Showing posts with label feature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label feature. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Feature: Books that Amazon is Missing Out On

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

This isn't a pro-Pan Macmillian post (or an anti-Amazon post for that matter), but here are some books that's recently released (or will be released) and might not be getting as much publicity because of the recent fiasco. Haven't read any of these books, some are by friends, others are titles I've been anticipating for quite some time.

You buy the books at the following online vendors: Indiebound|Books-A-Million|Barnes & Noble|Borders|The Book Depository

No Sleep Till Wonderland by Paul Tremblay
Tremblay's take on the noir genre and while this novel (at least based on the previous novel, The Little Sleep) isn't speculative fiction per se (as far as a narcoleptic detective doesn't suspend your sense of disbelief), his writing tends to have the genre's sensibilities.

Fathom by Cherie Priest
This isn't strictly a new release but the paperback release of Priest's novel. Priest is one of this decade's writers to watch out for, whether it's her short stories or novels.

Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov
I love to highlight world speculative fiction and here's the first book in a trilogy by a Russian novelist. It's also translated by Andrew Bromfeld, who also did the translation for the Night Watch series. Check out the book trailer here.
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998 - 2008 by John Scalzi
For the record, Scalzi's blog is on my feed. I don't always agree with the man, but I do find his entries insightful. If you haven't been reading his blog, this book is the best time to check him out. And if you do read his blog, well, here are some of his best hits.

Warriors edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
Maybe I'm cheating: this anthology doesn't come out until March. But it's George R. R. Martin AND Gardner Dozois. And the contributor's aren't anything to sneeze at either. Did I mention it's 250,000 words? That's one big antho.

Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson
Here's something for you epic fantasy fans--the type that wants their series in the two digit range. We're now at book nine! The end is near.

Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress
It's Nancy Kress yo! And the book comes out in both paperback and hardcover this month. Where are the female SF writers? Read Nancy Kress.

The Revolution Business by Charles Stross
Well, I'll be the first one to admit that I've never read any of Stross's fiction, but I do read his blog. I'd give his novels a shot solely because of that.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two B edited by Ben Bova
If you want to get acquainted with the classics of the genre, this anthology seems like a good place to start.

Spellwright by Blake Charlton
If you haven't heard of Blake Charlton, that's because this is his debut novel! Why don't you give a new writer a shot? Or read A Dribble of Ink's interview with the guy to help you decide.

The Horsemen's Gambit by David B. Coe
Another paperback post-hardcover release and this is book two of the series. Heck, there's a contest right now in which you can score a free copy of the book if you're so inclined.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Feature: The Speculative Detectives

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

While elements of mystery creeping into your science fiction or fantasy isn't anything new, there's lately been a trend where books are influenced by both the noir/mystery genre and speculative fiction. You'd think they'd be derivatives but several of the titles are very distinct. Here's are a couple that I'd like to highlight:

The Last Book by Zoran Živković (PS Publishing) - The Last Book is fiction that works on multiple levels, treading metafictional ground, referencing Umberto Eco, and alluding to the mystery genre in general. Combine this with Živković's simple yet elegant language and you end up with a very unique title.

Last Days by Brian Evenson (Underland Press) - There's something immediately bizarre when you dive into Last Days, especially when you're dealing with antagonists that call themselves The Brotherhood of Mutilation (pay close attention to the book cover). Much like The Last Book, this novel is also layered as Evenson tackles philosophical quandaries and the division of the book suits this form.

The City in These Pages by John Grant (PS Publishing) - This is Grant's tribute to the Ed McBain novels and for most of the book, he succeeds in writing a compelling and believable police procedural. Since The City in These Pages is in this list, however, there's more to the story than what it originally seems...

The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay (Holt) - While admittedly neither fantasy nor science fiction per se, The Little Sleep contains genre sensibilities (just read the first chapter). What makes this a unique P.I. novel is that the main character is narcoleptic, and that can be quite a detriment when you're investing a mystery. Readers should also keep an eye out for its sequel, No Sleep till Wonderland.

The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (Penguin) - Aside from the conceit of being an actual manual of detection, Berry creates an elaborate setting and backstory for this novel which includes detective agencies and a rogue's gallery of sorts (and if that isn't noir, I don't know what is). The simplistic tone of the novel can be misleading as The Manual of Detection has its own share of intrigue.

Finch by Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press) - Clearly fantastical from the get-go, VanderMeer inserts the noir genre into his Ambergris setting as a sense of mystery, paranoia, and vulnerability pervades the narrative.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Bibliophile Stalker Awards 2009

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

What can I say, "best of" lists are quite popular in book blogger sites and they're a great way of personally recognizing the works of others (be it authors, editors, and everything else in between).

Late last year, I published a shortlist of some of my favorite titles and after a month of deliberation (and more reading), here's my list for 2009.

I'd also like to clarify that the titles mentioned here must meet two criteria: a) I've actually read them and b) they were published in 2009. And as much as I want to do a lot of a), unfortunately, I did not have time to read as much as I wanted, and admittedly most of my readings were focused on anthologies, short story collections, and magazines.

Best Novel

Novels for me are the staple of the genre and there's a lot of significant work that were released in 2009, whether it's China Mieville's The City & The City, Lev Grossman's The Magicians, or Brandon Sanderon's The Gathering Storm (haven't read the last two). For me, however, some of the best were those that slipped past most people's radar, and challenge the boundaries of speculative fiction.

