GoodReads Giveaway of Shorting the Undead Collection

posted by Saul

In advance of the May 1st launch of my new series, GAMELAND, I am giving away a signed marked-up author-publisher PROOF copy of SHORTING THE UNDEAD at GoodReads. The giveaway starts April 13th and runs through May 15th. This 264-page collection includes eight short stories and novellas ranging from paranormal to horror to dark satire.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Shorting the Undead and Other Horrors

by Saul Tanpepper

Giveaway ends May 15, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

For more information about GAMELAND, click the link above to go to Amazon.com or here to go to my website, tanpepperwrites.com.

I've also started a GAMELAND facebook fan page where fans of the series can meet and discuss it.

Dumbest: Landlocked State Plans Air Craft Carrier Purchase

posted by Ken

Last week I just had to say something about Arizona's Anti-Annoyance Bill criminalizing being a pest on-line. I thought it was the apex of stupidity. Well, another state has proved me wrong.

Dumb and Dumber: Arizona Really Beginning to Annoy

posted by Ken



Really, Arizona? I mean, really?

So, apparently, a bill has passed both houses of the state legislature and is speeding its way to Governor Jan Brewer's desk with every likelihood of being signed into law that--

Hold onto your hats, folks

--makes it a class 1 misdemeanor to annoy someone online. That's right, annoy.

Or offend.

Kindle Owners Lending Library: KOLLing on the Pros (and Cons) for Writers

posted by Saul

Ever since Amazon announced that it would be paying authors to allow their ebooks to be borrowed through its Kindle Owners Lending Library (KOLL), the etherscape has been abuzz with opinions spanning every possible extreme. Detractors argue that Amazon is trying to put other book distributors (read: B&N, Apple, Google...) out of business at the expense of writers, and once they do, the terms under which authors publish with Amazon will suddenly become as unfavorable as they already are in legacy publishing. Supporters argue Amazon is offering authors an opportunity to reach more readers and to legitimately offer their works for free for a defined period of time, something Amazon has been loath to support in the past.

Whether the former turns out to be true is irrelevant, since those making such predictions simply don't know, and those with insight into Amazon's strategy won't tell. As for the latter, the question of whether an author wishes to participate must be decided on an individual basis. There are both positive and negative aspects to consider.

In Sony's Flubs, a Lesson for Writers

Entertainment giant Sony [SNE], creator of innovative products such as the Walkman and Playstation, has a market capitalization of 18.5 billion dollars. But not all of their products have been successes. Remember BetaMax? Yeah, that was Sony.

There were other Sony attempts that have since fallen into obscurity: AIBO, PSX/PlayTV, the eVilla Network Entertainment Center. The list is long.

And yet, Sony has not only survived, but grown ever more successful. Why? Because they didn't let their failures define them.

GoodReads Giveaway of SHORTING THE UNDEAD

posted by Saul

To celebrate the publication of my collection of short speculative fiction, SHORTING THE UNDEAD AND OTHER HORRORS: A MENAGERIE OF MACABRE MINIFICTION, I am giving away two signed proof copies on GoodReads. Sign up below for a chance to win!

But wait, there's more! I have one additional copy to give away and additional chances for you to win it. Just mention the GoodReads contest on your blog and email me the link or include it in a comment below (along with some way I can contact you if you're the lucky winner). Alternatively, tweet the contest and include my Twitter handle (@saultanpepper) so I get it. There's no limit to the number of blog or Twitter entries; the more you tweet or post, the more chances you get to win.

Here's the short url for the contest: http://bit.ly/u9y3nY

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Shorting the Undead and Other Horrors

by Saul Tanpepper

Giveaway ends January 31, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

The GoodReads contest is open only to US addresses, but the blog/tweet contest is open to anyone, anywhere. Both contests end January 31, 2012.

Best of luck!

Is the Great Debate asking the Wrong Question?

posted by Saul

Publishing Point's Susan Danzinger recently posted a video of this past spring's "Great Debate" at the London Book Fair. Having not attended, this was a good chance for me to see and hear first hand what has increasingly been driving a wedge in the literary community over the past several months. I'd already gotten the basic gist of the discussion from other sources, but I was curious to hear, in its entirety, the debate based on the inciteful premise: “Publishers in the digital age will be irrelevant.”

Or put another way: "All that will matter is the writer and the reader."

The panelists comprised of four experts. Two advocates for the "resolution": Cory Doctorow, bestselling author, blogger, and Publishers Weekly columnist; and London-based tech author and publisher James Bridle. Arguing against the resolution: Richard Charkin, executive director of Bloomsbury Publishing; and Andrew Franklin, publisher and managing director of Profile Books.

First of all, what is a publisher?