The publishing this week.
More big news from Amazon this week as the Kindle is going global. Except, sadly, to Canada. The Kindle’s lack of presence in Canada presents me with a severe challenge, as I don’t know whether to make a joke about “aboat,” hockey, Quebecois separatists, eh?, or Celine Dion. Oh Canada, must you have so many objects of hilarity?
In his ongoing effort to give you all of the information you need to know about everything that is important, Eric at Pimp My Novel has a great post on all you need to know about comp titles. Also co-op.
The FTC made headlines for the first time in…. basically ever, as they announced a crackdown on the great scourge sweeping the nation: blogs blogging about stuff they got for free. This has opened up a can of worms so big it could swallow Idaho, and Ron Hogan in particular has written a great series of posts about what it means and what the ruling leaves unanswered. Since this doesn’t affect journalists and talking heads on TV, who will still be free to say whatever they want no matter who is giving them free stuff, one has to wonder why the FTC decided to single out bloggers.
Also, in the wake of the ruling, Mark Cuban wants to know if he can still blog about omelets.
@PublishersLunch passed along news that Egmont UK will soon be publishing e-books for the Nintendo DS. Very very cool!
The blockbuster that is the Google Book Deal has announced a new target date of November 9th.
Meanwhile, this week’s End of Publishing As We Know It article is brought to you by the New York Times, which reports that very-good-but-not-extraordinary sales of some recent big books have the industry wringing hands. Agent Miriam Goderich is not impressed.
Meanwhile, The Rejectionist has a guest blogger with some words on the industry that have most definitely not been minced. Said poster worries about what e-books will do to the business, does not care too much for a certain fake memoirist, and perhaps most importantly, wonders why the industry is busy overpaying a handful of authors instead of building a sustainable business.
And finally, in important agent advice news, Kristin Nelson reminds us that even when they end up looking really smart, agents are not seers.
Have a great weekend!
Dominique says
Knock Canada all you want, it is still really big, and that's what counts. Also, they make good candy.
Though I can't see why there wouldn't be Kindle in Canada.
Anne-Marie says
So Nathan,
in order to make up for the huge disappointment of not being Kindled up here in the Great White North, you should declare this Canada month and only accept queries from the Kindle-free folks and offer them all deals so we can publish books for our countrymen. How's that for a captive market?
Marilyn Peake says
Mira,
I think most people remember you by your humor. Your humor is hilarious. You really gotta write that book. Maybe take individual topics like comedians do, make them chapters, and – voila! – humor book that everyone can enjoy. ๐
Mira says
Marilyn, thank you.
Your encouragement means alot. Really, truly. Thanks. ๐
I have the concept for the book, and some of the characters. I write it in my head sometimes. Maybe during winter break, I'll knuckle down. ๐
I'm happy to hear that your work is almost ready to go! You work hso hard. I admire that. And I appreciate your comments here alot. ๐
Oh. Since we're in chat mode, I do want to say something very important to say to Nathan. Nathan, you mentioned in your Twitter that you like In N Out Burger. Guess what I learned at Grad school today? Did you know that In N Out has a special, secret menu? Here's a link to SOME of them: https://www.in-n-out.com/secretmenu.asp. But not all! There's also a neopolitan shake (all the flavors combined), chili fries. Cheese fries. And the all important chili/cheese fries. Very exciting.
I highly recommend grad school. You learn alot.
thanks, Marilyn. ๐
Marilyn Peake says
Hi, Mira,
Glad to hear you have your book concept and some of the characters planned. Awesome!
Amber W. says
Hey Nathan,
I'm a long time reader first type poster kind of deal, I love your weekly updates. Through following links from places you linked I found out about this iStorybook application for the iphone about picture books for kids.
I was just wondering if you had any thoughts on the possibilities of Kindle or other publishing houses getting the idea of making e-readers for kids in the near future? I've got a lot of nieces and nephews who would probably love something like that. (I'm not sure if you do Q and A here but I didn't think it was important enough of a question to e-mail.)
Anyway keep up the great blog!
Ryan Potter says
The Kindle is skipping Canada because the beer is so horrible there.
Ink says
You wound me, Ryan, you wound me.
Canadian beer is obviously superior. Unless of course you like beer flavoured water…
๐
Steph Damore says
e-books for the DS? Awesome. Now there's a chance that my nephews will read a book for (gasp!) fun!!!