  1. The Babylonian Trilogy by Sebastien Doubinsky (PS Publishing) - For me, one of the novels that still lingers in my mind is Doubinsky's The Babylonian Trilogy. Whether it's style, technique, or format, the novel delivers an experience that feels fresh and original.
  2. Finch by Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press) - If it's just down to technique, VanderMeer wins, hands down. You can read Finch on the surface level and enjoy it, or you can dig deep into it and uncover layers upon layers of sub-text and subtleties. That and spore guns!
  3. Slights by Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot Books) - Slights is a disturbing novel, but that fact is not immediately apparent: the horror is like a shadow that lurks at the periphery of your vision. It also helps that Warren writes in a style that's immediately engaging and repeatedly astounds.
Honorable Mentions
  • Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente (Spectra)
  • The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (William Morrow)
  • The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (Penguin)
Best Novella

Novellas are typically a tough sell to publishers--at least compared to novels or short stories. Still, 2009 had some great novellas, mostly thanks to publisher PS Publishing.
  1. The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough (PS Publishing) - Again, PS Publishing delivers something starkly different from the norm. It's all about what Pinborough insinuates and the way she slowly peels the layers off of her protagonist.
  2. The Witnesses Are Gone by Joel Lane (PS Publishing) - The Witnesses Are Gone is both haunting and elegant without either getting in the way of the other. The length, I feel, is just right, and it's a compliment to Lane that he manages to twist what should have been a predictable (and foreshadowed) story into a narrative that catches you off-guard.
  3. "Delusion's Song" by Alan Smale from Panverse One (Panverse Publishing) - Whereas my top two novellas focus on simply one perspective, the appeal of "Delusion's Song" is its ambitiousness. There's a lot of characters in the story yet Smale manages to make them sound distinctive. And then there's the plot which is dark and brooding, and astute readers might guess the allusions of the story.
Honorable Mentions
  • Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow (Tachyon Publications)
  • Starfall by Stephen Baxter (PS Publishing)

Best Novelette

Honestly, I'm most excited when it comes to 2009's novelettes. In fact, narrowing it to my top three was quite difficult.

  1. "The Assimilated Cuban's Guide to Quantum Santeria" by Carlos Hernandez from Interfictions 2 (Small Beer Press) - "The Assimilated Cuban's Guide to Quantum Santeria" has everything I want in a story: it's upbeat, accessible, telling details, and most of all, fun while still being weighty.
  2. "It Takes Two" by Nicola Griffith from Eclipse Three (Night Shade Books) - It's not often that I encounter mundane science fiction that has the emotional resonance of Griffith's writing. And while I would have loved this piece for that fact alone, it also packs so much more, whether it's Griffith's thesis to characters that feel genuine.
  3. "Technicolor" by John Langan from Poe (Solaris Books) - "Technicolor" is one of the most misleading stories you'll ever read. The ride seems safe yet it leads to unexpected (but welcome) destinations that's full of wonder and horror.
Honorable Mentions
  • "Everland by Paul Witcover from Everland and Other Stories (PS Publishing)
  • "Don't Mention Madagascar" by Pat Cadigan from Eclipse Three (Night Shade Books)
Best Short Story

Pffft. The death of the short story? There's a lot of interesting fiction published in 2009, and best of all, from a variety of sources. And I haven't even read half of last year's best writings...
  1. "Count Poniatowski and the Beautiful Chicken" by Elizabeth Ziemska from Interfictions 2 (Small Beer Press) - One of the most underrated writers if Ziemska and her talent is writing short but very tight stories. "Count Poniatowski and the Beautiful Chicken" is a tear-jerker that features the best of various genres.
  2. "SO-far" by Otsuichi from ZOO (Haikasoru) - Here is translated fiction that's simple, elegant, and achieves so much for its length. Simply put, I want more.
  3. "Golubash, or Wine-Blood-War-Elegy" by Catherynne M. Valente from Federations (Prime Books) - While supposedly a science fiction piece, Valente's signature style is preserved and feels like a fantasy epic. Best of 2009 please.
Honorable Mentions
  • "The Cinderella Game" by Kelly Link from Troll's Eye View (Viking Juvenille)
  • "At the Edge of Dying" by Mary Robinette Kowal from Clockwork Phoenix 2 (Norilana Books)
  • "The Best Monkey" by Daniel Abraham from The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction Volume 3 (Solaris Books)
  • "Artis Eterne" from Cern Zoo (Megazanthus Press)
Best Original Anthology

Another exciting format for me are anthologies. Lots of strong and terrific choices during 2009.
  1. Eclipse Three by edited Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books) - Honestly, my #1 and #2 could easily have been switched, but if I went with my gut, this would be my pick. Interestingly enough, Eclipse Three feels like the interstitial volume of the series, hence my preference for it.
  2. Interfictions 2: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing edited by Delia Sherman & Christopher Barzak (Small Beer Press) - Here is, in my opinion, some of the best work being done in the genre (although that statement is a paradox since the point of the anthology is not to be part of any single label).
  3. Poe edited by Ellen Datlow (Solaris Books) - What's refreshing with Datlow's tribute anthologies is that they're not merely derivatives of the deceased author's fiction. The stories in Poe are quite distinct, combining elements of Poe and the contributing writer.
Honorable Mentions
  • Philippine Speculative Fiction IV edited by Dean Francis Alfar & Nikki Alfar (Kestrel IMC) (disclosure: I'm included in this anthology)
  • Firebirds Soaring edited by Sharyn November (Firebird)
  • Lovecraft Unbound edited by Ellen Datlow (Dark Horse)
Best Reprint Anthology

Despite the loss of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (and nearly the Year's Best Fantasy series), 2009's output makes me hopeful.
  1. The Best Horror of the Year Volume One edited by Ellen Datlow (Night Shade Books) - Right now, if you want a recap of the previous year's best horror, this is the book to get.
  2. The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology edited by Gordon Van Gelder (Tachyon Publications) - Aside from testifying to the importance of Fantasy & Science Fiction, it also doubles as a a history book for the genre.
  3. The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes edited by John Joseph Adams (Night Shade Books) - This anthology manages to maintain its tone of voice despite the diverse narratives and contributors. While it admittedly takes advantage of the recent movie (just take a close look at the cover), the stories covers many of the permutations of the Sherlock Holmes mythos.
Honorable Mentions
  • Best American Fantasy 2 edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer (Prime Books)
  • Year's Best Fantasy 9 edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (Tor Books)
  • The Secret History of Science Fiction edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel (Tachyon Publications)
Best Short Story Collection

