Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
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Aleksandr
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Jun 01, 2013 01:05AM
I finished The Stalin Organ and feel like shell-shocked. Holy cheesecake.
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Aleksandr wrote: "I finished The Stalin Organ and feel like shell-shocked. Holy cheesecake."Ledig does have that effect. I can still see the lance corporal in the opening scene impaled on the skeletal branches of what had once been a tree... already dead, thank God.
I still have Payback to read.
We could read it together? I think I want somebody to hold my hand...
I'll hold your hand if I can hide behind you. Part of my hesitation in starting this book is because it does confront what the Allies did to German civilians... but it will be an interesting read.
Caroline - I'd strongly warn you about Joerg's "Firebrand", which is about the fire-bombing of German cities. While he is being as dispassionate about it as any historian would be required (or mocked/ridiculed by colleagues), I only managed about 50 pages. It has given me an intense hatred for "Bomber Harris", who knew that firebombing wasn't going to achieve a strategic objective. It was just all-out revenge for him. In some way, I feel it's necessary to look at the facts - from all sides - and all experiences, and accept, eventually, man's inhumanity to man on all sides. But my gods, is that hard emotional work, and I'm *dreading* writing my novel set in bombed-out Berlin (or maybe Essen, my home town). Dreading. I totally foresee crying a lot, and I'm not a crier.
I'm currently re-reading (for the umpteenth time) Clouds of Witness by Dorothy Sayers and guess what I found:“Your mother, Bunter? I didn’t know you had one. I always imagined you were turned out ready-made, so to speak. ’Scuse me. Infernally rude of me. Beg your pardon, I’m sure.”
“Not at all, my lord. My mother lives in Kent, my lord, near Maidstone. Seventy-five, my lord, and an extremely active woman for her years, if you’ll excuse my mentioning it. I was one of seven.”
“That is an invention, Bunter. I know better. You are unique. But I interrupted you. You were goin’ to tell me about your mother.”
“She always says, my lord, that facts are like cows. If you look them in the face hard enough they generally run away. She is a very courageous woman, my lord.”
Lord Peter stretched out his hand impulsively, but Mr. Bunter was too well trained to see it. He had, indeed, already begun to strap a razor. Lord Peter suddenly bundled out of bed with a violent jerk and sped across the landing to the bathroom.
Here he revived sufficiently to lift up his voice in “Come unto these Yellow Sands.” Thence, feeling in a Purcellish mood, he passed to “I attempt from Love’s Fever to Fly,” with such improvement of spirits that, against all custom, he ran several gallons of cold water into the bath and sponged himself vigorously. Wherefore, after a rough towelling, he burst explosively from the bathroom, and caught his shin somewhat violently against the lid of a large oak chest which stood at the head of the staircase—so violently, indeed, that the lid lifted with the shock and shut down with a protesting bang.
I know it's a long quote, I just couldn't resist as it's a snippet of typical Sayers/Wimsey.
Jordan wrote: "I like well written shifters. I read a shifter book that was all sex and no plot once. Horrible thing. I deleted it from my shelves literally and from GR as well. But there are some good ones out..."
Andrea Speed's Infected series cracked my shifter resistance. I still don't generally read people-to-animal stories, though. They skate too close to one of my squick buttons.
Mod
I'm hoping that taking a break or writing other things will revive her love for the genre. Actually, I think her love is as strong as ever, it's the frustration and pressures of publishing that can overwhelm the pleasure of the work.
Anyway, taking a year off certainly helped me.
Mod
One thing about Dreamspinner is they really are willing to take a chance on a new writer. I like that about them.
But the other thing is I don't trust ANY Goodreads reviews of fresh-from-the-shell Dreamspinner Press authors because I know DSP manipulates the review system and floods it with all those OH MY GOD!!! reviews. And I detest that practice so much it makes me less willing to try their books.
If it's a solid review from someone I know, then I'll take serious look at the book.
Mod
“Your mother, Bunter? I didn’t know you had one. I always imagined you were turned out..."
Ha! That's great.
