Aspiring Authors Take Note!

If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to self-publish your book, take a look at this article from GalleyCat, a MediaBistro site all about the publishing industry. 

Self-publishing has come a long way from pop-novel fanfic made real, and many many authors have had great success with it. But the last thing anyone wants after pouring their love, ink, and soul into a work of literature is to pour more money into it that you won't get back. The key is to do your research in order to avoid scams and make the most cost-effective decisions for your opus.

Click here for some great reasons to self-publish!

December Goodies for the Nice List

Happy December! 

Even though Fall is my favorite season for Nature's beautiful colors and mild temperature (not to mention breaking out all my cute autumn clothes!), I really love this time of year. Replacing the fall foliage are houses and trees adorned with bright and colorful lights and other festive decorations (some more tasteful than others). 

Though a fragrant wintergreen wreath is a classic, why not try something new and make this beautiful upcycled book wreath! I love how the artists starts the tutorial with "Find a mass market paperback no one will miss..." Even though I have a new appreciation for the mass market novels my office publishes, they aren't called mass market for nothing :P

Ology vs Ism

If you've seen the 1999 film The Boondock Saints, you may remember the part when Agent Paul Smecker, played by Willem Dafoe, corrects Detective Dolly's use of the word "symbology." The officer was referring to the practice of placing coins on the eyes of the dead so the departed soul would have the necessary toll to pay Charon, the spirit in the classical Greek and Italian Underworld who mans a boat across the River Styx.

Although Smecker was correct that Dolly was not using the right word, Smecker implied that symbology was not a real word. Surprise! Symbology is a system of symbols that express meaning, much like the way hieroglyphs express meaning through pictorial means. Since Dolly was not talking about something related to an alphabet, he was indeed looking for the word Symbolism, or an artistic device that endows tangible objects with intangible ideas. For example, the idea that pennies on the eyes of a dead man can give him safe passage to the afterlife.

The problem with ebooks

It's no secret that I've long been a supporter of print books. Print books suit my needs better than ebooks for many reasons. I like the feeling of flipping through pages, especially when I reach a plot-critical moment in the story and I want to flip back to another earlier moment to confirm a name or plot point. In the wake of one superstorm and one snowstorm, both of which knocked out the power, I especially love that books don't need batteries. I like that you can read them in sunlight, and at the beach, and not have to worry about them malfunctioning due to water damage or sand in the keys. I like the smell of paper and ink. And there's nothing quite like gazing up at a bookshelf stuffed with the colorful spines of books you've read.

But I also appreciate the many advantages that ebook devices give to many readers: one can carry many books at a time, all in one place (phone, tablet, computer, or dedicated ereader). That's great for people who, like me, often read more than one book at a time. Ebook devices have lit screens so you can read without another light on, you can make the type bigger, and they're lighter than most books, even paperbacks, which is all good for older readers. To me, the best thing about ebooks is that it just gets more people reading, which is always good, regardless of format.

But. My biggest problem with ebooks is that you can never truly own them because they don't exist. 

I have an iPod touch on which I have some ebooks that I downloaded for free, which is great when I'm waiting somewhere without a book and feel like reading something. I also have a lot of great apps on my iPod, from Gmail to Fruit Ninja, all downloaded for free. I never got into the games that require you to buy coins or farm animals or other "virtual merchandise" for real money. I just don't see the point of paying for something that only exists in the virtual world.

And now, ebook readers' tenuous ownership of ebooks that they have purchased turns out to be even less substantial than it was before. 

According to ZD Net, Amazon and other ebooks suppliers were never selling ebooks at all. They were only selling licenses to access their vast repositories of digital books. Licenses that, their user contracts state, they have the right to revoke at any time, regardless of how much the user paid. Read the full article here.


In her closing paragraphs, the author of the article makes a statement that I disagree with in two ways. She says, “With the imminent demise of the printed book, we are going to have to get used to the way we purchase but do not own electronic goods.”

First of all, printed books are not about to go up in flames. There will always be a market for printed books because their advantages are different from those of ebooks. Like traditional movies vs. 3D movies, both formats appeal to consumers with different wants and needs.

Secondly, we do not have “get used to” the idea of not owning the things we pay for. This is another one of the advantages of printed books. I like owning a book tht someone would actually have to physically remove from my physical bookshelf in order to take it away from me. The same goes for music. I also have a good-sized music library on my iPod, and for reasons unknown to me, some of it mysteriously disappears from my iTunes library from time to time. If it weren’t for the physical copies of CDs that I own, that music that existed in my virtual library would have been gone forever.

My books are some of my most valued possessions, and I don’t that to happen to them.

Laughs that never get old

There are a few things in this world that always make me laugh, including corny jokes, Whose Line is it Anyway?, and dramatic typos. 

Currency from the "Republica de Chiie"

This collection of photos from The Guardian includes some of the best worst typos I have ever seen, and gave me some nice deep belly laughs. While seeing such typos as these may make us think that the perpetrators should go back to "shcool," we would do well to remember that we're all only human, and typos happen to everyone. But that doesn't make them any less enjoyable.

Buy a Dictionary

These posters, designed by graphic artist Alison Rowan, are a bold, aesthetic way to speak out against what I think of as language laziness: using a word in an inappropriate way because the speaker is too lazy to search for the right one. These posters show how one can replace a word used in a derogatory manner with a more specific and appropriate one.

