I've been reading Joe Konrath's blog A newbies Guide to Publishing for forever (it seems) because it's fascinating to read about his process of writing, publishing and promoting. And because he's open and honest about what works and what hasn't (and he includes $$ amounts for reference).
Todays entry was about ebooks leveling the playing field for authors. And the comments...oh my goodness. It seems like "published authors" fear ebooks because it makes self-publishing easier and then their world will come crumbling down because any old person can publish a book.
To which I say good on them! Because the majority of books I've read in the last year have been crap. And these are from big name, big back list authors. And it wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to pay $11.99 for the e-book of the garbage.
As a consumer I love that authors can publish their work on Amazon for what they think is a fair price. Just like I love buying music from itunes. No more shelling out a ton of money for a disc that has one (maybe two) good songs. I just pay my 4 bits for the good stuff.
And yes, with the increase of self-published authors it will mean that I have to be more diligent in what I buy, but if the last year is any indication I have to be more picky with the established authors as well.
[/rant]
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Great Western Drive
Somedays things just come together.
I got an automatic email from Sony today letting me know that new titles were available for an author I was watching. Last Christmas I bought a Christmas anthology - A Bride by Christmas with a Western romance written by Candace Camp. I loved it and have been wanting to read more of the same since then.
But it's really really hard to find. This author published under a different name and the back list is just now starting to come available. But I still don't know what's good from what's bad.
The second email I got was my reading list from Feedblitz. KristiJ from Ramblings on Romance had a post on Westerns and how they need a little love and attention.
And there were recs! I love recs, especially ones that are out of print but available as e-books.
Because that's the beauty of e-books.
The backlist is forever available.
Harlequin gets that. Others are starting, but it's slow going.
So, except for that one short story and a (unfortunate) paranormal, I have nothing to add to the Western love. Yet. But thanks to the Great Western Drive I'll have lots of recs to choose from.
Friday, August 7, 2009
What I'm currently reading
or, more precisely; What I'm currently reading again.
What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown
This is perfect example of book I probably wouldn't have bought if it wasn't for my e-reader. I would have read the back cover and saw that it had a mix of paranormal, contemporary and historical and then would have put it down and said "No thanks, not for me".
But I must have had a couple glasses of wine, or really wasn't paying any attention at all when I bought it, because by the time I started reading and realized what was going on I was in the middle of a perfect read for a summer day.
Basically a regency costume designer is taken back in time by ghosts in order to right some wrongs that happened in the past and she falls for the wickedly hot rake who isn't at all put off by her modern way of thinking and acting.
Convenient, no?
So I'm reading along and thinking this isn't too bad; I'm connected with the characters, I love their interaction, I don't mind that there's ghosts, but I'm also wondering what's going to happen at the end? She must go back to her own time, what then?
One other thing about my e-book reader is that I can't just flip to the end of a book easily like I do with paper. Yes, I'm a last page reader. I have been since that disastrous fantasy novel that was a billion pages long and a third of the way through the love of the girls life dies. And I've been a romance reader ever since. I don't have time to be reading books where there isn't a happily ever after.
Which there is, in this book, btw. I like the ending, but the transition between regency and the ending chapters needed to be longer or more filled out I thought. I wanted to see more.
Anyway, I put my hesitation of paranormals aside and bought the authors previous book Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake, which was equally as good.
What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown
This is perfect example of book I probably wouldn't have bought if it wasn't for my e-reader. I would have read the back cover and saw that it had a mix of paranormal, contemporary and historical and then would have put it down and said "No thanks, not for me".
But I must have had a couple glasses of wine, or really wasn't paying any attention at all when I bought it, because by the time I started reading and realized what was going on I was in the middle of a perfect read for a summer day.
Basically a regency costume designer is taken back in time by ghosts in order to right some wrongs that happened in the past and she falls for the wickedly hot rake who isn't at all put off by her modern way of thinking and acting.
Convenient, no?
So I'm reading along and thinking this isn't too bad; I'm connected with the characters, I love their interaction, I don't mind that there's ghosts, but I'm also wondering what's going to happen at the end? She must go back to her own time, what then?
One other thing about my e-book reader is that I can't just flip to the end of a book easily like I do with paper. Yes, I'm a last page reader. I have been since that disastrous fantasy novel that was a billion pages long and a third of the way through the love of the girls life dies. And I've been a romance reader ever since. I don't have time to be reading books where there isn't a happily ever after.
Which there is, in this book, btw. I like the ending, but the transition between regency and the ending chapters needed to be longer or more filled out I thought. I wanted to see more.
