there's no actual cost to put the book in someone's hands, you can really set the price anywhere you think demand will meet supply.

There's a lower limit where reducing the price doesn't really help, of course. If I'm interested enough to start reading a book, I'm probably not more likely to buy it for $.99 than I would be f...

Don Draper, Vampire

NY Mag says Don Draper makes a better vampire than Edward Cullen or all those guys on TRUE BLOOD:

He is an engine of want, creating the illusion of fulfillment while sucking you dry. No is not in his vocabulary. Neither is yes — yes is implicit. He knows this, he is past needing to hear you say it. He knows the private and unmentionable place that cries "yes" when the bottom drops out of an amusement park ride and suddenly you are in free fall, and, like the ideal man, he is listening.

Fun stuf...

Playlist

Jenny asked me for my TCC playlist...

Lost Words, Meet Lost Years

The incredibly industrious and devoted Corrine of Lost for Words reviews TCC:

A thoroughly and imaginatively described world in which magic comes to life as it is channeled through Morgan, as she calls on her connection to the earth to help her in her time of need. History, and the early church history being spread across Ireland makes this a rich and informative read as well. We get to see a side of Morgan that isn't necessarily seen as she comes to terms with her identity and future. As an a...

"Show Don't Tell"

One of the nice things people say about THE CIRCLE CAST, when they say nice things, is they like Morgan. One of the things they criticize, when they criticize, is that I sometimes tell instead of showing.

It's funny, because I'm a professional screenwriter. Showing instead of telling is my default.

But I find it an odd criticism of a novel. One of the nice things about novels is that you can tell instead of showing. A movie can only give you what characters say and do, mostly in real time. You...

CueCat

I got my CueCat in the mail yesterday. It's a little barcode scanner in the shape of a cat, natch. (I guess to go with the mouse.) Run it along a barcode and it types the barcode into your computer. You can use it to scan your books into LibraryThing.

Why would you scan your books into LibraryThing? I guess so you can show your friends what books you have. Then you can see what books they have. And you can learn more about the authors. But most importantly, LibraryThing can find someone who ha...

Please Judge My Book By its Cover

Rie Conley at Mission to Read interviews me about my cover (which I love!). If you want to know how a book gets its cover -- or how this one did -- check it out.

Lost For Words; Well, Not Entirely

There's a long interview at Lost For Words in which I talk about mythology, history, religion, the Dark Ages, and some of the most interesting holes in the Arthur legend.

Thanks for interviewing me, Corrine!

School Librarian

There seems to be a nice review of TCC ("A sophisticated, stylishly written novel") in School Librarian, but most of it is behind a paywall.