S&L Podcast - #303 - Smooth Roberator

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

All the best books are being adapted into TV shows and movies including Good Omens, The City and the City, Dawn, and The Fifth Season! Plus we dive into the Gunslinger and talk mostly spoiler-free about fantasy westerns. And BONUS song about our Goodreads moderator, Rob.

http://swordandlaser.com/home/2017/8/...
https://www.patreon.com/posts/13910030
https://soundcloud.com/swordandlaser/...

[Lena]

Thank you for another great show. I agree with Tom that time moves differently in the Gunslinger so the flashbacks are appropriate.

[Rob, Roberator]

Oh geez. I apparently should have never posted that picture on good reads..

[Dara]

Rob wrote: "Oh geez. I apparently should have never posted that picture on good reads.."

You are now an S&L legend

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

I would like to point out that I used the same background color as the Sade music video, and I gave Rob "Deal with it" glasses because he's a badass.

[Sean Lookielook]

Here's the thread that Vaginal Fantasy Western thread that V mentioned. It's mostly romance books but there's fantasy/supernatural stuff mixed in there: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

VF read westerns a couple of times:
•Silver Lining and The Outsider in Oct 2015 are more traditional historical novels: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
•Silver on the Road in May 2016 has magic and the devil: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

[Trike]

S&L podcast, 2028:

1. What medications are we taking?

2. Sick Burns

3. Bare your walker

4. AARP Bulletin wrap-up

5. Sciatica pains, part 37 of 98

[Nokomis.FL]

Yes, use your local library. My library system is a large county-wide organization and has almost anything I want. While they no longer participate in the Inter-Library Loan system that I used to abuse, they still have reciprocity with neighboring counties but I have to go there to check out and return the item.

[Joseph]

As far as the TV adaptation of City & the City, I'm not sure if you need a huge effects budget or not -- well, yes, these days everything does, but if it was me I'd try to do things relatively subtly.

Give each of the cities a fairly distinct visual style -- one is kind of eastern European, but bright & vibrant, and the other is more Soviet-era brutalist; likewise the clothing worn by the inhabitants of each city. Then on a given block, have a kind of mix of the two buildings and (this is the tricky part, of course) choreograph the extras so that they're moving through each other's spaces without having any kind of actual interaction -- no glances, no sudden sidesteps, etc. Just two completely non-mixing flows of people. And maybe trying to frame shots so that buildings in the "other" city are naturally just on the edge of perception.

If you do want to use special effects, as I said, go with something very subtle -- maybe a very slight loss of focus on the "other" city in any given scene?

(Edited to add: In fact, I think that it'd be a huge mistake, at least in most cases, to try to do it with any kind of green screen or otherwise combining multiple, separate shots.)

[Francis x]

strange that you did not mention the TV series , 'The Mist' in your podcast #303. I think that I might have found a couple of scenes that call back to the whole works of Stephan King.
especially the episode 9 (8/17/2017 Spike channel).

much be the effect of the typical SF fog .

[Louie]

Nokomis.FL wrote: "Yes, use your local library."

I go to my local library, at least, once a week. In fact, I believe everything I have read this year has come from the library. And I actually have an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) waiting for me, right now. #LibraryLove <3

[John (Taloni)]

I get quite a bit from the library. In the abstract it makes me feel bad to deprive authors of income, but their publishing companies made the deal. I'll always pay for indies though.

[Sean]

Don't feel too bad. If more people read certain books/authors, that encourages the library to buy more copies of that book/more works by that author. Everybody wins!

[Sean Lookielook]

John (Taloni) wrote: "I get quite a bit from the library. In the abstract it makes me feel bad to deprive authors of income, but their publishing companies made the deal. I'll always pay for indies though."

Don't feel too bad : http://www.rachellegardner.com/are-li...

Publishers count on a significant portion of their revenue from libraries. In 2009, public libraries and educational institutions (which include school and college libraries) bought $14.6 billion of the $40 billion in books sold. Over a tenth of net book sales are to libraries. The absence of libraries would be noticed!

[Rebecca]

RE: Fantasy Westerns
Lila Bowen's series The Shadow is fantastic. A half black half Native American orphan girl living in Durango discovers she can see "monsters" and is pulled into the dangerous world where men and monsters are equally threatening.

[Stephen]

The Sisters Brothers has a small Magic/Science element that might fit if one un- focuses ones eyes. That said, it is a great, funny book.

[Robin]

John (Taloni) wrote: "I get quite a bit from the library. In the abstract it makes me feel bad to deprive authors of income, but their publishing companies made the deal. I'll always pay for indies though." Most writers that I know are completely in favor of people using their public libraries! Where would I be for reference works, and sampling new authors, and just generally browsing the stacks. With the decline of independent bookstores in the US, especially in smaller towns, a library is where a reader can once again have that moment of discovery . . . well, I've veered off the topic already. So, to get back to it, I think we should all consume vast quantities of readable stuff from our local libraries! And not worry if the author gets a royalty.

[Ben]

Robin Hobb In the same token of the library, I can't help but feel similarly when it comes to buying used books. The author only receives compensation from the original sale, although the book can be bought and sold several more times to different readers. I feel bad buying used books even when they are more economical (both financially and environmentally) especially from authors you enjoy the wish to support. I was curious if you had a response to this as well?