Admittedly, I didn't get to read as much short story collections as I wanted to, but here are the ones that particularly stood out.
  1. We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter S. Beagle (Tachyon Publications) - There's more to Beagle than The Last Unicorn and this collection proves it.
  2. Everland and Other Stories by Paul Witcover (PS Publishing) - I was honestly unimpressed with Witcover's presence in the Inferior Four + 1 blog but this collection convinced me otherwise. Now I know why Witcover graces the ranks of Elizabeth Hand, Lucius Shepard, and Paul di Filippo.
  3. ZOO by Otsuichi (Haikasoru) - While a lot of the focus of Haikasoru are Japanese novels, ZOO proves that Japan has its fair share of talented short story writers as well. A must-read for anyone that's looking for something beyond the Anglophile norm.
Honorable Mentions
  • The Best of Michael Moorcock edited by John Davey with Ann & Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon Publications)
Best Single-Issue Magazine



New Genre #6 - Despite being dominated by male contributors, overall, New Genre #6 combines sleek sensibilities with daring fiction that's not easily classifiable.

Honorable Mentions
Best Genre Podcast

Sofanauts - Admittedly, Sofanauts isn't perfect: the sound quality could be better and four's a crowd (which was thankfully rectified in the latter half of the year). It more than makes up for this, however, with its candidness and outspoken guests. It's too bad that it aired its last show in 2009...

Honorable Mentions
Special Award
Booklife by Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon Publications) - This is, in my opinion, one of the must-read books for any aspiring (and existing) author. VanderMeer tackles the plight of writers in a way that hasn't been done by other writing books. It's also modern in the sense that it has a companion website that gets continually updated, and the second edition of the book will only get better.

Best Non-Genre Book for a Genre Reader

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (Picador) - While not marketed as a genre book, The Housekeeper and the Professor has genre sensibilities. If nothing else, it'll make you fall in love with math.

Best New Publisher

Angry Robot Books - It's not often that you can proclaim hey, there are several new publishers that debuted this year which came out with interesting titles. Angry Robot Books, Underland Press (technically, they started in 2008 but their first print title was released in 2009), and Haikasoru each covers a unique niche and made spectacular online debuts (Underland Press for example has that "wovel" thing). In the end though, I must go with Angry Robot Books with its coordination with the community and sheer volume of titles.

Honorable Mentions

Best Book Design

Roadkill/Siren Beat by Robert Shearman/Tansy Rayner Roberts (Twelfth Planet Press) - Roadkill/Siren Beat is campy but the publisher embraces this campiness. Honestly, this is one of those publications that I would have bought on packaging alone. It doesn't hurt that the two stories are excellent.

Things to Look Forward to in 2010:
  • Best American Fantasy 3 edited by Kevin Brockmeier (Underland Press) - Read it and easily a contender for 2010's best reprint anthologies.
  • The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy Podcast - Off to a great start and as some of my favorite genre podcasts are starting to slow down in terms of their release schedule, The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast is picking up the slack and easily becoming a favorite.
  • Lightspeed - John Joseph Adams is My Master Now. His story choices and agenda leaves me hopeful for the future.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Databases

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

Last year, I tried compiling the Philippine speculative fiction stories published in 2009.

Learning from my mistakes and shortcomings, it's probably best to have the rest of the community participate.

In line with this, I've created three spreadsheets:
If you have any work that's applicable (in the case of the first) or published in any of the magazines mentioned, please fill out the forms.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Feature: Holiday Sales 2009

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

Last year, I suggested gift items that are tad bit expensive, so this year, let's do the opposite: sale, sale, sale!

Small Beer Press 2009 Christmas Franciscan Fundraiser Sale



Here's the deal: Small Beer Press books are on sale. For every book you buy, $1.00 goes to the the Franciscan Children’s Hospital. If you want to pay full price for the books, also not a problem! The difference goes to the Franciscan Children's Hospital as well. Not only are you getting books and helping an independent press, but you're donating to charity as well!

More info here.

Also consider: Purchasing all of Small Beer Press's 2009 titles. $59.00 bags you:
Greer Gilman, Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter’s Tales
Vincent McCaffrey, Hound
Poppy Z. Brite, Second Line
Delia Sherman & Christopher Barzak, Editors, Interfictions 2
A Working Writer’s Daily Planner 2010
Electric Velocipede Special Deals

The Hugo-award winning fanzine is on sale. There's a couple of special offers available. You get get Issue 17/18 for just $10.00.

If you want more, more, more, you can try this for $15.00. (Ezra Pines, Richard Bowes, William Shunn, and Robert Freeman Wexler are awesome writers.)

Issue 15/16 (or issue 12 or 13 after 15/16 runs out)

The Sense of Falling by Ezra Pines [Mark Rich; some stories written with Richard Bowes] (chapbook)

An Alternate History of the 21st Century by William Shunn (chapbook)

Psychological Methods to Sell Must Be Destroyed: Stories by Robert Freeman Wexler (chapbook)

Life's Simple Pleasures by John Klima (chapbook; only available through this offer!)

Lastly, you can also go on a Robert Freeman Wexler overdrive for just $5.00:

Psychological Methods to Sell Must Be Destroyed: Stories by Robert Freeman Wexler (chapbook)

The Circus of the Grand Design by Robert Freeman Wexler (novel)

Eos Books Holiday Discount

This one's simple: not only can you browse Eos Books at their website, but until 12/12/2009, just enter the following code in your shopping cart and you get a 20% discount: EOSHLDY09. (Source)

Tor.com's Cthulhu Month!