Josh wrote: "Ije the TweetAway Queen wrote: "Yesterday I read Chase the Storm I think this is the author's first publication and I really enjoyed it. There were times I felt the main character was a bit like a..."Which is even more depressing, because an awful lot of their books only have what I'd call middling ratings. I'm still grabbing their freebies (mostly because I'd hate to miss out *just in case*), although I haven't read many of them. The only people I'm actually buying from them at this point are Marie Sexton and Amy Lane.
Mod
This is why the whole freebie tactic is no longer effective and I shake my head when I see writers struggling to price everything so that Amazon will price match the big fat ZERO. It doesn't work anymore. It hasn't worked for a year. And it doesn't work because now readers simply stockpile these books and never get around to reading them.
But hey, people gonna do what people gonna do.
Josh wrote: "... now readers simply stockpile these books and never get around to reading them"Or when they do read them, they get pissed at the poor quality.
It's happening to me in these days. And I'm not going to be nicer in my rating just because something was offered for free.
I do feel a bit more comfortable saying "screw this" and dropping a book in the middle knowing I didn't actually pay anything for it. Although it says nothing good for the publisher that I actually *expect* not to like their books.I feel pretty hypocritical picking up all these free books and then bitching about the free books. But really. Produce better quality books, and I will gladly pay you for them. With the constant tweetaways, they've got to be giving away more than they're selling. It's feeling a little desperate.
Becky wrote: "I do feel a bit more comfortable saying "screw this" and dropping a book in the middle knowing I didn't actually pay anything for it. Although it says nothing good for the publisher that I actuall..."The Tweetaways were part of their 6th year May anniversary celebration. They gave away a range of books from good to mouldering on the back shelves. I picked some of them up, but many I already had.
The idea is, I think, to boost sales of other books (frontlist or backlist) of the same author. Freebies can lead to a sales spike of the other books from the same author.
I've definitely read freebies, or books borrowed from the library or Kindle lending program, and then bought further books from the author. But I think it would work much better for them as a strategy if they didn't do so many of them. Too many freebies give the impression that their product doesn't have value. And why buy something today if there's a good chance you can get it free from the publisher in a month or two?
Becky wrote: "I've definitely read freebies, or books borrowed from the library or Kindle lending program, and then bought further books from the author. But I think it would work much better for them as a stra..."I don't mind the occasional freebie or Tweetaway obviously, :) but what I really appreciate is a good book. I am not really swayed by reviews on Goodreads because tastes differ. Most of the time it is the blurb that helps me decide whether or not to buy a book. There have been times when people have been really excited about an author and after reading the book I have wondered what everyone else has seen that I havent. Sometimes I have really loved books that so many others have slated in their reviews. I discovered most of my favourite m/m authors because of the way the book was described especially in my early days of reading this genre. I do like trying out new authors though. If the blurb attracts me then I will take the risk.
Becky wrote: "I've definitely read freebies, or books borrowed from the library or Kindle lending program, and then bought further books from the author. But I think it would work much better for them as a stra..."It probably works sometimes. They gave away Marathon Cowboys back during their October blitz and that definitely got me interested in reading more Sarah Black.
Part of their tweety-away is also to build up their follower base, I think, since people will join their twitter, etc, to stay up to date on contests and giveaways. (Meanwhile, they also get the rest of the news too.)
I think another aspect is the appearance of generosity. This time around, free books included Hot Head, Wake Me Up Inside, Good Bones, and Loving Luki Vasquez, none of which I've read yet, but all looked good (or at least worth trying.) Some readers have very tight book budgets too, so these kinds of campaigns can give them what they're looking for (free books), while at the same time promoting DSP as a publisher who is continually engaging readers.
I've read (or really, tried to but stopped) some terrible books too that were given away, but even then, there were reviews for those that looked "legit" and people liked them, so it's a little bit of "to each one's own."
My guess is that DSP isn't desperate with these campaigns. (They don't reek of fleeing angry authors like a few other companies.) My guess is this is them experimenting, to see what works best in retaining or gaining new fans, and they have a large enough stock (1000+) of books to do this and are diversified enough with their releases to try (since at the same time they're still releasing new Amy Lane books, etc.)