Anyway, I put my hesitation of paranormals aside and bought the authors previous book Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake, which was equally as good.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Cleanse - Day Five
Cruising along except for that cookie and tiny decaf Timmies that I had in the afternoon. I just really wanted a cookie. Actually i really wanted ice cream, but I got a cookie instead.
I think the hardest part of the cleanse is finding food when you're hungry and unprepared. The intent is not to starve yourself; it's to detox and to reestablish healthy choices...but sometimes I forget to bring healthy choices with me and it's really hard to stop in someplace and pick something up.
Unless it's the grocery store :)
I read French Women Don't Get Fat a while back and Mireille Guiliano recommends to carry an En Cas, which is a healthy little snack for those times when you need something and good choices aren't always available. I'm going to try and do that. Just have to figure out what it should be.
Anyhoo, it was a really good book. Also A French Woman for all Seasons. I should give them a re-read; lots of good recipes in them too.
Played ball (slow-pitch) for exercise, didn't do much actual work but we got outside none the less.
And, fell asleep better again last night. Anything that helps me fall asleep at night is good.
Tania
I think the hardest part of the cleanse is finding food when you're hungry and unprepared. The intent is not to starve yourself; it's to detox and to reestablish healthy choices...but sometimes I forget to bring healthy choices with me and it's really hard to stop in someplace and pick something up.
Unless it's the grocery store :)
I read French Women Don't Get Fat a while back and Mireille Guiliano recommends to carry an En Cas, which is a healthy little snack for those times when you need something and good choices aren't always available. I'm going to try and do that. Just have to figure out what it should be.
Anyhoo, it was a really good book. Also A French Woman for all Seasons. I should give them a re-read; lots of good recipes in them too.
Played ball (slow-pitch) for exercise, didn't do much actual work but we got outside none the less.
And, fell asleep better again last night. Anything that helps me fall asleep at night is good.
Tania
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Reading Q&A
Since I spent a good portion of my weekend reading, it seems fitting to answer a couple questions.
Q: Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I don't mark up books but that doesn't mean I'm set against it. I have thought about marking up a couple of novels to show changes in point of view and things like that.
Q: How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
My husband hates it (he's a bookmark dude) but I'll dog ear it or lay it flat open to keep the spot. Now that I don't buy as many paper books my reader saves the page for me (and I love it to death).
Q: Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
Both, but not as much non-fiction anymore. One, because I'm poor, two because I was running out of space in my house and three because there's not many non fiction subjects that catch my eye nowdays.
Q: Hard copy or ebook?
Ebook when possible, sadly it's not always possible. I got a lovely Sony ebook reader for Christmas and I love it to bits. It's helped me to explore other types of fiction because there's some pretty sweet deals on e-books if you look around
Q: Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I can put it down at any point, but if the writings really good I'm hard pressed to stop at the end of chapters.
Q: If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? Write it down to look it up later?
Infer it from stuff around it. But the things that I read don't usually have big complex words.
Q: What are you currently reading?
Winterset by Candace Camp. I finished it this morning. It was okay; about 60 pages of stuff that could have been edited out.
Q: What is the last book you bought?
Confessions of a Duchess by Nicola Cornick. A sony ebook store special when you bought two Harlequin titles on a Wednesday (I do not make this stuf up.)
Q: Do you like re-reading books?
Oh yeah. I can re-read just about anything. I've gone though a couple copies of my favourite paper books because they were falling apart.
Q: Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I don't mark up books but that doesn't mean I'm set against it. I have thought about marking up a couple of novels to show changes in point of view and things like that.
Q: How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
My husband hates it (he's a bookmark dude) but I'll dog ear it or lay it flat open to keep the spot. Now that I don't buy as many paper books my reader saves the page for me (and I love it to death).
Q: Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
Both, but not as much non-fiction anymore. One, because I'm poor, two because I was running out of space in my house and three because there's not many non fiction subjects that catch my eye nowdays.
Q: Hard copy or ebook?
Ebook when possible, sadly it's not always possible. I got a lovely Sony ebook reader for Christmas and I love it to bits. It's helped me to explore other types of fiction because there's some pretty sweet deals on e-books if you look around
Q: Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I can put it down at any point, but if the writings really good I'm hard pressed to stop at the end of chapters.
Q: If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? Write it down to look it up later?
Infer it from stuff around it. But the things that I read don't usually have big complex words.
Q: What are you currently reading?
Winterset by Candace Camp. I finished it this morning. It was okay; about 60 pages of stuff that could have been edited out.
Q: What is the last book you bought?
Confessions of a Duchess by Nicola Cornick. A sony ebook store special when you bought two Harlequin titles on a Wednesday (I do not make this stuf up.)
Q: Do you like re-reading books?
Oh yeah. I can re-read just about anything. I've gone though a couple copies of my favourite paper books because they were falling apart.
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