Seth Fishman's Blog, page 23
November 3, 2013
tobeshelved:
powells:
Guess who’s coming to the City of Books...
Guess who’s coming to the City of Books on November 2? (Hint: We love her ALOT.)
Can someone please drive me to Portland tomorrow from Seattle? THANK YOU.
October 31, 2013
poetsandwriters:
From the Introduction to the 10th Anniversary...
From the Introduction to the 10th Anniversary Edition of American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. William Morrow Paperbacks: 2013.
I once heard Michael Swanwick say that he was the best writer in the room, except for Gene Wolfe, which made me go read Wolfe. GW is one of the most imaginative writers in the world - can make one line hint at a universe, something most writers are too afraid to do, too afraid to lose that one thing, that could be its own book, as opposed to populating their current world with as much creativity as possible.
October 29, 2013
All The Harry Potter Book Covers Reimagined As Minimalistic Animated GIFs | Geekologie
This is a series by illustrator and graphic designer Jeca Martinez reimagining all the Harry Potter book covers as minimalistic animated GIFs. My favorite is the Prisoner of Azkaban. What’s yours? Just kidding, I don’t care. Yes I do….
October 27, 2013
This worked out better than I thought it would…
This worked out better than I thought it would…
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP AN AUTHOR or Reading/Author Support vs. Voter Apathy
I know it’s important to vote, we all know this. But there’s a tangible feeling of helplessness. What does your vote count? With reading, with helping an author, the opposite is true. And I’m not sure everyone realizes this.
What you can you do to help an author you love?
First of all, to speak in generalities, most books don’t sell many copies. And even successful books aren’t selling as many copies as you think they are. The Publishing Industry has such sad margins it’s ridiculous. On certain weeks, a book can be a NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER with 2,000, maybe even 1,500 copies sold in a week. Of course, to be number 1, to be a Hunger Games or a Stephen King, you’d need to sell 50,000 or so in a week. But 2,000 copies isn’t a crazy number. In fact, PRE-ORDERS count for first week sales. So if you read an early copy of a book, and convince people to pre-order it (remember, a physical copy is better than an ebook for helping authors, in terms or royalties and building buzz/career/instore support), you can make a real difference. I mean, remember fundraisers in school where you donate cans of food and get, say, a free pizza party if you win? And how you could rally your class and make something happen? Well, 2,000 pre-orders isn’t a number that’s so absurd that you can’t make a significant dent.
So, assuming you read an early ARC of a book, and you really love it, here’s what you can do.
1) Pre-order it. If you loved the book, support the author. I know dropping 10-12 bucks is a hassle, but it’s the clearest way you can support. 1/2000 really matters.
2) Goodreads: did you know that even if you don’t preorder and you haven’t read, marking a book on your ‘to-read’ shelf matters? Why? Because after 1000 people do that, Goodreads starts advertising the book and recommending it. If you read and review, that also matters.
3) Contact the author. Authors, debut ones at least, love contact from fans. In fact, if you gather a group of people to read, I’m very sure a debut author would be happy to speak to you or a group. Nowadays, Authors are way more accessible and willing.
4) If you really liked the book, convince 5 others to pre-order. Or, preorder a few for gifts. This might seem silly, but it’s just a chain-mail style of help. You CAN make a difference.
5) Bookstores - I know we’re all about Amazon nowadays, but if you really want to help, preorder from BN, or your local store, because that will cause these stores to order more copies, which make the publishers print more copies, which allows them to be more confident in the book’s publication and therefore advertise more, or print better stock or cover materials. This is weird, perhaps, but true. Imagine it like this: with numbers guaranteed, publishers feel the author is safer to invest in, and will push the book more. So will bookstores.
6) Tumblr - this one is a bit obvious, but if you’re a fan, do something for the book. Fanart, anything, share spread, make something happen.
In summary, if you can get just 5 people to pre order a book you love, and, maybe, get 10 people to put it on their to-read list, you’ll make a real difference.
My favorite thing about discovering a great book is helping others discover it too, helping authors find it. So, I’ll end the note on pointing out a book you can support that hasn’t come out yet (that I don’t work with, so it’s unbiased): Pierce Brown’s RED RISING - Hunger Games meets Ender’s Game - SO good. Goodluck helping a career begin!
October 20, 2013
littlebrown:
The rich storytelling of London-based...
The rich storytelling of London-based writer/artist [Isabel] Greenberg, whose short story “Love in a Very Cold Climate” was awarded the Observer/Cape Graphic Short Story Prize and is expanded on here, transcends fact and immerses readers in a mythical, prehistoric world that taps into timeless concerns like love, family, and identity, complete with modern vernacular and a snarky sense of humor.
Verdict: What writer Alan Moore does with superheroes in Watchmen and Top 10, Greenberg accomplishes with folktales, creating an exemplary debut story and gripping commentary on the graphic form. Some profane, violent, and disturbing content; suitable for YA and up. An essential title, recommended for all fiction and graphic novels readers.
Library Journal, starred review of The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg (on-sale: December 3)
October 16, 2013
October 12, 2013
carliihde:
tarynupthedanceflo:
OH MY GOD IM DYING!!!!!
This...
OH MY GOD IM DYING!!!!!
This must be reblogged a million times.
Important
October 11, 2013
nprbooks:
I just found out that we’re going to interview Ally...
I just found out that we’re going to interview Ally Brosh from Hyperbole and a Half!
Okay, so she’s going to be on Morning Edition and not All Things Considered, but I still couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use what may be my favorite image macro ever.
How excited am I about this? ALOT.
Images via KnowYourMeme.com and Hyperbole and a Half
October 10, 2013
bookish:
bahaha we cannot get over Terry Pratchett’s...
bahaha we cannot get over Terry Pratchett’s self-deprecating T-shirt
[via Tor.com’s Facebook]
amazing.
