? of the Week: Is Amazon Devaluing Books?
Over at RT Book Reviews they’re wondering whether Amazon has an impact on how we value books. Amazon is the premiere source for cheap books, as we all know, but is its aggressive practices to make books cheaper and more accessible to consumers good for writers? From the article: But many authors and industry insiders worry that Amazon’s extremely low price scheme will end up devaluing authors’ work. Discussing Amazon’s low prices, Carina Press’ Angela James tweeted, “Don’t train readers to believe the full value of a book was in the paper it was printed on, not your creative content!” And author Moira Rogers replied via tweet, “Or the difference in prices between formats. I do think the devaluation of the story goes a lot deeper than e-books.” To piggy back onto their concerns, we’d like to know what you think. Is Amazon devaluing books or the creative process? Let us know in the comments.
Episode 71 — An Interview w/ Diana Rowland
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow5.8–AnInterviewWDianaRowland/Sandf–Episode5.8–InterviewWDianaRowland.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSDiana Rowland, author of My Life as a White Trash Zombie, joins us for a bizarre discussion about zombies, body parts, morgues and their smells, and substance abuse. All related to her fiction, of course. Let’s just say we had a bit of fun together and you all should join in! See the episode below. We hope you enjoy it! 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): (Note: the WordPress.com audio plugin isn’t working and I don’t have time to fix it. Clicking the link below should allow you to stream from the site, though. RSS subscribers will likely see the little audio thing.) Episode 71 — Download (MP3) Intro and Interview w/ Diana Rowload (0:00 – 52:32) Diana Rowland’s website (check out her books!) Diana Rowland’s Twitter Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). We’re also currently running a plug for Adventures in Scifi Publishing. That’s all, folks! Thanks for listening. See you next week.
Episode 70 — An Interview w/ Lavie Tidhar (a.k.a. NYC P.I.)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow5.7–AnInterviewWLavieTidhar/Sandf–Episode5.7–InterviewWLavieTidhar.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSLavie Tidhar, author of Osama, joins us for a long discussion about his book from PS Publishing, 9/11, terrorism, Osama Bin Laden, genre fiction, alternate history, and a whole lot of other things that would take too long to list. Trust me when I say this episode is jam packed with serious discussion of things that matter to the Post-9/11 generation. Plus: Osama is by far one of the best books we’ve read in a while! See the episode below. We hope you enjoy it! 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): (Note: the WordPress.com audio plugin isn’t working and I don’t have time to fix it. Clicking the link below should allow you to stream from the site, though. RSS subscribers will likely see the little audio thing.) Episode 70 — Download (MP3) Intro and Interview w/ Lavie Tidhar (0:00 – 55:06) Lavie Tidhar’s Website Lavie Tidhar’s Twitter Lavie Tidhar at Angry Robot Books Osama from PS Publishing The World SF Blog 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.
Tobias S. Buckell Hits Kickstarter with New Xenowealth Novel
Caribbean-born Tobias S. Buckell hasn’t published a new book in his Xenowealth saga since 2008. Fans of Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin, and Sly Mongoose have been hoping for another book in the series, particularly since Sly Mongoose ended with a huge plot shift that opened up Buckell’s “universe” to an infinite number of new stories. But publishing is a wicked beast, and things don’t always go as planned. That is until Kickstarter showed up and started changing the game for writers. Buckell has taken the next installment of the Xenowealth saga to the indie funding/incentive platform and is calling on fans to help him reach his $10,000 goal: One of the most frequent questions I get is this: ‘When will you write a sequel to Crystal Rain/Ragamuffin/Sly Mongoose?’ The truth is, I have most of the outline for the fourth book already written, as well as a chunk of the opening already done. And I think it would be great to see it fully written. Using Kickstarter, it seems to me that we can put together a very cool project. One where I can present readers of this existing series with a sequel, while allowing everyone to basically pre-order the novel. If enough people commit to backing it, readers will get an awesome eBook (I create eBooks for freelance income on the side), or a great hardcover (with the help of a great designer), with even cooler rewards for those who want to read the book as it is being written or who want to leave their mark on the Xenowealth universe. The Xenowealth novels have always been fairly unique with their diaspora characters in the future, bringing a range of diversity to straight up adventure novels, with bits and pieces of Caribbean inspiration folded in for good measure. Allowing readers to pre-purchase the next Xenowealth adventure is an exciting prospect, and I hope that many of the dedicated readers of the first three books are as as excited as I am about a chance to come back to these worlds and characters. If we can raise $10,000, upon completion of the novel (I will start writing it January 1st at the latest, and will finish in June), backers receive their rewards (those backing the project for above $250 get to read along live, however) once the book is finished and turned into an eBook and limited edition hardcover. The project has to meet its minimum funding goal by the 19th of October (by 2:56 PM EDT). And what’s in it for readers? Depending on how much you give, you can receive ebook or hardcover copies of the finished product, have a character or spaceship named after you, or even have a short story set in the universe written specifically for you. There are also incentives to publicize the hell out of the project. Buckell has set a series of goals above $10,000 that, if reached, will result in lots of cool extras for everyone who donates (artwork, etc.). But the main goal is that $10,000. So the question is: are you going to donate? Because I am…as soon as I get my next paycheck. ——————————– P.S.: You can check out our interview with Tobias S. Buckell here.
Episode 67 — An Interview w/ Clay and Susan Griffith (a.k.a. The Elephant Lords)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow5.4–AnInterviewWClayAndSusanGriffith/Sandf–Episode5.4–InterviewWClayAndSusanGriffith.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWe’re back with another interview, this time riding on the back of a giant bespectacled elephant from the Equatorian Empire! Okay, so we’re not actually on an elephant’s back — mostly because Jen is afraid of giant mammals — but our guests did provide us with lame pack mules left over from a failed Grand Canyon conquest… Anywho! In episode 5.4, we talk to Susan and Clay Griffith about Vampire Empire (Book One): The Greyfriar, how history influenced their work, the wonders of collaboration, and silly Americans. So scroll down, click “listen” or download the mp3 and enjoy! Note: The audio quality isn’t quite up to snuff as I would like. I hope this doesn’t deter all of you from listening all the way through. The interview was a lot of fun and we are grateful to Clay and Susan for their time! 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 67 — Download (MP3) Intro and Interview w/ Clay and Susan Griffith (0:00 – 58:18) Clay and Susan’s Blog Vampire Earth (Facebook) Their Upcoming Appearances and Interviews 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.
Episode 66 — An Interview w/ Rhiannon Frater (a.k.a. the TexMex Zombie Slayer)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow5.3–AnInterviewWRhiannonFrater/Sandf–Episode5.3–InterviewWRhiannonFrater.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWell, it was about time someone with zombies on the brain (ha!) made their way (once more) onto this show. And you know what? We kind of like it. Except for the cranium bites, these zombie lovers are a wonderful bunch. Just make sure to get your shots! In all seriousness, our interview with Rhiannon Frater is a fantastic exploration of her zombie novels, the nature of zombies, why Texas just might survive the zombocalypse, and other fun things like that. Trust me: it’s worth listening to. So scroll down, click “listen” or download the mp3 and enjoy! 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 66 — Download (MP3) Intro and Interview w/ Rhiannon Frater (0:00 – 52:33) Rhiannon’s Website Rhiannon’s Blog The First Days (get it!) 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.
