Blog Without A Name

Yes, yes, I’m still working.

But! I wanted to share a picture of our tree.

I also wanted to share a picture of Mozart, but when I approached his napping place, he looked up, blinked at the camera, and put his head back down with a paw over his eyes.

So, OK, I can take a hint.

An early morning discussion of the addresses of Hamlet’s duplex (2B and Not 2B) brought to mind the pope’s phone number, which is the title of today’s post, and also a Catholic in-joke. Worse, it’s an in-joke for Catholics who still (faintly) recall the respondents to the Latin Mass, and! those who still remember when phone numbers were rendered thusly: Northfield Eight Six-Nine-Three-Six. You’d think my brain would have more interesting things to do than remember this stuff, but! The above is pronounced, indifferently, I expect: Etcum Spiri Two-Two-O. Note the lack of an international calling code.

When it’s not being a phone number, the phrase is part of the response pair: Dominus vobiscum/Et cum spiritu tuo, which means The lord be with you/And with your spirit.

So now you know.

OK! Exciting doin’s here at the Confusion Factory:

1. I am in the position of needing to write a whole lotta words in a short number of days. This means? I’m turning off the internet and the email. I hope you all have a delightful holiday season of your choice, and I’ll see you again early, but not too early, in the New, and please Goddess Much Better, Year.

2. “Kin Ties” and “Guaranteed Delivery” have aged off the of the Splinter Universe site. They are now available as echapbook Courier Run right now from Smashthing and from Amazon, and RSN from BN. I did clean up the typos and put in the missing words, but there are no other changes.

3. Be good to yourselves, and to each other. Remember to tell the people you love how much they mean to you.

See you in 2012.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken (re-re-re-&c-read)
Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, Phil & Kaja Foglio
Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (read aloud with Steve)
The Shattered Vine, Laura Anne Gilman
The Convenient Marriage, Georgette Heyer (read out loud with Steve)
Desdaemona, Ben Macallan (e)
The Sleeping Partner, Madeleine E. Robins
My Life, Deleted: A Memoir, by Scott Bolzan, Joan Bolzan, and Caitlin Rother (e)
Across the Great Barrier, Patricia C. Wrede
Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini (e)
Destroyer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore (e)
Silver Borne, Patricia Briggs (e)
Warrior Sheep One: Quest of the Warrior Sheep, Christine and Christopher Russell
Phoenix Rising, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (e)
Crown Jewels, Walter Jon Williams (e)
Explorer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Defender, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Bond of Blood, Roberta Gellis (e)
Inheritor, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
I Don’t Want to Kill You, Dan Wells
Invader, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Library Wars Volume 1: Love and War, Kiiro Yumi
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope
Edie Ernst, USO Singer — Allied Spy, Brooke McEldowney
Silver Phoenix, Cindy Pon
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (e)
Foreigner, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
Betrayer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Right-Ho, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse (e)
American Rose, Karen Abbott
The Bull God, Roberta Gellis (e)
Sin in the Second City, Karen Abbott
Of Blood and Honey, Stina Leicht (e)
The God Engines, John Scalzi (e)
Or Else My Lady Keeps the Key, Kage Baker (e)
Unseen, Rachel Caine
Total Eclipse, Rachel Caine
Weight of Stone, Laura Anne Gilman
The Story of Chicago May, Nuala O’Faolain

And! as the fat little snowflakes drift lazily down from the grey sky, let us pause to consider where and how best to buy Reading Matter from Lee and Miller, and Lee, for those readers on your Holiday Gift Giving List.

Paper books: 

For the first time in. . .a lot of years, the entire Liaden Universe® backlist is in print.  You lucky people, you.  Books are available from your favorite local bookstore and online booksellers.  Here are the titles:

The Dragon Variation:  includes Local Custom, Scout’s Progress, Conflict of Honors

The Agent Gambit:  includes Agent of Change, Carpe Diem

Korval’s Game: includes Plan B, I Dare

The Crystal Variation: includes Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, Balance of Trade

Fledgling — Book One detailing the life and times of Theo Waitley

Saltation — Theo Waitley, Book Two

Mouse and Dragon — Sequel to Scout’s Progress

Ghost Ship — Sequel to BOTH Saltation and I Dare (note:  Amazon is sold out of this book.  Uncle Hugo’s SF store has signed copies available.  They do mail order, but you need to act FAST.)

Also in print and available from the bookstore of your choice are:

Carousel Tides, by Sharon Lee — contemporary fantasy set in a down-on-its-luck Maine resort town.  A haunted carousel, selkies, the ghost of an Abenaki warrior — what’s not to love?

Duainfey, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller —  Book One of the Fey Duology.  Dark fantasy about a young human girl who becomes a pawn in a plot to overthrow the Fey Queen.