[Ruth]

Any way of experiencing an author's work can lead to benefit for them later. I have several times got a book from the library, and subsequently bought a copy (or copies) as gifts. Likewise I've bought a book second hand, or borrowed from a friend, then later bought other books by the same author new.
And of course, reviews and recommendations are also ways to support your local author!

[Robin]

Ben wrote: "Robin Hobb In the same token of the library, I can't help but feel similarly when it comes to buying used books. The author only receives compensation from the original sale, althoug..." I buy used books. Sometimes when I finish reading a book and know I won't read it again, I donate it to a charity store, where I expect someone else will buy it. I do not personally know any writers who oppose buying used books. Sometimes it's the only way to get that out-of-print treasure!

[John (Nevets)]

Authors, probably not most. And I honestly haven't heard any info from book publishers, but I'd be a bit surprised if they didn't at least frown on it considering how veimetly record companies, movie studios, and game publishers oppose secondary sales. All of the above tried to have laws written before the digital age to make secondary sales illegal, and since the digital age they not only have tried using legal means, but technology to try and do the same.

I take part in digital media, like just about everyone else, but know that if you can't resell something, you don't own it, it's a one time fee rental. This gets to the fundamental disagreement about e-book pricing. Publishers spend just about the same amount producing a good commercial e-book as they do a physical one. But for book readers/ buyers, if they can't resell the book it doesn't have the same value. So should an e-book cost nearly as much as a physical one to allow the publisher to make the same profit they would on a physical one, or should it be significantly cheaper to represent the lost value to the consumer? That has been the struggle over price.

As a side note, this is almost a moot point for me, since I tend to hoard books, and rarely get rid of ones I own.

[John (Taloni)]

^Yeah, the pricing controversy goes on and on. Publishers certainly provide value in professional editing and distribution. The bigger the publisher, the better they are at navigating the ins and outs of physical distribution.

But ebooks? No cost for individual unit, no distribution cost. The publisher gets 70% of the sale price, far more than physical distribution, and no cost of returns. Ebooks plain and simple should cost less.

That isn't to say publishers provide no value. Professional editing is by far the best service. For an example, compare some Alastair Reynolds "Known Space" oops I mean "Revelation Space" short stories from before he had a book deal to his first book Revelation Space. The quality difference is vast. I'm sure he grew as a writer, but the editing made a huge difference.

Still, the cost of editing is fairly small compared to publishing overhead. Keeping ebook prices high is simply a revenue grab on their part. Which is fine, free market and all, but the flip side of the free market means I don't have to support it. That's part of why I'll pay full price for an indie book while looking for cheaper ways to read a traditionally published work.

That's true even when the book to price ratio is higher for indies. I'll pick up Maggie for Hire books (Kate Danley) at $4 and 200 pages, knowing that the full-price for a bloated space opera is $12 and 1,000 pages, so the price per page for the space opera is less. Indie authors need my money more and the name of the game is more installments at a decent price. I'll gladly support that.

[Stephen]

A pre-order of a book is a great way to show support of an author. It is fun to wake up in the morning and there is a new book on your E-Reader; Also in the Los Angeles library system there is a great feature where you can recommend a purchase of a book. Also I have become addicted to Whispersync, which means I buy the e-book and an Audible version too.

[Robin]

My local libraries are wonderful with their e-book services. From my home, I can check out an ebook. It appears on my device. And when my due date rolls around, it vanished from my device. No more late fees. I swear I probably helped build a new library with what I used to pay. If you haven't looked at e-book services from your library, you definitely should, especially if you feel that e-books are overpriced.

[Lena]

Overdrive is my friend. I enjoy checking out the audiobooks, they are pricy to buy.

[Dara]

Robin wrote: "Sometimes it's the only way to get that out-of-print treasure!"

Or sometimes older cover art. I actually bought old paperback editions of Fool's Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool's Fate for the artwork. I also didn't feel bad about buying them used because I have the kindle editions I paid for. :-)

[Shawn D Whale]

A toast to the final word in Butterscotch Scotch
I give you Buttery Nipples!
(please pass along to Vaginal Fantasies)

Buttery Nipple
Ingredients
1 oz DeKuyper® Buttershots liqueur
1/2 oz Irish cream

[Robin]

Dara wrote: "Robin wrote: "Sometimes it's the only way to get that out-of-print treasure!"

Or sometimes older cover art. I actually bought old paperback editions of Fool's Errand, [book:Golden F..."
I don't think anyone should ever feel guilty over buying used books. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

[Shad]

You do indirectly help authors when you buy used books. Being able to resell a print book does add value to a book beyond the enjoyment of reading it. That will lead to a little higher prices for the new books that will benefit authors. Maybe not as much as buying new, but it will help.

[Trike]

Also, all those discarded copies of Fifty Shades of Gray can be used to block floodwaters.

[Joseph]

Trike wrote: "Also, all those discarded copies of Fifty Shades of Gray can be used to block floodwaters."

I'm not saying this is the best idea I've ever heard. But I'm not not saying this is the best idea I've ever heard.

[John (Taloni)]

Trike wrote: "Also, all those discarded copies of Fifty Shades of Gray can be used to block floodwaters."

*snort*

Trike wins one Internet today.

[Silvana]

(just realized Robin Hobb is posting in this thread)

*fangirling moment*

[Trike]

Silvana wrote: "(just realized Robin Hobb is posting in this thread)

*fangirling moment*"

Be cool, Sil. Don't blow our street cred.