The stars have come right over at Tor.com with their Tor.com Store Sale. 30% off on the following books:
H. P. Lovecraft, by H. P. Lovecraft and Peter Straub (Library of America)
The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft, by H. P. Lovecraft and S. T. Joshi (Dell)
More Annotated H.P. Lovecraft, by H. P. Lovecraft and S. T. Joshi (Dell)
The Annotated Supernatural Horror in Literature, by H. P. Lovecraft and S. T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press)
Lovecraft Unbound, edited by Ellen Datlow (Dark Horse)
A Lovecraft Retrospective: Artists Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft , by Stuart Gordon, Harlan Ellison, and Thomas Ligotti (Centipede Press)
The Strange Cases of Rudolph Pearson: Horriplicating Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos , by William Jones and Steven Gilberts (Chaosium)
Graphic Classics: H. P. Lovecraft Volume 4 , by Simon Gane, Tom Pomplun, and Pedro Lopez (Eureka)
H. P. Lovecraft: Collected Essays Volume 2: Literary Criticism , by H. P. Lovecraft edited by S. T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press)
H. P. Lovecraft: Collected Essays Volume 5: Philosophy; Autobiography and Miscellany , by H. P. Lovecraft edited by S. T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press)
Teatro Grottesco , by Thomas Ligotti (Virgin Books)
The Imago Sequence and Other Stories , by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books)
Haggopian and Other Stories , by Brian Lumley and Bob Eggleton (Subterranean Press)
Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred , by Donald Tyson (Llewellyn Publications)
Necronomicon , by Ed Simon (Avon Books)
Threshold , by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Ace Roc)
The Red Tree , by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Ace Roc)
PS Publishing Xmas Blowout

It's three for the price of two over at PS Publishing for all their current titles. No magic buttons to press, it's all automatic with the cheapest item becoming the freebie.

Twelfth Planet Press Silly Season Sale!

Have I mentioned that Twelfth Planet Press is an awesome Australian indie press? They also got a couple of Aurealis nominations. You can purchase their nominated works here. If you're in Aussie, it's free shipping while international orders split the shipping costs.

George R. R. Martin Christmas Special

Here's something for the George R. R. Martin fanboys. Tuf Voyaging, Windhaven, and Inside Straight all for just $57.00 and the author signs them to boot.

Happy holidays!

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Feature: Translated Speculative Fiction 2009

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

I was honestly tempted to title this post "Essay: Why Stock/Inventory Articles are Important" and leave the rest of the page blank but I felt that would be cheating you guys and gals. Anyway, here are some translated genre books that have been released in 2009:

Underland Press: Debuting earlier this year, Underland Press is in many ways publishing a lot of cutting-edge fiction (just look at their catalog). One of the titles they acquired was Chaos, written by the Dutch couple Escober.

Chaos by Escober

Haikasoru: An imprint that was launched this year as well, Haikasoru (a play on "High Castle") focuses on Japanese fiction. In the past few months, they've managed to publish three novels, a short story collection, and reprinted two previous releases from its parent company, Viz. (Let's not even get started with what they have lined up for 2010.)


All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

Usurper of the Sun by Housuke Nojiri

ZOO by Otsuichi

PS Publishing: Right now, PS Publishing is pretty much the source for English translations of Zoran Živkovic's fiction. They also published Sébastien Doubinsky's novel and while I'm not sure if Doubinsky's book was translated from French (edit: not a translation), it's still worth a look.

The Bridge by Zoran Živkovic
The Writer, The Book, The Reader by Zoran Živkovic

Impossible Stories 2 by Zoran Živkovic

The Babylonian Trilogy by Sébastien Doubinsky

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Feature: Philippine Taxes on Books from the Post Office

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

Publisher Kenneth Yu posted this anecdote earlier this week: a shipment of books arrived at the Mandaluyong Post Office and the customs officer was charging taxes for it (amounting to almost 100% of the retail price). Honestly, this--the arbitrary taxing of books--isn't news. What is news is that in order to be exempted from the tax, you have to personally file an exemption from the Department of Finance, which contributes to red tape and inconvenience (and you'd be surprised how many institutions earn money from simple red tape).

There are some things which I want to clarify: this is not (just) the book blockade. For the most part, the book blockade centered on importers of books, namely the distributors and bookstores. That aspect was successfully fended off (for now). The issue of arbitrary taxing of individuals at the post office is a separate issue, and was not championed by Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr.

Instead, the cause against this arbitrary taxing was taken up by UP Law Dean Marvic Leonen. Unfortunately, this case hasn't been resolved (and with the news, it seems that people intending on taxing citizens for books have escalated the conflict). Chingbee Cruz and Dean Marvic Leonen needs your receipts for proof against this corruption. Sadly, after the "success" of repealing the book blockade, coverage on this issue died down (and few people listened to me when I said that these are two separate issues).

I'd like to think I'm a practical person so here are my solutions to the "problem", depending on what you want to accomplish:

Obtain Books: If you're main goal is to simply obtain the books, here are some options you might want to consider:
  1. Order them via the local bookstore. I don't know why people don't use this option. Most of the books I currenty read (ARCs being the exemption) are ordered via the bookstore. They actually arrive and there are no "surprise" taxes. I recommend Powerbooks, National Bookstore, and A Different Bookstore for ordering books (I've tried them all at one point in time although my current preference is Powerbooks). The only bookstore I DON'T recommend you order books from is Fully Booked (the rest of their customer sevice is fine).
  2. If you're ordering books from a US retailer, you can have them shipped via Johnny Air Cargo. If you want further instructions, you can read about it here. Note though that you're effectively paying an additional $6.00 per pound, so this may or may not end up costing you more in the long run as opposed to ordering it via a local bookstore. I've tried this method and Johnny Air Cargo does deliver.
Evading the Fees at the Post Office: If you simply don't want to be "hassled", you might want to consider the following tactics:
  1. If you're buying from an online retailer, see if they have an option of labeling the item as "gift". This is usually enough of a deterrent to prevent customs from charging you.
  2. Arrive at the post office early. The person who releases your packages is the post office. The person who charges you taxes (beyond the requisite P35.00) is the customs official. They are not the same person. And if you arrive at thet post office early (8:00 am is the opening time of the Mandaluyong Post Office), chances are, the former will arrive before the latter. If the latter doesn't show up when you claim your package, they can't charge you.
If You Want Justice: By justice, I mean exercising the spirit of the law rather than the letter, and benefitting everyone rather than just yourself, read on:
  1. File for the exemption. It's inconvenient but it beats giving in to corruption.
  2. Document the entire process. Keep the receipt (and forward it to Chingbee Cruz and Dean Marvic Leonen). In this day and age of ubiquitous technology, ask if you can record (whether via digital camera, voice recording, video, etc.) the process. If it's legal, they shouldn't have problems of you documenting it as proof (and be transparent with them on this--no hidden cameras and the like). Also ask for the custom official's name and designation.
  3. File a complaint. Here's an anecdote of what could be done before this new practice.
  4. Make lots of noise. Bring up the topic with politicians. Bring it up with the media.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Feature: Five Quick Points on Print vs eBooks

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

Just me chiming in on the eBook discussion. Are they valid? Hopefully.