Longeye, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller — Book Two of the Fey Duology.

In print, but available from Lulu only:

Barnburner, by Sharon Lee —  Mystery set in the fictional town of Wimsy, Maine, featuring Jennifer Pierce, intrepid reporter, and Fox, a lord of cyberspace.

Gunshy, by Sharon Lee — the second book of Jen and Fox.

Here’s the link to a page from which these books may be ordered

Audiobooks:

Carousel Tides, by Sharon Lee, narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers, published by Audible.

Local Custom, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Michael Shanks, published by Buzzy Multimedia

Ebooks:

Every! Single! Liaden Universe®! Novel! EVER PUBLISHED is available in the ebook format of your choice! from Baen Books.  Here’s a link to the Lee and Miller, and Lee, page.  

Every! Single! Liaden Universe®! Short Story! published by SRM Publisher through February 2011 (Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Volumes 1-17) is available in the ebook format of your choice!  Here’s a link to Pinbeam Books, where every title is listed, with the stories included in each, and handy links to each title at  BN, Amazon and Smashwords.  Other stories are also available.  Take a couple minutes and check out the site.

Barnburner and Gunshy, by Sharon Lee (see descriptions, above) are available in the ebook format of your choice from Fictionwise.  Here’s a link to the page from which these volumes may be purchased.

Edited to add:  Both Baen Books and BN offer gift cards for electronic books.  Here’s the link to Baen’s card.  Here’s the link to BN’s card. 

Splinter Universe Stories:

Three Liaden Universe® stories are available to be read for free (though donations are gratefully accepted), as well as a story by Steve, plus various splinters, notes, and outtakes from novels.  Here’s the link.

There now, wasn’t that easy?

Thank you all! for your support, your attention, and your care over the years.  You guys are the best.

In the spring of 2011 Sharon Lee and Steve Miller of Liaden Universe® fame took part in a TV interview as part of a special Maine Writers and Publishers project in connection with “What Are You Reading,” on a Maine cable access station. Topics included a history of the Liaden franchise, writing techniques, science fiction conventions, and writing as a team.

Clicky the linky for the interview, live! on YouTube:

Lee & Miller: What are you reading?

. . .use her wisely.

This is Scrabble, who will be holding down the office while I run to Augusta in the rain. As you can see, she’s quite busy, so please don’t call to ask her to do something. By policy, she lets all calls go to the machine.

Well, actually, no. We’re not going to Michigan; the post takes its title from a song from Audiobody, called (wait for it) “We’re Going to Michigan,” which has gotten stuck sideways in my head.

(Audiobody was a great find; I have their CD “Do Something Difficult,” and I couldn’t be more pleased. Thank you, EepyBird)

So, anyway, a busy couple days here at the Confusion Factory. Work on Dragon Ship continues; putting the house back together continues; planning for our various winter trips continues (Chattanooga on January 19! Um. Eeep!)(Boston on February 17! Urg!); deliveries continue to arrive (this just in — and I do mean just; the UPS truck is driving away as I type — give-away ribbons, including but not limited to, Happy Birthday Theo! Want one? Come see us at Chattacon.). The guy who was to come back and finish the couple little chores in the house for us has vanished into the ether, sigh. And I have a call in to a young lady who will help me hang the paintings up in such a manner that they won’t fall down again.

Discoveries continue, too. Just yesterday I discovered that it’s harder to upload a video to Youtube than Youtube lets you know. Also, I learned that some folks think a book that you can’t give to a YA reader is by definition a bad book.

Someone in the recent past asked why our books aren’t in the SFBC (Science Fiction Bookclub) catalog. The short answer is: both Balance of Trade and Partners in Necessity were available through SFBC. They didn’t do well (though there was a while there where I couldn’t talk to a SF-reading mundane* who didn’t say, “But! I read your book from SFBC! Why weren’t there any more?”) and SFBC has passed on any more Liaden material.

So, anyway, this is a check-in post. Things — lots of things! — are in process. The cats are asleep. And! there’s nothing much to see here.

What’s going on with y’all? Everybody ready for whatever Winter Holiday you honor?

___
*”Mundane” is the word that self-identified, con-going, and/or fanzine fans use to connote people who are not self-identified con-going and/or fanzine fans.

Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (read aloud with Steve)
The Shattered Vine, Laura Anne Gilman
The Convenient Marriage, Georgette Heyer (read out loud with Steve)
Desdaemona, Ben Macallan (e)
The Sleeping Partner, Madeleine E. Robins
My Life, Deleted: A Memoir, by Scott Bolzan, Joan Bolzan, and Caitlin Rother (e)
Across the Great Barrier, Patricia C. Wrede
Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini (e)
Destroyer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore (e)
Silver Borne, Patricia Briggs (e)
Warrior Sheep One: Quest of the Warrior Sheep, Christine and Christopher Russell
Phoenix Rising, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (e)
Crown Jewels, Walter Jon Williams (e)
Explorer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Defender, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Bond of Blood, Roberta Gellis (e)
Inheritor, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
I Don’t Want to Kill You, Dan Wells
Invader, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Library Wars Volume 1: Love and War, Kiiro Yumi
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope
Edie Ernst, USO Singer — Allied Spy, Brooke McEldowney
Silver Phoenix, Cindy Pon
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (e)
Foreigner, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
Betrayer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Right-Ho, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse (e)
American Rose, Karen Abbott
The Bull God, Roberta Gellis (e)
Sin in the Second City, Karen Abbott
Of Blood and Honey, Stina Leicht (e)
The God Engines, John Scalzi (e)
Or Else My Lady Keeps the Key, Kage Baker (e)
Unseen, Rachel Caine
Total Eclipse, Rachel Caine
Weight of Stone, Laura Anne Gilman
The Story of Chicago May, Nuala O’Faolain

Today is Amazon.com’s bounty-hunting day. If you’d like to read more about what other folks think of this adorable trick, here’s what American Booksellers Association has to say.

Here’s the link to the petition, again, for those who are interested.

There’s also a cogent discussion of Amazon’s Thrilling! New! Project! KDP Select.

As it happened, Steve and I had some shopping to do on Waterville Main Street today, so off we took ourselves, to the post office, which was a Zoo; to Joka’s; to Juliet’s Bakery — which were, thankfully, not a Zoo; to The Framemaker’s where Bill admired the Dragon Ship art, and suggested The Perfect Frame.

Now, I want to pause here and say that, indeed, it was the perfect frame. Right up to the point where Bill came back from running the numbers, looking a little shaken, and said, “This is the most expensive frame we have in the store. I’m not kidding.”

So, we three put our heads together again, found a very nice, and appropriate! frame, and settled on a price for mat, glass, frame, and labor that came in a couple of pennies less than one-third of what it would have cost for the frame alone of the other stuff.

That pleasant chore accomplished, we walked down to Barrels to renew our annual membership and chat with the crew. After that, it was Hannaford, and some moderate food shopping, then home to a quiche-and-green-salad lunch, and so to the desks.

…now back after a cookie break. Juliet? Makes a darn good gingerbread cookie.

I wanted to touch on something that first came up during the autographed books discussion we had a couple weeks ago. There seems to be a belief among people who don’t work in bookstores, or as publishers, or as writers, that Amazon’s prices are the norm and that indie bookstores mark their books up to an outrageous level, and that’s um…just not now it works.

How it works is like this: Rolanni Publications publishes Living High on SciFi by S. Lee. Based the cost of art, typesetting, copy editing, what the market will bear, &c, &c the publisher sets the price and prints it on the cover. This is called the “cover price” or “retail price.”

Now, in order to get LHSF into bookstores, the publisher offers it at a “bookstore discount.” This discount has been, for as long as I’ve been aware of these things, 40% of cover. This means that, if the cover price for LHSF is $30, the bookstore will pay $18. The
bookstore will then sell the book to you for cover price, thus earning $12 per book sold.

For the purposes of this discussion, we’re not going to get into returns and all the rest of bookselling’s arcane and endearing little traditions. We’re just going to do arithmetic.

So, are we clear on the above? — $30 cover price, publisher places with bookstores at 40% discount, bookstore takes the difference between 40% discount and cover price as their income (i.e., the cash that’s used to keep the lights on, the heat up, the employees and the owner paid).

Hokay. So, that’s how it works, normally.

Enter Amazon.

Amazon doesn’t want to take a 40% discount. They need to earn more money than that, so they can pay lawyers to help them avoid paying sales tax to the states in which they do business. Amazon wants a 50, 60, and I heard from at least one small press, a 65% discount off of cover. And they’re huge. If you’re a publisher, you’ve got to move books, so you hope to ghu that you can earn enough on volume to make this work. If your publishing enterprise is big enough, of course. A 60% off cover bookseller discount would be unsupportable at Rolanni Publications. Just sayin’.

Now. Amazon, having scrod the publisher on the discount, then turns around and sells the book to you at a price significantly less than cover price. This is, a DISCOUNT. It is not the natural price of the book; the natural price of the book is the one printed on the cover.

So, yes. You will pay more at your local bookstore for LHSF — unless the store is having a sale — because you will be paying cover price. But that is not because Amazon’s price is the Real Price and your local bookstore is trying to rip you off. It’s because Amazon is willing to go to quite extraordinary lengths to be the last player left standing at the end of the game.