They probably won't ever release a white paper on their findings, but it would be interesting to hear about the impact of these campaigns and what they found to work best.
I think it might work for authors who have back lists as well especially if you want to engage new readers. Tweetaways don't always work for me because I have so many DSP books already, but they have a way of keeping you engaged with the publisher and buying direct from them instead of buying from Amazon. I would love to know if authors experience increased interest in their books after a Tweetaway.
Mod
Thanks, Liade! This pushed me to finally complete the CUTYS recording exploration I started, then stalled out when it was more difficult to find quality recordings online than you'd think. I imagine Wimsey as a tenor, but it's been awhile (years) since I've read these. Does anyone else know? So here's a list of audio and video clips I began during our BOM discussion. Sorry, no tenors. Maybe he's a baritone? ;-)
Purcell audio
Arcadia Ensemble/Kevin Mallon, Purcell: The Tempest (2000)
A short sample, soprano singer, high quality sound:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/release...
Full version of the same, lower sound quality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mcBMS...
John Eliot Gardiner, Purcell: The Tempest (1995)
A short sample, soprano singer:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/release...
RCA Victor recording of CUTYS and Greensleeves, baritone singer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj4FCB...
Listed as circa 1910, but it appears to be a cleaner recording of this 1915 record: http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings...
Audio (not Purcell)
A lute and countertenor version (John Banister, not Purcell)
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al....
Michael Nyman's instrumental version performed in Barcleona (2009)
Great sound, amateur video (close your eyes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUY4KA...
Music composed for Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books (1991):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pdoUj...
Films mentioned in Josh's CUTYS
More video, here's the Julie Taymor's The Tempest (2010), starring Helen Mirren as Prospero:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyGl2...
Once again, the link to a clip from Derek Jarman's The Tempest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAWdVO...
Josh wrote: "I know DSP manipulates the review system and floods it with all those OH MY GOD!!! reviews."Seriously? What review system where? Here on Goodreads? But how do they manage such a thing?
Hand to God, this is the first I've ever heard of it. I never check my books' pages. In fact, I don't look at any of my reviews anywhere, unless they're specifically brought to my attention, so I have no idea what this is about.
Well, yikes, this has been a depressing discussion all around. I don't know if DSP is planning a "Tweetaway" for Mongrel when its sequel is released this summer, but I'm starting to think I should hie my ass to a nunnery and pray fervently that readers don't hate both books "just because." :(
Ije the TweetAway Queen wrote: "There have been times when people have been really excited about an author and after reading the book I have wondered what everyone else has seen that I havent."I'm soooo with you on that one! I feel like I've finally got a handle on whose tastes are similar to mine, whose recommendations I can count on for a good read. But I still find myself scratching my head sometimes. And feeling sad, because I *want* to like this great book that everyone likes, but I just... don't.
Karen wrote: "Thanks, Liade! This pushed me to finally complete the CUTYS recording exploration..."Thank you so much, Karen! I've just started to have a look at a few things, but all of them are interesting!
ttg wrote: "Becky wrote: "I've definitely read freebies, or books borrowed from the library or Kindle lending program, and then bought further books from the author. But I think it would work much better for ..."I've definitely seen the tweetaway used wisely in some instances. Piper Vaughn and MJ O'Shea put up One Small Thing just before the sequel, One True Thing, was released. And Marie Sexton did Strawberries for Dessert last week, with Fear, Hope, and Bread Pudding coming out next week. Amy had a couple of her foreign language titles up, and I think they were the only foreign language titles given away. Others who weren't in such a good position to capitalize on the promo opportunity may have gotten lost in the flood.
I hadn't considered the social media impact. You're right- I could definitely see stunts like this adding followers and likes at the various sites. There is probably value to expanding the publisher's profile online. And I didn't mean to suggest that there's a problem at the at the publisher. I haven't heard any rumors at all. Maybe "trying too hard" would be a better way to put it. Fatigue sets in quickly with a promo like this, and this is what, the third round of tweetaways in the last few months? Diminishing returns. A week of carefully chosen titles might have more impact.