1) It's really not print vs. eBooks. There's no reason that the two should be antagonistic, but rather platforms that a publisher could pursue. True, one can be detrimental to the other if taken in isolation, in the same way that the release of mass-market books might cannibalize sales of hardcovers, but that doesn't mean publishers forgo publishing the former altogether. Rather, it's part of their strategy (and yes, some publishers do not release mass-market paperbacks because it's impractical for their business model) and there will be cases when it's appropriate and when it's not.

* Interesting commentary: In The Agony Column Podcast where Rick Kleffel interviews Jeremy Lassen (Night Shade Books), the latter suggests eBooks might take on the role of mass-market paperbacks in disseminating the titles to more mainstream markets, the way that mass-markets were available in supermarkets and department stores in the past.

2) Print will be here forever/eBooks are the wave of the future. Both statements are possibly true. I mean the Betamax was the superior device yet it lost to VHS (for a variety of reasons and variables). If you want print to last forever or for eBooks to overtake the market, you need to step-up and and strive to innovate in their respective fields. For example, eBooks currently aren't the future because of several problems (I'll touch upon a few below) and "features" like DRM can actually prevent it from being the evolution of publishing. Similarly, publishers intending to stick with print should take steps to distinguish their print titles that's not replicable when it comes to eBooks (i.e. it's a limited edition hardcover rather than a mass-market paperback).

3) Every author/publisher's platform is different. Another way of saying this is that what works for one person might not work for you. For example, the impact of distributing an eBook for free if you're a no-name author is very different than if you're J.K. Rowling. The latter could indeed cannibalize sales, while the former might increase the public's awareness of your presence. It's the same way that some authors are more successful in other forms of media (not necessarily print) such as eBooks or podcasting (which in turn can be leveraged when it comes to print). Before one "picks a side" (print vs eBooks), they need to be aware of their own unique circumstances.

* Interesting commentary: In The Sofanauts podcast, Jeff Vandermeer mentions Cory Doctorow as an example. Doctorow has BoingBoing that allows him to leverage his projects. Not every author has BoingBoing, nor is "getting featured" in BoingBoing a strategy (I'd call it more of a tactic).

4) eBooks have a PR problem. Currently, most people value print (some people wouldn't even consider reading on a screen a viable option). I attribute this as the previous generation's bias for print. A lot of the current hurdles of eBooks such as pricing, piracy, and publisher's fear of cannibalizing print sales stems from this fact. For example, sans DRM, one of the benefits of eBooks is that it can be copied (from computer to computer), print select pages at will (and make as many copies as you want), or the fact that it's more convenient to store than a regular book (i.e. no bookshelves necessary). A lot overlook these benefits, or don't even consider them benefits at all.

* Interesting commentary: Recent fiascos such as Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle hasn't helped the public image of eBooks (it's intangible and impermanent!).

5) eBooks are more similar to the print-on-demand model than the offset printing model. Here's an observation I've made--and I could be very well wrong about it--but to me eBook publishing has more in common with the print-on-demand business model than the economies of scale mainstream publishers use. For example, the setup costs of selling one eBook is the same as selling a million (and in fact, the latter might end up costing you more due to bandwidth expenses). With offset printing, costs per book printed decreases the more you print. This also explains why individual authors like Michael Stackpole have a better handle on selling their eBooks compared to big publishers. The latter needs to pay their staff (editors, artists, management, marketing, etc.) and this is usually based on the book's (or the publishing company's) print-run for the year. Individual publishers (like authors) on the other hand don't need a huge staff nor do they need to pay their staff (if any--most eBooks for example, unless they're PDFs, don't need a fancy layout as much as they need a functional layout hence the lack of a need for a graphic designer when it comes to layout) upfront (and a bulk of the profits goes directly to them).

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Feature: What Publishers Can Learn from Other Genre Publications

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

For me, the present is this big transition period in the publishing industry (although like the Renaissance, the rate of advancement varies from country to country--here in the Philippines, the traditional publishing model is just as effective as it was a decade or two ago [or maybe it never really worked]) and while I bemoan policies like DRM, here's a couple of interesting policies and practices (from the perspective of the consumer/reader) I'm witnessing from some speculative fiction publishers.

1) Order the Book, Get the PDF Now (Paizo Publishing) - While not necessarily a "fiction" publication, Paizo Publishing has a great policy with its RPG products. Order any of their titles and you get a free PDF of the book. With all the arguments on books vs. eBooks, this is the best of both worlds, and also provides instant gratification while you wait for the books to arrive at your doorstep.

2) Custom Anthologies (Anthology Buider) - It's not quite the micro-transaction business model but the ability to create your own anthology is a neat feature, especially for voracious short story readers like me. What's even better is that Anthology Builder handles all of the copyright issues so all one has to do is select which stories you want to obtain. The only limitation is the actual selection of authors/stories available but hopefully that willl develop further in the future (and right now it's certainly possible to create something like a People of Color speculative fiction anthology).

3) Buy a PDF and Get 1 Free (GUD Magazine) - The problem with some eBooks is that while it's technically possible to "share" them to other people, it's usually not legal to do so. GUD Magazine has a policy that when you buy a PDF, you get an access code which you can give to a friend so they get a copy of the issue too!

