This week in the publishing.
Not as many links this week! We can savor the few we have. Ahhh….
First off, there’s an ongoing charity auction benefiting author Bridget Zinn, who at just 31 was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Please check that out and bid if you can.
In friend-of-the-blog news, a major congratulations is in order to Aprilynne Pike, whose debut novel, WINGS, landed at #6 on the NY Times bestseller list! Congratulations, Aprilynne!
And in other friend-of-the-blog news, have you ever wanted to see your name in the acknowledgments section of a book? Check out Anne & May’s new contest, and you too could see your name in print.
The New York Times recently published and article about growing e-book piracy concerns in the new Kindle/Sony Reader era. Kassia Krozser at Booksquare was not impressed.
Meanwhile, the French unsurrendered their fight against Internet piracy and passed a law that cuts off Internet access to people who repeatedly pirate copyrighted material, and creates a government agnecy to enforce the rule. Tres interessant.
Sarah Palin got a book deal. No word on the advance, but I’m guessing it could buy a whole lot of moose meat.
My awesome client Jennifer Hubbard recently posited a really fascinating question about children’s book writing. Click over to see what it is.
And finally, in case you need proof that I have strange interests, behold this engrossing video that models all of the world’s plane flights in twenty four hours.
Have a great weekend! See some of you in Washington!
Thanks for the links Nathan, I’m going to read the link to Childrens books now.
Why on earth would you care about watching a bunch of yellow dots flying around the world? Where did that come from?
Justine
Thanks for the links, Nathan. Have a great weekend!
Ew at that Sarah Palin book deal… unfortunately it will sell to a certain audience. *barf*
Wow, watching that airplane thing makes our world look as though it should be very itchy. Maybe storms are just the planet trying to clear the bugs off. Also, I worry about that one plane all by himself heading down to the bottom right corner. Maybe he thinks no one will notice his escape from the boring old route.
Other weekend topics must wait. Thanks!
I’m not a political follower over all here in the States, but I really don’t understand why Parlament would be upset about a law passed in France. I would think that over all artist of all kinds whether musical/writen/or art would be happy about the first actual step toward stopping pirated copyrighted material. Sounds more like a power struggle to me.
As far as the childrens reading is concerned I really believe that we should meld all of it together. There need to be books out there for kids that are fun, some that help you learn, and others that give the reader a reality check on how hard life can be. If we only had fluffy pink bunnies in kids books it wouldn’t help them with reality at all, if there were only hard pressed facts in a book- kids wouldn’t read it. A nice mixture makes for fun reading. Maybe that’s because I read any genre that has a book which peeks my interest.
DIMA- I totally agree. *barf*
Happy reading!
Justine
I love Aprilynne, I’m thrilled for her.
Hoping to have the opportunity to meet you this weekend at the SCBWI Conference in Redmond.
I have been following your blog for some time and greatly enjoy it. There are many blogs out there but few are as insightful and relevant as yours.
Thanks for the great read every day.
Kirk
But Sarah Palin can’t even speak in complete sentences!
How many real writers will have their work rejected because a huge chunk of advance money goes to someone like her?
It’s a sad day.
triple barf.
Congratulations AprilLynne! That’s wonderful!
Thanks for all the links, Nathan – good reading.
I hope you have fun in Washington. That must be hard though – work all week, and then conference all weekend. You have a tough schedule!
Thanks again, too, for the interview with Ms. Hinton. That was awesome!
I’m hoping to snag WINGS for review.
Governor Palin doesn’t need to buy moose meat. She packs heat.
😉
Well, okay, she does have to buy a hunting permit just like the rest of us Alaskans.
Congrats to Aprilynne and thanks for the links, Nathan. I enjoyed Jennifer’s post regarding children’s books – I think it’s not an either/or issue but I’m also not a black and white thinker by nature. It’s basically the same as for adults – depending on your mood you may prefer a book that is escapist, literary, educational, etc. There’s a need for all kinds of books out there. Of course I couldn’t figure out how to leave a comment on her post because it’s not through Google – I know, I know – I need to “consult my nearest teenager.”
Happy Friday everyone! 🙂
‘Posited.’ I haven’t seen that word used since my university days. So, you have an academic background? Probably quite a good one, I should imagine. There’s something about the sound of ‘posited’ that I just don’t like though. I must admit I used it once in my own thesis, but I never felt comfortable with it and have never used the word again, until now.
Am I missing something on the contest? I went to the link but found a blog post about A&D. Anyhoo, no biggie. Just curious what the contest was.