And again, I get how hypocritical it is to bitch about a publisher giving away free books that I chose to grab. But at the moment I've got a sluggish Kindle with a bulging freebies folder that I need to clean out, because frankly, I'm not going to read half of this stuff. I feel glutted, like a digital version of going to Sam's Club on a Saturday and making yourself sick on the samples.
K.Z. wrote: "Well, yikes, this has been a depressing discussion all around. I don't know if DSP is planning a "Tweetaway" for Mongrel when its sequel is released this summer, but I'm starting to think I should ..."I am really looking forward to Merman, and I'll re-read Mongrel closer to the release date. When is Merman being released?
I haven't noticed any shenanigans from DSP on their reviews. If you look at everything under a microscope, you're bound to find something.
Mod
Not a problem, at least here. I loved Mongrel and am looking forward to your summer release.
Aleksandr wrote: "Caroline - I'd strongly warn you about Joerg's "Firebrand", which is about the fire-bombing of German cities. In some way, I feel it's necessary to look at the facts - from all sides - and all experiences, and accept, eventually, man's inhumanity to man on all sides. But my gods, is that hard emotional work, and I'm *dreading* writing my novel set in bombed-out Berlin (or maybe Essen, my home town). Dreading. I totally foresee crying a lot, and I'm not a crier."
I agree with you that in war there are human beings on both sides and it's important to remember that. It is why I loved Skybound. Go for it Aleks.
Mod
Not a problem, at least here. I loved Mongrel and am looking forward to your summer release."
Yep. What she said.
Caroline - Yep. Gotta do what I gotta do. It's a fertile field that few people are tilling. :)KZ - Don't get down about it--and certainly don't let it impede your work on the sequel. All publishers have pros and cons and ups and downs; it's a matter of finding the one that fits you best. Lastly, it's the book that counts, not the publisher. DSP isn't a good fit for me personally anymore, but I do remember they helped me get started, and they were incredibly generous about letting me get out of my contract sooner. I've just developed into a different direction from three or four years ago and look for very specific things that I'm personally only getting at Riptide and Samhain, and maybe, in the future, with a couple self-published books if I move out of the rainbow space with a story or five. :) Focus on getting the story written--the rest will fall into place. At the end of the day, it's the writing that counts. Writers write.
I'm not comfortable with seeing Dreamspinner Press put down all of the time. It's the authors that suffer that kind of avoidance, and they have put out some quality books. Also, as Josh pointed out, they give new authors a chance. As with any publishing house, be aware of the book you are buying.One thing DSP DOES do is pay their royalties to their authors, and after seeing at least three different publishing houses NOT do that in the past few years, I am happy I have not heard a hint of that with DSP.
Absolutely. The machine is working with a great amount of precision, and I have friends who are happy there. Considering some other experiences I've had... :)
You know, it's not as if I'm married to that house. I've had another one in my sights for a while, and Loose Id, too, remains one of my preferred publishers. And it's not as if I think any publisher is perfect. Because none is.But damn, continually reading about how every DSP author sucks (except, of course, the popular ones), and the company routinely engages in shady and/or sloppy practices, and anybody who's still with them must be a clueless piece of shit really does wear on me. Other writers as well, I suspect -- and not just the hypersensitive newbies.
Frankly, I'm unfamiliar with the overall quality of my fellow authors' work, or how well or poorly that work is edited, or what the dope is on promotion. I just know that I'm tired of being bashed by association. I also know that after a much-touted e-publisher treated me like crap, Dreamspinner was more than happy to take me on. The staff has treated me with respect and consideration ever since. Oh yeah . . . and I've had some of the best covers in the business, and I get paid on time.
Um . . .