Julie says
"Aboat?" Maybe in Newfoundland. Although we Canadians get the shaft more often than not, eventually the Kindle will come. Good things to those who wait and all that. Come to Canada and see eh?
Anonymous says
I may have the wrong information, but I heard that the whole blogging rules thing came up/ went down after the Pittsburgh protesters were being shepherded away by bloggers/social networkers/twitterers from the police and other blockades recently.
Thus- the applause for all things facebook in helping protesters in Iran became a nono in Pittsburgh and the gov was going to tie new rules and regulations onto the Internet fastened onto an "advertising concern." Police those bloggers and social net-workers.
("Oh dear," she said, running away with her constitution twittering between her fingers.)
Anybody have more accurate or other info than this?
(word verification: undideb as in undi-deb or undi de bed)
Anonymous says
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/
20091007/2149146455.shtml#comments
interesting article and comments on FTC freedom of speech
elancross says
Seems you have a lot of Brans Flakes (great name GhostFolk.com) from Canada.
Canada month! I love it, Anne-Marie!
Anonymous says
Love the links!
Other Lisa says
Ink, "beer-flavored water"? Your information on American beer is happily out of date – submitted for your approval – a few top beers.
Especially here on the West Coast – American beers are amazing!
Ink says
Other Lisa,
If you send me a free case of each for sampling I may concede your point…
Anonymous says
There is beer in my novel.
Real beer.
I haven't gotten a free sample (yet).
Should I be watching for the FTC?
Other Lisa says
Ink, while that would be out of my budget, I will happily take you on a pub crawl, should you make it down south to California…
word verification: butsorri (!)
Anonymous says
The anonymous guest writer at The Rejectionist has a fantastic sense of humor. Hereโs an equally humorous and worrisome article on Forbes, How Billionaires Control Our Lives. And hereโs the recent Forbes List of the 400 Richest Americans. It includes quite a few people running the publishing industry. Many of them individually own quite a few media corporations. Some have lost a couple million dollars, but are still worth billions of dollars. I donโt think any of them are interns or publishing assistants. I also donโt think that so many publishing jobs needed to be cut to preserve the large numbers of billions of dollars at the top. Just sayinโ.
Ink says
Other Lisa,
I shall start hitchhiking now…
Anonymous says
Wasn't it Miriam, not Jane, that posted over at JDLM?
Nathan Bransford says
Whoops, yes, sorry for the error.
dylan says
Dear Mr. Bransford,
All this publishing stuff is fine and dandy, but what about the rice harvest update?
No Photo?
dylan
Nathan Bransford says
dylan-
All finished!
Ink says
Nathan,
This feels a little like Fate kicking a team when it's down.
Nathan Bransford says
bryan-
It's worse. He injured himself when an exercise ball popped. AN EXERCISE BALL.
Ink says
What are the odds in Vegas on that one?
Wonder what's next… wet towel injury? Jacuzzi malfunction?
Other Lisa says
Best sports injury ever…David Wells tripped over a bar stool and cut himself. The flip-flops he was wearing were a contributing factor…
Nathan Bransford says
This isn't the first time a Kings player has had a bizarre injury. One of their players had to miss time in 1991 because of tendinitis due to playing Nintendo too much.
Carol says
The Mark Cuban article too funny.
Angie Ledbetter says
Saw your tweet for contest ideas. I had one recently that drew almost 100 entries. Contestants had to leave in comments book title suggestions (with genre) to go with photographs posted. Great fun!
Chuck H. says
I came, I read, I wandered off shaking my head.
Word Ver: pester – Ain't gonna touch that with someone else's ten foot pole.
Ulysses says
It's pronounced "aboot" in some parts of the country. In my day job as a tech trainer, I've had to face many an American audience. They have no problem with my "about," but find my "route" ("root") hilarious. I don't find Quebecois separatists normally funny, but Celine Dion is a punch line all by herself. Hockey is religion, so be careful what you say. As for objects of hilarity, we've also given the world Howie Mandell, so that pretty much balances things.
annerallen says
Ghostfolk–I love "Brans Flakes."
Kristan says
Um, totally not related to weekly roundup, but I saw this in the New Yorker today and thought of you:
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/10/19/091019sh_shouts_weiner
๐