They also show one language's great advantages: the ability to say exactly what you mean to say. If you truly feel strongly about what you say, why wouldn't you want such a powerful advantage?

Magical Bookquotes

"A book is  proof that humans are capable of working magic."

-Carl Sagan

Bookquotes from Friends and Editors

"No one goes, I'm really hungry, I'm going to read a book." - George Machin, Fabulous Youtuber

(But they should!)

"Books! For reading and smartness..." -Sara Smith, Music Teacher Extraordinaire

(yea...)

"Life is better with sound effects" -Deb Werksman, Acquiring Editor at Sourcebooks 

(on making noises while reading)

"Well, it's Texas, that's closer to South  America than Connecticut!"
-Susie Benton, Associate Editor at Sourcebooks

(on why fictional Jaguar shapeshifters would be in a Houston club)

Time for the new single on my emo band album, "No One Understands How Much We Suffer"

Thank you,
 Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal,
 for this wonderful expression of the phrase,
"Story of My Life."

Fall craft time!

What a great book project for October! I've been fascinated by repurposed book art since I've started seeing it more and more, even if I feel like a tiny part of my soul dies each time I think about books being destroyed. (The idea that books themselves need repurposing hurts, but I admit that there are some books lying around that aren't doing anyone any good.) 

I'd like to try this...if I can find a book in my house that I'm willing to "repurpose" for art's sake!

Authors, Eye candy, etc

Here is a link to a post on my tumblr that distills a few of my favorite authors (and then some!) into a single sentence, with an oh so fitting surprise at the end. I particularly appreciated George R.R Martin, Suzanne Collins, Scott Westerfield, and John Green. Sorry for the profanity, but Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's just makes it because I imagine Sherlock from Sherlock saying that.

But if books and profanity are your cup of tea, try this.

(Ancient) Authorquotes

"A room without books 

is like

a body without a soul."

 

-Marcus Tullius Cicero 

(106-43 BCE)

Cicero was a well-regarded orator in his time, now considered to be the greatest in Roman history. He was also a linguist and philosopher as well as wealthy statesman of Rome.

His works were revived and revered in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and made an enormous impact on European language and thought.

All about the Beast and his Beauty

I'm a fan of creative revisions of the classic "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster, and I particularly enjoyed this one because Belle is obviously my favorite Disney princess (I was also Belle for Halloween 4 years ago.) 

Has anyone ever actually read the "original" version of The Beauty and the Beast? Being a traditional fairy tale, it has many versions, but the oldest published version is "La Belle et La Bête" by french authoress Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Her version, published in 1740 in La Jeune Américaine, et les Contes Marins, or "The Young American and the Sailor's Tales," was over 100 pages long, and the beast was actually a true savage, changed from a prince by an evil fairy, not Disney's "beautiful enchantress." Belle was also the youngest of six daughters and six sons, who were vain and selfish like Cinderella's stepsisters. 

Villeneuve's work was later pared down and republished by another french novelist, Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont, in 1756 in Magasin des enfants, ou dialogues entre une sage gouvernante et plusieurs de ses élèves, or "The Children's Magazine, or Discussions Between a Wise Governess and Several of Her Students." This abridged version was republished in many magazines and became more widely known. Its more simplified, archetypal story is closer to the Disney version, though still very different.

Below are links to both Villeneuve's and Beaumont's versions, for our comparison and reading pleasure.

Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont

Spilled Milk

I think this applies to book lovers too, since I cry about it all the time.

Man + Book = Sexy

Just thought I'd share this, courtesy of the Sourcebooks Casablanca imprint's blog.

Happy reading!

Authorquotes 2

"He’s sitting beside me playing Mario Cart on his DSI 3D and I think he’s so deep into the game that he doesn’t even notice I’ve changed the channel from SpongeBob Square Pants to Project Runway AllStars" 

-Sharon Sala

Adorable.

Sharon Sala is the USA Today bestselling author of over 100 books including the upcoming title, The Curl Up and Dye from Sourcebooks, Inc. 

Quiz Time!

Hey girls, want to find out what kind of nerd you are? I'm a sucker for quizzes, and I found this one particularly enjoyable. I got 3 e's, 2 b's and a c so that makes me a "Bookish Beauty." Big surprise, right? Share your results, if you like.

Click me for nerdy quantification!

Authorquotes

"When the going gets tough, the tough eat chocolate.” 
-Susie Benton

This is the first in what I hope will become a continuing series: witty, sage, or informative gems from authors and other publishing professionals that I hear myself or otherwise come across. 

Susie Benton is a Senior Associate Editor of Sourcebooks, Inc., Project Manager of Discover a New Love, and author of several books including The Wisdom of Dolphins.

Lunch Time Chat with Author Shana Galen!

Ever wanted to ask an award-winning author about her writing style? Know the difference between a plotter and a pantser? Or just want to chat with a likeminded (and published) book lover? Now's your chance! Head over to Sourcebooks' Discover a New Love for a lunch time chat with Shana Galen and other authors and publishing industry professionals!

Click me for author chat!

Welcome to the words

This blog is for people for like me who love opening books and inhaling the intoxicating scent of paper and ink and imagination, who gasp as full bookshelves taller than they are, and who agree with Dumbledore's sentiment that "Words are, in my not-so-humble-opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic."

Now here's a bit of comedy for other suspected book addicts like myself ;)