Interesting question put forward by Jennifer. I find it difficult to provide an absolute answer since I favored certain parts of each.
Thanks for the links. I actually lost the link to Bridget's blog and couldn't remember how I was referred there before.
PC-
Whoops, I forgot the contest link.
What would you do if Marilyn and I didn’t tell you when the links were missing/broken??
PC-
I think my computer would probably explode.
Speaking of computers. My power cord died on my laptop and hubby and I had exactly two hours left on the battery to watch the LOST finale. I thought I would die everytime they showed another commercial. We kept watching the power button like a couple of crazies.
I have mixed emotions about the finale but the two before…you’re right – they were full of awesome!
Congrats to Aprilynne, what an honor!
Thanks for linking to us, Nathan!
I saw the NY Times article. Did you notice that all the authors quoted were speculative fiction writers? There were no quotes form the likes of Annie Proulx or Sue Monk Kidd. Was that because they don’t worry about piracy, or is it only spec-fic-loving geeks who know how to pirate books?
Also, it wasn’t explicitly stated but it sounded like these copies were made by scanning print books. Maybe publishers will get the idea that there’s no point in not publishing in ebook form?
Am I the only one scared of the giant green ball thingy in Anne’s picture? I mean, it seems to have scales and spikes and tassles.
Just curious. Maybe it’s just me.
Purple, I think your battery issue was the most exciting thing about Lost.
Okay, to be fair, I only saw the first half of the first season. When I realized it wasn’t going to be some kind of cool danger island type thing with dinosaurs and instead saw it heading into “making it up as we go along for the advertising” territory, I bailed. But I still liked your story better than anything I’d seen. 🙂
Cool video, Nathan. Cheers.
Word ver: jouscul n. 1. Where non-religious French people learn to spin dradles. (I’m here all week(
Alas, Sarah Palin can get a book deal when so many of us cannot. What’s wrong with this picture? At least I know Africa is a continent…when is that fifteen minutes of fame going to end?
I owe a beer or two or five to many a friend at Harper. Just so I can publicly declare this, I’m retracting my debts to all of you. Palin? Come on! LOL. Thanks for all your links Nathan.
Thanks for being my CNN Nathan! I’d never find all this information on my own.
TWIP, my favorite part of Friday (besides being the end of week for me)
Thanks for the links Nathan.
Looks like the sun came out for your visit this weekend.
OK, I am so late to all of this and now you’re going to be 1 hour from me this weekend. WAH!!! Perhaps I’ll have my act together by next year and I’ll meet you then.
PALIN?? I hope they get a 7th grader to ghostwrite it, at least the geography will be correct . . . and the politics more comprehensible . . . and the sense more common . . .
Note to acquisition editors and whoever else is responsible for deals like this . . .
Every time you give a grotesque advance to a celeb, psuedo and otherwise, an angel loses its wings. Please think twice and help save the angels.
Otherwise, awesome post as always. And thank ya, thank ya, thank ya, for the awesome interview with S.E. Hinton. I went to law school at University of Tulsa and was totally jealous of the writing/publishing talent that was there when I couldn’t be.
Stop talking about LOST, I haven’t got to watch it yet!!! Covering my ears, I mean eyes.
For those talking about Palin, maybe she communicates to the average citizen better by not using overdone words, and someone is smart enough to realize that.
Bridget is actually 31. It’s kind of weird to see how this is morphing in cyberspace – some people are saying she has kids.
But it is true she is a wonderful, warm human being who is way too young to have stage four colon cancer.
April
aprilhenry.livejournal.com
Anon, I’m gonna talk about LOST here, but no spoilers… promise.
PC – I’m digging lost – even though it jumped the shark a few years back (perhaps they can time travel and unjump it 🙂 – a part of my atheist side wishes I remembered more of my biblical upbringing so I could get the parallels/references more readily (and w/o having to completely rely on chat boards 🙂 – definitely liked the Flannery O’Connor placement in the finale – great author;
airline traffic… loved the vid
I watched all that gold dust falling into Hawaii as daylight spread across the Pacific… and wished! Kona no ka oi!
Haste yee back 😉
HUGE congratulations, Aprilynne!!!
April – I’m very sorry to hear about Bridget Zinn. That’s tragic. It’s great that she has such a wonderful supportive community.
Thanks for the info!