I kind of feel as if I should conclude my rant with "So there!" but I think I'm a little too old for that. And I can't stomp my foot, because one of my dogs is stretched out next to the bed. ;-)
K.Z. wrote: "Frankly, I'm unfamiliar with the overall quality of my fellow authors' work, or how well or poorly that work is edited, or what the dope is on promotion. I just know that I'm tired of being bashed by association. I also know that after a much-touted e-publisher treated me like crap, Dreamspinner was more than happy to take me on. The staff has treated me with respect and consideration ever since. Oh yeah . . . and I've had some of the best covers in the business, and I get paid on time...."You have had some wonderful covers, KZ!
And your reasoning is pretty much why I don't like to see DSP complained about so much. I follow a lot of their authors and enjoy many of their books, and I don't want to be made to feel like I'm a clueless newbie for it.
I've read some dogs from MLR, Samhain, and other m/m presses, so DSP does not have a monopoly on the occasional clunker.
Na wrote: "I'm reading The Arabian Nights Entertainments from the Gutenberg Project. With illustrations ! I am eager to read Sinbad the Sailor. Especially the seventh voyage -- Thank you Ray Harryhausen. :)"Oh I love the Arabian Nights! I will have to check out the Gutenberg versions.
Susinok wrote: "And your reasoning is pretty much why I don't like to see DSP complained about so much. I follow a lot of their authors and enjoy many of their books, and I don't want to be made to feel like I'm a clueless newbie for it...."
Yes, thank you. I am only a reader, not an author, so I have no idea how well the publishers treat their writers. But DSP gives me good discounts to shop at their site, so I do, and I've bought a lot of their titles. Sure, not every DSP title is fantastic, but the same goes for other publishers--and I've paid a lot more for them.
I rely on Goodreads to pick the wheat from the chaff. Generally I won't take the freebies anymore unless they have a good rating--from a broad range of people, or if it looks like something I might like. DSP has been giving a lot of free or discounted books from the beginning of a series. Often times I'm interested in a series and just not sure if I want to commit to reading an entire set of books. I have enough on my Nook as it is! This way, I can find out whether I'm interested or not.
I have wishlists at DSP, Riptide, ARe, Smashwords, and Samhain. Since DSP usually does a pretty good sale at least every 4 to 6 weeks, guess who I buy from the most? Some may say I'm not discerning enough. I say money talks.
I must have been reading with my head in a cloud because I just don't take particular note of different publishers. (An exception is Riptide because I like some serials they're publishing so keep an eye on them, especially as I love the good quality of their editing.) Generally, I buy books when I know they're out from reading an author's blog (or a rec here), and where I buy from depends on where the author says the book is published, if that makes sense. I always used to buy through Kindle on Amazon but once I realised that authors get more if you buy from their publisher I try to do that. But I rarely look through a publisher's list and buy books that way.
Marge wrote: "I have wishlists at DSP, Riptide, ARe, Smashwords, and Samhain. Since DSP usually does a pretty good sale at least every 4 to 6 weeks, guess who I buy from the most? Some may say I'm not discerning enough. I say money talks. ..."Marge, are the same books for sale at different publishers? Or are you saying that there are several books which you want and you tend to buy the ones which DSP have because they cost less?
Either way I don't see how that could mean you're not discerning - you originally made your lists using discernment, and buying the ones from those lists which are cheapest doesn't diminish that.
Mod
There is only one possible comment to this: LOL! ;-)
Mod
Now I'm practically hopping from foot to foot while waiting for these to arrive:
The Dark Tide by Josh Lanyon
Listening To Dust by Brandon Shire
Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey
The Dream We Carry: Selected and Last Poems by Olav H. Hauge (Thank you, Anne, for introducing Olav H. Hauge to us!)
Convoy by Caroline Davies (Exciting!!!)
and a pile of Oh, the Places You'll Go!s. I always make sure I have stack of these to give as presents. Finnish people aren't as familiar with Dr. Seuss as people in US and UK, so it's always most likely to be a new reading experience for them. :-)
By the way, do you guys have any other favorites among Dr. Seuss books (not that I know if any of you even like those)? There seems to be tons of them.