4) Microtransactions (GUD Magazine) - While not advertised at the front page, it's actually possible to purchase individual poems/stories from GUD Magazine. The system for fiction microtransactions isn't perfect (preview is limited to excerpts) but it's a start.

4) Creative Commons (Small Beer Press) - What's better than points #3 and #4? Free eBooks! Small Beer Press actually has some of their titles available for download under the Creative Commons License in a variety of formats. It's the ideal model for those with the try-before-you-buy mentality.

5) Labeled e-ARCs (GUD Magazine) - More of a concern for reviewers, GUD Magazine labels each review copy they send to reviewers. On one hand, since it's uniquely labeled, it makes the reviewer feel special. On the other hand, it also makes sure that if somebody illegally distributes the magazine, they know who to blame...

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Feature: How the eBook Industry Isn't like the Music Industry

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

There's a lot of discussion over eBooks and it's often compared to the music industry. Not that there isn't value in comparing the two, but here are some points in which I find the two to be very different.

1) Replayability - One of the biggest differences between music and fiction is that with the former, you might very well listen to the same song a thousand times in your lifetime, while your favorite book will typically be read a dozen times at the most. Music is quite ubiquitous while a book will either be memorable or it won't.

2) Identical Experience - Save for the hardcore audiophiles or disc jockeys, there's really no difference between a CD of songs and a collection of MP3s. Music aficionados don't claim "MP3's aren't real music!" For most people, whether they're listening to music from a CD or from an mp3 player, the experience is identical (and most likely the latter is more convenient). That's not the case with books though. Aside from the visual element (and why people are trying to create technologies like e-ink), there's also the tactile and olfactory senses to consider. This also leads to a perception problem with eBooks, where books are perceived as being more valuable than their electronic version, or that the current generation find the previous easier to read.

3) Format - In relation to the previous point, one big difference between music and fiction is that the former is united under one big format--mp3. Sure, there are other alternative formats out there (some of which are even superior to mp3) but what's become prevalent and commonplace is mp3. With eBooks, there are tons of formats, and some of them haven't been perfected yet or are difficult to program for. On one end of the spectrum, we have PDFs which are quite flexible but aren't standard in most eBook readers, and on the other end, we have TXT which can be read by nearly any device but lacks most formatting capabilities. This has one of the bigger impacts in the industry, which leads to people preferring one format over the other, and the devices which support them.

4) Microtransactions - A good leveraging tactic of online music stores is that of using microtransactions -- purchasing individual tracks instead of entire albums for a relatively low price. That's not really applicable to eBooks, with the exception applying to poetry collections, anthologies, and short story collections where you might buy individual stories as opposed to the entire book. That's not to say it's being done in the industry right now but they're the exception rather than the norm (nor am I saying that it should be the practice).

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Feature: Leveraging Book Review Blogs and Interviews for Promotion

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

In general, this is advice for authors (or their publicists) who a) already have an established audience and b) have an Internet presence on some sort (blogs, Facebook, etc.). I don't proclaim to be an expert however so your mileage may vary.

This is an essay on marketing yourself but there's one point about marketing that I want to stress. People in general (unless they're your die-hard fans or you're Oprah) don't value your opinions about your own work. That's why writing a review of your own book is frowned upon. Or why the opinions of a hundred strangers in Amazon have more bearing than your own, no matter how talented or knowledgeable you might be compared to them. Or simply why blurbs are used in promotion, and why they don't come from yourself or your mom.

This generalization is what fuels book reviews and interviews (whether print or online). It's one thing to be featured in your own site, it's another to be featured elsewhere. This also prevents most authors from conducting interviews with themselves (it's not quite taboo and some have actually done it but for the most part, it's not practiced).

Book reviews and interviews are typically publicity for the author. It's a chance for your name and book to get "out there." Typically, there are two venues in which people want to receive such coverage:

1) Within your field/genre - this is coverage in the market you specialize in. If you're a science fiction author, your book gets reviewed in a science fiction magazine. In many ways, you want to focus your energy here because it's your core audience, and where your market will most likely hear about you or your book.

2) Outside your field/genre - this is coverage in other outlets. If you're a genre author, this might mean a feature/review in your local newspaper, or the famous Oprah. On one hand, you might actually broaden your audience. On the other hand, the publication's audience might not be so receptive.

Writers and publicists will typically work some percentage of these two venues, with some preferring to focus on one or the other. When one gives out review copies of books or accepts interviews, it's a good idea to pay attention to which of the two categories the website falls under, and how it aligns with your overall marketing plan.

Having said that, let's go into book reviews and interviews itself.

Should authors give ARCs and conduct interviews in the first place?

It seems like a fundamental supposition but the question needs to be tackled. As noted above, it's usually publicity for the author and the book. I also want to stress the fact that what you should be focusing on is the cumulative effect of book reviews and interviews. A single book review (unless it's from Oprah) or interview won't make or break you. As a reader, what finally convinces me that an author is worth considering is when I hear about them for the nth time. For the same reason, you want as much coverage about yourself as you can get, in order to attain that "cumulative" effect.

Having said that, there are reasons that prevent you from distributing that many ARCs or conducting that many interviews.

The first variable is time. One can only write so many letters inviting book reviewers to review your book or to conduct a lengthy interview. In the case of the former, if you're mailing the copies yourself, that's another time sink. In the case of the latter, scheduling the interview (time and place) might be another hassle. A balance must be struck between promoting yourself and the rest of your life. Perhaps you can devote a set number of hours per week in marketing yourself, and stick to those hours.

The second variable is cost. In the case of book reviews, you only have so many ARCs to give out, and finances to ship them. Fortunately, there's also eBooks but a) not all book reviewers accept eBooks and b) your publisher might not want you to give them out.

So obviously, there is a finite amount of reviews and interviews any author will receive. Which is why the second question becomes important.

What are the venues in which I should prioritize book reviews and interviews?

You will have a hierarchy when it comes to which publications/sites you prioritize and it's a good idea to think things through (as opposed to blindly sending out ARCs to the first person who asks for them).

