This week! Books!
Still in crunch-time mode on Wonderbar #3, so here’s another abbreviated of This Week in Books.
Some cool new (to me) sites to check out:
And blog posts!
Self-Published Authors Sharply Criticize Penguin’s Book Country
Book Country and Self-Publishing: Why the Hate?
PW Names Worst Book Ever
(Really? It beat this one?)
And finally, here’s the promo video for Small Demons, which is a pretty awesome demonstration of what the site is all about:
Have a great weekend!
Thanks for having these posts, Nathan. I love them.
No notes about Barnes and Nobels quarterly postings?
https://www.mobilemag.com/2011/12/02/barnes-noble-nook-is-now-a-220-million-business/
Web link for the details
I can't believe what those Sandusky books are selling for!!
Nathan, I'm not sure if TOUCHED is the worst book ever, but its existence and title have to be the worst irony ever. Oh my.
True story: from the 1970s Warriner's English Grammar And Composition that my students use (because — hey — pronouns haven't changed much in the last few decades, and it's the best grammar book I've ever found), there's one sentence in the adverbs section that has become very funny now. It reads, "We all finally agreed that OJ Simpson had done extremely well."
Thanks for today's humor.
Worst book: LOL! Shared on my blog.
Update on the latest resource in self-pub. is useful. (Hope I don't have to go the s-p route, though.)
Thanks so much for the link, Nathan! And I'm SO excited for Small Demons…it's going to have a heyday with Ernest Cline's READY PLAYER ONE. 😀
Thanks so much for the links, Nathan! I miss your commentary, but I appreciate that you took the time given how much you have on your plate. Also, it's hard for me to complain when you're working on a book I can't wait to read.
So, the links. I have time, and I read them all, and am going to comment on each and every one!
a. I like the Greatest Books for Kids site. Looks like a good place to get recommendations.
b. The Small Demons site is a very interesting concept. This is the type of thing that we are going to see much more of. I believe we are about to see an explosion of activity in the world of books. It's TERRIFIC.
c. Wow, the self-pubishing critique against Penguin was interesting, as was Writer Bewares article arguing for moderation. For me – I believe what Penguin is doing is just plain sleazy. For a traditional publishing house to offer vanity printing is a step down. I sypathetically applaud Penguin's efforts to find ways to strengthen it's e-book division in order to save itself, but I would urge it to find ways that don't alienate the writing community and besmirch the shininess of its cachet.
d. Mark Cuban self-publishing is smart and a significant sign of things to come.
e. The worst thing about the two worst books was neither one was available on Kindle. Sheesh. Not that I would ever read Sandusky's book (and I agree that is the worst book!), but it's the principle of the thing. The article and comments on the Microwave one were funny.
f. Rachelle's article made agenting sound pretty fun. And I identified with the writer's plea poem. Nicely done.
Okay, that's it! Thanks again, Nathan.
Even in short form, I still appreciate your links.
I wanted to let you know I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award.
https://jennifermeaton.com/2011/12/03/versatile-blogger-award/
You are one of the ones on my list I consider a "Professional" but I still think you deserved this. Your Blog ROCKS! Congratulations, and I hope it brings more people to your site. And Good Luck with Jabob Wonderbar!