And as for what I'm currently reading is Third You Die by Scot Sherman. A very light read, doesn't require a lot of thinking — which suits me well right now. This is a book I could send someone as a traveling book of our group if anyone is interested (and has read the first two books in the series).
Johanna wrote: "Since I've been such a good girl, surviving yet another school year and all that, I've rewarded myself by ordering some... print books!Now I'm practically hopping from foot to foot while waiting ..."
What lovely summer reading you have in front of you. And I admit, I became a little touched that you have ordered the Olav H. Hauge poems.
Johanna - I smiled when I saw the two Josephine Teys on the list! Given what you say about the Dr Seuss books I know you understand how good it feels that you've been part of someone else's discovering a wonderful book. I'm glad you've managed to get your school packed up and can enjoy your summer!!
I've just finished Something Like Autumn by Jay Bell. It's the third book in the series, after Something Like Summer and Something Like Winter. It's the story of Jace, and he doesn't meet Ben until over 60% into the book. Although I enjoyed Winter, of necessity it was somewhat repetitive because it was the same story told from a different POV, albeit with new material and some large gaps filled and motivation explained. However, because we really see very little of Jace in Summer and Winter, Something Like Autumn has very little repetition even in the 40% which overlaps in time.
I really enjoyed it. The story of Jace before he meets Ben could have been a stand-alone novel, but it certainly helps to explain the person we met in Summer and Winter.
I wish I'd done my usual thing of re-reading the first two books of the series immediately before reading Autumn as (understandably given the detail in the other two books) Ben and Tim aren't really fleshed out and the details of all that goes on aren't spelt out. For that reason I don't think someone who hadn't read the other books would enjoy the last 40% of the book as much as the first 60%.
Na wrote: "Susinok, do you remember which edition you read ? Could you recommend it ? ..."It was some abridged version from the library. It wasn't a kid's book but it also wasn't a full translation version. I was a young teen at the time I read it.
Mod
I didn't know that he earned his living as a farmer, orchardist, and gardener! (So it says in the blurb for the book.)
I've never been disappointed with the books you've recommended, Anne. In fact I've loved many of the — I still sometimes have flashbacks of Out Stealing Horses. :-)
Anyway, I'm afraid I'm in love with Hauge's poems. I can totally see why he is one of your most beloved poets in Norway.
Mod
Yeah, there was no way I could have resisted ordering Josephine Tey books after reading all the praising discussion here... :-)
Mod
Thank you for mentioning this. I adored Jace. I didn't like Something Like Winter, but I'm going to have to give Jace's story a chance.
Hj wrote: "Marge, are the same books for sale at different publishers? Or are you saying that there are several books which you want and you tend to buy the ones which DSP have because they cost less? ..."
Mostly the latter case. My wishlists are as much "books I wish I had time to read" as anything else, so that I have 5-15 books listed at each site. And thank you for understanding I DID use my discernment as I put these books on the list. (Sometimes I laugh at myself that I spend as much times choosing books as I do reading books. But that's fun, too, which is why I've loved libraries and bookstores my whole life.)
When a sale is announced, or sometimes just publication of a new book I've been waiting for, that's when I head over to the site and study my trusty wishlist. I tend to buy a bunch of books at once, so that I can download them to my computer and transfer to my Nook all at once. ONE book being on sale often translates to several books purchased, whether those are on sale or not. Just like loss leaders at the grocery store, or coupons at a department store.
I buy the extra books because I want them, but also to reward the entity giving the sale. For example, whenever Josh has announced a sale on his books somewhere, I always try to buy one or two more at the same time. Again, because I want them (Dear Santa, I want them ALL!), but also to let him know it works. ;-)
Johanna wrote: "Since I've been such a good girl, surviving yet another school year and all that, I've rewarded myself by ordering some... print books!Now I'm practically hopping from foot to foot while waiting ..."
What a lovely list! :) Enjoy the summer and the reading! As a novice to Josephine Tey, i can say i'm glad i read Miss Pym Disposes before Brat Farrar which i'm reading now, both excellent! in different ways.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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