Do none of you have people in your lives – whom you respect – who actually like Sarah Palin? Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t vote for her (or Obama/Biden) I just find it fascinating that everyone in here bashes her and that certain audience. That audience you’re referring to happens to contain some of the best people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
I think the Palin advance was $700,000.
And the big green artichoke thing scared me too!
Nathan, I love your weekly links. I learn a lot.
Um. Never mind. I see that original estimates of Palin’s book value were more like 7 MILLION to 11 million. Don’t know where I got that other figure.
Here’s Palin regarding her writing: “My journaling really ramped up when I found out that I was pregnant with Trig and then Track was going off to war and I found out Bristol was pregnant,” Palin said. “When we had those episodes in our lives come to the surface, it was very therapeutic for me.”
Some argue that she is legally prohibited from making money on a book while holding the office of Governor of Alaska.
Did you know that you are called the Bransford Bug over on twitter? And apparently you bite people.
Twitter comments from my fellow twitterfolk:
The Tweet: “Anyone know how to say, “I love your blog, think you’re awesome. Represent me,’ in a way that doesn’t sounds like a stalker?”
The Reply: “OH sigh… we all get bit by the bransford bug at one point or another–am I right?”
*snickers*
I don’t get it.
What’s wrong with sounding like a stalker?
Yay for Aprilynne! I just went to her launch party last night. She’s great and she totally deserves it! Yay! 😀
Book title for Sarah Palin: Of Moose and Men
Mira-
Nothing. I’m sure he loves to be stalked. lol
Mira —
It’s now officially a toss-up between whether I like Nathan’s blog or your comments more. Before it was pretty much a dead heat … now not so much.
I read about the Palin advance, turned to co-worker, and said “See? This is what’s wrong with publishing.” Not because she shouldn’t get a book deal, but because like someone else said, this means the publisher won’t spend the money on an unproven author who may be the next Steinbeck (a guy can dream, can’t he?).
-Matt
P.S. And yes “Of Moose and Men” meant I had to go for Steinbeck. So 😛
Bryan, I want whatever Kool-aid you’re drinking 🙂
Also, for all you “The Road” junkies, there’s a new trailer out for the upcoming movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiMWf4WeGWc
The folks over at RottenTomatoes seem to be up in arms – something about the trailer not reflecting the book and attracting the wrong crowd (I’m guessing teenagers)…
I have a different take on the Palin deal. She got a big fat advance because somebody thinks she’ll make them some money. They don’t pay advances or royalties from a static pile of money somewhere.
Love her or hate her, if the book makes a big pile of money that is MORE money the publisher has to spend on new authors. Not less. And since they aren’t in the biz to lost money I suspect they are planning on making plenty.
Crystal,
I’m glad you understand. Stalkers have definitely gotten a bad wrap. So few people look past the severe mental health issues to the potential beneath – you know, free labor. People who will do your chores for you without complaining.
Heck, they’ll BEG you to do your chores. Wish I had a stalker. My sock drawer needs organizing.
Matthew,
you warmed the cockles of this unpublished author who hasn’t even written anything’s heart. But you’re looking at this the wrong way. Nathan and I are a team. As in he provides this open forum for authors, with interesting discussion topics and links and interviews (!), and fun contests, and encouragement and advice.
Then I give him a hard time and he is veeerrryy patient about the whole thing, and doesn’t delete my posts TOO often.
See how this works? It’s togetherness.
Scott –
Did you stick around for the attack polar bears and black passover type thingie?? I must admit it had a LOOONNGGG stint during the writers strike that it felt like they were making it up as they go (and they were and still are I think) but they’ve managed to come full circle quite nicely. Except for the finale. All I will say is, “Can they make up their freakin’ minds what ‘side’ they are on already??? How many times are they going to change their minds. This all takes place within a day…seriously!”
Bane – Wow, I’m an avid reader of the bible and I have to admit I had no idea they were doing that many biblical references. I will only say that the black “thing” reminded me of the passover and ben reminded me of the prodigal son’s jealous older brother. Hmph. Now I’m going to overanalyze everything. Thanks Anubis! 😛
I admit I am still disappointed at the finale. But that is all I’ll say. I really thought it was a bunch of fluff. Though I cried when Sawyer cried. But I always cry when men do. Except Jack. He’s just a winer baby.
Do you like how I kept saying “all I will say” and then continued to ramble.
That’s all I’m going to say.
Except my veri word is “firerat”…cool. Maybe that should be on lost. Flying fire rats.
Mira-
I don’t have a stalker either, but I do have kids. Doesn’t quite work the same way, but gets the job done.