James Pyle's Blog
May 12, 2015
Simultaneously Exhilarating and Depressing, or The Most Influential Book in My Life
This is, not to put too fine a point on it, a bit overdue. Can we all just accept that and move on? OK, good…thank you. Now then, this is meant to be a discussion of the reasons why The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has been the most influential book … Continue reading →
April 23, 2015
An Open Letter to Gimlet Media
Greetings Alex, Matt, PJ, Alex, et al (Hi Naz!), How are you guys? Well, I hope. I want to start this off by saying that I’m a dedicated enthusiast for all things Gimlet Media. I’ve been a fan of Alex’s (Blumberg) for years. I’ve been listening to This American Life longer than I can remember … Continue reading →
June 19, 2014
The Center of the American Canon, or the 2nd Most Influential Book in My Life
Last night while I was watching one of the great pitching performances of the last few decades (or possibly, ever…at least in the live ball era) it occurred to me that we (by that I mean the entirety of baseball fans, but also Dodger fans specifically) are likely watching history unfold. And today, there is […]
May 19, 2014
Indie Publishing: Considerations for Writers and Readers
While in graduate school, (2005-2009) I was in the regular habit of asking both Tim Powers and James Blaylock for advice. On one such occasion (circa 2007) I asked Powers what he thought about publishing in general, and whether or not an unpublished author (like, say, a guy in graduate school) even had a shot at when […]
April 25, 2014
A Virtual Ghost Town, or Where Does the Time Go, or I’m a Year Older, or Consistent Professional Disappointments May Be Coming to An End
I have been remiss in not spending any time on this site. To be honest, it has fallen off my radar for, literally the entire last year. 10 days ago, however, I received a very polite form email from the web hosting company letting me know that the host and domain were set to expire on [...]
March 28, 2013
Random Acts of Insightfulness #4 – Mark Lawrence, or The Writer of Thorns
Though my posting has decreased significantly due to a variety of factors. I’ve kept thoughts of what NR is, was, and can be in the future constantly on my mind. Obviously, I would love to be able to produce comics, either as the ol’ NR proper, or something new. As I’m not capable of producing [...]
November 27, 2012
Why Do People Steal My Ideas Before I Have a Chance to Profit From Them, or HarperTeen Impulse and Some Wise Words from Cory Doctorow
On Sunday HarperTeen announced the launch of a digital imprint called HarperTeen Impulse. The title of the NY Times article says it all…HarperCollins Imprint Aims at Lucrative Young Adult Market. The imprint will release up to four new books each month … Continue reading →
October 26, 2012
Random House and Penguin Might Merge or, Why I'm Writing a Topical Post
There was a time when 1 out of 2, or 2 out of 3 posts on this site were topical, news related, or relevant to a larger cross section of individuals than just myself. That hasn’t been the case for some time. As my post frequency has lessened, so too has the focus of this site become a [...]
Random House and Penguin Might Merge or, Why I’m Writing a Topical Post
There was a time when 1 out of 2, or 2 out of 3 posts on this site were topical, news related, or relevant to a larger cross section of individuals than just myself. That hasn’t been the case for … Continue reading →
October 12, 2012
The Book I've Spent More Than a Decade Trying to Rip Off, or The Third Most Influential Book in My Life
So posts on the ol’ NR have slowed cheapest line viagra a bit as I’ve gotten back into the editing cycle. For the curious, the next installment of Minding the Heavens will be titled: Part II: Transfiguration (and I should have the cover image ready to go for perusal this weekend…maybe) Nevertheless, I have this [...]