High-profile publications/sites have more readers or target your core audience (or possibly target an audience outside of your field/genre). Some authors go for brand name (it's Locus Magazine!) but it's also a good idea to investigate their actual metrics (how many visitors do they get, etc.). The problem with the popular venues however is that they might not necessarily have the time to actually read and review your book. Or that they might be covering so many books/features/news that your review/interview doesn't get the limelight--at least opposed to a less-popular venue.

For the same reason, smaller, less-popular venues (again, feel free to inquire about their metrics) are worth considering. Depending on how you communicate with them, you have a better likelihood that they'll review your book and conduct an interview with you. You might also be occupying a significant portion of their content for quite some time (i.e. their front page for a week).

There's no hard and fast rule on which is better though. Sometimes, you might be getting just 1% of the audience of a very popular site (let's say it's BoingBoing and let's assume it has 100,000 readers--1,000 new readers ain't bad) vs. 25% of a not-so-popular site (a conservative estimate of my blog's readership is 250 a day so that's 63 new readers assuming my stats are correct).

Why should I invest time in low-profile publications/sites?

Now this is really the topic I want to talk about.
  1. The review/interview isn't just used for exposure, you can use it for reference. You can cite it in your website or in your Wikipedia page, or even as a blurb.
  2. You can promote the review/interview through your webpage. Sometimes, whenever I run reviews or interviews, the authors/editors I profile link to my blog entry. I get a sudden surge in visitors. While that's not automatically beneficial to me as a blogger (I don't keep the visitors), it's beneficial to you, the author, since it still means more people are reading the review/interview, even if they're already your existing fans (retaining your existing fans is another problem you have to contend with and constant coverage can help with that). The website might not be popular but if you're popular, you can make that interview at least equal to your popularity (if only temporarily). For example, if the said website has 200 readers, and your blog has 1,000 readers, the review/interview can theoretically have 1,200 readers (assuming there is no overlap or that everyone actually visits/reads the link--which won't happen).
  3. My readers, those that aren't necessarily your readers, hear about your work.
  4. My site might not be popular, and yours might also not be, but news aggregators might pick up on the book review or interview. For example, my blog might not be as popular as I want it to be but when I do interviews, SF Signal typically picks it up and I get a sudden surge in visitors (actually clicks varies depending on who I interview).
  5. It pops up in search engines and it typically makes a good impression when people Google your name.
What can I do to help increase my visibility?

These are the actions you can take to help your promotion:
  1. In the case of websites that review/interview you, ask if they could link to your website. It gives curious readers an accessible venue to learn more about you.
  2. Get a tracker. Well, you can do all the promotion you want, but if you have no way of tracking which methods are effective and which aren't, you're simply being inefficient. A tracker can provide you statistics on how many visitors you get from websites, and give you much needed feedback on which venues or techniques work and which don't. External websites might not share their visitor information with you, but that doesn't mean you can't track those that visit your website (and why the first point is important). For similar reasons, subscribing to Google Alerts and Google Analytics is helpful.
  3. Promote the review/interview in your social media networks. By promote, I mean mention it somewhere, at least once. You'd think everyone would do this but that's not the case. Think of it as a courtesy call to your fans, informing them that there's this interview of you available here. Whether you want to promote negative book reviews is up to you as long as you're consistent (so either promote all the book reviews you come across or just the positive ones, but don't make exemptions--it gives mixed messages; I do advice on the former though rather than the latter).
  4. Create a site that keeps tabs on all your published reviews and interviews (preferably on your website).
  5. Periodically check the said review/interview and leave a comment. By that, I don't mean you patrol the review 24 hours a day for the rest of your life, but checking up on it within a week of its publication is a good idea. Don't leave a comment for the sake of doing so, but it's usually a good idea to thank the reviewer for taking the time to review your book, or answering further questions/inquiries that might arise from an interview.
  6. If you're coming out with a new book, it's a good idea to create a schedule promoting your book. You usually want to start a few months before the book gets released then build up to its launch date--although that's not a hard & fast rule. Some authors have approached me and other bloggers to write reviews or publish interviews on the book's launch date. Others have a more chronological method (starting with January then progressing from there).
Like any endeavor, there will always be exemptions to the rule but hopefully these are good guidelines. What other suggestions or feedback do you have when it comes to book reviews and interviews?

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Feature: "Who Is Jeff VanderMeer?"

Every Wednesday, I have an essay or feature article on any topic that catches my fancy!

Roughly three ago, I didn't know who Jeff VanderMeer was (and for that matter, I didn't know who Jeffrey Ford was a few years back--what is it with the J's?). The first I had heard of him was through the venerable Dean Francis Alfar who commanded me to find him a copy of The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases as I was the resident book pimp. Unfortunately, I failed but got the chance to redeem myself when Alfar was interested in acquiring City of Saints and Madmen. Little did I know that the latter has an interesting history (and multiple versions that compound on the previous releases--you can read the history here and here ) but as fate would have it, I found a black hardcover at Fully Booked, selling for half price and ignored by most people. It was sitting on a shelf too high for me to reach that I had to contact customer service and they promptly got a small ladder to reach the book (advice to bookstores: don't place books out of reach). I inspected it just to make sure it was the real thing and in retrospect, it was the Pan MacMillan/Tor UK hardcover edition. There were three copies lying around, each one selling for P700 (roughly $14.00 at today's exchange rate) and while I was tempted to purchase more than one copy, I was strapped for cash. I quickly browsed through the book that would soon belong to Alfar, admired the artwork, and stored it in my bag. Later that day, I arrived at the home of artist Rom Villaserran who complimented the book's cover. I would have given him a copy of the book then and there but unfortunately, I didn't own the book.
One year later, I would curse myself for not snagging those spare copies of City of Saints and Madmen. A mass-market version was available at local stores but the newer version was missing most of the art save for the occasional mushroom (to be fair, it retains the art from the appendix). By then, I had read Veniss Underground which I found to be an interesting novel which I couldn't help but compare to China Mieville's New Crobuzon. In this instance though, I found VanderMeer's writing to be superior and more upbeat. At this point, the name Jeff VanderMeer was this vague creature. He was a writer of the New Weird (I didn't call it the New Weird back then)? He was this avante-garde author? Later on, it would be book scavenger Joseph Nacino who would utter the name Jeff VanderMeer like a mantra. This was probably life's way of telling me "you should pay attention to Jeff VanderMeer!"

