Question of the Week

? of the Week: What is the right price for an ebook — to you? (Poll)

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The ebook wars have been raging for a few years now, and the result has been a bit muddled.  Books have gone from floating around $9.99 to running anywhere from $14.99 to Free.  Things likely won’t stabilize anytime soon. That’s why we want to know what price for ebooks is right to you.  First, we should set some parameters: For the purposes of this poll, we are only considering *new* ebooks. For the purposes of this poll, we are only concerned with novels.  Short stories, novelettes, and novellas can wait for another day. Now for the poll: Feel free to leave a comment if you want to provide a specific price point, or a range that is not available above.

Announcements and Errata

Logo Contest Winner: Dirk Reul (a.k.a. Kaiser von Wunderbar)

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Remember the Logo Contest we ran some time back?  Do you also remember that we changed the image above to a new logo after the final submission date? Good.  Because the winner of that contest, Mr. Dirk Reul, has been so kind to us here at The Skiffy and Fanty Show (and at Duke and Zink Do America).  We have logos, logos, logos! I should also note that Dirk is the logo design winner for The World in the Satin Bag too, which is pretty awesome, no?  You’ll find all the logos he’s created for us below. But first, here’s a little about Dirk: A experienced ITIL process specialist, geek, avid reader and expert on TV shows. Dirk concentrates on science fiction and fantasy when it comes to books, dabbles in graphics and is an excellent cook. Knows where the Snark comes from and has opinions about many things, foremost that people should be be extraordinary and that being able to be silly, is a virtue. You can follow his daily ramblings on Google+. Show him some love, folks!  Follow him on Google+!

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Episode 89 — How to Placate Scifi and Fantasy Authors (Plus Some Silly) w/ Jason Sanford

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow89seasonThree–HowToPlacateScifiAnd/Sandf–Episode89–HowToPlacateScifiAndFantasyAuthorsplusSomeSilly.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSJason Sanford returns for a free-form discussion on all kinds of random nonsense.  We cover the hype surrounding J. K. Rowling’s new adult novel, the abuse of Seanan McGuire by readers (and the stupid things publishers do that hurt authors), the power of science fiction, plus a few silly related topics (including an embarrassing moment for Duke, who lives in an alternate universe of plurals). We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 89 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 50:22) J. K. Rowling to Publish First Adult Novel (Because it’s not like she could sell another 50 Harry Potter sequels…) Don’t Blame the Writer When It’s Not the Writer’s Fault (or, Why You Should Read Before Being a Douche) Science Fiction:  A Mirror From the Future (Cognitively estranging your toaster since the 20s!) Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

Question of the Week

? of the Week: SF/F Books That Made You Cry

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This week, we really want to know about the SF/F books you’ve read that made you cry.  What about those books put tears in your eyes? The last book to make me cry was the 6th Harry Potter book, in part because I had fallen in love with Richard Harris’ portrayal of Dumbledore.  I cried from the moment of Dumbledore’s death until the end (a good 40 pages worth of crying) and my sister had to console me. What about you? (To be fair, this feature has never been a weekly thing.  So be it.)

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Episode 88 — An Interview w/ Tobias Buckell (a.k.a. Captain Planet)

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow88seasonThree–AnInterviewWTobiasBuckell/Sandf–Episode88–AnInterviewWTobiasBuckell.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSThe always fascinating Tobias Buckell joins us for an extensive discussion about his latest book, Arctic Rising, technology and its effects on how we interact with the world (crowd sourcing!), the environment (and what that means for extrapolating in science fiction through things like green technology, innovative transportation, etc.), and all kinds of fascinating issues surrounding these topics.  You definitely don’t want to miss this one! Listen away! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 88 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 1:11:25) Tobias Buckell’s Website Buy his book or Jen will break your legs with an AI-controlled reflective atmospheric orb.  It’s on Amazon, B&N, and just about everywhere else (do support your local bookstores if you can!). Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

Blog Posts

Flick Bits: Darkover to Hollywood! (Marion Zimmer Bradley)

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From CominSoon.net: Producers Ilene Kahn Power and Elizabeth Stanley have secured the rights to Marion Zimmer Bradley’s renowned “Darkover” novels and are currently developing a multi-platform television series around the saga, the pair announced today. A gifted and prolific science-fiction and fantasy writer, Bradley, who garnered the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2000, was the author of over 66 books and 105 short stories. More good news, right?  Of course, this news is far from the real news we want to see:  Darkover to the screen!  But it’s a big jump in the right direction!  Marion Zimmer Bradley is one of the most important authors in SF/F and one who well deserves a debut on our television screens.  Let’s hope this comes true! And Darkover does seem to be in good hands:  Ilene Kahn Power is perhaps best known for producing TV Movies and miniseries, such as Traffic, Gia, Buffalo Soldiers, and Roswell.  Elizabeth Stanley produced The Dark Path Chronicles and Trailers From Hell.  We wish them all the success in the world for bringing this to the small screen! ComingSoon.net has some quotes from Power and Stanley, which might be of interest to you all, in part because they demonstrate a certain love for the books on the part of the now-producers.  I think it takes a bit of love to make something like this work, don’t you?

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