Which was important because a quick Google search revealed that he had a blog! And wrote for Omnivoracious, Amazon's blog. And a bazillion other publications. I realized that I was merely scratching the surface. Back then, VanderMeer was plugging his various anthologies, from Steampunk to Fast Ships, Black Sails. Okay, so VanderMeer isn't just a writer (and not just a New Weird writer at that), he's an editor too (which is a realization that came late considering I first heard of him through The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases). Looking back at his bibliography, I observed that he had written a few novels, including the aforementioned City of Saints and Madmen and Shriek: Afterword--both of which were set in his Ambergris setting. Now City of Saints and Madmen was a book unlike anything I've ever encountered before, hence my preconception that VanderMeer was this cutting-edge, avante-garde writer. Just when I thought I had him figured out, VanderMeer announces that he's writing Predator: South China Seas novel. This is, of course, a complete shock to my existing paradigm and I wasn't alone.

"Predator? As in the same predator with Arnold Schwarzanegger?" asked a friend.

I nodded and this necessitated a new mental model of Jeff VanderMeer. If I was a decade younger (or naive), I'd probably think that VanderMeer was a sell-out (not that there's anything wrong with writing media tie-in novels). So I dug deeper into his history.

It's tempting to latch on to the idea that VanderMeer was always successful (in the sense that he's productive and famous) but that's the result of long, hard work. In many ways, VanderMeer follows a punk aesthetic, especially when you consider the fact that he's been active in the speculative fiction industry for more than two decades. He founded the Ministry of Whimsy and while it might contain the stigma of vanity press, at least when it comes to the Leviathan series (in which VanderMeer is co-editor for volumes 1-3), it's not like the anthologies weren't lauded. And over the years, VanderMeer has produced material that defies convention, from The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases, City of Saints and Madmen, to the various incarnations of Shriek: An Afterword (movie, soundtrack, stamps). In that context, Predator: South China Seas is a perfect fit in the sense that it's something that VanderMeer hasn't tried before, and doesn't shirk from attempting. I'm not even including work that bridges the fiction/non-fiction divide such as Secret Life (not to be confused with Secret Lives), Why Should I Cut Your Throat?, or the upcoming The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals.

What truly excites me about VanderMeer is that to simply call him a writer or editor is to ignore his other facets: reviewer, columnist, publisher, promoter, columnist, scholar, teacher, blogger, etc. And he manages to successfully juggle all of those as if he was a mutant hybrid of a chimera and a hydra. Some people are content being successful in one field but that's not the case with VanderMeer. He continues to innovate which brings me to the reason why I'm writing this.

Product Placement! Pre-order the book here.

VanderMeer's third Ambergris novel, Finch, is coming out later this from Underland Press. Now as varied as VanderMeer's short stories and novels are from one another, a recurring subject he often goes back to every few years is Ambergris. What is Ambergris? It's this secondary world where humans live among mushroom people (called Gray Caps). My own words do the setting no justice and while it's easy to imagine Super Mario Bros. when I mention mushroom people (Toad anyone?), VanderMeer actually makes them threatening, eerie, and alien. Let me tackle the three books briefly:

City of Saints and Madmen for me redefines the mosaic novel. My preconception of a mosaic novel is something along the lines of Thieves World where a bunch of authors collaborate on the same setting, using the same cast of characters and creating a unified narrative despite writing independent short stories. This book, however, isn't like that. If fantasy fans admire J.R.R. Tolkien on his historical approach to fantasy, as was the case with Silmarillion, VanderMeer takes that premise to the next level. City of Saints and Madmen isn't about any specific character but Ambergris as a whole. You'll find fictional histories (complete with footnotes), bibliographies, appendices, and various short stories. In fact, it's too faithful to the nonfiction material it's mimicking that the writing can get dry and boring (can you really imagine yourself reading several pages of fabricated bibliographies?). But taken as a whole, VanderMeer succeeds in experimenting with structure and form.

Shriek: An Afterword, on the other hand, is a more conventional narrative in the form of a biography (not autobiography!) that's annotated by the very subject it's talking about. It builds upon what's established in the previous novel but stands well on its own. If City of Saints and Madmen experiments with form and structure, Shriek: An Afterword experiments with technique. This is an incredibly layered read, the type that one can easily gloss over but rewards those that pay attention (as opposed to needing to pay attention the entire way, which is the case with James Joyce's Ulysses).

Finch may be the third book in the series but it's completely unlike the first two books. While admittedly its experimentation is less overt (overt being the key word here and I wouldn't be surprised if I missed a meta-textual commentary by VanderMeer), it nonetheless veers towards an unexpected direction with its mystery atmosphere. There's a lot of fantastical elements and genre tropes but all throughout, the book is written with a certain seriousness and drama. Throw in various other elements such as Steampunk and Magic-Realism and you end up with a book that's sophisticated and has a steady build-up. Perhaps the biggest treat for Ambergris fans is that VanderMeer finally answers some enigmas in the previous books, while still being accessible to new readers.

An interesting metafictional layer (as if VanderMeer wasn't metafictional enough) when it comes to all three books is its publishing history: three different publishers (well, at least when it comes to the initial publisher of City of Saints and Madmen) and three entirely different novels yet all written by the same author and set in the same cosmology. Looking at the titles released by Underland Press, Finch is (intentionally?) a perfect match for them, especially with the vibe it conjures.

Over the past few months, I've gotten to known Jeff VanderMeer a bit more but I'm honestly no closer to answering "Who is Jeff VanderMeer?" The only thing I'm certain of is that he'll surprise me as he never ceases to experiment and innovate (assuming the Gray Caps or the squids or the finger puppets don't get to him first).